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Brianna Barnes and Jonathan Atherton travel to Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. They start by exploring the compact city centre, built around a network of beautiful Jonathan Atherton canals overlooked by the gabled mansions of 17th century merchants. Whilst Jonathan looks around using the locals’ favourite means of transport, the bicycle, Brianna takes a tour of the waterways with the free-spirited Saint Nicolaas Boat Club. Amsterdam is renowned as one of the world’s most liberal cities, and en route they check out the city’s famously tolerant attitude to soft drugs like marijuana, and the nefarious goings-on in the city’s infamous Red Light District.
As befits one of Europe’s major cultural centres, Amsterdam is also home to numerous excellent museums. Jonathan visits the Rijksmuseum, which has a magnificent collection of paintings by the great Dutch Masters, whilst Brianna marvels at the artistic genius of Vincent Van Gogh at the Van Gogh Museum.
On the rougher fringes of the city, beyond the lovely 17th century Golden Age mansions and canals of central Amsterdam, lie the city docks. Brianna visits a replica of an East Indiaman cargo ship moored here, discovering how the great wealth of the city during its Golden Age depended predominantly on the riches that its merchants were able to extract from the Dutch colonies in Asia. Jonathan, meanwhile, visits a dockland squat — Amsterdam, it seems, has a severe housing shortage, in part because of the difficulty of building new apartment blocks in the historic city centre preservation zone.
On their final day in the city, whilst Jonathan does what he does best – having fun – Brianna by contrast follows the trail of the city’s darkest days during World War II. In particular, she visits Brianna Barnes, Amsterdam the Anne Frank House, once home to the young Jewish girl whose famous diary recorded her family’s last days as they hid from the Nazis in an attic, before their hiding place w
Part two of the Holy Lands is an exciting adventure through the heartland of Israel. Host Zay Harding walks in the footsteps of Jesus, traces the mysteries of Kabbalah, explores the Crusader tunnels of Akko, lives it up in the secular city of Tel Aviv and treks the Negev Desert.
Anyone who has experienced the Taj Mahal, taken in the natural beauty of the Victoria Falls, or braved the wilds of Antarctica cannot fail to be moved by our planet earth. Whether man made or a natural phenomenon, our heritage is irreplaceable. But it is also under threat as never before. And the biggest threat comes from us – human beings. Tourism, wars, pollution, development, mining, decay and neglect daily threaten some of the most precious places on earth.
Our presenters take us on a trip round the world to explore some of our most endangered places and ask what we can all do to help the world we live in.
Justine Shapiro shows us the beautiful city of Venice, which has slowly been sinking for 1,000 years. Zay Harding witnesses chunks of a glacier melting into the sea in Antarctica as global warming continues to heat up the earth. Ian Wright travels to the Nevada desert outside Las Vegas where A bombs were tested in the 1950s and finds out just how destructive they really were. Adela Ucar visits an ancient Turkish town, Hasankeyf, before it is sunk under the River Tigris as part of plans for a new dam. Megan McCormick has to fight for a place on the beach in Algarve as she looks at the invasion of tourism that takes place there every year.
The fight for the future of our world starts right here, right now…
Join Zay on a 60 foot yacht ‘The Spirit of Sydney’ as he embarks on a journey like never before. After a peaceful first night in Paradise Harbour, Zay wakes up to clear blue skies - the perfect day for sea kayaking. On board the yacht, Zay sails on to the UK historic site Port Lockroy and visits Ukranian science base Akademic Vernadsky for a firsthand glimpse into what life is like for scientists working in the Antarctic. Zay’s last stop on the peninsula is at American science base Palmer Station where he meets leading biologist Jim McClintock. Crossing the most perilous stretch of water in the world – the Drake Passage – Zay learns what it is like to sail through a Force 8 gale and be seasick for three days straight.
Megan McCormick visits Barcelona, the catalunian capital.
A traveller’s delight, Barcelona is unequivocally a Mediterranean city, thanks to its geographic location, history, tradition and cultural influences. Antonio Gaudi’s works are numerous and scattered all over Barcelona, so don’t miss El Park Guell, Casa Batllo and Sagrada Familia, which is still under construction after 120 years. Miro Foundation, is one of Barcelona's major art galleries; though not everyone's cup of tea, Miró’s works – like Gaudí’s – is found all over Barcelona. The world famous Las Ramblas starts at Plaça Catalunya and end at Barcelona’s harbour; come enjoy the colourful atmosphere with numerous street performers, painters and cages with birds for sale. On day trips out of town, remember to visit Cadaques, home to eccentric artist Salvador Dali and Sitges.
The Netherlands consists of 12 connected provinces and is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. It’s also one of the most accessible. Its rich cultural heritage, laid back spirit and outdoor life make it a great destination. In this episode Brianna Barnes visits 4 provinces. Starting her journey in South Holland, our traveller explores the art and architecture of De Stijl, one of the 20th century’s most influential art moments. She takes to the seas, recounting one of the country’s most prolific maritime battles and visits a very contemporary surf compound on Scheveningen Beach.
Globe Trekker Traveller Zay Harding explores the Holy Lands – a fascinating region with a unique religious, historical and political identity.Ge takes in the ancient city of Jerusalem,Zay Hardingventures into the Palestinian West Bank where he explores one of the world’s natural wonders, the Dead Sea.
Adela Ucar explores the vivid spanish capital. El Rastro flea market in Madrid; Spanish Civil War landmarks; El Escorial; Roman aqueducts of Segovia; hillside town of Toledo.
Adela Ucar starts her journey through nigeria from Lagos.
Begin your journey in the capital of Lagos, an anarchic and electric city with a vital night life. Leaving Lagos, visit the southwest of the country known as ‘Yoruba Land’, once home to one of the most powerful empires on the West African coast. In Oshobogo, the centre of Yoruban art, everything takes a backseat to the massive sculptures and monumental shrine dedicated to the river goddess Osun. Then, stroll through the walled old cities of Zaria, Katsina, and Kano, and hunt for bargains in the ancient Kurmi Market, a maze of alleyways and lanes. The journey ends in the eastern highlands of the country, home to deep wooded valleys, waterfalls, the largest mountain in Nigeria, and where at least four separate gorilla populations have been discovered in recent years.
Zay goes on an adventure to the ends of the Earth, from the southernmost tip of Argentina to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. Following the footsteps of explorers, adventurers and conservationists from Charles Darwin to Ernest Shackleton, Zay meets today’s pre-eminent scientists working in the field such as British Antarctic Survey’s Jonathan Shanklin, the man who discovered the hole in the Earth’s ozone layer in 1984. Along the way, Zay marvels at the stunning array of wildlife from the king penguin to the fur seal, with soaring albatrosses in between.
Holly begins her journey in Syria’s second largest city, the ancient trading centre of Aleppo, and checks into the one of the cities most famous landmarks, Hotel Baron. After a visit to Aleppo’s ancient markets and the impressive Citadel, Holly heads out of town on a day trip to see the awe-inspiring Greco Roman city of Apamea and the Dead Cities. Holly then boards a train into Syria’s coastal mountains to visit two of the most impressive Crusader castles ever built, Saladin’s Castle and Krak de Chevalier, before heading south to the country’s capitol city, Damascus. For the final leg of her journey, Holly heads east into the Syrian desert to the legendary desert oasis of Palmyra.
Our Turkish adventure begins in the historical town of Konya, home town of the Whirling Dervish orders. A bastion of Islamic faith and Seljuk culture, it is a city where ancient history meets modernity, filled with ancient mosques and myriad markets, perfumed with Eastern spices, where Muslim pilgrims mingle with secular citizens in tranquil tea gardens. Our journey continues along the coastline of the Aegean Sea where we trek along the Lycian Way, before heading down to Adana, Turkey’s fourth largest city and home to the Sabanc Mosque, the largest mosque between Istanbul and Saudi Arabia. Journeying off-the-beaten-track, we visit the historic southeastern region of Anatolia and the city of Diyarbakr, the epicentre of Kurdish culture.
Ukraine is an off-beat destination for most travellers, including Holly Morris, who nonetheless, dives right into her Globe Trekker journey to discover...
