nearly three billion are expected to be completed before the celebrations come to a close. this man is heading home to sichuan province, a journey that is expected to last around 30 hours. this woman is taking her li—year—old daughter back to anhui province, which is a snip at only 20 hours. the lunar new year, or spring festival, is associated with light and colour. and if that is what you're after, head to guiyang city, where more than 1000 lanterns illuminate the night sky. lights of a different kind in the north of china, molten iron thrown into the air. all the while, dragon dancing takes place as the red—hot metal showers to the ground. translation: it is really amazing when the molten iron

is all through the sky. translation: it is breathtaking seeing people performing the dragon dance against the backdrop of the molten iron sparkles. even these panda cubs were getting into the swing of it at this nature reserve. this will be the year of the pig, so they got to play with some soft cuddly toy versions. no contest as to who was cuter, though. now it's time for a look at the weather with helen willetts. we have seen a lot of snowfall over the last few days. ice will be a concern as we go into the evening and the temperatures fall. there is and the temperatures fall. there is a peppering of snow in the east and west coasts as well as the north,

and fora england... west coasts as well as the north, and for a england... as temperatures fall away they will plummet to “4 or -5 in fall away they will plummet to “4 or —5 in the major towns and cities, so we could see —10 to —12 over the snowfields. but it is all change as goes into sunday. rain, sleet and snow for northern ireland. it is becoming milderfrom the snow for northern ireland. it is becoming milder from the west as time goes by. the headlines this hour. freezing temperatures continuing into the weekend as snow causes more travel chaos. the ministerfor weekend as snow causes more travel chaos. the minister for schools said people should be banned from taking smartphones into school. vladimir putin says russia is withdrawing

from a nuclear treaty. censorship debates at universities have been drawn up, we're... french fumble under welsh fightback last night. more six nations action to come today. there will be more news at the top of the other, but it is staying chile i'm afraid, with the travel show. —— it is staying cold. coming up on this week's travel show: i know they said i'm not going to feel the cold, but i am really nervous about my body going into some kind of shock once i get in the water. it's an icy plunge for me in the french alps. we have some chairlift speed dating in the us. fancy learning how to cook tentacles and suckers? we have a special family

recipe of couscous. and we meet one lady making waves in the canary islands. the ski season is now in full swing in the northern hemisphere. and so far, the snowfall has been somewhat unpredictable. i am in tignes, a ski resort in the french alps. it is part of the espace killy ski area, and home to the grande motte glacier, which rises to a whopping 3450 metres. despite the resort‘s high altitude, like many others it had to delay the start of its season by a couple of weeks due to lack of snow. across the world, global warming is shortening the ski season, and starting to seriously affect the economy for lower resorts. it may be hard to believe given recent heavy snowfall in europe, but the bigger picture is looking bleak. the charity protect our winters has been collecting data from climate scientists around the world,

all with similar predictions. by 2050 the alps could see a reduction in snow by more than a0%. warren smith is an ambassador to the charity. so lucy, tell me about your skiing background, what have you done so far? i'm still very much in plough territory. he is also an international ski coach based in the alps. here we go. i have noticed a massive difference, especially in the last 25 years that we have been doing it, of the glaciers retreating, the glaciers getting smaller. in the winters, the winter season is getting shorter, it used to start in november very comfortably, sometimes now we are lucky they start in december. the other thing that is quite scary and is actually really apparent right now is, because of these extreme changes in the temperatures we are seeing, so, you could have a snowfall injanuary, it could be —15 or —i6, and four or five days

later it could be +10. and what it does to the snow pack, it really weakens the way snow bonds together, and we have seen a big rise in the amount of avalanches. it makes free riding for me as a free skier a lot more risky, and obviously for everyone else trying that. here in tignes, the resort has been making plans to ensure its future — and one ambitious project is to open an indoor ski dome by the grande motte glacier. these artist impressions show what it would look like in the winter, and also in the summer, to guarantee year—round skiing no matter the weather. in addition, tignes recently opened the world's first high—altitude cable car roof terrace. it's part of a multimillion—euro project called the altitude experience, designed to promote

the beauty of the vanoise national park, and encourage off—season visitors. hello! well, i am giving my ski legs a rest, to try something a little bit different. 0k! yes, that is a mask and regulator. i have been persuaded into ice diving. so once you are inside, we seal everything, and you are completely protected. for this i will be wearing a dry suit. we will put some talc inside so the head will go easily into the protection. 0k... 0ops! it's a girl! laughs. it's definitely a complicated process getting ready, which is just adding to my nerves. and you're sealed!

the good news is i cannot feel how cold it is out here, so... the lake i will be diving into is right in the ski village of tignes le lac, just a stone's throw from the lifts. the more i stare at that icy abyss, the more ijust want to stick my foot in to get a taste of how cold it is. i know they said i will not feel the cold but i am very nervous about my body going into some kind of shock once i get in the water. i'm sure it will be fine but my mind is currently in overdrive. ijust want to get in now. you're in? perfect! dan will be staying above the ice, helping me and another instructor go under. it is not an activity you can do as a group, rather one person at a time with an instructor, for safety reasons.

and we rotate into the water, now! my initial worries of freezing to death quickly went away. perfect. bye bye! but it didn't quite go to plan, and i had to surface. so my mask started to fill with water... and i started to panic, so i was like, out! after a little reminder about what to do, namely don't panic — i was mentally prepped for another go. i ready to go back in. i was only down there for maybe a minute or so, but it is so pretty down there, just being able to touch all the bubbles under the ice is really cool. this time my mask stayed put,

but we decided not to stray too farfrom the ice hole, and my confidence returned. it is an otherworldly experience under the ice, cut off from the noise and distractions above. and it is surprisingly relaxing. 0nly towards the end did my toes and fingers start to tingle, but otherwise the drysuit really did keep the cold out. for the really daring, it is possible also to free dive. probably not for me though — i much prefer having the oxygen tank. well, if you are eager to experience something a bit different on the mountains this winter, we have rounded up some events we think you should consider. the grand finale of the freeride world tour is taking place in verbier in march. it is considered the hardest freeride competition

on the planet, and it's quite a spectacle for visitors. this is certainly not for the fainthearted. for something on the other end of the spectrum, it seems chairlift speed dating is the latest trend to hit the slopes in north america. on february 10, afton alps in minneapolis and wilmot mountain in wisconsin are giving skiers and snowboarders the chance to meet their soul mate. matchmaking agencies pair the love seekers based on compatibility and if you are not interested, you simply ski your separate ways after reaching the top of the mountain. complimentary hair and makeup touchups are even on offer to help you deal with your helmet hair post slopes. and if you cannot make it to the us in february, neverfear — snowbombing in austria offers a similar opportunity. the self proclaimed "greatest show on snow", it takes place in mayrhofen towards the end of the european ski season. complete with igloo raves, enchanted forests and mountain yoga,

big—name artists will also be part of the lineup to perform. and did i mention — you can also sign up for chairlift speed dating. and finally, if getting to canada is possible for you, the whistler world ski and snowboard festival takes place over five days in april. over 10,000 people are expected to watch top athletes at the big air ski & snowboard competitions. but it is the slash cut pool that is the standout feature of the festival. participants have to skim across the ice cold water. madness. and if all that has made you hungry, we are back in france where its capital city has become a melting pot of culinary delights. we're heading to tounsia restaurant in paris for a recipe that's all a bit fishy. or is it?

when i decided to open a restaurant in paris, it was obvious that i wanted to make everyone know the couscous of my mum, the tunisian couscous, because in tunisia it's very normal to eat couscous with fish, and in my father city, it is the octopus couscous. everyone knows the american and algerian couscous, tunisian couscous is quite different, because it is more spicy and you have more tomato. it is a very light couscous. still to come on the travel show. the latest tips on travelling in europe. and we're in the canary islands to find out why it's the perfect training ground for kite surfing. stay with us. hello from a breezy

mediterranean winter. i have advice on rail travel in central europe and where to find greek life as it used to be. first, the year in the sun has begun for europe's two capitals of culture. matera in italy is a joyful baroque town on the surface, but wander more deeply and you discover the ground falls away to reveal a picturebook village that has burrowed its way into a hillside. and the other capital of culture, plovdiv in bulgaria, is a great place to visit in winter, to look at its ancient foundations and then combine it with excellent skiing in the nearby rhodope mountains. next, sabelo dlamini contacted us from eswatini,

the southern african nation previously known as swaziland. he wants to know... vienna is an excellent place to begin theirjourney through the great railways of central europe. take a train to prague through deep valleys and across high moorland for an intense sensation of i9th—century europe. then on to dresden in germany, a city that has revived splendidly after second world war destruction and decades of soviet domination. go to east towards poland to krakow, and after a day or two in this fascinating city, one of europe's increasingly rare but wonderful night trains waits to whisk you through the darkness to vienna. kay tweeted us to ask...

this needs some deep greek knowledge, so i have called in some expert advice. you can find old—fashioned greece even in popular places like the island of lesbos. in villages like asomatos, agiasos and vatousa, you'll find old men drinking booze are in the cafe talking with friends and playing backgammon. another option is the island of crete, where you can find villages where the time stands still. for example, the villages around the amari area. i hope you can visit them soon. finally, joe smith from ireland is heading for the us in the spring. he is flying into chicago and out from boise, idaho, and he wants to rent a car between the two. but he says he is stumped by... joe, car rental companies

in europe impose higherfees if you want to drop a car off in a different country, and the same applies in america if you want to leave it in a different state. for dropoffs in adjacent states such as florida and georgia, usually the one—way fee is modest. but it can increase sharply for longerjourneys. so i suggest that to cut the cost you use the excellent california zephyr train between chicago and salt lake city. it is an enthralling day and a half journey, and if you like, you can stop off after the first night in denver, and pick up a subsequent strain. from salt lake city and utah you can rent a car and take it north across the idaho state line to boise and pay a dropoff fee of only $100, at least according to the test booking i made on your behalf. that's all for now, but keep sending me your travel problems and i will do my best

to find you solutions. finally, we are in fuerteventura in the canary islands, where one woman is making waves in the international kite—surfing scene. she shows us why her home is the perfect training ground for the sport. well, that's all for this week, but coming up next week, christa takes a peek at the back of the notre dame cathedral in paris. to discover fallen pinnacles and gargoyles. and she meets those trying to save it. in ten years we would see the cathedral come completely down if we were to do nothing. and in the meantime, don't forget you can follow us on social media. the links are on our website. for now from me, lucy hedges, and the rest of the travel show team, it's goodbye. third to february, and some central and southern parts of england have

seen a lot more snow than we're used to. the risk of ice remains pretty high through saturday night and into sunday morning as well. snow showers through the rest of the day are most likely to fall across eastern england, and mostly north—eastern parts of england. also a few wintry showers across cornwall, pembrokeshire and into north wales and lincolnshire. some in northern ireland, but they are tending to ease in the afternoon towards the west. a ridge of high pressure is coming in, so most of the snowfall is through the early part of the day, then it will be around about four to six celsius for mid—afternoon, which is a little higher than it has been, but give there is some sunshine and light winds, it will not feel as raw as has recently. it will be the coldest night of the winter so far. starry skies for any except northern

ireland. temperatures in london, cardiff and birmingham expected to get to “i! —5, which is very unusual. -12 get to “i! —5, which is very unusual. —12 over the snowfields of scotland, and —10 over northern ireland, but that does not last, because from tomorrow we are getting a succession of cold weather systems, so a change. it is very cold to start with, and i see, but then it clears over northern ireland, and the west of scotland. it should stay dry from then on until after dark, but it will not be particularly warm, cold beer sitting on the ground. it will ton—a0 over the hills. through the evening and overnight the first weather front fizzles out ahead of the next weather system coming in. still the potential for more

snowfall, possibly disruptive, but we have got weather fronts moving m, we have got weather fronts moving in, and that is the theme for the weekend. this is bbc news. the headlines at 11. freezing temperatures are continuing into the weekend after snow causes more travel chaos overnight. being here in the traffic that is stationary for nearly five hours 110w is not a huge amount of fun. russian president vladimir putin has said that russia is withdrawing from the cold war—era intermediate—range nuclear forces treaty after a similar move by the united states. england's minister for schools says pupils should be banned from taking smartphones into school. floods in the north—east australian state of queensland have reached catastrophic levels a french fumble and a welsh fightback last night — and there's more six nations action to come today. and in half an hour we'll take an in—depth look at the week's

news in dateline london.