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tv   The Travel Show  BBC News  September 8, 2019 8:30pm-9:00pm BST

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gutted by the flames. thousands of pro—democracy activists have marched to the us consulate in hong kong to urge america to support their bid for political reform. some of them carried the us flag, the stars and stripes, and called for president trump to "liberate" the territory. china claims the united states is orchestrating the protests, which have been going on for three months. the number of deaths during a summer heatwave in france rose by 10%, according to data from the ministry of health. figures show there were 1,500 more deaths than usual injune and july, during which temperatures reached a high of 46 celsius. half of those who died were aged over 75. the health minister said that preventative measures had ensured that the rate was 10 times lower than the same period in 2003
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when almost 15,000 people, mainly elderly, died during a heatwave. now it's time for a look at the weather with darren. it has been warm in the sunshine, chili and a cloud. then we have some rain arriving from the west. initially across scotland and northern ireland then western parts of england and wales, heavy rain at times. nowhere near as chilly as it was last night with more cloud around. in east anglia we will have clearer skies for a bit longer. tomorrow, a cloudy day with outbreaks of rain, rain pushing into eastern parts of england, in northern areas the rain easing off into the afternoon. the wettest weather continues to be across wales and the south—west of england. some heavy rain, possibly thundery. and it will be chili underneath that cloud at around 15 celsius in many areas. for tuesday, things looking brighter. some cloud that might
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produce showers, but on the whole, much drier with some sunshine. it will feel quite a lot warmer but there is some wet and windy weather there is some wet and windy weather there in the north—west later on.
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hello, this is bbc news with me, martine croxall. the headlines: amber rudd quits boris johnson's cabinet, attacking his handling of brexit — the government insists it is doing all it can to get a new deal. you might expect in the balance between getting a deal and no deal, 50—50 in terms of work, but it's not that, it's, like, 80, 90% of government time going into preparing for no—deal. we're always going to behave lawfully as a government. of course you'd expect that. and, anyway, it'll be challenged in the courts. but what we are going to do with that legislation is test very carefully what it does and doesn't require. and that's not only the lawful thing to do, i think it's the responsible thing to do. peace talks between the taliban and the us are called off —
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president trump blames a deadly attack in the afghan capital, kabul. hours to go before british airways pilots go on strike — affecting up to 300,000 passengers. joy for australia. they've retained the ashes — after bowling out england on the final day of the fourth test at old trafford. now on bbc news it's time for the travel show, which this week is in switzerland at the world's biggest wine festival. coming up on this week's programme: i'm in switzerland at one of the world's most colourful and crazy wine festivals. the sun is blazing, it's so hot, i'm melting, totally worth it. look at this atmosphere! we're in london with the city's longest serving waitress. i have served the beatles, the stones, freddie mercury, eric clapton, pete townsend, take that, carnabys — — god, so many —
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and jackie and joan collins, they were my favourite. we're in the philippines with the people who risk their lives preserving a dangerous art. plus i'll be finding out why the natural wine movement is on the rise. that's really nice. theme music plays hello and welcome to the travel show, with me, lucy hedges. this week i'm in vevey, a small swiss town on the shores of lake geneva, as it hosts the world's biggest and perhaps most infrequent wine festival.
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as well as being home to unesco—projected lavaux vineyards, vevey is known for its living tradition, the fete des vignerons, a three—weeklong celebration of wine that transforms the town. while switzerland might not spring to mind when you think of wine, they actually produce around 100 million litres a year, exporting only 2% of it. it is said that during the fete des vignerons, visitors to this unsuspecting lakeside town work their way through — are you ready — over half a million bottles of wine. the festival itself actually began as a one—day feast, hosted by an ancient brotherhood, as a way to reward the best winemaker in the region, and it clearly takes locals a while to recover, as the festival only takes place once every 20 to 25 years.
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the fete des vignerons began in 1797 as a small parade through the streets of vevey. but because of unrest in the region over the next couple of decades, the next event was not organised for another 22 years. a cycle that has remained ever since. unbelievably, this year's fete is only that 12th festival since then, with each year's show growing in size and spectacle. today, the climax of the celebration is a daily show that takes place in a specially built stadium, and features over 5000 volunteers. and this year, the show has been created by the man behind cirque du soleil. i'm loving the vibe back here — there's people in costumes, there's props everywhere. now, as the creator of this incredible show — what's going to be an incredible show — what is it like creating something that only happens once every 20 years? it is something very unusual, in some form, and it is like, really,
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a theatre show, but with 5000 actors, maybe more, 6000, something like that. you can be very precise and tell the story about the work that the people are... or you can try to find a different form to bring them like in a strange journey. it is about using your imagination, not doing things conventionally, doing things a little bit outside the box, having a bit of fun with it, basically? yeah. so with 5000 people in your show, do you think you've got room for one more? dance with your hands, do this... dance with my hands? yeah (laughs). does that mean i'm in? you're in! the show itself represents a year in the life of a vineyard and, in order to have enough roles for that many volunteers, it means even the bugs and birds get their moment in the spotlight.
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sabine, talk me through what i'm going to be doing. right, so you're going to be an etourneau dancer, a starling dancer. the idea is that your upper body is completely separated from your lower body, and that your arms feel like wings and you can fly. you make that look really easy. i think i'm getting it. yeah, you're looking great. be honest. no, i'm being honest, you're definitely getting it. i'm believing you. ok, so, at the minute, ifeel like im a little bit stiff, especially on the left—hand side, but i've got time to perfect my wingspan movements. i'm quite looking forward to getting involved in the show, so bring it on. so i've got my moves, now it's time to get my costume. these are huge! how do i look? am i working it? you're amazing! (laughs). then the three—hour
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extravaganza began. the crowd sounds huge. a little bit scary. the first—ever festival for the fete des vignerons held a capacity of 2000 people, i'm about to perform in front of almost 20,000 people! showtime! it wasn't until i ran out into the stadium that the olympic scale of the show truly sank in. the sun is blazing, it's so hot, i am melting. totally worth it! look at this atmosphere! i can't think of another place where multiple generations from one family get the chance to be involved
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in such an epic experience together. this really means a lot to a lot of people, a lot of emotions running high, and i can see why. the choreography wasn't as important in the end, everyone was freestyling, but it looked really good and what an honour to take part in some thing that only happens once every 20 years. i ain't going to be this limber in 20 years, i tell you that now! now to london, and a tradition that does not go back quite as far as the swiss event, but nevertheless has become a bit of an institution, attracting celebrities from across the globe. the city's original hard rock cafe opened its doors in 1971, and we caught up with its longest serving waitress, rita gilligan, who started on day
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one and never left. good morning, sir, how are you today? just come in, sir. my name is rita gilligan mbe, i am 78 years old, and i'm working here at the hard rock for the past 48 years. i tell you, i've got the gold leaf burger and it is absolutely fabulous. i was in the back garden with my husband, 1971, and he spotted an advert on the evening standard paper, and they were looking for waitresses with bundles of personality. so i came down, i'd worked in every hotel along here and, as i approached, there was a guy standing at the door, long hair and a pair ofjeans, and i said i was looking for the headwaiter or the manager? my name's peter morton and i'm the founder, he said. you know what, you're great but you're too young, so i said to him, listen, i'm the best you're going to bloody get, you better take me, i said. so he went back in his chair, put his hand up — i didn't know what he was doing — gave me a high—5, now, my darling, this is the world's best steak burger, gold leaf.
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i want you to enjoy it. i'll be back to double check, 0k, enjoy. if you came in and wanted a cup of coffee at my tables, it's not a lot, it's £1.50 whatever of that, you know, but i'm going to make it — when you walk out that door with a memory. and life is all about memories. i want people to know that they are in london, and whether they are spending £1 or £500, i treat every customer the same. now, my darling, this is the sparkling blue hawaiian. you enjoy it, ok? i have served the beatles, the stones, freddie mercury, eric clapton, pete townsend, take that, carnabys — um, god, so many — and jackie and joan collins, they were my favourite, they were fantastic to serve. now, eric clapton, he came in a few years ago, because he gave the first guitar to the hard rock. of course, pete townsend heard about this, and a week or so later, he sent his down with a note saying, "mine‘s as good as his — get it up." what does hard rock mean to me?
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well, they gave me a job in 1971, a job that i've walked in every day and every second, minute, hour of the day, i've enjoyed every second of it. there you are, my darling, whenever you're ready, you pay me, and come back, and bring yourfriends, 0k? great to see you. well, stay with us here on the travel show, because coming up: we'll be meeting the filipino islanders keeping a perilous tradition alive. plus, i'll be asking just what goes into natural wine? madam, for you today, the cheese fondue! oh, my god! pepperman. merci. bye. i was not expecting that...at all. i think, as far as entrances go,
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that was quite extravagant. now you might not know this about me but i absolute the love fondue. so i'm in heaven right now. and usually this is the kind of meal that is communal, but clearly, i'm billy no—mates right now, but honestly i have no problem consuming all of this by myself. now, if you have never had the pleasure of having fondue, what you've got here is a burner at the bottom that keeps the cheese consistently melted and smooth and delicious and cheesy, and what you do is you grab some bread, or you can use it with meat, eat it with meat or vegetables, whack it on your fork, dip it in the cheesy goodness, oh, and let heaven take over. that is delicious. next up, we head to the philippines to meet islanders of pabellon,
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who have maintained a unique art for generations. nest gatherers risk their lives climbing up cliff faces with their bare hands. we went to find out why this dangerous tradition continues.
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now, i'm heading to the swiss alps to meet a winemaker who is doing things a little bit differently. peter hans—schmidt set up mythopia when the natural wine movement was taking off. today, the consumption of natural wine is on the rise, with emerging names creeping onto wine lists in most of the world's best restaurants. there is no official definition as to what makes a natural wine but it is all about low intervention, letting nature do the work without using any chemicals or additives. and i've heard peter's vineyard is a pretty good example of this. that was quite the trek. i am used to vineyards being a bit more — a bit tidier. there's a lot going on, there's brambles, there's bushes, there's loads of wild plants —
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this is not your typical vineyard, is it? the thing is to have really a living space for nature. there is a method behind the wildness? there is definitely a method. we do not need any fertiliser, so it only comes from the greens that we have planted here. there's a beehive! not really a beehive. this is for wild bees and we put these holes and they put their eggs into the holes. so not only are you making natural wine, with bees on the decline, you're actually doing something for the planet as well. that's brilliant. yeah, we have increased biodiversity, in fact, this area here is one of the places with the highest biodiversity in the whole country. i'm starting to see what you are talking about. this is definitely your patch, this isn't. no. it looks quite barren, there's no undergrowth. you look this way, it's wildflowers, bees, butterflies. there's a lot going on on this side.
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i mean, this is the traditional way, like winegrowing was done here for the last 50 years and more. and all our vineyards, they looked exactly like this. very dense production. we took out half the vines to make space and to give light. peter has clearly put a lot of effort into making his vines as wild as possible. apparently his vineyards are home to 64 species of butterfly. but having never tried natural wine, i'm looking forward to tasting how it differs from the wine i'm used to. so, peter, what are we tasting? the disobedience is a white wine. but if you see, the colour is more like golden. they call it like orange. yeah, it's a nice colour. not one you would expect when someone says white wine. in the old days the wine had four colours — there was red and white, and it was rose and orange.
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when we did this wine we broke all the rules. it is like doing all in the wrong way so in the end it comes to this. that is really nice. it is quite tangy but really flavoursome but very different to the white wines i'm used to. i've never had orange wine before, i've never heard of orange wine before. i did not actually know that it existed so i am learning something too. you only can only make this type of natural wines a continuation of your work in the vineyard. you need the stable ecosystem where you do not interfere. every bottle is made by billions of microorganisms that's why we call it also living wine. they're still inside. peter's clearly not one to shy away from a memorable name. next up, his red wine — illusion. it definitely tastes like red, and red is my favourite. it is difficult to describe just with adjectives what happens inside your mouth.
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a lot of young people never drinking wine, they come to natural wines and say, oh, i like it. it's steep here, yeah. speaking to peter has made me realise that natural winemaking is as much a philosophy as it is a process. that part of the excitement within the movement is the unpredictability of nature that helps make each bottle different from the last, something traditional winemakers have spent centuries trying to avoid. he has also made it clear that even the wildest of vineyards need taming. so he's agreed to let me have a go on his little red tractor. from the outside, it looks wild, but if you do not manage it, it is just all overgrown and after three years there is nothing to harvest anymore. so it is controlled wildness. yes. it is myjob to manoeuvre the roller backwards, down the hill, flattening the grass that will then act as a natural fertiliser for the soil underneath. but i've never been
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that good at reversing. i'm sweating! this is a lot harder to manoeuvre than i thought. i have done many things for the travel show but driving a tractor backwards down the swiss alps, definitely was not in the original job description, but i think i nailed it, right. i think it is fair to say that a lot of us have got expectations of how wine should taste based on what we have been told so it is quite a refreshing and fascinating to see people like peter refusing to conform and it's easy to see that, by using more natural methods, not only is he doing his bit for the environment, but he's shaking up the wine industry a little bit too. and that's it for this week's travel show. but coming up next week:
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ade‘s in amsterdam to see researchers prepare to restore rembrandt‘s the night watch in full view of the paying public. wow. oh, man, so that's it? all of this scrutiny and all of this work for one artist. i really think that he would think we are crazy. so make sure you catch that and, in the meantime, don't forget, you can check us out on social media. but for now, from me, lucy hedges, and the rest of the travel show team, here in switzerland, it's goodbye. hello there.
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we have sunshine, wind, rain and even tropical air heading our way next week. today, the weather has been very pleasant. we had a few showers yesterday across kent, no sign of those today. indeed we have been enjoying some healthy spells of sunshine. after a really cold start in the north—east of scotland, we have seen some blue skies here as well for a while. there is more cloud coming in from the north—west, this weather front waits in the wings to bring rain overnight tonight. a fine end to the day with sunshine around, but the cloud continues to thicken across scotland and northern ireland. going to turn wetter overnight and the rain spills into wales and western parts of england, could be quite heavy. more cloud tonight, not anywhere near as cold as last night, except perhaps across east anglia, where we have clearer skies for longer. tomorrow's a bit of a messy day, the weather front bringing rain, not one of the weather fronts sweeping across, no wind to move it. instead, the wetter weather drifts south.
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patchy rain developing across eastern parts of england, outbreaks of rain and lots of cloud in the morning, the rain tending to ease in the afternoon for northern areas, turning brighter but towards wales and the south—west, we keep the rain going. it could be heavy and thundery, and it really is going to be chilly, temperatures only 1a or 15 quite widely. that weather front pulls apart, most of the rain continuing south towards iberia. this ridge of high pressure building in, but we have a weak weather front on the scene, bringing us this band of cloud, and it could produce one or two showers but dry on the whole. some sunshine around, too, and it will feel a lot warmer, especially for central and eastern parts of england, where temperatures could be up to 20 degrees. but wet and windy weather arriving in north—west later. that is on the weather fronts there and it will turn wet and windy across northern areas overnight, around an area of low pressure which contains remnants
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of ex—hurricane dorian, no longer a hurricane by this stage, but it will bring and windy weather overnight. and through wednesday, it sweeps towards southern parts of england, becoming light and patchy. behind it, we get more sunshine arriving, some showers across scotland but temperatures higherfor all of us.
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this is bbc world news today, with me, karin giannone. our top stories: peace negotiations between the taliban and the united states have been called off. president trump blames a deadly attack in kabul. thousands are evacuated from islands in the bahamas devastated by hurricane dorian — we hearfrom one family who were lucky to survive i lost everything, my children is close, i mean everything. it's only a shell of a building. the building is standing that everything is gone. a senior member of the british government resigns over brexit — saying not enough is being done to get a deal with the eu —

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