hello this is bbc news. the headlines... senior uk cabinet minister michael gove says face coverings should not be made mandatory in shops in england — but they should be worn out of consideration for others. on the whole, my view is that it is always better to trust people's common sense, to give them a clear sense of what is wise, and i think the individuals and businesses are responding well to that lead. president trump finally wears a face mask in public —

as the united states posts another daily record for new coronavirus cases. i think it's a great thing to wear a mask. i've never been against masks, but i do believe they have a time and a place. the uk government announces a £700 million plan for improvements to british border controls at the end of the brexit transition period. india reports a record spike in coronavirus cases, forcing authorities to reinforce strict lockdowns across the country. and a scottish airline pilot who contracted covid—19 in vietnam and was given just a 10% chance of survival is now on his way home. now on bbc news... this week's travel show is a special edition from norway as we take a musical journey from oslo to bergen along one of the world's must stunning rail lines, the bergensbanen.

this week on the travel show, i'm in norway, because i've heard of what must be one of the world's most unique music festivals, where the stage and the instruments are made of ice. so, i am taking the chance to head off from oslo to bergen on a musical journey on one of the world's most spectacular railways. i'm going to look deep into norway's roots, trying to get a sense of how this country's landscapes, culture and society are brought to life through its music. but first, i start my trip in norway's capital city of oslo. and it's here on the oslo waterfront that a transformation has been taking place. and a big part of that was this spectacular building, the oslo opera house.

it celebrates its 10th anniversary this year and is a symbol for the city's commitment to the arts. so i guess it's a perfect place to hear some traditional norwegian goat horn. playing horn that's so good! thank you! it's amazing that such a variety of sounds comes out of such a simple instrument. yes, it's quite simple, as you see. or, at the wrong way — this way. it's a bone, and it's a goat's horn, or, at the wrong way — this way. actually, it was not made for making music. the shepherds had it to keep the wolves and bears away. so this was a warning. this is not pretty music! yes, not many melodies are

written down, as we know, but some. so, would you say there is something unique running through norwegian music, and where does that come from? nature gives me a lot of power and a lot of inspiration to make music. we are quite isolated. we didn't... ..visit each other because of the valleys so people can work with their own thing in a way. still, there are people who do this, try to make their own voice. so i'm about to head off through the country to bergen, listening to music along the way. but is there something that i should be listening out for? is there something that i should be paying attention to? try to find some folk music, some singers and also go to smalljazz clubs. look for the small spots. there are people working all over the place. so now i have my mission,

there's a train to catch. joining me for the first part of my trip isjan, an all—round train fanatic and a man who wrote a book on the bergensbanen railway line. so tell me about this book. why did you write this big long book all about this railway? the bergensbanen is an iconic railway in norway and in europe, ithink. many people know the name and they will know what they will see when they go here. many, many people in norway have been there. along its 308 miles, the train navigates challenging, but stunning terrain. at its peak of over 1,200 metres, it's one europe's highest railways before it descends steeply into norway's second city of bergen. but this elemental landscape posed a huge challenge and an engineering triumph for those working on the rail during its construction

between 1894 and 1909, with about 20 people thought to have died in the process. at a time when norway's independence was on the horizon, the construction of the bergensbanen was much more thanjust an added convenience for travellers. this line connected the east and the western part of norway. before that, people had to go around and take boats by the sea or small horse roads through the mountains. so the trains were opening up norway. the construction work was started in 1898, and at that time, we were administrated by sweden, and they did not like this at all, because they think it could be used for military purpose. so this was a sign of norwegian strength that maybe was not that approved of? you could say that. so in a way, this is a symbol for the founding of the norwegian nation.

yes. all this makes it special. you can't find this on other lines. this is what norway is. as jan reaches his stop, i settle in. 3.5 hours from oslo, i pull into geilo. but that's not my destination. for the last 13 years, geilo has played host to norway's ice music festival. but this year, after too many unseasonably warm years enough was enough. so on i go, upwards, almost 500 metres higher in altitude, to the festival's new home in finse. ice music plays

ooh! you really feel and see it in the air. it is cold here. and it's this cold, the icy conditions and the elevation that drew polar explorers like shackleton to train here before they went on their expeditions. people still come here before their expeditions today. word is it will reach a low of —24 celsius tonight. so i better rug up. but what makes this festival extra special is that the instruments are actually made on the day from nearby ice. among the line—up this year is everything from ice horns to ice drums and ice didgeridoos.

the concert‘s only hours away, and here you are, making the instruments. this has got to be an unusual thing for a musician. for me, it's not. laughs. no! but for most musicians, it is. good sounding ice is the most difficult part. you cannotjust go to your freezer. you cannot go to the next lake. ice is like wine — there are good years and bad years. so, why ice? what inspired this festival? well, it's nearly 20 years since the first time i tried ice and i found the sound so fantastically beautiful. chimes echo. with this water, we can drink it after the concert. or we canjust give it back to nature, where it belongs, and also, the ice reminds me that we have to treat ice so gentle, not to break it — it is like

how we should treat nature. why is this kind of festival happening in norway, in particular, aside from all the ice? i think one of the reasons we can do this in norway is that we are very lucky that we have, for many years, had a government that wants to support art and music. this makes it possible for a musician like me, that works mainly with contemporary improvised music, to survive, to even be able to buy a house and have a normal life. it also makes it possible for me to experiment. what's this instrument over here? this is an ice—aphone. an ice—aphone?! the sound is phenomenal. do you like it? that is lovely.

any chance i could have a go? very carefully. i promise to be careful! i also promise to show no ability whatsoever. you may as well give it to a kid. exactly. it works? this is great! sounds resonate within ice. but one of the biggest challenges of putting on this festival is the construction of the venue itself — an ice concert hall. and that project is overseen by professor petter bergerud. petter and his students have battled fierce blizzards for six days as they've frozen water around giant balloons and netting to create

a solid structure. but each day's work has resulted in disaster. we started with plan a and ended up with plan...y. because every day, you know, it's just like you're climbing a wall, slippery, nearly on the top and fall back down again. next day you start the same. so of course this is a bit frustrating. but that is how it is and that is the challenge. you have to work with the forces, because you can never beat them. yeah. and when we work with them, you know, it is like having a good friend. it seems like your team is working very, very hard. good luck. we will see how it works out. we just have to finish now! we have some hours left.

so, as evening approaches, the finishing touches are fast being made around the site. i really like it because it is kind of the sound of nature. so it doesn't sound like anything else you have ever heard. singing so people are really surprised when they hear it for the first time. singing we don't get to practise, so the music, it gets made on stage in front of the audience, and that is really special. many people are like, "what? is this possible?" it's almost not possible, so it's pretty cool that we can do it. i guess there is a lot of folk music in it. it is very nordic, with the ice and the snow and the cold winters. singing just in the nick of time, all is ready and we gather

for an evening of ice music. singing cheering and applause that was amazing! it was such a bonkers soundscape and incredible to think that all of those strange sounds that were building into a crescendo were made from ice.

i think it's also an interesting way to experience the landscape of norway — freezing cold with a full moon overhead. having said that, it is freezing cold, i am frozen through. it's time to head in. morning mood from grieg's peer gynt suite plays next morning, the festival continues without me as i return to the bergensbanen for the next part of myjourney. travelling on this stretch of the line, you start to appreciate the vast landscapes that this country has to offer. and i cannot imagine a better way of experiencing them than this. music reaches climax

well, my train‘s arrived at its destination, but my musicaljourney across norway is not yet finished because i am in bergen, a cultural hotspot and a great place to experience the rich musical heritage of norway. she plays allegro molto moderato from grieg's concerto in a minor

edvard grieg, possibly norway's most well known and loved classical composer. here in bergen, set among woodland alongside a vast lake, a museum to grieg has preserved and restored the grounds where he once lived and worked. and now, you can see now, we will enter the house and this is the main entrance. this year will be a milestone for the man, as it will be 150 years since he wrote his famous piano concerto. he really was a very much appreciated composer also in his lifetime. we know that in great britain, for example, he was one of the most popular living composers in his time. the second part of the 19th century was going together with all of this national

movement in norway and norway was, by then, a country together with sweden — with one king living in sweden — and he found this very young and fresh style and i think that built upon those dance rhythms and folk music elements in these bigger compositions. i think he looked upon folk songs as something universal. they had been surviving from generation to generation and if you slip through the borders, you can find the same elements in folk music. and some of that folk music that inspired grieg can still be heard today, and one of the best ways to experience it is with dance. dance company frikar performs contemporary dance all the way around

norway and beyond that's inspired by nature and traditional norwegian folk roots. they have agreed to come and show me some of the traditional elements found in norway's halling dance. plays folk tune the dance — it's mostly a sort of a show—off dance. many hundred years ago, women also did that dance, but it's mostly boys or men doing the dance, because we want to...

..impress the other men 01’ other women. put the right foot in front of the left. sidewards. believe me, this is harder than it looks. and if you jump a little on each step, one, two. yes. nice. and then around. i think i am getting hang of it! one, two, one, two. and then we can move down here. no! so what's the relationship between the dance and the music? maria plays the hardingfele. it's our national instrument. some people say the fiddle — the music came because of the dance and the other way. i think they depend on each other. for me and for many, it is very important to use

the music, dancing, and the music makes me want to do suddenly some steps and routine, so it's life. nothing planned, it is just happening. nice! back in the old days, they used the ceilings to kick down a coin orjust kick their heels. kicked the ceiling? yeah. you know, they were a bit smaller — the houses — in those days. in the 1800s, the military started competitions to try and kick a hat from a stick and it was about kicking the highest. and then it was incorporated in the halling folk dance. so we do it as a part of the dance and, of course, it must be a good kick,

and the higher it is, the better it is. everybody in norway, i think if i say "halling" they say "kicking the hat" — that it is the main goal in the halling. but it's more like the dance is the main goal, kicking the hat is sort of topping it. woo! that was good kicking! finally, i wanted to get a sense of where all of this is leading. in a former meat factory a short walk from the city centre, bergen kjott serves as a gig venue and melting pot for artists of all types in the city. this creative hub is home

to the studios of electronic, jazz, hip—hop and many other types of musicians, including royksopp, and it is where much of norway's future music is being thrashed out. these days especially, there is some new mixing of old, old traditions with very new electronic and experimental music traditions meeting. kjetil has a studio here and plays saxophone in tonight's gig. tonight we are playing with a guitar player. it is electro—acoustic folk, jazz, experimental, ambient — something, you know? the bergen scene — i think it has a lot to do with the size of the city. there's only a few people play every kind of thing, so you have to collaborate.

ifeel like i have rediscovered this place through its music. it is a country constantly inspired by nature of epic proportions. it treasures its traditions but is not afraid of looking forward, where artists are free to experiment and supported as a crucial part of society and where distinctive sounds can be found in the smallest of communities. if the bergensbanen showed me norway's muscle, its music has shown me its heart and soul.

it is a fine day for most of us but for some of us the sunshine was this morning and what comes after that cloud and rain, similar picture in western scotland before the end of the day as well because low pressure is quite a long way as well you will find the centre of that but weather fronts trailing from that is bringing in the cloud in the rain across northern ireland and into much of scotland, as we go deeper into the evening, whereas for england and wales a dry day, certainly increasingly hazy in places, and much of that night dry although some outbreaks of rain de—pushing towards northern england and north wales, and it is a much milder night compared with the last few temperatures. last night, for example,

parts of wales drop down tojust one celsius. tomorrow a much cloudier day across the uk. northern ireland and scotland seeing some patchy rain around around in the morning. for many of us, though, dry into the afternoon, some sunny spells around, cloud... outbreaks of rain across england and wales, not much across south—east england at all, late afternoon and into the evening still 23 celsius but elsewhere it is not cold but we're talking high teens or 20 degrees and it will be a breezier day tomorrow. that would have won with cloud and patchy rain continues across south—east england overnight and into tuesday, may still have an area of cloud and some patchy rain first thing before that pulls away, what we are left behind that is quite a bit of cloud, some sunny spells coming through on tuesday, and a few showers around, perhaps another weather front approaching northern ireland, and each i was turning into another any showers turning into another spell of persistent rain, especially the further west you are, and it will feel a bit cooler

on tuesday as we turn the wind around to more of a north westerly direction. this weather frontjust pushes on through overnight and into wednesday, not a huge amount of rain on it, and behind that for the rest of the week, high pressure is building back in. there will be a lot of cloud, there may be the odd shower, just a few sunny showers but what many of us will notice during the second half of the week is those temperatures creeping up a few degrees and for some parts of england in particular approaching the mid—20s later in the week. so from mid week, then, high pressure building in a lot of dry weather. and it will feel a bit warmer.

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