hello, you're watching bbc news with ben brown. here are the headlines. delegates gathering in glasgow today for the start of the kop 26 summit, the crucial climate change conference getting under way now. uk minister alok sharma has assumed the presidency of cop26 and says that the conference is our last, best hope to keep global warming limited to 1.5 c by the end of the century. at the g 20 summit in rome, prince charles has called for more action on tackling climate change and has warned leaders of what he calls their overwhelming responsibility to generations yet unborn.

now on bbc news, it's the travel show, with ade adepitan. coming up on this week's programme... we're talking shop in paris as one of the city's most famous department stores celebrates its belated 150th birthday. it's...it's big. really big. the underground railroad that had no stations and no trains but helped thousands of enslaved african—americans escape to freedom in canada. i love that term "freedom seekers", because had they not sought freedom, who knows where we would have been to this day? _ and i head for the hebrides to get my first—ever glimpse of a galaxy over 20 million light years away. i thought that was a galaxy, cos it looks like the opening credits of a sci—fi movie, but that is so cool.

hello and welcome to the travel show with me, ade adepitan, coming to you this week from a lockdown—free london, where the city's world—famous shops are slowly starting to fill up again. and over in paris, it's pretty much the same story, especially for one iconic department store that celebrated not only opening its doors again, but also 150 years of being in business. we sent emeline nsingi nkosi over to do a little bit of window shopping. lovely. paris is a second home to me. last time i was here, the streets were empty and shops were boarded up.

today, it feels great to see things returning back to normal, even though some restrictions are still in place. but i'm notjust here to drink coffee. i'm here to shop. and where better place to do it than here? new york has its macy's, london has its harrods and paris... well, paris has la samaritaine. a new and improved version of this iconic department store reopened in june last year after a long 16—year closure. so, here it is — la samaritaine. each of the free sections representing a different moment in time. and, actually, it started as a small stall just over there. and now look at it. despite its humble beginnings,

la samaritaine soon became one of the most well—known department stores in paris. it was a place to see and be seen. the shop where you could supposedly find everything. founded in 1870, the art nouveau building came first. the 19th century was a time of big change in paris, and la samaritaine symbolised that change. but its ornate features soon became outdated. a few decades later, an art deco building was constructed next door in an effort to lure in the next generation of shoppers. and it worked. with the help of its quirky advertising, the store flourished — at its peak, employing over 3,000 parisians.

but as times and tastes changed, the shop's popularity dwindled. safety concerns and high maintenance cost meant that in 2005, la samaritaine had to close its doors. many thought that was it for the store until luxury fashion brand lvmh stepped in with the help of 750 million euros. for parisian people, la samaritaine is not only a building or department store. when we reopened this building, all the parisian people came to visit, especially the building, the department store for the store, for the retail also. but first it was for the architecture. the building was completely gutted. some original features were discovered when stripping back

the layers used to cover the art nouveau interior when it went out of fashion. specialist craft people were tracked down from across france for the job. the result is breathtaking. wow. it's...it's big. really big. so, this is great to see. i mean, it's heaving with people, and you can just see that they're not obviously here just to shop and eat, because they're walking around, taking pictures of the structure. yeah. how hard was it to redo? from this level, you can see every detail of the art nouveau period and architecture. you can see the stairs, the historical stair with the detail of the handrail,

refurbished exactly with the same design and the same kind of detail by the artisans. but you can see also a famous fresque. 50 years ago in the 1960s, you didn't see this fresque, because this fresque was totally covered by the white painting. but it's been far from a smooth ride. a rand—new building on rue de rivoli struggled for years to get planning permission, with opponents saying the modern facade didn't fit in with the architecture of the area. wow. right here you can really get a sense of where the older building that i know and love meets this new, more modern development. personally, i have a real soft spot for the older one.

we're very careful to keep the dna that was really given by ernest and marie—louise, the founders. first, they were real innovators and they were innovators in terms, for example, of architecture, because now you have the art nouveau and the art deco. it seems very traditional, but at that time, it was really revolutionary for them, and we did the same thing a little bit with the rivoli facade. you know, we asked the sanaa architects to do this very contemporary facade, and that we prolong the tradition of innovation from our founders. the store has reinvented itself as a day tripper destination with 600 brands, several restaurants, and even a luxury hotel. it's something fancy, and before it wasjust part of our lives but we don't see it. you know, we just go inside and we didn't take the time to admire.

now we stop and we look and we gawk. i really like these cherries. this definitely reminds me of being a child. but with the rise of online shopping fuelled by the pandemic, is there still a place for the department store? 16 years has passed and we have to build some return for the next 30 years. so, i mean, we adapted to the changing habits, the changing clients, that became much more sophisticated, demanding, expecting an experience to really offer something different that you cannot find online. the curation aspect is really important. and then also all the experience that you have, you have a lot of light. you know, it's really nice walking around and a lot of surprises scattered in the store, you know, do many different things that you cannot do online.

oh, this hat is absolutely gorgeous. look at that colour. ah, 0k, it doesn't fit, which is a shame, because i've always wanted to be a hat lady. she sighs 0k. a velvet grey, as they say, when in paris... super cute. but the price...? yeah. sadly, not for today. stay right there looking beautiful. la samaritaine has been in business for over 150 years, and it's come a long way since then. and while you might not be able to buy everything here any more... ta—da! ..visiting is an experience in itself and it sure feels good to be back.

stay with us, because still to come on the travel show... we're off to america to meet the people from chicago who are learning more about the part their city played in the fight against slavery. we were just talking about how it connects to our heritage, being black women and how empowering and invigorating is to know particles of your history. and i head up to the hebrides for a spot of stargazing, scottish—style. so those are the stars. that's way more than you can see with the naked eye. we're off to the us now, where the story of how the american civil war ended slavery in the country southern states is a well—known one, but what's not so well—known is the story of the underground railroad. it was a secret network which, before the civil war,

helped to smuggle escaped slaves out of america and on to freedom. a new tour is helping many local people from chicago reconnect with that history, and we've been to meet some of them. the underground railroad had no stations, no trains and no tunnels. it got its name because it operated amidst the highest secrecy. 0nce escaping slaves jumped on board the railroad, they simply vanished until they were either recaptured or reach theirfinal destination — freedom. an undercover network of conductors — or guides — operated along the route of the railroad, which stretched from slave—owning states in america's deep south, all the way north to the canadian border. now, something called the african—american heritage water trail has been created to help preserve and share the history

of this little—known but important section of the underground railway. it really starts with days like this, paddling along the african—american heritage water trail and telling the stories of folks who've shown courage and fortitude. we're from the south side of chicago, born and raised. i got an email to come out and take part in this historic canoeing trip. i wanted to bring these guys along. these are my daughters. there are 29 stops along the self—guided journey, covering more than 180 years of african—american history. you had freedom seekers travelling from south for the north, and this being a point of salvation in terms of, like, being able to stop somewhere and then be guided further up north in a safe space. it's estimated that tens of thousands of escaping enslaved african—americans used the underground railroad to push north and finally cross the border

into what was then known as british north america, or modern—day canada, and freedom. the indiana avenue bridge was built by george dolton and his sons, who were abolitionists back in the 1830s. along with the bridge came a new ferry, which became an integral part of the escape network. along the trail, you'll also find several locations like ton farm, which was owned by a dutch farming couple that provided safe places to stay, offering escaping slaves food and shelter for the night before they continued theirjourney north. there were black abolitionists and white abolitionists working together to assist freedom seekers, and some of those folks stopped at the ton farm.

this site is a stop on the journey. when we finally did the very deep map and archaeological research, the actual site of the ton farm is on the property of what is now called chicago's finest marina, which is the oldest black—owned marina in the chicago region. we're part of chicago, - but we're also part of a deep, rich history that hasn't been told yet. - the property was actually used i during the underground railroad to hide freedom seekers- who were coming from all over, trying to escape slavery down south. and just to look off into the water and wonder what their travels - were to get this far and this close. a mixed emotional thing cos it's an honour being the owner, - but also is you're kind _ of like the keeper of the records. piece by piece, researchers have been slowly uncovering

many of the until—now unknown people and places that played such an important role in the story of the underground railroad. it's a tale of bravery, endeavour and, above all, hope for freedom and a better life. me and my paddle buddy, we were just talking about how it connects to our heritage, being black women, and how empowering and invigorating it is to know particles of your history. our ancestors, the people who came before us, the freedom seekers. i felt honoured for a momentjust to be where they walked and kind of experience a little bit of what they may have experienced. i love that term "freedom seekers", because had they not sought freedom, who knows where we would have been to this day? _ well, if you're a regular

viewer of the travel show, you'll remember that, earlier this year, we took a trip across the length and breadth of the british isles in our all—electric travel show van. but when we visited the outer hebrides, the group of islands off scotland's wonderful west coast, we made an extra stop in stornoway, where i met the organisers of the annual hebridean dark sky festival, which ended this month. stornoway is the main town on the outer hebrides. around 6,000 people live here — roughly a quarter of the island's entire population. and, despite the weather, they've given me a warm welcome. hello! hey, guys. i've arrived at the town's an lanntair art centre, where they're just about to wrap

up their latest exhibit. andrew, so what are we seeing here on this screen? this is a series of films called 0ur night skies, which were made all over the world during lockdown. 0h, wicked. it was commissioned by an artist collective called lumen, and lumen are doing theirfirst scottish exhibitions as part of our festival. andrew is one of the main organisers of the hebridean dark skies festival, which has been running since 2019, with events combining art and astronomy. i think one of the interesting things that artists and astronomers have in common is this sense of wonder, you know? about the universe and the scale of the universe. and would you say that you could only really hold the festival like this here in the hebrides? i think so, yeah, because you've got... 0n the one hand, you've got stornoway, a fairly sizeable town with an art centre. but, on the other hand, the rest

of the island is mostly villages, and so there's almost no light pollution. and so that's where you really get to see the incredible skies. one of the best stargazing spots on the islands can be found an hour down the road at gallan head. it was an raf base during the cold war, and now it's where the festival takes people to observe and photograph the night sky. well, this is andy. andy! so we've got andrew and andy. you've done this on purpose, haven't you? we have. just to confuse you. what is it about seeing galaxies and seeing stars...? 0h, theyjust... well, galaxies in particular, they're so far away, you know, you're looking back in time. one of our nearest galaxies, the andromeda, it's 2.5 million light years away. it's like a moment in time, isn't it? and this area is particularly good for seeing the planets?

oh, it's amazing. we have some of the darkest skies in the whole country. around the world, there are more than 100 official dark sky locations, designed to protect remote spots like this one against light pollution. gallan head hasn't been officially recognised by the dark sky 0rganisation but, as the last rays of sunlight fade away, i'm given one of the best views of the night sky that i've ever seen. all right. so show me how to take these pictures, then, andy. this... ? that's the one. yeah? yeah. that's all you need to do, press that one. andy set up the camera to take 30—second—long exposures. that's to allow enough time for the light from those distant stars to reach the camera sensors. so those are the stars?

that's way more than you can see with the naked eye. isit...? are there any galaxies and stuff like that? can you see them yet? or is this camera not good enough? this camera won't be good enough, no. but the telescope will be. 0k. oh, so there's a... is there like a camera on the bottom of this? that's right. very clever. er, light, please. thank you. that one, yeah. yeah. there you are. so that is a galaxy? that is a galaxy, which is... cos, i mean, ithought that was a galaxy, cos it looks like the opening credits of a sci—fi movie. right? i mean, i know that sounds really weird. but that's so cool. so that is called messier 101, or the pinwheel galaxy, which is which is about 21 million light years away. quite far away, yeah. give or take the odd yard. it is really beautiful.

and you know what, guys? this is the first time i've seen a galaxy in real life. 0h, great. now this is my first, first time. congratulations! no, thank you for this. this is... yeah, it's so cool. look at that. and the hebridean dark skies festival starts up again in february next year. now, that was a really special experience. seeing all of those galaxies millions of light years away blew my mind! truly amazing. now, i hope you enjoyed that, because that's your lot for this week. join us next week, when... ..christa will be an iceland, joining the annual traditional round—up of thousands of wild horses

before the winter sets in... and these guys aren't just any old horses. these are viking horses. no time to check them. ..and we start an epicjourney to siberia in a car that's frankly seen better days. well, i hope you can join us for that. in the meantime, don't forget to follow us online, but for now, from me, ade adepitan, in an autumnal london, it's goodbye.

good afternoon to you. it has been a very stormy start to part two of the weekend. we have had widespread gales, heavy rain spreading northwards, improved across southern areas with more sunshine around with some heavy showers, too, as it stays very windy with widespread gales especially across southwestern areas. you can see why, this deep low spreading northwards, lots of isobars on it, the rain particularly intense across many areas as it has pushed northwards and eastwards, heavy bursts through dorset, the midlands into woods lincolnshire, strong and squally winds, lots of showers rattling in behind it despite the sunshine and some of these will be heavy, blustery, hail and thunder mixed in to some of them as well and it stays very wet for the northern half of scotland here, the northern half of scotland here, the rain persistent. temperature —wise, 15 in the south, around 11—

12 further north. halloween evening, very windy, lots of showers around, some clearer spells around. 0vernight, longer spells of rain at times across parts of northern scotland and northern ireland was a lengthier clear spells for southern parts of england and wales. it will be a cooler night than we have had previously. where the low pressure slips its way northwards, it will sit to the north of scotland for the first of november but another windy day with lots of isobars on its southern flank, so a windy day with sunshine and showers, some of them merging to give longer spells of rain through central and northern parts but there will be some good sunny spells around, probably the best of it in south wales, southern england with heavier showers, though. temperatures dropping a degree or stop, nine to 11 across the north, and that is the trend to, is this area of low pressure pushes its way northwards, its first open the floodgates to a northerly wind which will spread downright across the uk and our air source around the middle part of the week will be

coming down from the arctic, so those blue colours invading. it will be short lived and we will see high pressure coming in from the west with some milder air, but that means it will be unsettled into the following weekend. for tuesday, it will be unsettled into the following weekend. fortuesday, not a bad day, lighter winds with good spells of sunshine around, lots of places staying dry but further showers around more northern and western coastal parts with temperatures much lower at nine to 11 which means that the knights will be called as well. settling down with the area of high pressure building on, showers, chilli by day in chile by night with the return of frost.

this is bbc news. i'm annita mcveigh, live in glasgow as the cop26 summit — the crucial climate change conference — gets underway. a draft final communique from g20 leaders in rome commits to the key goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees celsius — and pledges action to curb the use of coal — but falls short on the zero emissions target. in glasgow, alok sharma assumes presidency of the cop26 climate change conference — and warns the conference "is our last, best hope" to keep global warming limited to 1.5c by the end of the century. if we act now and we act together, we can protect our precious planet.