this is bbc news. the headlines: france and germany have urged president putin to engage in peace talks as russia continues its ukrainian offensive in the donbas. the russian ambassador to the uk has told the bbc that moscow will not use tactical nuclear weapons in the battle for ukraine. president biden has renewed his appeal for tighter gun controls, following the texas elementary school shooting. mr biden is due to visit the town of uvalde — where 19 children and two teachers were killed — as the families prepare for the first of this week's funerals. protests have erupted in rio de janeiro after the video of a black man being asphixiated in the back of a police car —

caused shock and anger. the incident has reignited the long running arguements about how society treats black brazilians. now on bbc news, it's the travel show. this week on the travel show, a resurrection in bavaria. i found the role of playing jesus to be very exhausting. every day after the play, you are really exhausted because it is a very demanding day. 50 years of interrail. very relevant today in terms of the greenness and sustainability, and also that wonderful thing — slow travel. and, a night in the best house in belfast. not only am i staying in the same house, i'm actually going to be sleeping in the very room that he had as a child.

this week, i'm in the capital city, belfast, recently the subject of a big feature film about the childhood of the actor, director kenneth brannagh, but i am here to find out more about another of the city's famous sons. you may guess who that is if you look at the statue behind me. first though, we are in germany to see an incredible, once—in—a—decade performance of a play staged by a whole village. in 163a, the people

of oberammergau recreated the suffering, death and resurrection of christ, in thanks for being spared from the plague. they promised to repeat it every ten years, and did so until coronavirus forced its abandonment in 2020. well, it's back and we went to bavaria to see it on its opening weekend. everyone in the village comes together. the youngest will be on stage and the oldest at 96 years old. everyone comes to the theatre, you get to know each other, their children grow into this tradition. it is a tradition that we have had almost 400 years, and that is something very special because it brings people together. if you are born here, or you stay here for years, you have a right to be a member of the play. i bring together.

we're really all different groups. in the village, all people are together — a member of a church, even muslims, poor people, rich people, i bring together all people. 2500 costumes made and designed, all of the 2500| costumes are made here . in our costume department, worked for two years on it. the fabrics are from all over the world. i we have lots of images to show from the old testament, - and so there is a lot _ of transformation of backstage we have to build.

singing in german. our team of technicians are 40 people. - the passion play are very important for 0berammergau. we have about 5500 people living here, and about 1300 people are playing with working here, and make everything around the theatre. we play 110 days, and we have about a half—million people visiting 0berammergau around this time. i play a singer in the choir for a0 days from this 110 days. it's hard for me as the mayor, because i have to really work much. my name is ursula burkart, i'm playing the part

of claudia, the wife of pilate. i was three times mary, once mary magdalene. this is my home, i grew up with the passion play and it's important. it's a social meeting, it's important to be part of this. you are very early affected to this. i mean, which child has the possibility to be part of it this here on a huge stage? of course, the role ofjesus is really exhausting. so we have over 100 plays, we play five times a week, and i play half of the plays. and every day after the play, you're really exhausted because it's a very demanding day. it's like a five—and—a—half hour play. you're 20 minutes on the cross, and you have a lot of text in the first part of the play. in the second part, it's more physically and it's, you know, it's very tough.

my first remembrance to the passion play is when i was two years old. my father was a roman soldier at this time and he was riding on a horse, and i with my grandfather out in the passion play theatre. in 2000, i wasjudas. in 2010 i was caiaphas, and now this time i am pontius pilate. it's such a small village, it's a big effort to put such a big play on the stage, and everybody is working together and it is a very special experience for everybody who takes part in the play. you could not do this every year, but every ten, it's ok. i work in the hotel, so the advantage is if people in the theatre indistinct so, i can go to the stage. -

what i like about the play because it's not something old, it's important in our world today. the message ofjesus is universal. to be good to the others, to help those who are outside of the community, or he talks about poverty, he talks about diseases, it talks about war. it points to the problems that we have today. i don't know if the role has changed me. i always try to be nice to others, but i don't know if i'm a better person, but i try. you can catch the passion play all the way through to october. and, if bavaria is on for the coming months, bear some of these things in mind.

oktoberfest is back after a two—year hiatus. the wiesn, as it's known locally, started as a simple wedding celebration for bavarian royalty in 1810. it's now a major folk festival, attracting millions of visitors from across the world, and sees over a million gallons of beer drunk each year. fancy putting on your lederhosen or dirndl? then make your way to munich any time between september 17 and october 3rd, later this year. til the cows come home as an annual festival that promises to keep the party going...until the cows come home, literally. each september in the bavarian alps, cattle are brought down to the villages from their mountain meadows. this traditional event is called viehscheid. the cows are treated like celebrities on the way back home to their owners.

the locals dress up in traditional costumes and celebrate the event with oom—pah music, beer and traditionalfood. some of the best views are the fairytale—esque neuschwanstein castle can be seen from the marienbrucke bridge, however, the bridge has been closed for over one year due to structural problems. but, good news is on the horizon as, this month, renovation works began and tourists can expect to check out the views again from this summer. still to come on the travel show: simon is here celebrating 50 years of the european interrail pass. there was the added attraction of night trains, which provided somewhere for you to rest your head, if not necessarily sleep as the train clattered across europe. waiting to receive

was might best! and they say, "never meet your all heroes," but what about sleeping in their beds? i am in belfast for a trip that ten—year—old mejust wouldn't have believed. i wonder what he would have made of this? so, don't go away. from the arctic to the mediterranean, from the far west of ireland to the far east of turkey, for half a century, interrail has unlocked europe for millions of rail travellers. in 1972, widespread international travel was beyond the reach of the average european. the budget airlines were decades away. then, the international union of railways decided

to celebrate its 50th anniversary by coming up with a special travel ticket for under 21s. pay £32 and you could wander almost anywhere you wanted on the railways of europe for a month! interrail proved an instant success, opening up the countryside, the cities, the coasts of a continent for barely more than a return airfare between london and paris. for low—budget travellers, there was the added attraction of night trains, which provided somewhere for you to rest your head, if not necessarily sleep as the train clattered across europe. and perhaps because of spending endless days and nights on trains, not every interrailer was renowned for their impeccable personal hygiene. in 1972, when interrail began,

steam trains weren't museum pieces as they are here at the bluebell railway in sussex. they were actually running scheduled services in parts of eastern europe, and even france. since then, of course, europe has had a revolution on the railways, with some expresses travelling at over 300 kilometres an hour. and, interrail has been transformed as well, now open to anyone of any age. and, forget the old paper pass, interrail now comes as a smart phone app. but, before you jump on—board, here are some things to look out for. the fastest trains in italy, spain and france require you to pre—book a seat, and pay a supplement of 10 euros 01’ more. yes, even though you have already got a interrail pass. and, since brexit, the 3—1 pass

could push the british traveller slightly over than multi—day limit for the so—called schengen area. using as much as you legally could would mean no visit to those countries for 90 days, before or afterwards. depending on where you're going, interrail could prove a false economy. in eastern europe, portugal, and on the classic trains of europe, ordinary tickets are very cheap. and, in luxembourg, all public transport is free. so, how to make the most of an interrail pass? i'm going to meet the railway historian and writer, christian wolmar. christian, i give you a interrail pass valid for one month — the traditional, original interrail. where are you going to go? oh, i am going to the farther reaches of eastern europe, you know, into kind of deep forest, you would probably see some bears.

you'll go to the back end of romania, the odd places in bulgaria — all those places which, you know, were closed to us until the fall of the berlin wall, and are still somewhat mysterious. we're celebrating the 50th anniversary of interrail, but isn't itjust a bit of railway nostalgia? very relevant today and terms of the greenness, the sustainability, and also that wonderful thing — slow travel. you know, we don't want to kind of have to rush everywhere, go to some ghastly airport. whereas, on the train, you go there slowly, and the scenery changes gradually, the weather changes gradually, and you get there feeling good. for me, the greatest virtue of interrail is serendipity — making things up as you go along, changing your plans on a whim or a whispered recommendation from a fellow train traveller. i'll be back on the rails

of europe this summer and i hope to see you on board. to end this week, i'm in belfast, the capital of northern ireland, on a pilgrimage to visit the childhood home of a bit of a hero of mine. he was among the �*60s biggest sporting stars, so influential that one of the city's airports is actually named after him. it's wet and it's gloomy but this is where one of the world's greatest ever footballers, george best, honed his skills. here in northern ireland, the saying goes maradona good, pele better, george best. waiting to receive was mighty best. he simply walked the ball into the net! cheering and applause. what a goal! united in the lead!

he was a key part of the iconic manchester united team that in 1968 became the first english side to win the european cup. ..president of the european union football association handed it over. and off the pitch, he wasjust as famous for his glamorous, hard—partying lifestyle which led to the nickname the fifth beatle. george best had changed sides. and it all began here, in belfast�*s cregagh estate, where fans now have the chance to stay at his childhood home. hello, you must be peter. iam. welcome to george best's house. come on on in. thank you very much. wow! so, this is the main room. uh-huh. the bests would have lived in this house from 19118, so we've recently put the house

back to as it would've been in 1961, when george first went over to manchester as a 15—year—old in search of fame and fortune. so, that's his mother. yes, the photograph, then, shows george with his mother, annie, and this photograph was taken on his parent's 25th silver wedding anniversary, so they would've been stood in this very room. i mean, this is a 20th—century legend, icon and he would've been here and this picture was there. wow. how easy was it to source this kind of furniture? just came from a number of sources, local charity shops, antique dealers, etc. the bests were the only family to live in this house. george's mother ann died in 1978 but his father, dickie, lived here for 60 years, until his death in 2008. so, this is the kitchen. this is the kitchen, yes. again, done as it would've been in 1961. it's very much retro—fied,

so we have the belfast sink here and even the modern units like the fridge—freezer have got a retro feel about them. wow! this isn't from 1961, though, is it? no, you can eat those and be safe. the house was bought by a local non—profit group called eastside partnership and, in its new retro—furnished state, is now available as a holiday rental. so, all of the proceeds that we get from the use of this house are used to support other community projects in east belfast. tourists have come here and tell me what their reaction has been like. oh, the reaction's been fantastic. a lot of manchester united fans would stay here, but also just local people who just want the opportunity to see the house and stay in the house as well. so, peter's gone and here i am.

this retro stuff is incredible. i mean, this was a guy who i'd pretty well worshipped as a child so to be in his house — this shrine, really — it's throwing me, to be honest with you. this year, the partnership has introduced an audio tour, featuring memories from george's sister barbara. when mum and dad first moved in, it was much smaller... but peter has gone one better for my stay and organised a visit from barbara herself... there's a picture there. ..together with george's childhood friend robin. that's me. yeah? yeah. and there is you—know—who. what do you think, barbara, of the idea that people can come here and stay the night?

mmm. in his later years, george suffered a very public battle with alcoholism. but up until his death in 2005, this house was always a refuge. 16 burren way here in the cregagh estate was where he was brought up and this was where he felt safe. we tried to protect him, and george knew that when he came here, he wasn't open to the media scrutiny that he would have been across the water — isn't that right, barbara? yes, yes, yes, yes. he felt safe, yeah. yes. light globe buzzes. right, well, it's night—time and it feels a bit intrusive but, anyway, this is obviously one of the bedrooms that the family lived in. but not only am i staying in the same house, i'm actually

going to be sleeping in the very room that he had as a child. it's a kind of medium—sized room, the kind of room that any 12—year—old, 13—year—old boy would have, i guess. i wonder what he would've made of this. hopefully, he would've found it quite funny. right, it's time for me to get some sleep, although i'm not completely tired yet. i need some reading material. and i think this should do the trick. goodnight. well, i've got to be honest, that was a peculiar experience

and waking up this morning was like being in a time warp. very strange. but looking ahead, it looks like we've got another great programme coming up next week. as queen elizabeth celebrates 70 years on the throne, i'm at scotland's balmoral castle. 1853, queen victoria laid the foundation stone, and this is when they started the build of the balmoral castle that we have today. i think someone described it as a piece of bavaria plunked into the middle of the scottish forestland? exactly! so please do try and join us for that. and don't you can follow our travel show social media accounts on facebook and twitter, and catch up with past episodes on the iplayer.

right now, i'm tempted to see if any of that best magic has worn off on me, and have a little kick about in the garden. but until next week, from me and everyone else here in belfast, it's goodbye. hello there. on saturday, the lion's share of the sunshine and warmth was found across the south and the west of the uk. temperatures were above 20 degrees in a few places, and at newquay in cornwall, beautiful blue skies overhead. further north and east, there was a bit more cloud and it did feel quite a lot cooler. and as we move through sunday, with high pressure to the north—west of us and low pressure to the north—east, that'll be driving quite a brisk northerly wind. and that will bring a rather cool feel for many. temperatures will be a little disappointing for the time of year.

so, generally speaking, it will be rather cool through sunday, particularly where we have areas of cloud and some showers, which could be heavy and thundery. equally there will be some spells of sunshine in between, but we'll see showers from the word go across parts of wales, the midlands, some north sea coasts as well. showers drifting towards the south west of england, where they will turn heavy and thundery, and for many places, it will be rather cloudy. not least in the north east of scotland, where that cloud will produce some spots of rain. coupled with quite a brisk north or north—westerly wind, it will feel decidedly cool, just 9—11 degrees. maybe 1a in glasgow. not too many showers for southern scotland or for northern ireland. scattered showers across england and wales, especially for south west england and south wales, where some of the showers will be heavy and thundery into the afternoon. top temperatures 15—16 degrees. now, as we head through sunday night and into the early hours of monday, many of the showers in the south will clear, but at the same time will bring areas of cloud down across scotland. some showery rain with that,

a few showers running down the east coast of england as well. and it's going to be quite a chilly night. temperatures widely down into single digits. one or two places 3—4 degrees briefly around dawn on monday. for monday, yes, we'll see some spells of sunshine, but often quite large amounts of cloud and some heavy, potentially thundery showers breaking out. just about anywhere could catch a shower. and those temperatures still a little below par, 11—16 degrees. now, as we look deeper into the coming week, this area of low pressure is going to wobble its way westwards, so that will bring some showers at times once again on tuesday, some heavy, thundery ones in places. signs are it will slowly dry out a little through the week, but there's still a bit of uncertainty about the jubilee weekend forecast.

welcome to bbc news — i'm chris rogers. our top stories: france and germany urge president putin to engage in peace talks as russia continues its offensive in the donbas. the russian ambassador to the uk tells the bbc that moscow will not use tactical nuclear weapons in the battle for ukraine. we have a very strict provision on the issues of the use of tactical nuclear weapon, and it is mainly when the existence of the state is endangered. president biden renews his appeal for tighter gun control following the texas elementary school shooting — as the parents prepare to bury their children. real madrid win the champions league final, after a 1—0 victory over liverpool in paris. the spanish football side take the title for a record fourteenth time.