this week on the show, we're looking back at some of our favourite travel adventures so far this year, from taking the sting out of a dive with jellyfish in the philippines... gosh, these stingless jellyfish, they look like little mushrooms. we got it! ..to an uphill odyssey on france's mont saint—michel... these are the last steps, ade. are you sure? yes. ..and jumping aboard a balloon with a view in switzerland. there's something quite magical

about being up here. hello and welcome to the programme. and i am thrilled to report that spring has arrived in london at last after what seemed a very long, cold and wet winter. so it gives us a great excuse to start thinking about travel again and taking a look back at some of our favourite adventures from recent months here on the show. up first, let's remind ourselves of a trip that carmen took in march to the philippines. it's a fascinating country made up of more than 7,000 islands, but carmen chose just one of these to take the plunge and go swimming with some creatures you'd usually be

trying to avoid. carmen: i've left siargao to visit sohoton cove national park on the island of bucas grande. which i'm told is one of the few places on earth you'll find a certain rather slimy creature that's not normally that popular. jellyfish are amazing creatures. they're tough, and have been around for aeons. but with their foreboding tentacles equipped with venomous stings, it's no surprise they aren't many people's favourite animal. sohoton cove is the realm of the stingless jellyfish. the sanctuary is otherworldly. huge rocks and densejungle punch up into the sky. gosh, these stingless jellyfish, they look

like little mushrooms. would you eat them? no! the water's so clear. so is there a good way to hold them? am i holding it correctly? the most comfortable way, i guess, would be to hold them bell down, because those tentacle ones are the tiny, tiny stingers. 0h, these ones have tiny stings. mm—hmm. but it won't hurt me. it won't hurt you. i don't feel any pain. it's just a little bit slimy. so why won't he hurt me if he's got stingers? the stingers are reserved for their prey, mostly micro—organisms and zooplankton that they need to eat. but humans are not part of their diet, so you're fine. 0k. this may look like a lot ofjellyfish, but from april, you won't be able to move for them once their breeding season begins. so why do they like being in this part of the cove? the tides are very strong outside, so this acts

as their sanctuary that keeps them safe from predators, from strong currents that can carry them elsewhere. wow. so they're protected by the rocks and the small entrance. and the small entrance and the sandbar. these jellyfish are resilient, but there are concerns that tourist activities could cause problems. tourist bodies here want visitors to be more mindful when they visit. well, the department of tourism has said that this cove specifically, thisjellyfish sanctuary, has millions upon millions ofjellyfish, and they do not compare to the amount of tourists that come here. so as long as you try to practise ethical and sustainable ecotourism, it would be good, especially listening to our boatmen and just following all of the regulations set in place. they say to avoid polluting

their home with any rubbish, and wear reef—safe sunscreen to protect the ecosystem. also to treat the jellyfish with respect. 0nly pick them up with advice from a guide and avoid kicking or bumping into them when swimming. seeing these incredible creatures really shows you just how weird and wonderful nature can be. carmen there in the philippines. and it does go without saying, unless you're going to that very specific, idyllic place, please avoid swimming with jellyfish. 0k. next up, we're off to france, where last month ade went to experience a very different side to island life in mont saint—michel, which this year is celebrating its i,000th anniversary. and he got to meet some of the people who live there right smack bang in the middle of a world—famous tourist attraction.

ade: how on earth did they construct something like this a thousand years ago? mm—hmm. yeah. this is the best of medieval engineering. and it started off as a sanctuary dedicated to saint michel, st michael, in the year 708. then it took off. you know, the pilgrims started to come. they had to come across the bay, so walk through the sands, and then it developed in the 11th century with the construction of the church. the abbey sits at the top of the cliff, surrounded by the village below. even nowadays, there are quicksands out there. there are a lot of strong currents. so it must have been a really important site for people to want to make that kind ofjourney. yeah. it was the journey of a lifetime. it's just quite funny to come in here and the contrast with the medieval look and then you've got shops. yeah, people are often surprised, but don't forget, they were pilgrims coming here. yeah.

they needed to be housed for one or two nights. so there's been inns and souvenir shops, even, for hundreds of years. yeah. of course, they were a religious kind of souvenirs, medals, you know, rosaries, these kind of things. so what's it like taking tourists around here, then? well, it depends on the time of the of the year, really. it can be a very nice, peaceful time, you know, but i tend to like less and less working here in the middle of summer. because? why's that? because there's too many people. but it's beautiful, of course. a new governing body recently took over the running of mont saint—michel with plans to improve the tourist experience. they're encouraging people to visit off—season and steering them away from the souvenir stores towards more of the surrounding area. but accessibility is still a bit of a problem. it's so steep and so slippery

that even this electric attachment is struggling to get up here. so my strategy is to get as much speed as possible up that hill. and as soon as i start slowing down, i'll be like, "solenn! save me'" 0nyva! excusez—moi! attention, attention! coming through! solenn! we've got it. come on. solenn pants. the islands governing body told us that making any changes to this protected historic site is difficult, but they're hoping to find a solution within the next few years. 0nly around 30 people live here on mont saint—michel. bonjour! bonjour. ines and jean are two of them.

their home has been injean's family since before the 17th century, and is full of trinkets and antiques. tell me about this. this is your house? 0ui. and what is it like to live in this place day to day? bell tolls.

up in the abbey, the bell is rung for evening prayer. the abbey is home to a small number of monks and nuns, members of the monastic fraternities ofjerusalem. some of them spend their mornings down in the village tending to their guesthouse or working part—time jobs to help cover the order�*s expenses. yes, it's really a unique place. and, you know, also, we are here to say that this place has been made first for god and for worship. would you just like it just to be purely holy? no, that's, you know, that's the way it is. you cannot change the reality. when we come here in mont saint—michel, we know that there is going to be a lot of noise during the services, that some groups are going to walk during the mass or whatever. but we are here for them also.

back outside, i've taken to my crutches. these are the last steps, ade. are you sure? yes, they are the last steps. is there champagne up here for me? and now we have to go down? and now we have to go down. he laughs oh, my days. that view is pretty amazing. and look at this. wow. because there's the shadow of mont saint—michel on this end. oh, yeah. that's the best time of the day. when i come to this place in particular, the north tower, as we call it, for me, it sums it all up. i often compare the mont saint—michel as being the jewel and the bay the box. so that's the jewel in the box. nice. you've got it all. and that image has been there for a thousand years. yeah.

up next on our look back at the past couple of months here on the travel show, we're heading to morocco — and the simply enormous medina, at fez. rajan headed there injanuary. he left his smartphone behind, and had to rely on his inner compass to find his way through the mind—boggling maze of streets and passageways from one side to the other. let's see how he did. rajan: this is bab boujloud. it's one of the seven gateways into this walled city, the medina. and my task, my challenge is to go from here to another gateway — another of the seven gateways — as quickly as possible. now, you may say, "very easy." i think you might be wrong, because there are 9,000 alleyways here, which makes it the biggest medina in the world. am i allowed to look

at google maps? no, i'm not. i think that is actually going down a blind alley. i'm not going to do that. 0h, now we've got some choices to make. no, that way, i think. i saw a sign earlier on which said, "no donkeys." this guy has got through somehow. but some people who were actually born within the city walls never leave the city walls during their lifetime. whoa! that was close. there's a man in more of a hurry than even me. some of these hats would be perfect, i would... honestly, this is the kind of place i would stop at if i had time. but i have not got time! gracias, and hold, please. thank you so much.

this is the square called seffarine. and, as you can hear... ..this is the original tin pan alley. we have walked from one gate to another through the medina of fez. and can i say... it's been an experience. christa: rajan there, finding his feet in fez earlier this year. well, now it's time to head across the atlantic to new york, where they're bidding a fond farewell to the longest—ever running musical on broadway. after over 13,000 performances, the new york production of phantom of the opera is making its final curtain call. so we headed to the big apple to meet the cast and crew who are saying goodbye to the show that's become part of their lives. i still cry every time i see it. i'm a softie, what can i tell you?

it has permeated every aspect of pop culture, and i think there's very few musicals that can do that. it has been a part. of my life for almost half of my adult life. somehow i thought that the show would be running when i was gone. it's hard to put into words, because i love what i do. mm...makes me a bit teary. i was actuallyjust finishing another show, and i hadn't seen my daughter in a while. and then i got this audition from my agents, and i said, "no! i don't want to do that." he stopped and he turned around in his chair, and he said, "ben, if you don't do that audition, you will regret it "for the rest of your life."

and ifigured a good way of getting out some emotions was to, like, tell my daughter how important it would be if i were to get the job. and...|, like, kind of got the panic attack out of my system. and literally, my phone rang, and it was my agent telling me i had gotten it. and it's a frustrating thing, because the costs have risen since, you know, the post—pandemic world. so the show closing is very bittersweet. welcome to the real phantom's lair! it felt like my years of studying and practise had paid off. this is the first show i ever saw on broadway, and it is my broadway debut. so it's a beautiful, beautiful, full—circle moment for me. it meant that for other people, and for other, you know, young black girls who would come to see me, or would see my face and see me playing this role, it meant that they could

have a chance, and they could see themselves playing a role like this, too, and kind of affirming their hopes and dreams in a way that i didn't necessarily have growing up. dramatic organ music plays. coming closer now to these final performances, - i feel an enormous amount of...gratitude, and i feel honoured. i it'sjust, there's nothing not to love about it. it's all challenging, and it's all wonderful. and i'm just so lucky to be able to work on it. i do feel like broadway is losing part of its foundation, with the show closing.

i don't know how i'll feel the day after the final performance. it's going to be an emotionaljourney. pride is an understatement, as to what i would feel. - this show is much bigger than the rest of us. - and it has been a wonderful, wonderful ride indeed. - phantom of the opera receiving its final ovation there, in new york city. and before we say, "that's all, folks," there's just enough time to show you an adventure i had in switzerland back in february, where i got to experience the most incredible views. but must be said, it's probably not for those without a head for heights — though it was the high—light of my year so far. i hope you enjoy it, too.

i'm in switzerland, and i've travelled to the chateau—d'0ex. set among the beautiful swiss alps, once a year, this small town brings hot—air balloon enthusiasts from around the world for a festival like no other. the festival began over a0 years ago, and has grown from just a few balloons to the 60—plus balloons they have coming today. back when it started, it was the idea of founder charles—andre ramseier. we started ballooning here in �*76, and ballooning in the alps was brand—new. nobody was doing it. i'd seen balloons in the us, but in the alps, it's a new dimension. a basket in the sky is like a balcony in the sky — it's a dream, it's beautiful. you know where you take off, when you take off — you never know where you land, and when you land. this is what i understood this morning, listening

to the pilot briefing. small changes, you know, that wouldn't affect many other leisure activities have such a big impact with the hot—air balloons. yes. and what you have to know that every season is different to fly. that's why, if you should want to be a good pilot, you have to fly every week. 0therwise, you're a bad pilot. with some balloons starting to take to the skies, ijoin nick in the basket. oh, wow. and, within just a few seconds, we are whisked high up into the air. nick, can you tell me what you're doing? i mean, there seems to be all sorts of things going on. yeah, so at the moment, all we're doing is keeping the balloon nice and level. so we're putting in little bits of heat every now and again to help buoyancy up in the balloon. uh-huh. so, tell me a little bit

about the specific challenges of a landscape like this. so, what we see — up on the side of the mountains, there's a lot of snow, a lot of trees, but not a lot of roads. so you're having to land as close to a road as possible to make the retrieval of all the kits easy. the mountains also produce a different climate, so there can be a lot different wind patterns and things that develop around the mountains. it seems to be almost a lifestyle, this passion for ballooning. what is it that you love about ballooning? very much so, i mean, it's the tranquillity, as well, up here. you know, aside from the helicopter, it's peaceful, there's nothing. and, you know, the views, you don't get this out of an aeroplane window. no. and there's a really big sense of community around ballooning. you know, it is a niche sport, i suppose. and we will have similar ilk, i suppose. this word gets used a lot,

so bear with me, but there's something quite magical about being up here. usually when you're at this height, you're either on a parasail with wind, you know, in yourface, or in a plane or a helicopter, the thrum of the engine and the rotor. and up here, it's silent, and there's barely a stir of wind. and it's just like we're sort of on a platform in the middle of the air with this incredible view out over the mountains. the balloon set around the world in 80 days. the balloon set around the world in 80 days. and there's something really special about this. well, that was a truly spectacular trip in so many ways. and sadly, that means it's the end of our show. thank you so much forjoining us on our travels again.

and i've got to tell you, we've got some fantastic stuff coming your way in the next couple of months, so do keep watching. until then, you can find some great content from the bbc by checking here. and until next time, from me, christa larwood, and the rest of the travel show team, it's goodbye. hello there. for the past week or so, low pressure has dominated the weather pattern, which is why it's been so cool and wet. but over the next week, pressure will be rising, and that will settle things down. and that starts this weekend, where we see some sunshine at times, and those temperatures will be slowly lifting. that cooler, wetter weather is getting pushed away. we'll start to pick up some

warmth on a southerly breeze as we head through the weekend. and it will also turn somewhat drier as well, because the main low that brought all the rain on friday, that's moving into central parts of europe. it is going to leave us with some cloud to start the weekend across eastern england, eastern scotland. that cloud breaks up, but as we get some sunshine, that will trigger some showers, and those could be quite sharp as well. away from those eastern areas, it should be dry and there should be quite a bit of sunshine, and with the winds still light, it should feel pleasantly warm in the sunshine as well. temperatures are nothing to get excited about, but an improvement on friday. so typically around 12 to 14 degrees on saturday. northern ireland does cloud over in the afternoon, and into the evening and overnight we could see a little bit of rain coming in on that weather front there, but that will be weakening as we head into sunday, as high pressure continues to build. but we are going to see a lot more cloud around on sunday. not much rain towards the north—west, where it's a little breezy, we're picking up that southerly breeze. and towards some eastern parts of england we could start with some mist and fog

on sunday morning before we get a bit more sunshine through the day. and because it's a southerly breeze, those temperatures will continue to rise, perhaps getting up to 15 or 16 degrees, especially where we get some sunshine. and high pressure is going to dominate as we head into next week. the centre of the high, though, is going to be across scandinavia on monday. we'll pick up more of an easterly breeze or a southerly breeze, but there will still be some cloud around, i think, on monday, particularly across scotland and northern ireland, some western parts of england and wales. but clearer, drier air is coming in on that easterly breeze as it develops through the day. that'll bring more sunshine, lifting temperatures to a warmer 16 or 17 degrees, so getting above average for this time of the year. high pressure still in charge as we head into tuesday. pressure is continuing to rise, we're getting a few more isobars on the chart, an indication that the breeze is going to be picking up. we get that easterly breeze, it'll feel a little bit cooler around some of those north sea coasts, but with a lot of sunshine around and a dry day on tuesday, we shouldn't complain too much, really. and the highest temperatures

are going to be towards the west, particularly western scotland — could make 18 degrees here. this time of the year is actually a good time, normally, to visit western scotland, because we often have high pressure sitting towards this part of europe. again centred toward scandinavia, more of a breeze picking up, the winds picking up again on wednesday. and whilst pressure is high at the surface, higher up in the atmosphere, we've got an area of low pressure. that's why we're expecting more cloud on wednesday and maybe some showers, mainly across england and wales. probably still dry in scotland and northern ireland, with some sunshine, but the air�*s going to be a little bit cooler as well on wednesday. now looking further ahead, there are some discrepancies in the models. some models take that high pressure, build it across towards greenland and leave us with a cooler northerly breeze. the preferred story, though, is this, where high pressure stays to the east of the uk, low pressure to the west. that gives us more of a southerly breeze and keeps it that bit warmer. and temperatures perhaps in a few places not far away from 19, maybe 20 degrees. could be some weather fronts coming in from the atlantic from time to time, threatening

to bring some rain. the position of the high and the position of the low is going to be crucial, and at the moment there's still a lot to play for. goodbye.

live from washington, this is bbc news. lawmakers in the us state of montana approve a statewide ban on the chinese social media app, tiktok. the bill now heads to the governor's desk. 21—year—old jack teixeira appears in court in boston, over a huge leak of secret government documents. we'll discuss the plaform used to spread the information. and coming up, another chance to see the highlights of twitter�*s owner elon musk�*s interview with the bbc. hello, i'm sumi somaskanda. welcome to the show. lawmakers in the us state of montana have approved a first—of—its—kind bill to ban tiktok statewide, setting the stage for future

court battles that could determine the fate in the us of the popular social media