going where it's uncomfortable global news that matters t.w. made for mines. images from an isolated country images from north korea. any townies a target for captured fascinating shots of everyday life in a regimented society. the north korean diary starting december twenty second t w. everyone thanks for joining me for another half hour of european lifestyle and culture here's what's coming up. life's a circus training for

a career under the big top in front. of. back to baroque historical performance of the first cell opera. and out of the woods galleries to gave up a lucrative job. let's start off with this week's your mack series home for christmas where we explore the roots of christmas traditions and a final episode we're tracking down a mysterious figure who's known by many names santa claus father christmas saint nick where does the jolie man in the red suit really come from we're travelling way up north to the finish province of lapland where reigned is rome the region's capital riven yemi has its very own santa claus village and a man who claims to be the real deal. well the locals call him. we

set off for the arctic circle to find out is that you close. in the magical snowy landscapes of finnish lapland near the glistening city of rovaniemi is the place this santa calls. visitors from all over the world make the pilgrimage to santa claus village up in the arctic circle every year since one thousand nine hundred five santa has welcomed thousands of guests young and old right here in his own living room he listens to all their wishes hello i'm santa claus. quite real we are right now here at the arctic's which is kate way to

the north but it's also to the world of a very. wonderful place to make a waste this is one place where no one doubts the existence of santa claus i don't think you're ever too all to believe in santa fifth major nerd i heard it is the. only thing you. really know whether you be a lot but that's where i came here and it was actually good speak but yes yes. i think he is polyglot are slipping like this. and every year about five hundred thousand letters and cards with wish lists arrive at his official post office of course father christmas can't answer that many letters himself but he has a host of busy elves who lend a helping hand and. we help. all year round

every day and this is like a normal post office here in feline. apostles you can buy stamps and of course this is the place where all the letters to the clouds comes to what people and children are right. these are just like to send postcards stamped with an arctic circle postmark to their friends and family as santa claus gives every letter his full attention but some a moment recalled and others sometimes i kept letters. girls tell them. everything they need to know somebody who is in need and they ask me to remember them. this kind of letters are very true to my heart's. whole theme park based on christmas in santa claus village visitors can experience the entire spectrum of the christmas season every day. for lovers of

christmas the village near rovaniemi has been the place to get into the spirit for thirteen years now but legend has it that science is real home as much fun to know that. we were always told that santa is from or about on tory that is the mountain called air mountain because santa good here all the way up the kids around the world. in a very remote there riyadh barry closed if you know russian border and it's hard to get in there that's why basically sanchez was being it for the travelers to meet in a more ease their way santa claus village is open all year round farted fills most genuine in the winter months when the temperature drops to minus twenty degrees celsius perfect for a little jaunt with the dogs like. a bear pull sleighs and a more stately pace so how do scientists manage to deliver so many gifts. to so

many children. time. is relative. and that city you just have to go how to be in the millions of different places or at the same time and after practicing it through well a couple of centuries i think i might it's quite well. the atmosphere gets really cosy in the evening with glowing campfires and entertaining music shops even the most stubborn scrooge succumbs to the holidays enchantment. and for those who want fortunate enough to visit him santa has this message. i wish you all a very very happy christmas. and you can watch back all five parts of the series on our website now all this week we've been asking you to tell us where you'd most like to spend the festive season and most of

you have said that for you christmas is a family affair the winner of our competition hails from in latvia in s. a cow galva tells us that she loves nothing more than spending time with her extended family on christmas day and as a thank you for taking part here is an early christmas gift your exclusive your max watch. now let's catch up with some stories making culture headlines in europe here is our express. on thursday prince charles hosted a charity dinner at buckingham palace traditionally the prince's trust foundation collects money for projects helping disadvantaged young people in britain on hand was after interest elder himself a former beneficiary of the trust. every x.m.l. i get i always remember there was the prince's trust that helped make my fortune korea. the prince's trust has supported over eight hundred thousand young

people since its founding in one nine hundred seventy nine. also on thursday was the launch of a new book about berlin in the roaring twenty's among those attending the event with the book's illustrator over to new post and its writer boy's profile on posting elaborate illustrations the book immerses readers and the head mystic heyday of one thousand nine hundred twenty s. berlin it includes detailed historical information on the people and places featured. but typically gardens in copenhagen have been transformed into a winter wonderland courtesy of one million lux bathing both the trees and the buildings in a sea of light the tivoli lights concept has also caught on outside denmark the rockefeller center in new york is also the top every christmas time in similar

style the tiffany gardens are an amusement park created in one thousand nine hundred eighty three one of the oldest of its kind in the world. now we're off to a school in france where being the class clown could make you the stop pupil at least in one of the fifteen less. it's taught at the circus school and. the curriculum is built around the disciplines of daunts fits and acrobatics every year less than twenty students are accepted for the program at the song to an astronaut they do so so let's see what it takes to be a circus star. in the end you're going to feel like flying i have to go in there and it's it's amazing when when you do this you're right. to keep doing it right for a young man practice at least six hours a day they come from denmark sweden in switzerland they met in two thousand and

fifteen at a private academy in copenhagen they specialize in the korean teeter board practicing the figures on a trampoline. leg every time you jump and you do a new trade it's it's a big challenge because we're scared also like it's the challenges to like to to push over the fear like with with small steps like every day do something new and do this stuff that is scary. they practice in a converted warehouse on a former agricultural co-operative and hanya northern france the state school offers instruction in fifteen disciplines every student specializes but is expected to learn other skills as well. eight hundred students are accepted every year many come from abroad and have to spend their evenings learning french they finished a three year course of studies with a show which they then take on tore through france. to do

great school program also involves learning many types of dance some not easy even for acrobats take a class we do hip hop dancing we do modern contemporary dance we're also do like some classical gongs have a lot of like artistry and we're learning to analyze analyze shows we're also have yes it's a theater and all of this comes together when we when we don't do the big shows or our numbers when we need to get it i wouldn't the big world and what. the school cafeteria is right next. the old circus building a few of these nineteenth century circus building survive in france that's the main reason the national center of circus arts moved in one thousand nine hundred. it's turned out around three hundred fifty trained performers more than thirty five years since. we've been

following the careers of students for over thirty years he deal with want to keep in touch we know that ninety percent of them still in the profession. but mostly in the circus. the student acrobats have to struggle to maintain consistency in their practice as you could. have the physical condition fluctuates from day to day some days are time and others are full of energy every one of us experiences these fluctuations because it's almost on the one hand it's funny because we're never the same on the other it's hard to achieve consistency so the longer we know each other the lower the risk of getting injured. is this. trust in their partners is also vital to the four young men on the korean teeter board it's known to be one of the most hazardous of circus disciplines the risk of

a serious injury is high lesser bumps and scrapes are the norm. norrin has a swollen knee and asked to skip practice for a few days. of them i think. you really have to feel a ts with your partners there are always times when your judgement is off to me if you lose your bearings for only a second it can end badly so. you're always full of adrenaline. there are hardly any limits you're always going for a high and harder level it never stops. if you see but that's what makes it brilliant we'll see you. next week cross over to the world of opera at the german national theatre in via a production of dido and in this sounds as authentic as can be that's because the

musicians are playing on historical instruments that have the same tone as those used some three hundred years ago it means the performers can closely replicate the way this opera sounded to audiences back in the baroque period a trip down music's memory lane. the. this is what the music of british composer henry purcell sounded like when he composed it more than three hundred years ago more reserved a little darker and with less vibrancy than it sounds in contemporary performances the do it just not so you're not hantavirus mark is performing the baroque opera dido and the nias with historical instruments at the time for example the cello had different strings giving it a different sound. and this is the mountain instrument has a much brighter sound the bow it was adapted because concerts moved to big event news with large audiences. because trees have more members so the cello now has to

be a lot louder. and far from. finished pyramid on the when i play with the historical cello the sound is well not darker as such but it doesn't have the same brightness and as the modern version of them with this comment. dido an n e s tells the tragic love story of dido queen of carthage and the trojan prince and the s. . and evil sorceress induces a nias to ignore his feelings and fulfill his supposedly duty instead for purcell the emotional element was a vast importance to dido and in the s.

. is passed on foster style is unbelievably precise and characterizing his figures by an infant a little musical ornaments and a rhythm of the pitch as the treatment of characters it's a real dramatic powder keg of office. the abandons dido who then laments in one of the most moving arias in the history of music remember me but forget my fate. to die just not to now tejada has fashioned a car full staging of a classic opera at once heartbreakingly familiar and surprising with its historical tumble. well switching back

to the modern day we're off to see the helium cowboy space in hamburg the gallery showcases street art and has been run by york heike house for the past fifteen years more recently he discovered his own artistic talent but instead of using a paint brush or a spray can he prefers using a saw under the name alex diamond he chips away in his workshop making intricate wood carvings. as a young man york high clouds thought artists were like beings from another world he'd always painted and shown interest in art but never thought of making it his profession until he discovered wood when he stands in his studio today cuts pieces of wood with a jigsaw to make pictures he regards it as a form of meditation. and he was there sometimes i saw for

a whole day and i have lots of pieces lying around my studio that i then put together like some kind of toy to see finished you still had in recent years i've learned how to assemble these pictures to tell the story i want to convey with heads. like house is not only an artist for the last fifteen years he's run a gallery in hamburg it's called helium cowboy artspace he and his son are placing works of art for an upcoming exhibition. white house gave up his job as a dot com executive to pursue art as a profession. when it knocks such high powered jobs have tremendous disadvantages any time for your family i already had a child my wife and i have been together for more than twenty six years and family life suffered terribly from my job and so did my own dreams of the disadvantages ultimately outweighed the security of a nice fat salary that i got. white house has since made a name as

a gallery owner and artist his layered wood carvings have received international recognition. he works under the alias alex diamond an artist who never went to art school everything he does he taught himself. but isn't the one thing we had a first time i hang a piece on the war like now is the first moment i could step back into don't to view it stunts. today his life centers around art music and his family life far more fulfilling he says than the fast paced business world. let's round off the show with a nice meal in a series fifty kitchens one city we explore the incredible variety of cuisines in berlin people from one hundred eighty nine countries call the german capital the home and you can find food options from all over the world here today we're

visiting the greek restaurant. in the district of shin a back where the owner shows us how to cook a delicious dish from his home country. you can find this language born out of a phone in germany but fail more greek gods to impart my perils of not the least minute on the scene with a lot of greek it to her and they sent me to a greek school in the afternoon of school district gotten that ever here of course we took our vacation angry it's nothing with increase in the world. often national scorches was born in what was then west berlin in one thousand nine hundred eighty five the youngest son of greek immigrants. when he was seventeen he and his older brother nick a laos took over a greek restaurant in the points back district and ran it for four years to find

fittings up to the isn't i've had a vacation job there in the kitchen. well it's also food and so i ended up staying there. zubin if my brother already had experience in the restaurant business cycle so we had a few of these and so we decided to build something together the truth of. after cutting his teeth as it worked out a nasty last move to the greek capital athens for two years where he worked in various restaurants he wanted to gain a better appreciation of authentic greek cuisine. after returning to berlin he opened the taverna with his brother in one nine hundred ninety nine he was the maitre de while nicolay all supplied his wizardry in the kitchen serving up dishes based on old family recipes hence the name which translates as true essence. my course is. helped by as if my grandparents had

a shop in their village or. so we grow up with great cuisine with all those ingredients and spices. within. this space importance because we're determined to stay off until it will open just land with the kind of food our grandparents used to make. or that you find intervenors and grace in that's what we want to serve here in berlin by giving the unveiling. lamb is a central ingredient of many popular dishes in greece. to make sure the meat is extra tender it's cooked slowly in red wine over a low heat for at least two hours. greek cuisine is typical mediterranean fare in addition to sheep's and goat's cheese particular herbs spices and vegetables also play a major role and there's a strong emphasis on wild herbs. greeks are famed

for their hospitality they like a big spread and eating in big groups. dining abundantly has a long history in the country. greek cuisine rotates with the season summer dishes tend to feature a lot of fresh vegetables and salad in winter dining leans on baked dishes and stews. lump is but once lime is what you could call a national dish and that's not something i serve at every occasion for weddings at easter for us in feed all folks i've been invited out so insult everyone who puts it specially baked it's all in stews all to often but i guess more it's our national dish and. nuts and i could list. the taverna uzziah is

in berlin china bear district it's an interesting and diverse neighborhood often osseo says. in two thousand and fourteen the two brothers found the ideal location for a branch of their to vanna. they converted an old pharmacy into a restaurant with indoor seating for one hundred twenty diners they furnished the new top berna in traditional style with various accessories from greece but without straying into the realm of kitsch. the floor tiles were likewise imported. the menu here centers on. smaller sized dishes that are similar in concept to spanish top us. diners can choose from more than one hundred options eighty percent of the clientele are regulars although it doesn't take first timers alone to be converted. step in on us because most men if i've never eaten anything here that i didn't like the staff are really friendly and always do what they can to ensure you

get your food exactly how you wanted i have no complaints so i'll keep coming back to it as side streets i want a hundred percent hospitality great food and a unique atmosphere was till the end it's a very nice and the food's delicious. often osseo scored says says greece is his homeland but he's at home in berlin he likes the city's diversity while berliners love the diversity of greek cuisine. scimitar might get ups on this pilot might get a menu mathematic. you know. that's all for today make sure to catch the euro max highlights tomorrow for a look at the best of last week and like us on facebook for daily updates from all of us here in berlin thanks for watching about.

next time on your i'm max the highlights edition including exploring the origins of the christmas nativity play. why a polish house comes with two roofs. and a rang treat from france let's finding international fame. next time on the euro max hong nights.

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domestic violence cyber claim and human trafficking for investigative cases that will keep you on your toes playing crime fighters stories at the base idea so every young person needs to listen to crime fighter and share tell a friend tell a friend to a friend close fighters don't miss it. looks like. they know what we think. and soon they'll even know how we feel oh i'm not a real person i'm still just a piece of. scientists around the world are working to measure our emotions. so hopefully i can be a helpful piece of saltless. the first person as a therapist. or a robot as a teacher. neither would have human empathy. what does

a machine need to do to create empathy and a medical context that i disclose more information to earth and or to a computer in this case. the future as an instrument healing's of the instruments that steer us and whoever can control these feelings has great power over us. algorithms instead of feelings measuring emotion starting december sixteenth on t.w. . player . briggs it talks have taken a major step forward with a green light given for the second phase of divorce talks negotiations at the e.u. summit in brussels however failed to resolve the migration question.