the secret of mona lisa. pretty solidly on d w. i'm not nothing out of the gym because sometimes i am but mostly i'm laughing with you but i haven't think deep into the german culture yet you don't seem to take this grammar they all do you know it's all about who you know i'm rachel join me for me to get down to the polls. i'm in the state of brandenburg invited snack about a 2 hour drive northwest of berlin i want to explore the elders cycle route

germany's most popular bike trail. hardly any traffic and lots of nature this region is one of the most sparsely populated in the country from here it's just 15 kilometers to the river elbe. biking is becoming more and more popular especially for touring and that's no wonder really or can you think of a more spontaneous way of getting around you can take turns and detours wherever you like you can stop wherever you fancy so naturally i'm really excited about today's trip along the elbe river about the scenery and about how many kilometers i'm actually going to get to ride before my legs give up. also on the show a nostalgic trip on the river album on an old apple steamer. and staying by the water our weekly v mail comes from psystar kind of a holiday who's been skateboarding by the pacific. globe trotters. shana's has been

in terror on and brought back some striking footage. of the elk river is 1200 kilometers long so of course i won't cover all of it but i'm planning to bike about 80 kilometers in 2 days they have a calming me on earth towards the northeast but before we start to follow it for a bit i've got a little overview for you guys so you can get an idea of the twists and turns the river has taken up to here. when the elbow crosses the czech border it already has almost 400 kilometers behind it. in germany the river 1st winds through the region known as sex in switzerland among sandstone outcrops and tabletop hills past the region's mainland monk.

the 19th century bust i preach. the next highlights from the album is stressed and the skyline of sex and its capital attracted artists and travellers from the early 1900 centuries. it off as a rock but nicholson's with from kesa the church on lady. the royal palace. and the $700.00 s. . just 30 kilometers down river is the town of meissen with its distinctive cathedral and casa. this is where i'll go to see the strong found at the 1st european porcelain factory in 1710.

the river has also inspired landscape architects as can be seen in the death knell for that's gotten realm along the middle. created in the late 18th century by the duke of and how. this landscape park has been a unesco world heritage site since 2000. its equestrian statue of otto the great isn't marketable of the city's 1200 years old the oldest on the album. it's striking landmark is its cathedral an early example of gothic architecture in germany the cathedral contains the tomb of auto the 1st emperor of the holy roman empire. from here it's

a 100 kilometers down river to the next destination. my 1st stop is a debt a so-called stork village in northwestern brandenburg every year more than 30 breeding pairs hatch and raise their young here this year it was over $100.00. i want to know why so many come here that's why i'm meeting up with yoden have found he grew up by the elbow and works as a ranger. work on the wiring in the locals love the stork so much they invest a lot of effort into making the storks feel at home each year dumping it in starting with. the it's not just the locals who love storks storks bring good luck . baby you pulling out when babies there's

a reason for that. in the stork scene proximity to humans because they need civilization and they find their food on cultivated land be deafened of which i don't want so because of that in the work people do on farms there's a close bond with storks. or not to it because they build their nests on roofs they're said to bring babies least it is so here in roofs that for 35 years ago we had more returning storks than we had nests and they competed fiercely for those that were there or and then 3 or 4 young men got together and said ok we'll do something about it. because it's an obvious off but we'll set up a new nests tomorrow. from one day to the next and i'm talking from one day to the next i don't think that the decision took place in the pub with that loose group of 4 men became the stork club that's was on the people from rushed it who promoted the store population here in the village with nests that's when you thought that they also made sure there was enough food for the birds as their numbers increased . when we were pioneers in many ways why they're.

giving explains to me that the storks return to their nests every year and that they have a pretty progressive division of labor. how long do they need to get their nests and shape ok country goes quite a vessel but i think if it's well prepared when they return the male finishes the nest and waits for the female and if all goes well she'll come a few days later and they made during the 1st week yes then she starts laying eggs . it all takes 14 days and then they both sit on the eggs and on simply by both of them yep you can storks invented gender equality they both incubate them. they take turns in a specific rhythm and they both feed the young in a specific rhythm in. the reserve has more to offer than storks for decades the elbow formed part of the border between east and west

germany the surrounding countryside remained largely untouched. in. the biosphere reserve along the elbe it is the largest protected river floodplain in germany. it stretches from the state of sexually and home through brandenburg and lower saxony. in lower saxony ministry terror is in charge of running the reserves. he's followed developments here since 2005. when you're not through and on for the 12 on this is when we consider the flood plain here it's fantastic to see unexpected increases in certain species and beavers have returned river all to stocks have recovered and there are a focal species again. the white tailed eagle's nest here and so to about 40 breeding pairs of cranes we've managed at least to keep whites numbers stable.

those phenomena really please us few minutes. beavers were virtually eradicated here in the 1900 century now they've returned to the. riverside also provides rich pickings for white frighted vs. the biosphere reserve is a habitat for a total of $300.00 different bird species. floodplain is a model region promoting the coexistence of nature protection tourism and farming widely differing interests to reconcile. farmers like tim russian bear and whose fields lie within the biosphere reserve have to make compromises. he has to accept that so many birds visit his farm that he can no longer use his grass for fodder.

to compensate for the conservation measures he receives financial support. human is preacher is delighted that tourists have discovered the region. they may be birdwatchers or just passing through on the cycle route. all those visitors are part of the success story of the old the valley biosphere reserve. as a teenager i spent lots of time here and dreamed it would be a nature reserve and being in charge of it now has fulfilled my dream. my next stop 25 kilometers further on is a bag along the elbow you'll find not only pristine nature but also industrial

monuments. the sewing machine factory in the back it was built in 1903 by the american singer company 3000 people used to work here. in a fan how does fit in baggies industrial past contribute to its present charm. you know if we take this sewing machine factory for instance. we have industrial architecture that ranges from the early to the mid 20th century. and most of the people who come here to know the name singer and say we really must take a look at this. and when they come most of them are impressed by the size of the complex and the different styles of architecture here. that interest people and it's well worth seeing. the town's main landmark is here on

the complex the clock tower from 1928 is still the biggest of its kind in germany. the industrial history of britain back it began in the 19th century with a spoil mill. you can't say what led to this early prosperity. in 823 a man called solomon have scame here he established a grain trading business and used the profits to build an oil mill. and he built it here inventing because he found the location favorable. then an 846 the railway was built and he used his influence to make sure it passed through. modern transportation train together with the waterways made the town so attractive

that other companies also settled here. the former oil mill at least has found a new use as a hotel and cafe with a beautiful sun terrace the perfect place for a short break. and every time you guys get the chance to check in with our globe trotters steve hayes he and a friend went on a sightseeing tour of tehran and. i'm back with some amazing insights into life and hearing in capitals to freeze out. to. be around me in my body we just heard then it's him 0 and will be discovering iran in next few weeks together where we know this is a saudi monument it's one of the most iconic buildings see and hear on so let's dive in and explore tehran together. iran is the capital of the country with

a population of about 50000000 the last straw you ran the commission the azadi own freedom tower the persian empire steep 1500 ton of personally. i love the symmetry of things. that you just wait around this taking to make sure a pretty good history and it's just about incense and heroes of. another must bring in to run is ecologists time palace which literally means the palace of flowers because of the beautiful gardens you have inside. for some it might be surprising amount to iran and especially cherami is a good example of that is the sheer amount of coffee shops you can find really a place to see.

good spots to go to the complaint is to say keep clear of street away from penalties and fees and put in place of. the times piece of typical ringtone. went to sit in a very difficult place and order mission of issues come up and this is. just kind of it pretty soon. as iran is located close to the trading business always played a major role still to date in iran this is why you should visit because i hear tehran which is a true maze of more than 7 kilometers per hour. when he was

a brown person i also needs to buy some things so we got some nuts for. our friend from tehran took us up here to the roof cheer on where you can enjoy a beautiful view of the city and this is what we're going to do. that's another cool thing you can do and say around this race down to talk shot on this track. so if you want to email i like to write to tell you there are 2 options you don't like to tell your friends and here i think that you are on to your audio they'd like you today and it like we have a little for next fall because it was on the fringe below full of political and ice shows that is going to follow the color of the road because it's really recommendable.

here i am back again i'm the eldest cycle route this time with company but some effect is going to explain to me why this part of the album has a bad reputation and why changes were made after disastrous floods. the autonomy the place where we're standing is said to be treacherous by. is that you know is it a bruise although it's treacherous because right in front of us the elbow makes a 90 degree bend. and when there's a flood that can be disastrous for the levee we're standing on. and that is when a large amount of water surges straight at the levee it can break. the fortunately a new one has been built behind us that holds the water back despite that wasn't offered. so this is the original dike and the one over there is the new one. is on this and it's also slightly higher than the old one just to make sure.

takes me to an old east german border watch tower and offers a great view of the meadowlands created by moving the dike back. then as now we're on the lensman floodplain what's so special here as a year in the winds in the god behind us we see part of $110.00 hectares of horst they've been planted to restore the typical natural landscape here like the large metal lands right behind. me and it was the young one here dick was invited in what's special is that the intake of water from the elba that flows through the old elba levy constantly provides nutrients to the plants restoring the dynamic course of the river. when we hope that at some point it will once again look the way it used to this will move on.

when they have turned against me literally i'm fighting heavy headwinds i'm 60 kilometers into my trip and desperate for a break. find a number of old farmhouses like these many of them are now restaurants are hotels i'm going to spend the night in this one. and while i get my legs so well deserved rest you guys got to check our mailbox it's time for our weekly the mail our viewer psystar from columbia send us a video of his trip to california he traveled down the pacific coast of the golden state on his skateboard enjoy. once upon a. shadow's this would be the most insert came out of place. when face to face with. naming names you know would. lead

one to. love. love. last. night i slept like a log and i'm already raring to go but 1st i need to get everyone really worked up an appetite cycling certainly gets you back to basics.

and now i'm off again cycling can also be addictive no noise no cars besides i only have 20 kilometers left to cover on my 2nd tank. pumps like this are also part of the elba cycle route there are no bridges for long stretches of the river here so you have to cross it by ferry. land knowing.

if you're getting curious about the elder and the nature and tranquility that surrounds it but aren't that much of a bicycle buff i've got just the tip for you you can also discover the river without moving a finger on a story paddle steamer. scientists one direction get everything shipshape the old kaiser bill home is often a river cruise. good morning leave your money in your pockets we'll do all that later on during the trip. folder which are 1st worked on the paddle steamer kaiser wilhelm at the age of 15 as a cabin boy. thank . the funnel.

there is a bridge to negotiate on the 20 kilometer route from. the paddle steamer travels at about 10 kilometers an hour up the. captain huge tankers for years when he got his boat master certificate back in 1905 the kaiser wilhelm was already an old sea dog. all of your senses and your hand is on the wheel. from the riverbed are transmitted via the whale. that may sound silly but you really do notice whether there's enough water under the boat and with the new technology all you have is a joystick and you don't notice anything on. the

steamer was launched in dresden on the way the 21800 phone for the visa in northwestern germany. on that trip there were also tourists onboard enjoying the scenery. stoking the boiler was a back breaking job back then and it's still it's. very. shovel a $150.00 kilos and now it used to be called $300.00 weight. whether we're travelling or standing still we have to fire all the little. guy. i'm. because a real home has been plying the waters for more than a century 1st on the river of aser and now on the elbow. and if the ship's a volunteer crew has anything to say about it it will continue to do so for many years to come.

i made it after 80 kilometers in 2 days i've reached my destination my last stop on the l. beside go around is lend some. good lengths and is one of the oldest towns in north western brandenburg and has a castle tower with the wonderful view of the beautiful surroundings. following the course of the elba river for it was a lot of fun but also extremely exhausting at times this trip and especially the wind pushed me to my limit which is why i am so proud to have finally made it.

to. the. i'm going.

to go after. like. to defend she painted me. but i am not. going to fascinate ole miss who look at me. the secret of mona lisa.

15 minutes on t w. board. being told it is for me. to. be told it is for. me to use her heart. and bait. is for. beethoven is for everyone the beethoven 2020. the 50th anniversary here on d w. we know that this is a scary time for the coronavirus is changing the world changing avice so please take care of yourself keep your distance wash your hands if you can't

stay at how we deal with you for here for you we are working tirelessly to keep you informed on all of our platforms we're all in business to get on together and we'll make it fair. to say to everybody stacy stay safe stay safe the phrase stay safe. are they friends she wanted to be with you she said she tried to steer the board which it was the william bullfighting of the fitness new mission or are they and i mean when you finish that if you still have a seal which you would call it the biggest user of the water he's going to go get the shit my debit card for our chip damo trump unplugging your pin our 2 part documentary analyzes the difficult relationship between russia and the us and between the presidents how does their rivalry and their dangerous mutual admiration affect the rest of the world to some bullies trump and putin starts august 3rd on

d w. come the bag. and. play. this is d.w. news live from birthday and u.s. president donald trump stokes division on independence day in a fiery speech at mt rushmore trump around on the protest is a huge chunk of monuments during anti racism rallies the president has promised especially even named as the celebrations move to washington also coming up.