i'm in the state of brandenburg and budgeted snack about a 2 hour drive northwest of berlin i want to explore the elvis 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 and 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 find 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 and. 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 steve heinous has been in terror on and brought back some striking footage. of the elbe 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 be able calmly in the under 2 words the north sea 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. gets. in germany the river fest winds through the region known as saxon switzerland among sandstone outcrops and tabletop hills past the region's main landmark. in 1900 best i preach. the next highlight along the elder is dressed in the style on sex and its capital attracted artists and travelers from the early 1900 centuries. it offers baroque magnificence with from kesa the church of our lady. the royal

palace. and the 7 hours. just 30 kilometers down river is the town of meissen with this distinctive cathedral and casa. this is where al gore says 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 salvador that's gotten realm along the middle elba created in the late 18th century by the duke of and how death's out this landscape park has been a unesco world heritage site since 2000.

this. screen statue of otto the great isn't marketable the city's 1200 years old the oldest on the album. it's striking landmark is its could be draw an early example of gothic architecture in germany the cathedral contains the choom of off to 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 clue shit 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.

and 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 of it but you miss out on the it's not just the locals who love storks storks bring good luck. baby you bring up 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 have a chuff don't go and so because of that in the work people do on farms there's a close bond with storks. or not to and 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. is off 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 know the decision took place in the pub and 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 if they also made sure there was enough food for the birds as their numbers increased and. we were pioneers in many ways. that. you're explaining 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 a country goes quite a vessel but i think this is 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 simply i don't have them yet. 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 to. 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 remain largely untouched. the biosphere reserve along the elbow is the largest protected river floodplain in germany. it stretches from the state of section the undervote through brandenburg

and lower saxony. in lower saxony. is in charge of running the reserves. he's followed developments here since 2005. vendor not to run for the 12th on this is when we consider the flood plain here it's fantastic to see unexpected increases in certain species that. have returned river ought 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 feel mean of your own schooling. beavers were virtually eradicated here in the 1900 century now they've returned to the elder. riverside also provides rich pickings for white frighted geese. 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. no one 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. and we found how does fit in baggies industrial past contribute to its present charm. and if we take the sewing machine factory for instance

to where 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 challenge is mainland markets here on the complex the clock tower from 1928 is still the biggest of its kind in germany. the industrial history of it and back it began in the 19th century with this oil mill. cuts and 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 invid and because he found the location favorable. then in 846 the railway was built and he used his influence to make sure it passed through a bit and. so modern transportation trains together with the waterways made the town so attractive that other companies also settled here. under. 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. in the mean time you guys get the chance to check in with our globe trotters steve payments he and a friend went on a sightseeing tour of tehran and came back with some amazing insights into life in

the arabian capitals to for yourself. who are on. the run here my buddy we just heard then it's him to run and we'll be discovering iran in the next few weeks together where we know this is saudi money and it's one of the most iconic buildings see and hear on. let's dive in and explore tehran together. iran is the capital of the country with a population of about 15000000 the last straw juran commissioned the azadi of freedom tower to mark the persian empire stoop 1500 ton of personally. i love the symmetry of. this way to get around this take to make sure you have

a pretty good system and it is just about fans and heroes and. another must bring in kieron is the call of atlas which literally means the palace a flower as because of the beautiful gardens you have inside. for some it might be surprising how much iran and especially here on is a good example of that is the sheer amount of coffee shops you can find really hip places a. good spot to go to fight is the setting here st way penalties and fees and food places. for the time to eat chicken brain and

went into a very complex place and we want to mention a vision just come up and. just kind of it make soup. as iraq is located on the front it's trading business always played a major role still today in iran this is why you should visit there because i think interior which is a true maze of more than 7000 homages current us. when it was it. francis i also need to buy some steam so we got some maps for. their. friends from tehran took us up here to the roof of tehran where you can enjoy the beautiful view of the city and this is what we're going to be. that's another cool thing you can do in 0 in this race down to talk on this train.

so if you want to read my letter here i feel there are 2 options if you don't like to tell your friends and here i think that you are on here are you ok in my view today and like we say with our latest barbecue run for your local public school and i stress that it is so you can slowly color because it's really recommendable. here i am back again i'm the eldest cycle route this time with company who 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 why is that

you know as a result of its treacherous because right in front of us the album makes a 90 degree bend. and when there's a flood that can be disastrous for the levee we're standing on the size and that is when a large amount of water surges straight at the levee it can break. so fortunately a new one has been built behind us that holds the water back despite that but that's all for now ok i've got this is the original dike and the one over there is the new one. king 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 meadow land created by moving the dyke back. then and we're on the lensman floodplain what's so special here as the year in the winds in the god behind us we see part of the $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 if it was young or was invited in it's what's special is that the intake of water from the elbow that flows through the old elbow levy constantly provides nutrients to the plants restoring the dynamic course of the river. well we hope that it's some point it will once again look the way it used to. back on my bike though when they turned against me literally i'm fighting heavy headwinds and 60 kilometers into my trip and desperate for a break along the elbow you'll 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 well deserved rest you guys got to check our mailbox it's time for our weekly the mail our viewer says our 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. this would be. like a massive plague. face to face with. the now listen to this is written in english would be one to. one.

love. love these are. bad. last. i slept like a log going to mar an airing 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 day.

but it's 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 had the. scientists

want the next to 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 through a folder which are 1st worked on the pedal steamer kaiser wilhelm at the age of 15 as a cabin boy. thanks . stoker is in charge of lowering the funnel. there is a bridge to negotiate on the 20 kilometer route from. the paddle steamer travels at about 10 kilometers an hour. kept in huge tankers for

years when he got his boat master certificate back in 1905 the kaiser wilhelm was already an old sea dog month. all of your senses and your hand is on the wheel and the vibrations 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 may the 21800 pound for the uplands in northwestern germany. on that trip there were also tourists on board enjoying the scenery. stoking the boiler was a back breaking job back then and it still is. where we shovel

a 150 kilos and now of what used to be called 300 weight. whether we're travelling or standing still we have to fight all the. because their real home has been plying the waters for more than a century 1st on the river bays are and now on the elbow. and in the ships 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 elba cycle route is lends a. good

lens 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 b.l. the 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 filing waited.

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