most girls 2 could ever know for sure that of us as we are out there you must be. in support of. saving what's a walk over. to the river. welcome to a new special edition of checking we show you how tourism in germany is doing during the corona pandemic what is possible and what's not time for a moment. he calls holly hughes in the capital

and she's visiting the city of heidelberg which is very popular with international tourists. go went to mecca and vote for obama at the baltic sea like many holiday makers this coronal summer 2020. 2 war starts in the capital. summer and bird led. river boats on the ship lay. people drawn out doors by the warm sunshine. cafes and parks in the city are full even occasionally too full according to stop. the brandenburg gate berlin's most popular landmark is pretty crowded to. almost normal. and still this year everything is different. the

corona crisis has changed the world and our life including tourism after lock down and travel restrictions for a limb to a standstill earlier this year visitors are slowly starting to trickle back in but what kind of an experience are they in for today we'll find out. after the city was essentially closed to visitors for a couple of weeks a sense of normality is slowly returning to berlin after the lockdown people seem to want to travel again. i don't mind wearing a mask and even if it's not mandatory to wear them outdoors in germany i believe we need to look out for each other. so barbara land in the middle of a pandemic how so it is in book one very simple we come from hamburg with grandma and grandpa for 48 hours and berlin's within easy reach we wanted to see something . from particular probably. your part here just for

a day like 8 hours or so what are you planning to see everything really we're just going to see the brandenburg gate then maybe to consistent. we've just had a look around the city center now we'd like to take in a few sites maybe take a trip on the straight tomorrow. what is your experience been like so far does it feel weird yeah it's emptier than i've seen it otherwise quite a bit more relaxed when you walk around outside on the other hand it's a little annoying with the face masks when you go in somewhere but that's how it has to be. i know it's a little bit dangerous but if you like there were less who we would be careful so maybe it wouldn't be. the apparently most of the tourists are just here for a short trip i'll move on to alex on the flats i want to take the opportunity and visit this impressive building the t.v. tower due to social disc. only

a reduced number of visitors is allowed to enter these days so crowded at the top. of the t.v. tower was inaugurated $69.00. and to this day. the interior is listed for preservation in only 40 seconds iraq is to 203 meters. and then i've got the whole world well at least at my feet. the newly rebuilt berlin palace the reichstag and the cathedral i could stand here and look for hours. ringback ringback ringback 'd and will go even higher at 207 meters there's a restaurant the best part the entire room rotate

a full 360 every 30 minutes i'm behind one of these windows. from my coffee in the clouds i cross over to the nearby museum island another lens tourist highlights. the illegal. uliana flew. over this the. other will be. full life arranged to meet with christian 10 for a visit berlin the city's tourism organization has what's open right now in berlin and what's not but the mind of a very good thing to visit at the moment would be the museums the restaurants are

open again too and the hotels are ready to open what's not shown yet are larger events all the trade fair activity is still on hold and other of events are of course very very limited. common are tourists coming to berlin or is there some has a tense there are far fewer visitors were at a level between 10 and 20 percent of what we had this time last year but they're coming mainly from within. in germany because there still aren't many flights many of them come by car so they're a completely different type of people. and. we've heard what would be your tip for a perfect summer day in berlin. is that more i would hop on a bicycle in the morning and take a nice bike tour it's easier to do that now firstly we have a list traffic than usual and secondly we've got pop art or temporary bike trails but i hope they'll stay where they are for a very relaxed kind of ride especially for people who aren't used to riding bikes we have lots of parks and gardens and great bike trails you can use ripped off

around noon i'd be sitting in a beer garden and the proprietors have had some fantastic ideas and the senate's been very generous about allowing tables on the sidewalks in the afternoon i go to a museum and in the evening i'd most like to take in a movie at the couture forum and enjoy the panorama of the illuminated potsdamer platz. that clowns like a lovely day thanks for the chat my pleasure. not all museums have reopened yet and for those that have visitors may have to buy tickets in advance for a certain time slot. out stroll a while longer among the history rich buildings of the museum island which by the way is listed as a unesco world heritage site. the overwhelmed bridge connecting the fritters time and cards bird neighborhoods is

a good place to wind up my corona summer day and berlin. sometimes berlin makes it hard to believe that we're in the middle of a pandemic the city's unique spirit remains unchanged. onix destination is harking back to a centuries old bridge below. and enchanting old town in between. and a romantic castle up altogether they make for one of germany's most popular destinations. i start by climbing the so-called philosopher's power following in the footsteps of long gone students and scholars from heidelberg university today local people and visitors alike to this

town. from the top to get the best view of the city. however it is very high up on the to do list for anyone visiting germany this summer though the coronavirus and them it has kept many travelers away what does that mean for locals and for tourists like me do manage to come what's the city like without the masses of visitors let's find out. very palace is a must today it's a ruin but it's the ghostly air of mortality that makes up the charm. the castle was closed for 3 months in spring because of the lockdown now it's open to visitors again. but to make sure our cameras didn't slow them down we got a special tour. and it started off with an important announcement

that i'm afraid guests will have to wear masks during the tool i wanted to ask if it's alright with you if i take mine off. i'll keep my distance and you'll be able to understand me much better if the after hour shore no problem. of that yes then i'll take it off as just a day and off we get the nose out of the blue. the arrows are going to wait for visitors because again the back of that gives me a quick rundown of the highlight castle's history. starting in the 13th century it was the residence of the prince a lender of the latin and each successor renovated and expanded it according to his own taste and wishes. it was destroyed again and again the last time by french troops in the 17th century in the

19th century preservation work on the ruins and a partial reconstruction commenced the palace of prince a letter frederick the 40 normally some of the inside chambers are open for viewing but now there are also closed due to the virus. but as one of a favorite person who had a lot fewer visitors to heidelberg most of the ones we do have come from germany out of that but the americans and the stations aren't coming. so it's picking up now we've noticed. and we don't give nearly as many tours as we used to fight back but what's a real shame is that normally the heidelberg castle theater festival is held here in the casa leon and they were hers here and that's always nice to watch for us to encompass all that's being canceled and it's really a shame on the show if it's the seshat a. bird's old town feels almost deserted maybe it's the rain but perhaps it's also the corona crisis.

to answer that question i meet up with my ts shima managing director of hydra back marketing. mr sheen were walking across the squares here in. heidelburg how would you say the numbers of tourists has changed compared to this time last year that. in january and february we had 14 percent more overnight stays even though the pandemic was already known to be on the way but the figures dropped rapidly in march and april we had cancellations of up to 100 percent and in the hotels and restaurants were devoid of life they closed up as required and it was eerie what he did and yes how does a visitor figures look right now looking around we can see there is some activity

of course many germans are here but how many visitors have come from abroad. and we won't leave people out in the rain as we've allowed the restaurant owners to expand their outdoor seating with no extra charge for patrons are supposed to sit inside and fairly close together like some of these toys are from and you can see the effects by the increase in tourists. for a beautiful city and we profit from it. because a hot spot and we've always benefited from domestic tourism in general is most of the 70 percent of our overnight guests are domestic tourists so of course that's a nice little bonus it's truthful and voiced in saying that in the absence of the international tourism the whole atmosphere is a bit more relaxed isn't that nice for the visitors coming here now that they can take it. and enjoy the city. yes and no we're missing the international visitors title bags always been an international city

that comes from the university and many of the students haven't returned here yet just because the borders are close to the international element is missing now in the height of. the rains finally let up at least for a little while and right away the old bridge over the next. bit. in front of heidelberg university i mean just tory and christian villain but the university is germany's oldest founded in 1386. the university museum is closed due to the corona crisis but the biggest tourist attraction still open. wall where have you brought me for heaven's sake. looks a bit like a squat with graffiti all over it but in fact we here in heidelberg student jail

the old students prison famous at 1st the cells were a thorough really serious matter but they turned more and more into a bit of fun they were meant for misdemeanor such as public drunkenness so everybody wanted to sit in this fabled student prison at least once. after 879 their sentences ranged from the 3 to a maximum of 14 and you see there's graffiti everywhere that you can sum it up as the door stood open i had to pay rent if i wanted to stay in here so it became a kind of privilege i could bring paint and get creative if i was hungry i could have food brought to me and from a fine restaurant all you wanted us to it was the university knew full well that that's the kind of party's own of the late 19th century if. there's no other place like it in germany.

it's easy to get the impression that high leg is all about old historical sites not so just across the river for everyone gathers on the neck of greens to enjoy the summer. even ng has fallen united by the day tempers have moved on but the tables in the restaurants and bars are crowded anyway it's a mock up pieces of normalcy and the summer after crises. nonstop

a special edition is falling amanda off those trying since locked up in spring. fresh air a short trip somewhere like to the baltic coast it's something i've been missing these past months just like many of us the coronavirus been demick has disrupted travel worldwide my 1st trip after that using a frustrations germany took me to vitamin d. in the state of mecklenburg western pomerania. here from the lighthouse you can get a good view of the baltic resort. travelling in coronavirus times how does that look like with all the social distancing in hygiene rules it's summer in germany so it's high season and that means it can get really crowded on the beach in restrooms in hotels and i would like to know how those people in charge and the tourists are dealing with this situation here in volume and.

holiday makers are back here involved in the end and the baltic coast and of course i'm curious to find out more about what's brought them here. where you're from cologne what brought you here and it was like baltic sea coast is the nicest coast we know we've been coming here for years. or do you still get that holiday feeling despite the coronavirus been down. restrictions like putting on a mask in stores aren't a big deal apart from that there aren't many restrictions we go biking swimming and jogging so for us it absolutely feels like a holiday just to a place takes good to get out again after the long lockdown. look down as long do you notice a few restrictions. but by and large when you're outdoors you don't need to sit at all it's all faint next month and. comply with social distancing and hygiene rules

they go yeah yeah but not between the 2 of us. give me a kiss. i was rainsford have a lovely holiday. time to pay a visit to the beach and i'll rent the beach chair. it will protect me from the wind and help with social distancing. hello i'd like to rent a beach chair went to hello and welcome no problem but what do i need to do i can boss and nothing we send 2 people along who will make sure the beach chairs disinfected all you need to do is sit down relax and have a nice time. or the. beach chairs like this has been a fixture by the baltic and the north sea since the 19th century there especially popular in germany. now all that's missing is a quick dip in the water. i

don't. know if i have to admit that. going into this chilly water it is just 17 degrees celsius is a bit daunting at 1st but once you're in and swimming it's wonderful. it's clear that the tourists are back despite the coronavirus but how are the people who live here fairing. i'm off to meet a man with a woman who works here as a lifeguard. but what do you need

to be a lifeguard. this is what you have to be athletic team player know how to swim and like the beach. that's it. but that is then what did the coronavirus mean for you as a lifeguard in that yeah at the start of the season we introduced various safety measures and restrictions. we have protective equipment for the lifeguards for the swimmers who need 1st date we have masks and so forth anybody gets that he called and we hand over the bandits rather than sticking them on ourselves. but overall we haven't had all that many covert cases in this part of germany and there aren't all that many restrictions. but. you can see that at the beach. it's on the thickness of the tunnel the muscles what about an emergency if you have to do mouth to mouth resuscitation. we're lucky because we have manual resuscitator so we're trained to use these handheld masts with self inflating bags which require no direct physical contact. so what do you like about the baltic as

a unit and i'll see now. the view the way it was it's always different in every kind of weather you never tire of it. the sun is really nice this year so don't forget your sunscreen. there's also a big clear this year so the view is really nice and if i might head here because. all right thank you. my next stop is a tour of the harbor. on board the captain bus the 1st pass along the i touched all the stretch of water that extends from the fishing for no fundamental to the last on. the vandeman to seaside resort is actually the district of the city of los talk.

in a hostile carver we're greeted by the cruise ship terminal normally it's busy some $200.00 cruise ships docked here and every year. the last talk shit parents and their cruise ships are built are also on the usually quiet and it's still not clear how and when things will start back up again. an hour later we're on our way back to find him and. tourism has a long tradition here the 1st hotels for tourists open to in the early 19th century . as i stroll along the prominent on this nice summer day it looks like things are back to normal the way they were before the coronavirus trysts.

you know the tourism director you're probably happy to see how packed it is here absolutely a report on science from one side we're very happy as we're going to go since the 25th of may we have been able to welcome visitors again from across germany got a month and there's nothing nicer it so especially compared to the weeks before that was a few but now we can go back to doing what we're best at providing hospitality her . it's to provide strength fill a guest there are lots of tourists but the truce ships aren't here do you notice they are missing. this. because what appears yes we're missing the cruise ships. normally we have close to $200.00 docking here which bring an international crowd to rostock environment also. into knots and this international element is missing there's that's a shame because it adds to the flair. and the crew ships are important to our economy. and of us missions what are your hopes for vandeman in the coming months.

as a religion on 1st we hope that we'll get through the summer well with the preparations we've taken and that our vacationers enjoy themselves are guests with who doesn't and that the locals can see us practicing safe tourism so that we can come through the situation stronger than ever. and of course we hope that we won't have to shut down our hotels restaurants and businesses for 2 and a half months again and with some brokers that would be a shame and a disaster you would hope so you were a holiday destination and we want to be able to provide that for i guess it's. done back to you and all the best and you know. everything's pretty relaxed here involved in the tourists are happy they can travel again and enjoy the baltic and so all the people who make their living from tourism

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