what secrets lie behind. discover new adventures in 360 degree. and explore fascinating world heritage sites. to double your world heritage 36313 hours now. welcome to this special edition of check in our final episode for this year the coronavirus made going on holiday this summer of 2020 unique challenge but our check and presenters set out to try and get a feel for the mood nicole flitch spent some time in berlin and also travel to the

next car valley where she paid a visit to heidelberg a favorite destination of visitors to germany. lukas shake and made his way to the baltic sea just want lots of other germans in the summer of 2020. our tour today begins in berlin. summer. riverboats on the ship lay. people drawn al doors by the warm sunshine. cafes and parks in the city are full even occasionally too full according to some. 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 lent to a standstill earlier this year visitors are slowly starting to trickle back and 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. no barbara land in the middle of a pandemic how so simple one very simple we come from hamburg we've parked our kids with grandma and grandpa for 48 hours and berlin's within easy reach but we wanted to see something. from particular probably. your heart here just for a day and

a 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. 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 great tomorrow. what is your experience been like so far it doesn't feel weird. 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 like. us who we would be careful if it were to be. apparently most of the tourists are just here for a short trip i'll move on to alex on the plugs i want to take the opportunity and visit this impressive building the t.v. tower due to social. only

a reduced number of visitors is allowed to enter these days at crowded at the top. of. the t.v. tower was inaugurated and $969.00. leaders and to this day germany's highest building 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 right stack and the cathedral i could stand here and look for hours. ringback ringback ringback and will go even higher at 207 meters there's a restaurant the best part the entire room rotates

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 violent and other lens tourist highlights of the illegal. war where is the. little. life arranged to meet with christiane 10 a visit berlin the city's tourism organization has that is what's open right now in berlin and what's not but the month 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 events are of course very very limited because it's common are tourists coming to berlin or is there some has a tense it's and there are far fewer visitors were at a level between 10 and 20 percent of what we have this time last year but they're coming mainly from within. germany because there still aren't many flights many of them come by car so they're a completely different type of people. and. what would be your tip for a perfect summer day in berlin. is that 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 less traffic than usual and secondly we've got pop art or temporary bike trails but i hope they'll stay where they offer 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 cool tour for him and enjoy the panorama of the illuminated potsdamer platz. that sounds 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. i'll 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 obama bridge connecting the free time and cards burg neighborhoods is

a good place to wind up my corona summer day in berlin. sometimes berlin makes it hard to believe that we're in the middle of a pandemic the city's unique spirit remains unchanged. our next destination was heidelberg. a centuries old bridge below. and chanting the old town in between. and a romantic castle altogether they make for one of germany's most popular destinations. i start by climbing the so-called philosophers 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. how work is very high up on the to do list for anyone visiting germany this summer though the coronavirus pandemic has kept many travelers away what does that mean for locals and for tourists who like me do manage to come what's the city like without the masses of visitors let's. i doubt. highly very palace is a must today it's a ruin but it's the ghostly air of mortality that makes up its 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.

i'm afraid to guess we'll 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 after our short no problem. as yes then i'll take it off just and off we get the nose out of the end of. the arrows and point the way for visitors because the an event that gives me a quick rundown of the highlight castles history. starting in the 13th century it was the residence of the prince a lender of platen 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 and

the 19th century preservation work on the ruins and a partial reconstruction commenced the palace of prince a letter frederick the 4th normally some of the inside chambers are open for viewing but now they're also closed due to the virus. but 1st we've had a lot fewer visitors to heidelberg thought most of the ones we do have come from germany and we can out of that but the americans in the stations aren't coming. so it's picking up now we've noticed. we don't give nearly as many tours as we used to . but what's a real shame is that normally the heidelberg festival is held here in the casa. and that's always nice to watch for us to capital that's being cancelled and it's really a shame and it's a seshadri. old town feels almost deserted maybe it's the rain but perhaps it's also

a crisis. to answer that question i meet up with. the managing director of hyderabad marketing. mr schumer walking across the squares here in heidelberg how would you say the numbers of tourists have 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 figure struck rapidly in march and april we had cancellations of up to 100 percent and the hotels and restaurants were devoid of life. they closed up as required and it was eerie what what i did then yes how does a visitor figures look right now looking around we can see there are some activity

of course many germans are here but how many visitors have come from abroad. that i love it won't leave people out in the rain this is. how the restaurant owners to expand their outdoor seating with no extra charge for its patrons are supposed to sit inside and fairly close together like some $200.00 movies. to me and you can see the effects by the increase in tourists and i'm sure if you go from for a beautiful city and we profit from it hyderabad is a hot spot. and we've always benefited from domestic tourism in general this most part with us is 70 percent of our overnight guests are domestic tourists look at it so of course that's a nice little bonus really for its own truthful and voiced in theory and 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 doesn't seem to be. yes or 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 a bit is missing now in hyderabad. the rains finally let up at least for a little while and right away the old bridge over the next hour livens up a bit. in front of heidelberg university i mean historian chris gent villan baha the university as germany's oldest founded in 1386. the university museum is closed due to the corona crisis but the biggest tourist attraction still open. 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 fitness 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 $879.00 of sentences range from 3 to a maximum of 14 and you see this graffiti everywhere it's coming you can see. as the door stood open i had to pay rent if i wanted to stay in yeah 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 to all the university it was the university knew full well that that set up a kind of party's own of the late 19th century. there's no other place like it in germany.

it's easy to get the impression that highly that is all about old historical sites not so just across the river everyone gathers on the neck of dreams to enjoy the summer. evening has fallen in heidelberg the day trippers have moved on but the tables in the restaurants and bars are crowded anyway it's a welcome piece of normalcy in the summer of crazies.

and finally to vote on the moon our 1st trip after the initial lockdown ended in early summer. fresh air a short trip somewhere like to the baltic goals to it's something i've been missing these past months just like many of us the coronavirus been demick has disrupted travel worldwide and my 1st trip there for me using a prescription is in germany took me to bottom and in the state of mecklenburg western pomerania. here from the lighthouse you can get. good view of the baltic resort. traveling in coronavirus times how does that look like with all the social distancing and hygiene rules it's summer in germany so it's high season and that means it can get really crowded on the beach in restaurants 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 of 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's like baltic sea coast is the nicest coast we know we've been coming here for years. do you still get that holiday feeling despite the coronavirus condemning up under me. 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 sick enough to the long lockdown. as long to notice a few restrictions. but by and large when you're outdoors you don't need to sit at all. next month and. comply with social distancing and hygiene routes to get over

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

. i do. i have to admit diving 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. and 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 and for the swimmers who need 1st date we have masks and so forth if anybody gets an equal amount we hand over the band it's rather. and sticking them on ourselves the less but overall we haven't had all that many covert cases in this part of germany and there aren't all that many restrictions. on it you can see that at the beach when they come for the difference in the thickness of the tunnel the muscles what about an emergency if you have to do mouth to mouth resuscitation that mr we're lucky because we have manual resuscitator so we're trained to use these hand-held mast with self inflating bags which require no direct physical contact. titles so what

do you like about the baltic as it is and i'll see. the view the waves but it's always different in every kind of weather you never tire of it as. the sun is really nice this year so don't forget your sunscreen i.q. but there's also a bit clearer this year so the view is really nice and if i'd head here but the old all right thank your mother in. my next stop is a tour of the harbor. on board the cabin plus the 1st pass along the eye to the stretch of water that extends from the fishing port of fundamental to the last. live on the moon to seaside resort is actually the district office city off while stuck.

in a hostel carb or 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 unusually 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. vandeman and. tourism has a long tradition here the 1st hotels for tourists opened 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.

these are all from you know the tourism director you're probably happy to see how packed it is here absolutely a report on sites from ones that were very happy to be dug out since the 25th of may and have been able to welcome visitors again from across germany got to come on and there's nothing nice or not so especially compared to the weeks before that stuff was was very few but now we can go back to doing what we're best at providing hospitality one really gets to be going to provide strength feeling if there are lots of tourists but the truce ships aren't here do you notice they're missing doesn't look at this is what the courts what appears yes we're missing the cruise ships. normally we have close to $200.00 docking here which bring in international crowd to rough stock in volume and also a lot of the new internets and this international element is missing their shot and it's a shame because it adds to the flare. and the cruise ships are important to our economy . investment what are your hopes for all stock vandeman in the coming months side

as a good one 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 whom it doesn't and that the locals can see us practicing safe tourism so that we can come through the situation stronger than ever and then when the whole from the us 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. that's where brokers shot of that would be a shame. in a disaster you would hope so you were a holiday destination and we want to be able to provide that for against it's hard don back to you and all the best. to. everything's pretty relaxed here and bottom of the tourists are happy they can travel again and enjoy the baltic and so all the people who make their living from tourism.

in the. meantime.

my smile. like my. knowledge you didn't she painted me. am. i a fascination old days who look at me. the secret of mona lisa. 15 minutes on d w. in

these challenging times it's especially important to us to wish you a happy and healthy. the current of ours has kept us apart from family and friends . easy to feel alone mission each year in this holiday season we're g.w. we're here with you we will keep you informed all along someone to remind you we're all honest to god we wish you happy holidays an early christmas everyone a very merry christmas season merry christmas and stacy happy holidays everyone. needs to say happy holidays even when it's basically. a story of prejudices and propaganda. they were called the rhineland bastards born after the 1st world war. he was an

illegitimate child and there were many of them even from. their mothers or germans living in the occupied rhineland their fathers soldiers from the french colonies to . flushing please after the german children had a hard time and because they were reminder of the german defeat. they grew up in a climate of national pride and her. the european population felt that it was important to be watched and to stay right by supply. and contempt culminated in forced sterilization under the nazis for. this documentary examines the few traces that remain of their existence. george january 11th on w. .

the boat. they say z.w. nears a live shot from berlin downtown nashville is rocked by a huge blast 3 people are injured after a motor home explodes damaging buildings and shattering windows you'll hear from someone who watched it happen also coming up on the show. european union nations start to pick through the post of breck's a trade deal a true 1000 page document still needs to be.