1 00:00:41,000 --> 00:00:46,300 Hungary, land of the Magyars, has had a tough 20th century. 2 00:00:46,300 --> 00:00:50,360 90 years ago, this bridge connected two parts of Hungary. 3 00:00:50,360 --> 00:00:56,720 But after defeat in World War I they lost so much land that this is now an international frontier. 4 00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:59,360 But the cathedral on the hill at Esztergom 5 00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:02,800 remains one of the great symbols of Hungarian national pride. 6 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:07,880 Dominating the Danube, it was where Stephen, 7 00:01:07,880 --> 00:01:11,760 their first Christian king, was crowned 1,000 years ago. 8 00:01:13,520 --> 00:01:18,640 The castle at Visegrad is another reminder of a proud past, and in the town below, 9 00:01:18,640 --> 00:01:22,560 crowds are gathering to celebrate the heroic years of the Middle Ages. 10 00:01:24,960 --> 00:01:28,520 But more recent traumas are clearly not forgotten. 11 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:34,120 It's interesting, these are maps of Hungary... 12 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:40,600 before World War I. It was actually two thirds bigger than it is now. 13 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:45,280 Land was taken away by the peace treaty of Trianon in 1920. 14 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:48,720 They're selling a lot so it's obviously something 15 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:52,400 that smoulders deeply under the surface there for the Hungarians. 16 00:02:04,840 --> 00:02:08,040 Today, it's the 15th century they're celebrating - 17 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:13,120 the days of Matthias Corvinus, the king who raised one of Europe's first standing armies 18 00:02:13,120 --> 00:02:18,560 and helped rally the peoples of Europe to take arms against the Ottoman Turks. 19 00:02:40,760 --> 00:02:44,680 Here in Visegrad, the days of valour and chivalry are remembered, 20 00:02:44,680 --> 00:02:48,800 and Hungary's golden age is brought briefly back to life. 21 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:57,720 One of the highlights is a display of horseback archery by Lajos Kassai. 22 00:02:57,720 --> 00:03:01,120 It was a skill perfected by the armies of Attila the Hun. 23 00:03:05,280 --> 00:03:08,160 This technique was a military breakthrough. 24 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:13,600 An arrow fired at the gallop had twice the piercing power of one fired from stationary. 25 00:03:20,120 --> 00:03:23,800 Kassai can shoot 12 of them in 17 seconds. 26 00:03:23,800 --> 00:03:27,920 As he puts it, "Every Hungarian feels in his heart he is Attila." 27 00:03:32,120 --> 00:03:37,080 Further down the river in the little town of Sentendre, history moves on a bit. 28 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:43,480 I've been invited to meet some people in a house built as recently as the 1600s. 29 00:03:45,320 --> 00:03:48,280 Hope it's the right house otherwise we're in... 30 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:53,640 Think so. 31 00:03:53,640 --> 00:03:56,040 Hello, is this the Eredics house? 32 00:03:56,040 --> 00:03:58,640 I'm Michael. Ah, well, it is the right place. 33 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:01,160 Yes, right place. Great, thank you. 34 00:04:01,160 --> 00:04:04,000 Hello, Michael. I'm Michael. 35 00:04:04,000 --> 00:04:07,600 I'm told this is the one place in Hungary where everything happens. 36 00:04:07,600 --> 00:04:09,720 Hello! Hello! 37 00:04:09,720 --> 00:04:12,320 Oh, I say! 38 00:04:12,320 --> 00:04:14,360 Hello, I'm Michael. 39 00:04:14,360 --> 00:04:18,400 The Eredics family are almost all musicians who play and tour together. 40 00:04:18,400 --> 00:04:22,480 Like many in this town, they came here long ago, from Serbia. 41 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:24,520 Ah, some goulash bubbling. 42 00:04:24,520 --> 00:04:27,360 Is it goulash or is it just...? 43 00:04:27,360 --> 00:04:29,400 Ah, goldfish, I see. 44 00:04:29,400 --> 00:04:31,400 It's a heated goldfish pond! 45 00:04:31,400 --> 00:04:32,880 Mmmm! 46 00:04:36,520 --> 00:04:41,560 The goldfish, I have to say, are absolutely wonderful, even if they do taste a bit like pork. 47 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:44,600 You make soups that are popular. Yeah, very popular. 48 00:04:44,600 --> 00:04:47,280 English soups are a bit thin. These are big. 49 00:04:47,280 --> 00:04:52,560 Very rich. We would say in England, we'd say this is a stew, almost. 50 00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:56,600 Yeah, but it's not a stew, it's a soup. Yeah. 51 00:04:56,600 --> 00:05:00,280 After the meal, they display not just their virtuosity 52 00:05:00,280 --> 00:05:05,480 but the gypsy influences that seem to lie at the heart of Central European music. 53 00:05:41,480 --> 00:05:45,560 Very sadly, the time comes to leave this talented and hospitable family 54 00:05:45,560 --> 00:05:49,920 and embark on the last leg of my journey to Budapest. 55 00:05:51,880 --> 00:05:54,760 Oh dear, it's gone without me. 56 00:05:54,760 --> 00:05:57,960 Oh, well, there's bound to be another along soon. 57 00:06:06,560 --> 00:06:09,560 And the later you arrive in Budapest the better. 58 00:06:09,560 --> 00:06:11,640 The city at night is magnificent. 59 00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:30,200 I'm staying at the Gellert, a Budapest landmark. 60 00:06:32,800 --> 00:06:36,560 Now nearly 90 years old, its glories may be fading, 61 00:06:36,560 --> 00:06:39,800 but the Gellert still sits at the heart of Budapest life. 62 00:06:41,600 --> 00:06:46,720 I look out at Freedom Bridge which connects what were once two cities - 63 00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:49,560 Buda and, on the other side, Pest. 64 00:06:49,560 --> 00:06:51,760 The river is as busy as the roads, 65 00:06:51,760 --> 00:06:54,840 as boats leave for Bratislava and Vienna. 66 00:06:56,480 --> 00:06:59,760 The Gellert Spa comes with instructions. 67 00:06:59,760 --> 00:07:04,360 "Please read carefully our short introduction to the usage of the spa facilities, 68 00:07:04,360 --> 00:07:08,920 "which will help you to enjoy the unique experience of the 80-year-old Gellert bath. 69 00:07:08,920 --> 00:07:14,400 "From the hotel, you have to go to the elevator at the north wing of the building, 70 00:07:14,400 --> 00:07:18,600 "which you can access on the second, third or fourth floors. 71 00:07:18,600 --> 00:07:24,080 "Follow the signs and you won't miss the manned elevator. 72 00:07:34,480 --> 00:07:40,000 "Best practice is, if you change in your own room or suite and you enter the elevator in your bathing suit 73 00:07:40,000 --> 00:07:46,200 "and bath robe, you won't waste time with changing or spending valuable minutes in the locker rooms." 74 00:07:52,320 --> 00:07:54,800 This way for the pool? 75 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:59,680 "During the trip with the elevator, from the attendant you will get a plastic card, 76 00:07:59,680 --> 00:08:04,800 "which you'll need to get through the entrance gate when entering and leaving the baths area." 77 00:08:04,800 --> 00:08:07,760 Ah, this is the famous card I need to get in the pool? 78 00:08:07,760 --> 00:08:12,440 Yes. Always have this? OK. Always take the card. Thank you. 79 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:20,960 "As you come out of this elevator, please turn to the right 80 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:26,440 "and show the bar code on the card to the sensor screen at the entry machine. 81 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:30,640 "Walk through the main hall past the public cash desk. 82 00:08:30,640 --> 00:08:35,880 "First entrance on the right is the thermal baths for ladies only. 83 00:08:37,800 --> 00:08:42,120 "In the centre is the indoor pool and the access to the outdoor pool 84 00:08:42,120 --> 00:08:45,400 "and then the entrance to the thermal baths for gentlemen, 85 00:08:45,400 --> 00:08:48,200 "which is the third entrance on the right. 86 00:08:48,200 --> 00:08:53,440 "In case of any question, please turn to our front desk staff or the hostess of the baths." 87 00:08:59,640 --> 00:09:03,320 By the time I reach the sun terrace, I feel like Ulysses. 88 00:09:03,320 --> 00:09:05,240 And not a moment too soon. 89 00:09:05,240 --> 00:09:08,080 My body's whiter than the towels. 90 00:09:09,720 --> 00:09:13,160 Ah! ..That's better. 91 00:09:15,560 --> 00:09:21,080 No sooner have I started sunbathing than I feel an urgent need to cool down. 92 00:09:21,080 --> 00:09:23,920 The pool looks wonderfully inviting. 93 00:09:23,920 --> 00:09:27,960 But deep in the bowels of the hotel, something is stirring. 94 00:09:48,960 --> 00:09:54,320 No-one had warned me that every hour, on the hour, the paddlers' peace is shattered. 95 00:10:03,720 --> 00:10:07,240 Wave after wave scours the pool like a rip-tide. 96 00:10:13,120 --> 00:10:18,240 The Gellert wave machine is in action, as it has been since the 1930s. 97 00:10:18,240 --> 00:10:23,680 Toddlers, teenagers and TV presenters are tossed about like flotsam. It's wonderful! 98 00:10:29,960 --> 00:10:33,000 The finest building on the waterfront is the Parliament, 99 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:35,880 built at the height of the Austro-Hungarian empire. 100 00:10:38,320 --> 00:10:44,240 My guide is Peter Zwack, who, as a child, escaped Nazi-occupied Budapest. 101 00:10:44,240 --> 00:10:49,720 He later became Hungarian ambassador in Washington and after that an independent MP. 102 00:10:49,720 --> 00:10:52,080 So he knows his way around. 103 00:10:52,080 --> 00:10:55,680 Was this wonderful building much damaged during the war? 104 00:10:55,680 --> 00:10:59,080 It was very bad. It was first bombed by the Soviets. 105 00:10:59,080 --> 00:11:02,280 And after, by the Allies. 106 00:11:02,280 --> 00:11:04,400 The city... 107 00:11:04,400 --> 00:11:06,320 You can still see it today, 108 00:11:06,320 --> 00:11:09,120 even though the city was rebuilt pretty much. 109 00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:12,000 But you still see bullet-holes and... 110 00:11:15,400 --> 00:11:21,880 In the extravagantly grand Chamber of Representatives, deputies sat throughout the Communist years, 111 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:25,240 rubber-stamping decisions made at party headquarters. 112 00:11:25,240 --> 00:11:27,360 I never thought this would change. 113 00:11:27,360 --> 00:11:30,680 I thought until my death, we were going to live under Communism. 114 00:11:30,680 --> 00:11:32,880 And it happened one day to the other. 115 00:11:32,880 --> 00:11:37,400 If you were in Parliament now, Peter, what would you be fighting for? 116 00:11:37,400 --> 00:11:41,480 I'd be still fighting for the corruption... 117 00:11:41,480 --> 00:11:43,760 Against corruption. 118 00:11:43,760 --> 00:11:49,360 Today, the biggest problem in a small country like this is envy. 119 00:11:49,360 --> 00:11:54,960 Envy, jealousy, hatred. Because there are such social differences 120 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:57,880 due to the breaking in of freedom. 121 00:11:57,880 --> 00:12:01,160 People got very rich illegally. 122 00:12:01,160 --> 00:12:06,560 So there's a real hatred towards these new rich. 123 00:12:06,560 --> 00:12:14,400 Nothing I've learnt on my journey prepares me for Hungarian, one of Europe's least-spoken languages. 124 00:12:14,400 --> 00:12:20,400 But I'm determined to give it a try and have chosen the Budapest subway system as my first victim. 125 00:12:20,400 --> 00:12:24,240 This is the dangerous bit. I've been learning this for weeks! 126 00:12:24,240 --> 00:12:26,120 We'll see if it works. 127 00:12:26,120 --> 00:12:28,360 HE SPEAKS HUNGARIAN 128 00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:33,440 Am I going to get a hippopotamus? No, a ticket! Brilliant! Thank you. 129 00:12:35,280 --> 00:12:36,720 How mu...? 130 00:12:55,640 --> 00:13:01,520 Opened in 1896, this was the very first underground system in mainland Europe. 131 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:12,840 I get off halfway along Andrassy, the smart boulevard of Budapest, 132 00:13:12,840 --> 00:13:17,320 one of whose neo-classical mansions harbours a sinister past. 133 00:13:18,400 --> 00:13:23,440 There was one house on this grand and elegant street where you never wanted to end up. 134 00:13:23,440 --> 00:13:28,400 For a while, it was the most feared address in Budapest - 60 Andrassy Street. 135 00:13:30,560 --> 00:13:33,600 Now a museum called the House of Terror, 136 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:38,960 Number 60 had been headquarters of both Fascist, and later, Communist secret police. 137 00:13:42,520 --> 00:13:47,600 On display in one gallery is the propaganda of communism. 138 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:50,440 It projected a wholesome, progressive world. 139 00:13:50,440 --> 00:13:55,560 But as early as 1956, the Hungarian people could see through it. 140 00:13:55,560 --> 00:13:59,280 NEWSREEL: 'Throughout the city, Soviet war memorials come crashing down. 141 00:14:01,360 --> 00:14:03,800 'Budapest is in revolt. 142 00:14:03,800 --> 00:14:08,520 'With uncontrolled fury crowds set fire to Russian flags and put Soviet books to the torch. 143 00:14:08,520 --> 00:14:10,360 'A red star is sent tumbling.' 144 00:14:10,360 --> 00:14:15,360 The Hungarian uprising was the first big test of Moscow's control of her European satellites. 145 00:14:15,360 --> 00:14:17,880 'Rebels ride tanks triumphantly in the streets. 146 00:14:17,880 --> 00:14:21,120 'The Russians have given their word that they will withdraw 147 00:14:21,120 --> 00:14:25,000 'all Communist troops from Hungarian soil. Their victory seems complete.' 148 00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:34,920 But the troops did go back in. 149 00:14:34,920 --> 00:14:38,480 The uprising was crushed and its leaders subjected to a show trial. 150 00:14:43,720 --> 00:14:49,120 In a room papered with legal documents, the film of the trial runs on a loop, 151 00:14:49,120 --> 00:14:53,920 including the moment when the ultimate punishment was passed on Prime Minister Imre Nagy, 152 00:14:53,920 --> 00:14:57,000 a Communist, but not Moscow's kind of Communist. 153 00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:25,320 Hungary had to wait more than 30 years before it could properly 154 00:15:25,320 --> 00:15:29,160 taste the freedom it had come so close to winning in 1956. 155 00:15:46,280 --> 00:15:51,080 But perhaps the most unsettling exhibit in the House of Terror is in the lift. 156 00:15:58,880 --> 00:16:04,920 It's a macabre interview with a retired prison service employee who attended executions. 157 00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:10,120 After the uprising, thousands of Hungarians were executed in places like this, 158 00:17:10,120 --> 00:17:13,960 along with their Prime Minister, Imre Nagy. 159 00:17:13,960 --> 00:17:17,200 More than 250,000 fled abroad. 160 00:17:19,520 --> 00:17:24,320 It's a relief to get back to the noise and bustle of the boulevard. 161 00:17:25,960 --> 00:17:30,840 But the one good thing about the whole grim story is that in 1989, 162 00:17:30,840 --> 00:17:34,640 there was a reburial ceremony for Imre Nagy, 163 00:17:34,640 --> 00:17:36,720 here in Heroes Square. 164 00:17:42,040 --> 00:17:47,120 Maybe it's a left-over from the wealthy years at the heart of a Central European empire 165 00:17:47,120 --> 00:17:51,560 but Budapest exudes a stylishly confident approach to the way things look. 166 00:17:51,560 --> 00:17:55,480 And Katti Zoob, a theatrical costumier turned designer, 167 00:17:55,480 --> 00:17:58,840 is carrying on the tradition with some very cool fashions. 168 00:18:01,160 --> 00:18:04,360 Then why on earth has she asked me to be one of her models? 169 00:18:04,360 --> 00:18:08,400 Hello, hello! Hello, Michael. It's Michael, yes. 170 00:18:08,400 --> 00:18:13,200 I've come to this kind of as a duty, to be dressed for something or other. 171 00:18:13,200 --> 00:18:17,240 Welcome. So, yes, I'm in your hands. They're waiting for you. 172 00:18:17,240 --> 00:18:20,400 I've been in a terrible tizzy as to what to wear. 173 00:18:20,400 --> 00:18:24,080 I mean, these are not my sort of places at all. 174 00:18:24,080 --> 00:18:29,960 Lovely. Think I'd look nice in one of those? It's wonderful. Hello. 175 00:18:29,960 --> 00:18:36,640 I'd like to introduce Michael to you. Hello, hello. Very nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. 176 00:18:36,640 --> 00:18:39,720 You've been very busy. Oh, thank you. 177 00:18:39,720 --> 00:18:42,680 Lots of wonderful things. 178 00:18:42,680 --> 00:18:46,400 I don't know what you can do for me. You are my favourite! 179 00:18:46,400 --> 00:18:50,040 We'll go in behind the screens, I think. Thank you very much! 180 00:18:50,040 --> 00:18:52,680 Hello! Yes, thank you. 181 00:18:52,680 --> 00:18:55,240 Well, that puts me at my ease a bit. 182 00:19:10,960 --> 00:19:13,400 It's enough, thank you very much. 183 00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:15,440 Is that...? Really? Really. 184 00:19:15,440 --> 00:19:19,000 Don't you measure the inside leg? No. Sorry, no! 185 00:19:19,000 --> 00:19:22,120 I'm just asking because most shop assistants do. 186 00:19:22,120 --> 00:19:24,160 Because maybe I have a mistake! 187 00:19:26,400 --> 00:19:29,480 Thank you. You just sort of like, roughly... 188 00:19:31,080 --> 00:19:34,120 I have a good eye. I have a very good eyes. Yeah. 189 00:19:37,120 --> 00:19:40,920 I'm rather frightened about this, to be honest. 190 00:19:40,920 --> 00:19:43,760 Can you set my mind at rest? 191 00:19:43,760 --> 00:19:47,280 The show will be... 192 00:19:47,280 --> 00:19:52,000 some special, special event for angels and devils, 193 00:19:52,000 --> 00:19:57,560 and I would like if you... Can be a devil? 194 00:19:57,560 --> 00:20:02,560 No! I wanna be a devil. A little bit devil, a little bit angel. Ah, yes, all right. 195 00:20:02,560 --> 00:20:06,240 For example, front sides... 196 00:20:06,240 --> 00:20:07,840 is angel. 197 00:20:07,840 --> 00:20:14,920 Yes. Or front side's the devil. I think it will be interesting. 198 00:20:14,920 --> 00:20:17,160 So I'm going to be sort of bi-moral? 199 00:20:18,280 --> 00:20:23,480 I mean, a bit good, a bit bad? Sorry...bi-moral. 200 00:20:23,480 --> 00:20:26,120 Like bisexual, you know, bi-moral. 201 00:20:26,120 --> 00:20:29,360 Really? Would you like a skirt? 202 00:20:30,320 --> 00:20:34,840 Erm...no, I mean, I think... 203 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:39,760 Some lace? I think the... I might try that later. 204 00:20:39,760 --> 00:20:45,400 Black lace skirts with white lining. 205 00:20:45,400 --> 00:20:48,640 Yes, now you're talking. A sort of see-through kilt. 206 00:20:48,640 --> 00:20:50,600 No, I would like... 207 00:20:54,160 --> 00:20:57,360 Tonight I'm seeing a rather different side of Budapest. 208 00:20:57,360 --> 00:21:00,800 I've been invited to eat at the Karpatia, which proclaims itself 209 00:21:00,800 --> 00:21:06,160 "The Classic Hungarian Restaurant of Budapest since 1877". 210 00:21:06,160 --> 00:21:12,840 The owner, Akos Niklai, wants me to hear his discoveries - two gypsy violinists, father and son. 211 00:21:25,920 --> 00:21:29,560 Their piece de resistance is an intricate piece by the Romanian 212 00:21:29,560 --> 00:21:34,760 composer Dinicu, called The Lark, and it always brings the house down. 213 00:21:41,480 --> 00:21:44,120 SOLO VIOLIN IMITATES BIRDSONG. 214 00:22:27,720 --> 00:22:30,240 What a lark! 215 00:22:30,240 --> 00:22:35,920 As they take a break, Akos deals gracefully with some rather impertinent questions. 216 00:22:35,920 --> 00:22:39,920 The Hungarians are people of impeccable taste and very inventive people, 217 00:22:39,920 --> 00:22:44,840 but you haven't had much luck in wars - you've always backed the losing side. 218 00:22:44,840 --> 00:22:49,520 It happens twice, to Hungary but it is not always depending 219 00:22:49,520 --> 00:22:52,600 on the Hungarians. Due to the location of the Hungary. 220 00:22:52,600 --> 00:23:00,400 As a result of this, 50% of the territory of Hungary was taken away, 221 00:23:00,400 --> 00:23:05,360 and again, in the Second World War, 222 00:23:05,360 --> 00:23:09,480 we had bad luck, but you also have to remember 223 00:23:09,480 --> 00:23:16,480 the location of Hungary, where we are located, and obviously Hungary has a sort of strategic location. 224 00:23:16,480 --> 00:23:19,920 Do you find there's any tendency in Hungarians to be depressive. 225 00:23:19,920 --> 00:23:23,840 I read somewhere that the country had the highest suicide rate in the world. 226 00:23:23,840 --> 00:23:25,280 I would say yes and no. 227 00:23:25,280 --> 00:23:30,200 Erm, Hungarians have different moods. 228 00:23:30,200 --> 00:23:33,640 Sometimes we are very sad, sometimes we are extremely happy. 229 00:23:33,640 --> 00:23:40,680 But there are situations when it is hard to handle the pressure, maybe we are a little bit depressed, 230 00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:44,880 but, er...that's life. 231 00:23:48,440 --> 00:23:52,720 Another example of Hungarian flair is a national drink called Unicum, 232 00:23:52,720 --> 00:23:57,600 a digestif produced to a secret formula by none other than my friend Peter Zwack, 233 00:23:57,600 --> 00:23:59,800 and he's asked me to a tasting. 234 00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:08,520 In the cellars, he tells me how huge barrels of it were once used to bridge the Danube. 235 00:24:08,520 --> 00:24:15,240 These barrels were floated on the Danube as so-called pontoon bridges 236 00:24:15,240 --> 00:24:20,960 because the temporary wooden bridges were housed on top of these barrels. 237 00:24:20,960 --> 00:24:23,760 The pontoon of Unicum. The pontoon of Unicum. 238 00:24:23,760 --> 00:24:27,080 Was the Unicum in the barrels at the time? 239 00:24:27,080 --> 00:24:30,240 That I don't know. I don't know if they would have sunk or not. 240 00:24:30,240 --> 00:24:33,160 You realise what a powerful bridge it was. 241 00:24:33,160 --> 00:24:39,160 How popular is Unicum here? It is very popular because if you take Hungary, 242 00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:45,880 which has a population of ten million people, we sell five million bottles only in Hungary, 243 00:24:45,880 --> 00:24:47,960 so every second person drinks it. 244 00:24:47,960 --> 00:24:49,600 So it's very, very popular. 245 00:24:49,600 --> 00:24:51,720 So who knows the secret? 246 00:24:51,720 --> 00:24:53,520 It's still in the family. 247 00:24:53,520 --> 00:24:57,760 Now it is actually my wife and I who know it. 248 00:24:57,760 --> 00:25:00,920 We always say we can't afford to divorce! 249 00:25:02,520 --> 00:25:05,200 But it's really a secret recipe, 250 00:25:05,200 --> 00:25:07,280 and we very carefully watch it. 251 00:25:07,280 --> 00:25:12,920 It is rather complicated how you, the herbs in Unicum come from all over the world. 252 00:25:12,920 --> 00:25:15,200 It's unique. There's nothing like it. 253 00:25:15,200 --> 00:25:17,360 And the success of it, 254 00:25:17,360 --> 00:25:23,920 we kiddingly say that 50% of the people will never drink it again once they try it, 255 00:25:23,920 --> 00:25:28,520 but the other 50% gets hooked on it. They will never drink anything else. 256 00:25:29,600 --> 00:25:31,840 This is the moment of truth. 257 00:25:31,840 --> 00:25:36,000 The moment of truth when you know, er, when you taste this. 258 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:40,120 I hope we're not going to end our short-born friendship. 259 00:25:40,120 --> 00:25:44,640 No, we'll remain friends, but you might have to come and visit me in hospital. 260 00:25:46,240 --> 00:25:48,720 OK, you have to tap it a little bit because... 261 00:25:48,720 --> 00:25:51,360 There we go... Do you drink it every day? 262 00:25:51,360 --> 00:25:57,400 I drink it every day. One shot like this, half a glass, every evening. 263 00:25:57,400 --> 00:26:00,200 Two glasses of wine and Unicum. 264 00:26:00,200 --> 00:26:03,880 Here we go. Let's see if I'm one of the 50% who do or the 50% who don't. 265 00:26:03,880 --> 00:26:09,720 Knock it back in one? No, no. I would say sip it, enjoy it, if you can! 266 00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:17,640 Oh, Mmm! 267 00:26:19,520 --> 00:26:24,440 That's magnificent. It really is. I love that. 268 00:26:24,440 --> 00:26:27,080 It's like being in a forest in the middle of a gale. 269 00:26:27,080 --> 00:26:30,520 Everything's blown at you, all sorts of tastes. 270 00:26:30,520 --> 00:26:32,640 I love the way it finish. 271 00:26:32,640 --> 00:26:35,000 It's very, very lively. Great. 272 00:26:35,000 --> 00:26:37,680 Complex. Yes. 273 00:26:37,680 --> 00:26:41,920 And it's a bit fiery later on. Yeah. 274 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:47,400 It is like a blast of concentrated mountain countryside. 275 00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:53,320 I've one more engagement left in this seductive city. 276 00:26:54,920 --> 00:27:00,200 Tonight is my debut as a model at Katti Zoob's summer show. 277 00:27:00,200 --> 00:27:03,040 You usually have a quiet time? We are ready. 278 00:27:03,040 --> 00:27:08,120 Everything is under control, because I have a number of helpers. 279 00:27:08,120 --> 00:27:14,040 And you've done it before, haven't you? You've done this before. 280 00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:19,880 You've talked to audiences and they all love you. I bet they go, "Katti! 281 00:27:19,880 --> 00:27:22,920 "Yeah, my girl." 282 00:27:22,920 --> 00:27:27,200 I'll let you have a little bit of peace and quiet. 283 00:27:27,200 --> 00:27:30,640 I'll go and talk to some of my fellow models. 284 00:27:38,360 --> 00:27:41,840 6:30, and the guests are arriving. 285 00:27:46,720 --> 00:27:50,400 Suddenly it's, well, serious. 286 00:27:50,400 --> 00:27:57,080 The doors are drawn back and the eyes of Budapest's fashionistas turn expectantly towards me. 287 00:28:00,520 --> 00:28:02,960 Hello, good evening. 288 00:28:02,960 --> 00:28:08,920 As the oldest and least beautiful of all the models here tonight, 289 00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:13,320 it is a great honour for me to be able to start this show. 290 00:28:13,320 --> 00:28:18,040 As you can see, Katti has brought out the devil in me tonight. 291 00:28:18,040 --> 00:28:21,040 This is going to be the theme. She is a marvellous designer. 292 00:28:21,040 --> 00:28:23,440 It's been wonderful to work with her. 293 00:28:23,440 --> 00:28:25,480 Now, it's time. On with the show! 294 00:29:12,480 --> 00:29:15,520 It's all over far too soon for my liking. 295 00:29:15,520 --> 00:29:19,360 But thanks to Katti, my transformation from quiet Sheffield lad 296 00:29:19,360 --> 00:29:22,400 to outrageous old fashion queen is complete. 297 00:29:29,280 --> 00:29:33,600 Keleti Station is Budapest's gateway to the east. 298 00:29:33,600 --> 00:29:38,840 In its size, scale and the flourish of its architecture, it's typically Hungarian. 299 00:29:50,640 --> 00:29:55,720 I'm looking for the Tisza Express that runs between Budapest and Lviv in the Ukraine. 300 00:30:08,480 --> 00:30:11,720 The Tisza, named after the second river of Hungary, 301 00:30:11,720 --> 00:30:15,200 connects the capital with the agricultural lands to the east. 302 00:30:22,920 --> 00:30:25,880 I've grown rather used to being in Budapest. 303 00:30:25,880 --> 00:30:30,640 It's so much the centre of the country, with about 20% of the population living here. 304 00:30:30,640 --> 00:30:35,400 I've little idea what the countryside beyond will look and feel like. 305 00:30:40,600 --> 00:30:44,480 I just hope the flowers aren't plastic, like the ones on the train. 306 00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:50,760 Now, this looks like my sort of place! 307 00:30:50,760 --> 00:30:56,080 Mad is well worth the detour, for despite the angry and possibly mad dogs, 308 00:30:56,080 --> 00:30:59,120 it's the home of something rather special. 309 00:30:59,120 --> 00:31:06,360 This is Mad. The joke doesn't work in Hungarian because it has an accent so it is actually "Mard". 310 00:31:06,360 --> 00:31:09,280 But it's a small, modest village. 311 00:31:09,280 --> 00:31:15,520 Yet on the slopes here are grown one of the most highly prized wines in the world. 312 00:31:16,560 --> 00:31:21,240 These are the vines from which the sweet wine Tokaji is made. 313 00:31:21,240 --> 00:31:25,160 In the Soviet years, they produced quantity rather than quality. 314 00:31:25,160 --> 00:31:29,320 But now, winemakers produce bottles costing several hundred pounds. 315 00:31:31,240 --> 00:31:36,480 The secret is mixing wine from these grapes with others affected by botrytis, 316 00:31:36,480 --> 00:31:39,520 or noble rot, which produces aszu, 317 00:31:39,520 --> 00:31:45,160 a juice from which wine is made of the colour and price of gold. 318 00:31:45,160 --> 00:31:50,640 Istvan Turoczi manages production for the British-owned Royal Tokaji Company. 319 00:31:50,640 --> 00:31:52,360 It's lovely. 320 00:31:52,360 --> 00:31:56,080 Stretching back to quite a long time. 321 00:31:56,080 --> 00:31:58,760 Yeah. Hundreds of years. 322 00:32:02,320 --> 00:32:06,960 The wine is matured in dark caves over 100ft below ground, 323 00:32:06,960 --> 00:32:12,360 a suitable place for Istvan to tell me of the mysterious power of Tokaji Aszu. 324 00:32:12,360 --> 00:32:16,320 It has been a very famous wine for a long time. 325 00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:19,960 Who are the great people who have enjoyed this? 326 00:32:19,960 --> 00:32:27,120 For example, the Queen Mother loved it very much, who lived for 102 years. 327 00:32:27,120 --> 00:32:29,240 She loved Tokaji wines, Aszu wines. 328 00:32:29,240 --> 00:32:31,880 Our Queen Mother? Yes, she did. 329 00:32:31,880 --> 00:32:34,600 She was very discerning. 330 00:32:34,600 --> 00:32:36,800 And who else? 331 00:32:36,800 --> 00:32:44,480 Queen Victoria, who got as present a dozen of Aszu wine for each birthday. 332 00:32:44,480 --> 00:32:49,200 The number of dozens were as much as her age. 333 00:32:49,200 --> 00:32:56,680 So it ended at her birthday of 81 with 972 bottles of Aszu wine 334 00:32:56,680 --> 00:33:00,120 of different very good vintages of the region. 335 00:33:00,120 --> 00:33:02,120 The advantage of living a long time. 336 00:33:02,120 --> 00:33:05,080 Yes. Did they get a reaction from Queen Victoria? 337 00:33:05,080 --> 00:33:08,320 Did she say, "You can stop now, I'm not gonna finish these." 338 00:33:08,320 --> 00:33:13,120 No, she loved the wine as well as Queen Elizabeth. 339 00:33:18,840 --> 00:33:22,800 The beautiful nine-arch bridge, built almost 200 years ago, 340 00:33:22,800 --> 00:33:27,840 carries me over the Tisza River towards the Puszta, the Great Hungarian Plain. 341 00:33:35,320 --> 00:33:40,240 Legend has it that this land of distant horizons was where Attila the Hun died 342 00:33:40,240 --> 00:33:46,280 of a nasal flux brought on by strenuous sexual activity with his new bride. 343 00:33:46,280 --> 00:33:51,560 If only the bicycle had been invented then, he could have had a much more healthy hobby. 344 00:33:54,080 --> 00:33:58,640 Nowadays, the plain is the province of cowboys called chicos, 345 00:33:58,640 --> 00:34:02,800 and their herds of massive and rather intimidating Hungarian Grey Cattle. 346 00:34:20,280 --> 00:34:23,240 Traditional methods are still used here. 347 00:34:23,240 --> 00:34:28,400 The chicos water their livestock from shadoof-style wells, like those I've seen in Africa. 348 00:34:47,360 --> 00:34:49,520 Thank you. 349 00:34:52,680 --> 00:34:59,200 This is now a national park, and the survival of the Hungarian cowboy is in the hands of visitors like us. 350 00:35:08,080 --> 00:35:12,120 Picking up the Tisza Express again, I take it through to the frontier town 351 00:35:12,120 --> 00:35:17,680 of Zahony, and from there across into the Ukraine my 12th country so far. 352 00:35:20,240 --> 00:35:23,520 Crossing the border is an uplifting experience... 353 00:35:23,520 --> 00:35:25,960 quite literally! 354 00:35:27,920 --> 00:35:32,320 This is Chop, just over the Ukrainian border. It's the middle of the night. 355 00:35:32,320 --> 00:35:39,640 Because of the incompatibility of the European and Russian rail networks, that are on different gauge, 356 00:35:39,640 --> 00:35:45,680 every coach has to be jacked up into the air and they've got to physically change all the bogeys. 357 00:35:45,680 --> 00:35:47,920 That's what they're doing at the moment. 358 00:35:47,920 --> 00:35:51,200 You can see people are on the train, 359 00:35:51,200 --> 00:35:55,880 in the middle of the night, and six feet up in the air. These will all be changed. 360 00:35:55,880 --> 00:36:02,480 It is quite dramatic, but who's going to change, the Russian rail network, or the European rail network? 361 00:36:02,480 --> 00:36:03,960 This goes on. 362 00:36:18,240 --> 00:36:24,280 The train, having been re-wheeled in an hour flat, we're on our way and back to sleep. 363 00:36:31,160 --> 00:36:33,880 A grey dawn in the Carpathians. 364 00:36:33,880 --> 00:36:37,080 The weather's very different on this side of the mountains. 365 00:36:44,480 --> 00:36:48,480 Not the most beautiful introduction to the city of Lviv, 366 00:36:48,480 --> 00:36:54,240 whose identity has been as murky as the weather, changing its name four times in the last 90 years. 367 00:36:59,320 --> 00:37:03,880 Since 1991, it's been the western gateway to the Ukraine. 368 00:37:10,000 --> 00:37:16,440 Over the last century, armies and administrations swept in and out of Lviv with alarming regularity, 369 00:37:16,440 --> 00:37:21,240 but it was always the intellectual and spiritual home of Ukrainian nationalism. 370 00:37:26,000 --> 00:37:30,120 Not a great day for sightseeing or for getting married. 371 00:37:30,120 --> 00:37:33,120 And they're digging the streets up. 372 00:37:39,240 --> 00:37:44,880 But the prosperity that came from Lviv's days as a frontier town between Europe and Russia 373 00:37:44,880 --> 00:37:48,800 has left a legacy even the weather can't dampen. 374 00:37:48,800 --> 00:37:54,760 A damp morning in the Carpathians, and now a wet Sunday in Leviv. But are we downhearted? 375 00:37:54,760 --> 00:37:58,760 No, because, for me at any rate, this place is an undiscovered gem. 376 00:37:58,760 --> 00:38:06,080 At various times in its history, it's been Austrian, German, Polish, Russian, now Ukrainian and it shows. 377 00:38:06,080 --> 00:38:11,880 I mean, if you look around it, even on a lousy day like this, this is a truly European city. 378 00:38:14,920 --> 00:38:17,640 Leviv is somewhere I'll come back to. 379 00:38:17,640 --> 00:38:21,720 It has a civilised charm that deserves another chance. 380 00:38:21,720 --> 00:38:23,600 And the dogs are friendly. 381 00:38:27,680 --> 00:38:33,880 I've been this way before, but when I last took a train to Kiev, it wasn't part of the Ukraine. 382 00:38:33,880 --> 00:38:39,240 I was filming Pole to Pole and this was still the USSR. 383 00:38:39,240 --> 00:38:43,840 On that journey, I got talking to a young Ukrainian called Vadim. 384 00:38:43,840 --> 00:38:48,920 He said he sensed something in the air, something dangerous and exciting. 385 00:38:48,920 --> 00:38:52,960 I see Ukrainian history being revived, I see Ukrainian culture, 386 00:38:52,960 --> 00:38:58,040 you know, the culture which many people thought is gone forever, 387 00:38:58,040 --> 00:39:00,360 we are getting back to some of our roots. 388 00:39:00,360 --> 00:39:02,080 There is so much to do here. 389 00:39:02,080 --> 00:39:06,320 If one feels Ukrainian, if one feels it's one's roots, 390 00:39:06,320 --> 00:39:11,680 this is a very exciting period to live through in the history of this land. 391 00:39:11,680 --> 00:39:17,600 And so it proved to be. The collapse of the USSR led, eventually, 392 00:39:17,600 --> 00:39:24,040 to the election of Viktor Yushchenko as president and the charismatic Yulia Tymoshenko as Prime Minister. 393 00:39:24,040 --> 00:39:26,680 They called it the Orange Revolution. 394 00:39:29,120 --> 00:39:31,760 SHE SPEAKS IN UKRAINIAN 395 00:39:38,240 --> 00:39:40,920 But Victor and Yulia fell out. 396 00:39:40,920 --> 00:39:43,600 And when I arrive in Kiev for a second time, 397 00:39:43,600 --> 00:39:47,880 the ecstatic scenes in Independence Square are already a distant memory. 398 00:39:54,520 --> 00:39:57,000 There are still tents in the square. 399 00:39:57,000 --> 00:39:59,080 But there's a confusion in the camps. 400 00:40:01,520 --> 00:40:05,320 An election has just delivered a hung parliament. 401 00:40:05,320 --> 00:40:10,960 Yulia can't work with Viktor, and Viktor can't work with parties that support closer links to Russia. 402 00:40:10,960 --> 00:40:13,000 There's deadlock. 403 00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:17,720 Until it's broken, the faithful have pledged to stay on the streets. 404 00:40:17,720 --> 00:40:24,600 Who better to turn to for an explanation than the stranger I met on the train all those years ago? 405 00:40:24,600 --> 00:40:28,800 The eyes of the world were on this square during the Orange Revolution 406 00:40:28,800 --> 00:40:31,680 a couple of years ago and the flags are out again. 407 00:40:31,680 --> 00:40:34,720 Is this democracy in action in the Ukraine? 408 00:40:34,720 --> 00:40:41,840 You know, the real problem is that many people in this country, 409 00:40:41,840 --> 00:40:44,680 after so many years of Russian empire 410 00:40:44,680 --> 00:40:49,280 and of the Soviet empire, they were used to been ruled by a strong hand, 411 00:40:49,280 --> 00:40:54,840 which does everything very effectively without thinking about such things as democracy 412 00:40:54,840 --> 00:40:57,120 or human rights or whatever it is. 413 00:40:57,120 --> 00:41:05,000 So, when we've suddenly got this president that we have now and there's a new government, 414 00:41:05,000 --> 00:41:07,760 which is democratic in its ideas, 415 00:41:07,760 --> 00:41:13,520 which means slow and not as effective as the authoritarian regimes, many people just don't get it. 416 00:41:13,520 --> 00:41:17,040 They say we want a strong... We want discipline, we want order. 417 00:41:17,040 --> 00:41:20,040 There are a lot of young people out there in the tented city. 418 00:41:20,040 --> 00:41:23,680 Do they believe in a democratic future for Ukraine? 419 00:41:23,680 --> 00:41:28,200 I think they're beginning to understand that this... 420 00:41:28,200 --> 00:41:33,240 strange beast called democracy includes a number of very pragmatic things 421 00:41:33,240 --> 00:41:35,720 that young people want to have, 422 00:41:35,720 --> 00:41:39,520 like the possibility to go abroad and study there, like the possibility 423 00:41:39,520 --> 00:41:44,200 to speak openly without being afraid of the policemen behind you. 424 00:41:44,200 --> 00:41:46,640 We last met 15 years ago 425 00:41:46,640 --> 00:41:51,920 and you made a prediction, you said things are going to move slowly, but they are going to change. 426 00:41:51,920 --> 00:41:56,480 When we next meet, if we're both still alive, in 15 years' time, 427 00:41:56,480 --> 00:42:02,840 what do you think you'll be saying about the world then and about Ukraine? 428 00:42:02,840 --> 00:42:09,200 Ukraine by that time should be much more sovereign, 429 00:42:09,200 --> 00:42:12,600 much more independent, well, of course, much more prosperous. 430 00:42:12,600 --> 00:42:18,720 Hopefully, a part, a real part, of the European family 431 00:42:18,720 --> 00:42:24,800 and, perhaps, led politically by a good-looking lady. 432 00:42:25,840 --> 00:42:27,880 Who could that be? 433 00:42:27,880 --> 00:42:30,160 Well, there are a couple of... 434 00:42:30,160 --> 00:42:33,160 And there are a few photos around. 435 00:42:33,160 --> 00:42:37,440 Let's have a look. How do you like that lady there? Oh, yes, she's nice. Who knows? 436 00:42:37,440 --> 00:42:40,960 In 15 years, she could grow up to become a leading politician. 437 00:42:42,720 --> 00:42:47,200 Basing her appeal on an image of wholesome Ukrainian womanhood, 438 00:42:47,200 --> 00:42:52,440 Yulia Tymoshenko is still eye-catching, but now she has competition from her daughter. 439 00:42:54,120 --> 00:42:59,280 In a Kiev monastery, Eugenia Tymoshenko recently married Sean Carr, 440 00:42:59,280 --> 00:43:02,400 a market trader from Leeds. 441 00:43:06,040 --> 00:43:09,000 Sean's not a politician. 442 00:43:09,000 --> 00:43:11,120 # Well, all right 443 00:43:12,760 --> 00:43:15,000 # Sayin' it's nothin' he cracks a joke 444 00:43:15,000 --> 00:43:17,120 # The whole world's goin' up in smoke... # 445 00:43:17,120 --> 00:43:20,320 He's a Death Valley Screamer. 446 00:43:20,320 --> 00:43:26,800 Unable to make much headway in the UK, the group he founded has taken Ukraine by storm. 447 00:43:38,480 --> 00:43:42,640 Sean and Eugenia have thrown themselves behind the Tymoshenko campaign, 448 00:43:42,640 --> 00:43:46,520 and I catch up with them on a morale-boosting visit to the troops. 449 00:43:46,520 --> 00:43:50,960 I mean, Sean, you're a Yorkshireman. We don't do this sort of thing in England, do we? 450 00:43:50,960 --> 00:43:54,000 Put up tents in Westminster Square? 451 00:43:54,000 --> 00:43:56,640 Good Lord, no. I don't know... 452 00:43:56,640 --> 00:43:58,200 What do you think of it? 453 00:43:58,200 --> 00:44:01,600 At first, I thought it was very strange. It was a massive shock. 454 00:44:01,600 --> 00:44:06,200 But now, I'm ready to do this, this is not just a last resort, 455 00:44:06,200 --> 00:44:09,080 this is a peaceful way of resolving things. 456 00:44:09,080 --> 00:44:12,880 It's an amazing situation, and amazing to meet someone like yourself, 457 00:44:12,880 --> 00:44:15,720 so we'll watch, we'll see what goes on. 458 00:44:15,720 --> 00:44:17,160 Let's have a look around. 459 00:44:23,200 --> 00:44:26,160 I'm not the only one following them around. 460 00:44:26,160 --> 00:44:28,520 As they don't get much time to themselves here, 461 00:44:28,520 --> 00:44:33,000 they invite me to their country house for lunch the next day. 462 00:44:36,640 --> 00:44:40,320 # Born to be wild 463 00:44:40,720 --> 00:44:45,360 # Born to be wild 464 00:44:47,840 --> 00:44:52,720 # Born to be wild... # 465 00:44:59,600 --> 00:45:04,040 Sean doesn't do public transport or a saddle, actually. 466 00:45:04,040 --> 00:45:06,480 But he doesn't half get you there fast! 467 00:45:07,440 --> 00:45:10,200 That's the way to arrive. 468 00:45:10,200 --> 00:45:15,240 The bike may be top of the market, but the house, in the woods outside Kiev, 469 00:45:15,240 --> 00:45:18,680 is quite modest by the standards of pop aristocracy. 470 00:45:18,680 --> 00:45:20,720 As we sit and have a drink, 471 00:45:20,720 --> 00:45:24,680 I can't help thinking that my fellow Yorkshireman fits in well here. 472 00:45:24,680 --> 00:45:27,360 There's a touch of the Cossack about him. 473 00:45:27,360 --> 00:45:30,800 Does your mother-in-law like your music? 474 00:45:30,800 --> 00:45:34,800 Yes, she likes it to a certain extent. 475 00:45:34,800 --> 00:45:40,320 I don't imagine she'd go out there and bop around to it, but, yes, she likes what we're doing. 476 00:45:40,320 --> 00:45:43,480 She appreciates that we've worked really hard 477 00:45:43,480 --> 00:45:48,400 and we've brought a new sort of music here. 478 00:45:48,400 --> 00:45:52,560 It's very strange because what we do in England, I mean, 479 00:45:52,560 --> 00:45:56,560 you sit every night in the pub, you walk in, there's a band playing. 480 00:45:56,560 --> 00:46:01,280 Whereas here, you play and the reaction is just phenomenal. 481 00:46:01,280 --> 00:46:06,760 Everybody, I mean, we've had 70-year-old grandmas coming wearing Death Valley Screamer shirts. 482 00:46:06,760 --> 00:46:08,520 They're all bopping around. 483 00:46:08,520 --> 00:46:12,560 It's just like, hang on a minute, what's going on here? 484 00:46:12,560 --> 00:46:14,840 It's fantastic. 485 00:46:14,840 --> 00:46:18,640 I was just going to say that my mum wanted to keep him 486 00:46:18,640 --> 00:46:22,680 dressed on the stage because he always takes his shirt off. 487 00:46:22,680 --> 00:46:25,520 She was worried about that. 488 00:46:25,520 --> 00:46:31,240 After some time, she accepted that's the way to be - rock and roll. 489 00:46:31,240 --> 00:46:35,240 That's very English, you have fun, take your shirt off. Let your hair down. 490 00:46:35,240 --> 00:46:37,120 If your mother came to power, 491 00:46:37,120 --> 00:46:41,280 do you think there'd be a chance of a cabinet post for Sean? 492 00:46:41,280 --> 00:46:43,640 He wants to be Minister of Roads, I think. 493 00:46:43,640 --> 00:46:45,640 I want to get the roads sorted out. 494 00:46:45,640 --> 00:46:47,080 First job. 495 00:46:47,080 --> 00:46:49,840 I think Sean would be a good adviser 496 00:46:49,840 --> 00:46:53,280 on the system of the road and how they should be. 497 00:46:53,280 --> 00:46:54,800 Minister of Rock and Roads. 498 00:46:54,800 --> 00:46:57,440 That would be good, wouldn't it? Yes. 499 00:46:57,440 --> 00:47:03,240 I think you were the first Soviet girl, one of the first Soviet girls 500 00:47:03,240 --> 00:47:05,960 ever to go to an English public school. 501 00:47:05,960 --> 00:47:08,400 Has this been a good experience for you? 502 00:47:08,400 --> 00:47:10,440 I really enjoyed my years there. 503 00:47:10,440 --> 00:47:16,680 I think, although some papers say the system is not very good any more, 504 00:47:16,680 --> 00:47:20,000 you know, the public school system should be changed, 505 00:47:20,000 --> 00:47:22,840 but I think it's great. It's a great system. 506 00:47:22,840 --> 00:47:25,040 That's very good for Rugby! 507 00:47:25,040 --> 00:47:26,680 They'll like that. 508 00:47:26,680 --> 00:47:31,960 What attracted a demure, English public school girl like yourself, 509 00:47:31,960 --> 00:47:39,880 to this wild, rock 'n' rolling motorbike...maniac? 510 00:47:39,880 --> 00:47:44,760 The first time I saw him, he looked really unusual 511 00:47:44,760 --> 00:47:50,040 and I've always liked bikes and music like this 512 00:47:50,040 --> 00:47:52,880 so I thought, "Ah! He's a rock musician!" 513 00:47:52,880 --> 00:47:58,000 I said, "I have to pass by him and see what he looks like." 514 00:47:58,000 --> 00:48:05,800 Afterwards, you know, it's not really about bikes and music, it's more about Sean's personality. 515 00:48:05,800 --> 00:48:08,960 He's a really, really kind person, 516 00:48:08,960 --> 00:48:12,160 and a lovely, lovely person, 517 00:48:12,160 --> 00:48:14,960 so that's what it's about. 518 00:48:14,960 --> 00:48:17,720 And, of course, it's adds a lot of excitement. 519 00:48:17,720 --> 00:48:23,000 Something that I've never tried before. It was just the bike, be honest about it! 520 00:48:23,000 --> 00:48:25,160 Yes, I have to admit it to you. 521 00:48:29,480 --> 00:48:35,360 As Sean drives me back, I can't help hoping his mother-in-law will one day get back into power. 522 00:48:35,360 --> 00:48:37,600 Ukraine could use a new Minister of Roads. 523 00:48:44,480 --> 00:48:49,640 Kiev could be a European city with its glittering skyline of Christian monasteries, 524 00:48:49,640 --> 00:48:54,680 but the huge 300ft monument called Nation's Mother, given to the city in Soviet times, 525 00:48:54,680 --> 00:48:59,520 faces towards Moscow and there are many here who would like Ukraine to do the same. 526 00:49:02,160 --> 00:49:08,240 The Dnieper River flows through Kiev to the Black Sea, close to my next port of call, the Crimea. 527 00:49:10,400 --> 00:49:13,680 Thousands make for the Crimean coast every summer, 528 00:49:13,680 --> 00:49:18,280 leaving the train at Simferopol and continuing on by trolleybus. 529 00:49:35,040 --> 00:49:39,640 The route was opened in 1959 as cheap travel for the masses. 530 00:49:41,600 --> 00:49:44,600 But it's not just any old suburban service, 531 00:49:44,600 --> 00:49:50,920 it covers 51 miles and crosses a 2,500-foot pass. 532 00:49:50,920 --> 00:49:57,400 The Number 52 from Simferopol to Yalta is one of the great trolley bus journeys of the world. 533 00:50:03,880 --> 00:50:05,520 Mind you, it does take three hours. 534 00:50:37,000 --> 00:50:41,080 I've come all this way because in February 1945, 535 00:50:41,080 --> 00:50:45,360 a conference was held here in Yalta that was to change the face of Europe. 536 00:50:45,360 --> 00:50:52,200 This is the Levadia Palace, the summer home of Russia's last tsar, the ill-fated Nicholas II. 537 00:50:52,200 --> 00:50:56,320 It's also the place where, in 1945, the fate of Europe was decided 538 00:50:56,320 --> 00:51:01,160 by three powerful men - Josef Stalin of the USSR, 539 00:51:01,160 --> 00:51:06,200 President Roosevelt of the USA, and Britain's Winston Churchill. 540 00:51:06,200 --> 00:51:09,320 President Roosevelt was a sick man. 541 00:51:09,320 --> 00:51:12,360 Observers described him as looking frail and ill. 542 00:51:12,360 --> 00:51:15,680 And indeed, within three months of the conference, he'd be dead. 543 00:51:15,680 --> 00:51:19,920 But because of his condition he was given a room here at Levadia Palace. 544 00:51:19,920 --> 00:51:25,960 It was only a short wheelchair ride from there through into the main conference chamber. 545 00:51:28,600 --> 00:51:32,200 Around this table, the Big Three leaders and their delegations 546 00:51:32,200 --> 00:51:37,040 argued for four days over the borders and boundaries of their new Europe. 547 00:51:38,440 --> 00:51:44,800 When the day's horse trading was over, Churchill and the British delegation returned to their villa. 548 00:51:44,800 --> 00:51:47,320 It was built by Count Vorontsov. 549 00:51:47,320 --> 00:51:52,360 He spent 20 years and a countless fortune building it and never lived in it. 550 00:51:55,080 --> 00:51:57,640 Churchill loved this lion, particularly. 551 00:51:57,640 --> 00:52:00,920 He told Stalin, "It's like me, only without the cigar." 552 00:52:04,480 --> 00:52:10,240 In the great hall of the Vorontsov villa, subsidiary meetings were held by the foreign ministers 553 00:52:10,240 --> 00:52:12,760 to thrash out the fine detail. 554 00:52:12,760 --> 00:52:17,600 Whether the Vorontsov villa was bugged or not is a moot point 555 00:52:17,600 --> 00:52:22,760 but two observations by one of Churchill's party suggest someone might have been listening in. 556 00:52:22,760 --> 00:52:27,920 For instance, in completely private conversations, someone would mention they'd seen a fish tank 557 00:52:27,920 --> 00:52:31,120 and it was empty of fish. Two days later, full of goldfish. 558 00:52:31,120 --> 00:52:36,240 A similar confidential conversation about not finding enough lemon peel for the cocktails 559 00:52:36,240 --> 00:52:40,040 resulted two days later in a lemon tree in the conservatory. 560 00:52:40,040 --> 00:52:42,480 Maybe coincidence! 561 00:52:44,400 --> 00:52:50,160 Behind the conviviality, the toastings and the mutual backslapping, 562 00:52:50,160 --> 00:52:54,000 one inescapable fact hung over all their discussions - 563 00:52:54,000 --> 00:52:57,600 the Red Army already occupied Eastern Europe. 564 00:52:57,600 --> 00:53:03,640 And because of their vast resources of men and materials, Stalin wasn't prepared to give an inch. 565 00:53:05,360 --> 00:53:09,240 At the end of the final session, Stalin put his name to a document 566 00:53:09,240 --> 00:53:16,440 promising free and unfettered elections in all the countries occupied by the Red Army. 567 00:53:16,440 --> 00:53:18,880 They never happened. 568 00:53:18,880 --> 00:53:21,960 Within weeks, Churchill had written to Roosevelt 569 00:53:21,960 --> 00:53:26,000 saying that he thought they'd signed up to a fraudulent manifesto. 570 00:53:26,000 --> 00:53:30,440 This was scant consolation for the people of the Baltic states, 571 00:53:30,440 --> 00:53:34,440 of Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Romania. 572 00:53:34,440 --> 00:53:37,320 For us, the war ended in 1945. 573 00:53:37,320 --> 00:53:43,880 For them, as a result of what was signed here it could have been said to have gone on for another 50 years. 574 00:53:43,880 --> 00:53:47,640 I'd always imagined Yalta to be a cold, grey place, 575 00:53:47,640 --> 00:53:51,400 so it's quite a shock to find it's the holiday destination of choice 576 00:53:51,400 --> 00:53:57,600 for Ukrainians and Russians, with packed beaches and some interesting twin cities. 577 00:53:57,600 --> 00:54:00,960 Pozzuoli, Italy, 578 00:54:00,960 --> 00:54:04,360 Rhodes, Greece, 579 00:54:04,360 --> 00:54:06,840 Sanya... 580 00:54:06,840 --> 00:54:08,920 China, 581 00:54:08,920 --> 00:54:12,520 Hujisawa, Japan! 582 00:54:12,520 --> 00:54:16,440 And Margate, England. 583 00:54:16,440 --> 00:54:18,040 Hello, Margate! 584 00:54:18,040 --> 00:54:20,560 You're remembered in Yalta. 585 00:54:24,080 --> 00:54:30,120 I wonder if those sandwiched on these beaches have any idea of Yalta's claim to fame? 586 00:54:30,120 --> 00:54:35,640 I ask Anya, a local girl who's working to bring even more tourists here. 587 00:54:35,640 --> 00:54:40,600 Do many of the people who come here, or indeed yourself who lives here, 588 00:54:40,600 --> 00:54:45,440 do they know about the peace conference in Yalta in 1945? Of course. 589 00:54:45,440 --> 00:54:52,160 In Levadia Palace where that was held is one of the most popular sightseeing objects. 590 00:54:52,160 --> 00:54:59,440 So people are aware that Stalin, and Churchill and Roosevelt got here, and the significance for Europe? 591 00:54:59,440 --> 00:55:01,480 That is true. That is correct. 592 00:55:01,480 --> 00:55:03,480 What do people think of Stalin? 593 00:55:07,240 --> 00:55:11,080 Erm, well, there are different points of view on that. 594 00:55:11,080 --> 00:55:16,440 Some people who remember the Communist days 595 00:55:16,440 --> 00:55:21,000 treat him as a very fair and very...firm leader. 596 00:55:21,000 --> 00:55:28,480 But some think that he was too cruel, I would say. 597 00:55:28,480 --> 00:55:31,320 What do you think, from your studies? 598 00:55:31,320 --> 00:55:37,040 I've studied from different books and I'm still looking for my answer. 599 00:55:37,040 --> 00:55:44,440 You live here, would you go and sunbathe on a beach like that over there? I know better places. 600 00:55:44,440 --> 00:55:47,400 I know my own places. 601 00:55:50,600 --> 00:55:56,240 Crimean politicians were traditionally pro-Moscow, but, as we walk along the prom 602 00:55:56,240 --> 00:56:02,600 I'm quite surprised to find the great revolutionary himself still on his feet, staring sternly out to sea. 603 00:56:05,080 --> 00:56:10,600 Why has Lenin survived here in Yalta, in the Ukraine, after all, not even in Russia, 604 00:56:10,600 --> 00:56:13,320 when in so many other places, they've removed him. 605 00:56:13,320 --> 00:56:17,240 Well, Crimea was Russian until 1954. 606 00:56:17,240 --> 00:56:21,760 And people here, like in the east of Ukraine, are pro-Russian, 607 00:56:21,760 --> 00:56:25,400 and many of them have positive, nice memories of the Soviet days, 608 00:56:25,400 --> 00:56:29,840 and it was decided to keep the monument as part of the historical heritage. 609 00:56:29,840 --> 00:56:33,600 After all, you cannot tear a page out of history, can you? 610 00:56:33,600 --> 00:56:36,960 But tonight is my last night here, 611 00:56:36,960 --> 00:56:43,440 and I decide to close the history books and surrender to the relentless hedonism of Margate's twin town. 612 00:56:54,080 --> 00:56:59,320 Now, if I were here with my grandson Archie, what he would want to see me doing? 613 00:57:00,720 --> 00:57:04,440 Oh, no. No! Not this! 614 00:57:06,360 --> 00:57:13,080 I've got a feeling there are things about Yalta that I shall remember even more than the peace conference. 615 00:57:13,080 --> 00:57:15,520 Here we go! 616 00:57:15,520 --> 00:57:22,040 Ooh! Woah! Ooh! 617 00:57:22,040 --> 00:57:26,520 Aargh! Wo-hoah! 618 00:57:26,520 --> 00:57:30,560 Argh! A-hargh! 619 00:57:30,560 --> 00:57:36,280 Woah! Ugh! Ugh! 620 00:57:36,280 --> 00:57:39,920 Ugh! Ugh! 621 00:57:42,520 --> 00:57:44,960 I'm glad I wore my jacket! 622 00:57:44,960 --> 00:57:49,040 Ha-ha! Now I can throw up in the pocket! 623 00:57:53,520 --> 00:57:56,960 This is the furthest east I'll get in New Europe. 624 00:57:56,960 --> 00:57:59,000 Next time I'll be in the Baltics. 625 00:57:59,000 --> 00:58:01,360 Aaargh! 626 00:58:01,360 --> 00:58:05,320 Weargh! Wo-hoah! 627 00:58:05,320 --> 00:58:09,240 Wo-hoah! We-hey! 628 00:58:09,240 --> 00:58:15,000 OK, I confess, I never wanted to do another series! 629 00:58:15,000 --> 00:58:17,080 Himalaya was enough for me! 630 00:58:19,200 --> 00:58:22,560 I'll never do another one! Wo-hoah! 631 00:58:22,560 --> 00:58:26,000 Archie, if you can see me now, I did it for you!