In this our penultimate episode, we reach the remote and beautiful Maramures, a region that has stoically resisted the influence of everyone, from Emperor Trajan, right up to Ceausescu.
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This week we are exploring Romania's largest and most iconic region,mistaken by many Americans and others as a country in its own right. In fact Transylvania is a name that most of the western world still associates with Dracula, werewolves and folk legend. But this land beyond the forest defies all preconceptions and remains one of the most culturally important and beautiful parts of Eastern Europe.
2018 • Travel
The second leg of the journey through Transilvania. We pick up our journey in the fields just outside the scenic village of Crit.
2018 • Travel
The Banat region borders on Serbia and Hungary, so its capital, Timisoara, is a very multi-cultural, cosmopolitan city, and provides the main social and economic hub for western Romania.
2018 • Travel
In Transylvania, Charlie's awed by a restored medieval clock tower, samples artisan cheese and donkey milk, and visits a theme park in a salt mine.
2023 • Travel
Charlie wraps up his explorations in western Transylvania, where he descends into an ancient Roman gold mine and drinks a locally made palinca.
2023 • Travel
Simon starts his travels through Brazil in one of the remotest regions of the Amazon with the Waiapi people, who cling on to their traditional way of life, which is under threat from logging and mining interests. In Manaus, the city at the heart of the Amazon, he visits a neglected indigenous neighbourhood and meets a nurse who was the only source of healthcare during the pandemic. Simon ends this leg of his journey on the west coast in the city of Rio de Janeiro, where the government has built a hi-tech control room to monitor all parts of the city for potential disasters such as floods.
S1E2 • Simon Reeve's South America • 2022 • Travel
The odyssey continues as Colin Stafford-Johnson completes his journey along Ireland's Atlantic rim. Exploring the wildlife and mountains around his home inlet of Clew Bay, Colin then heads north for Donegal - golden eagle country - before reaching the island's northern tip and turning east along the coast of Northern Ireland.
S1E2 • Wild Ireland: The Edge of the World • 2017 • Travel
Charlie visits Romania's capital of Bucharest and its massive Palace of Parliament, then learns how to make a clay oven and dines at a unique resort.
S2E4 • Flavours of Romania • 2023 • Travel
Modern-day China has been built on the traditions and innovations of the past. In this aerial journey, explore the sprawling nation from a whole new perspective. See how nature has served as both an enemy and an ally, and meet people who have built lives in the unlikeliest of places, from steep river valleys to harsh desert landscapes. It's a coast-to-coast tour of a vast and varied nation, where ancient customs continue to shape the landscape and the people.
S1E1 • China from Above • 2018 • Travel
Episode 3 takes us to Northern Romania and the Maramures - one of the most picturesque regions in Romania. Here we experience festivals and weddings and learn about the evolution of traditional folk music with renowned singer Grigore Lese and pop idol Loredana Groza. We visit historic wooden churches and villages, which have been preserved, despite the march to modernise. Charlie Ottley explores the wilderness by steam train and on foot through Caliman National Park and the mysterious Twelve Apostles. Further east we drop in on a scheme to rewild Buffalo and visit the incredible painted monasteries of Bucovina before heading south to see what's being done to protect the ancient forests of Transylvania. En route Charlie meets a number of local and internationally acclaimed characters and looks at ways tourism is helping to preserve natural habitats. Wild Carpathia 3 finishes with some enlightened words from HRH The Prince of Wales who once again describes his passion for Romania and the urgent need to protect its rural heritage.
S1E3 • Wild Carpathia • 2013 • Travel
After a winter break, Charlie gets back on the road. In Bucovina, he enjoys smoked trout, kayaking and a sojourn at a restored traditional community.
S2E9 • Flavours of Romania • 2023 • Travel