All language subtitles for Joanna.Lumleys.Danube.S01E02.Slovakia.and.Hungary.1080p.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264

Welcome to Slovakia,

on the second leg of our fabulous
journey tracking the Danube

all the way through its countries,

right down from the Black Forest
to the Black Sea.

In this episode, I'll be travelling
in the heart of Europe...

..through the landlocked countries
of Slovakia and Hungary.

One of Europe's newest countries,

Slovakia is home
to just over 5 million people,

stunning alpine vistas,

diverse wildlife...

..and an array
of dramatic fortifications.

I'm standing on the highest point
of Devin Castle.

My starting point
sits high over the Danube,

with a history stretching back
over a thousand years.

The river running here
is between Slovakia here...

That's Austria!

So this has always been
a hugely important frontier.

This was the northern limits
of the great Roman Empire.

But its really important moment came
in the middle of the 20th century.

After the Second World War,

Slovakia,
then part of Czechoslovakia,

fell under communist rule.

And this amazing river
at the foot of Devin Castle

became an ideological border
between east and west.

'Brano Chrenka
has kindly offered to show me

'communism's lasting imprint...'

Brano!
Hi, Joanna.

'..with a rather special
driving tour of the capital.'

This was my grandfather's car.
Skoda?

Yeah, 1974.
Oh, it's beautiful.

Oh, how comfortable, how lovely!

It's gorgeous!
It works!

THEY CHUCKLE

They were always such good cars,

but there were lots of jokes
made about them, weren't there?

Yeah, there are a lot of jokes.

For example, "What is a Skoda
on the top of the hill?"

CHUCKLING: Mm, don't know.

It's a miracle!
JOANNA LAUGHS

I remember one, which is,

"A man drives into the garage
and says,

" 'Do you have a fan belt
for a Skoda?' "

BRANO CHUCKLES
" 'And the garage man says,

" 'Seems like a fair exchange.' "
So... Oh, right!

'All jokes aside,
this car has stood the test of time

'and is an heirloom
in Brano's family,

'having been passed down
the generations.'

My father, he was 18 years old,

to drive all the way
to western Germany.

And he tried to bring
some LPs of Beatles and ABBA.

Oh!
But because...

But did he manage? No.
It was actually found by the guards

under the seat of the Skoda car.
Oh, no!

So actually, and the guards
kept the records. Oh, beastly!

Although importing Western music
was illegal,

Bratislava didn't reject
all creativity.

Bratislava, in '70s and '80s, became
a playground for the architects.

They could all come and try it out.

Architects could fulfil
their crazy dreams.

'None more so
than the Slovak Radio Tower,

'which has been supplying the nation
with daily broadcasts since 1985.'

It's pretty impressive, isn't it?
I think it's very impressive. Yeah.

Despite the British paper,
The Telegraph,

they made the list of ugliest
buildings in the world. Oh, no, no.

What, this was on there? Oh, no.
This was one of them.

BRANO CHUCKLES
I think it's very daring.

'Bratislava has six bridges
over the Danube

'and Brano is keen to show me
the most famous one of all,

'the UFO Bridge.'

One of the most special bridges
in Europe.

'This futuristic bridge
has become a symbol of the city.

'Built in 1972, it's formed
of a singular asymmetrical pylon,

'with a distinctive restaurant
that hovers above the cityscape.'

It's spectacular!

And it's called UFO because...
like a flying saucer.

Yeah, you have to imagine
that this was the time

of late '60s, early '70s,
the space race. Oh, my God, yes.

'Spanning the Danube,

'the UFO Bridge connects
Bratislava's Old Town to Petrzalka,

'perhaps the largest prefabricated
housing estate in central Europe.'

It goes for miles!

It's so huge
that it was so easy to get lost.

'The name Petrzalka comes
from the word for "parsley".

'Planned in the 1960s
to house 100,000 people,

'this concrete jungle was built on
the site of a small garden village

'known for its fruit orchards,
vegetables and herbs.'

Have you been in one?

I also live in the prefabs.
Do you?

Every fourth inhabitant of
Bratislava lives here in Petrzalka.

Gosh, gosh, gosh.
Petrzalka, look at you.

Little parsley apricot country...
BRANO CHUCKLES

..turned into
this extraordinary new city.

After over four decades
of communist rule,

Slovakia emerged
as an independent nation in 1993,

making Bratislava
one of Europe's youngest capitals.

Now it's a vibrant city
full of creative people.

Look at this fabulous headdress,
all its ornate intricacies,

its flowers and ribbons

and adornments
and baubles and beads.

'Ethnologist Katarina Sabova...'

Nice to meet you, Joanna.
Katarina, hi.

'..is inspired
by Slovakia's rich folk past

'and is leading a project

'that is transforming
traditional Slovak headdresses,

'from forgotten historic relics
into beautiful pieces of art.'

Katarina,
were these wedding headdresses?

Or were they just for finery,
or what were they?

It's for wedding, for celebration.
Every headband is different.

Every village has a different
traditional "parta" -

we call in Slovakia "parta" -
it's just for unmarried, young lady.

So this is only
for virginal, young brides?

Yes, yes, yes.
JOANNA GASPS SOFTLY

So I can't wear one.
THEY LAUGH

And do you make these yourself now,
these beautiful headdresses?

We borrow from people
from a village.

Today, we have this girl
from Horne Opatovce,

she bring for us today.

Her own one?
Yes.

JOANNA GASPS
Look at you, honey!

Hello, darling. I'm Joanna.
Dobry den.

You look so beautiful!

These are
so unbelievably attractive.

For a bride, to have something
to make you feel special,

it's almost like a crown, it's...

May I, will you turn around,
honey?

Look how enchanting that is.

So, you get the beautiful back,
her lovely plait,

and this gorgeous, gorgeous net
falling down.

But this gives you, like, a tiara,
like a crown!

'This beautiful parta headdress

'originates from a village
that no longer exists.'

JOANNA GASPS

WHISPERING: Ivana, look at that!

'In the 1960s, the village
of Horne Opatovce was abandoned

'due to the pollution
from the local aluminium plant,

'an ecological disaster

'that turned a village
into Slovakia's Chernobyl.'

This is extraordinary,
because it looks almost metallic.

It's aluminium.

Cos she's got aluminium tears
falling on her face

to mourn the loss of that village,
it doesn't exist any more.

Oh, look, it looks stunning.

Yeah.
PHOTOGRAPHER LAUGHS

SHE CLICKS TEETH
We like it. That's lovely.

Nearly all of Slovakia - about 96% -
lies within the Danube's basin,

meaning nearly every stream rising
here flows into the mighty river.

Three hours from Bratislava is
one of Europe's last wildernesses.

Most of the Tatras Mountains
are so high

that they're inaccessible to all
but the most experienced climbers.

But there is one I'm hoping
to get up today, onto the very top,

but only if the weather
is on our side.

In northern Slovakia...

..water from the formidable
Tatras Mountains

feeds into the Danube
via its many tributaries.

These are the highest peaks
in the Carpathians.

Where I'm trying to get up to...

CHUCKLING: ..has now
completely disappeared.

It's up there
where those cable cars are going.

It's called Lomnicky Stit.

We're going right up there.

The route to the top
involves multiple cable cars.

The final leg is a perilous ascent

that's at the mercy of
the unpredictable mountain weather.

It's nearly 900m from the cable
station right up to the top.

This is very thrilling.

Maybe we wouldn't be able
to get this last cable car

because of the wind, but actually,
it's dropped at the moment.

People have got stuck up there,

so we've bought with us
provisions of all kinds -

snacks and stuff like that.

When I was doing the Bond film
in Switzerland as a Bond girl,

we used to go up to the location
on the top of the mountain,

and it was completely thrilling.

We were all dressed up -
eyelashes, plenty lipstick.

Up we got in the car like a cage
of little... little songbirds.

And they always said,
"Be careful when you get there.

"Walk slowly,
because the air is thinner,

"and you might feel a bit giddy."

Look, I think I can see
the shape of the hut up here.

Perched at the very top
of Lomnicky Stit is an observatory.

At 2,634m above sea level,

it's a vital research station in the
fields of astronomy and meteorology.

WHISPERING: I can hear people.

'The observatory

'is the highest permanently
inhabited place in Slovakia.'

Rasti? Hi, I'm Joanna.

'For the past nine years,

'this high-altitude research station
has been Rastislav Macura's office.'

Look at this. It's fantastic!

Tell me, what is the work
that you do up here?

Rasti, I can't help noticing
that you've got a bed up here.

Have you ever been stuck up here
because the weather's been so bad?

'The highest recorded wind speeds
up here are 137 miles per hour.'

THEY CHUCKLE

'When it comes to making
detailed weather observations,

'digital sensors
can't compete with the human eye,

'so every hour,

'Rasti has to brave the cold
to take manual measurements.'

Look at this, looks like a little
outside bread oven or something.

Wow!

If I put a bit of warm hand,
that warms it up.

But we, we must... Don't touch it.

JOANNA SPLUTTERS,
LAUGHTER

I've altered the weather pattern
now across Europe.

So, I'm so sorry.
Just say it was a mad woman.

'No instruments were harmed
in the making of this film,

'but these little thermometers
play an important role

'in monitoring the climate.'

I feel that we are
so far from the Danube here.

But there is a connection,
isn't there?

'Scientists like Rasti are finding

'weather patterns you could once
set your watch to are now in flux.

'The snow and ice up here used to
melt gradually through the spring,

'but it's now happening
much more unpredictably.

'Across the whole Danube Basin,

'more extreme conditions like sudden
floods and prolonged droughts

'are becoming the norm.'

It's almost unworldly being up here
with the snow drumming down,

it's almost like little hailstones -
pit, pit, pit, pit, pit on my hat.

And you can't have any sense
of where you are.

And yet I know that,
if this goes too badly wrong,

all life on Earth is gonna change.

All these meteorological studies
are so hugely important.

None of the research
at Lomnicky Stit would be possible

without the cable car.

Completed in 1940,

the engineers overcame
a height difference of nearly 900m

in one single stretch.

The real heroes
of this daring feat, though,

are the local porters who climbed
up the mountain with the first rope

to get the construction going.

And incredibly,

mountain portering is a tradition
that continues in Slovakia today.

Hi, I'm Steve. Nice to meet you.
Steve.

'Steve Backor is one of Slovakia's
last mountain porters.'

Oh, look at this, Steve, you've got
briquettes and logs and...

Yes, we use the heating
all of the year.

We are in the mountains, you know.

So it's...
HE CHUCKLES

'Nowadays most of the porters
make their money

'carrying supplies
to a number of chalets

'dotted across the Tatra Mountains,

'which are only accessible by foot.'

Oh, my gosh, Steve. Look at that.
So...

What do you call this?
A frame, or...?

We call it a "craxa".
Craxa.

Ahoj.
Hi.

Ciao.

He's going
from Zbojnicka mountain hut. Mm-hm?

And how long did it take him
to come down?

19 minutes.

The time for the tourists
is about two hours, so it's, er...

THEY LAUGH

Two hours for the tourists, and
19 minutes for a porter. Oh, God.

'It's time for Steve to begin the
careful art of loading up his craxa.

'Normally, it's recommended

'that hikers don't carry
more than 20% of their body weight.'

How much does that weigh?
72kg.

And the craxa is about eight.
So it means...

That's 80kg.
..80kg.

Steve, how much do you weigh?
CHUCKLING: After a good lunch, 72.

So you're carrying
far more than you weigh?

You should be efficient, yes?

I mean, just when I thought
that was a colossal pack,

he just puts his backpack
on the top.

OK. Let's go.

THEY CHUCKLE

OK.
Oh, my gosh.

Ciao, ciao.

'Porters know the mountains
like the back of their hand,

'but it's not without risk.'

Is it dangerous?
Have there been accidents?

Yes, of course.
We are in the mountains in winter.

The avalanches.

We organise two races through the
year, and one race is on this trail.

Yeah?
It's a memorial.

We remember one very good Sherpa,
he died in avalanche in 2000.

Yeah?

And he was a very good friend
of ours, the same age.

Oh, God.
And, er...

And it's a race with 100kg, OK?

And if you want to win...

HE CHUCKLES
..you must run on this trail.

Oh!

I should've offered to carry
your backpack at least, couldn't I?

I could've offered to do that,
Steve.

THEY CHUCKLE
It's OK.

'Steve's destination
today is Rainerova chalet.'

We're here, Steve.
Yes. Welcome in the Rainerova hut.

SIGHING: OK.

'It's the oldest mountain hut
in the Tatras

'and run by fellow mountain porter
Peter Patras.'

So, come on.
How lovely.

Hello, Peter. Ciao.
Ah.

'Three decades ago, Peter
converted Rainerova from a ruin,

'into a cosy stop-off
for weary hikers.'

When you first came to the hut,
what condition was it in?

And what did your wife think

when you said that
you wanted to take this ruin?

But we're talking about
bricks and tiles and wood. Yes.

Everything we see
was carried by you.

'Peter has been portering
since the 1960s

'and has a personal record
of carrying 120 kilograms.'

Are you still carrying?

Peter is obviously a legend
in the whole community.

We're made to work,
we're much stronger than we think.

And it's important to preserve
this tradition of porterage

so that we don't all
just become fat slobs...

sitting on the sofa,
watching television and complaining.

These are men of the mountains,
and every day they get up,

there's slightly different weather,

there's something majestic
to look at,

there's extraordinary snow
or blazing sun, birds,

and the sound of water running.

This is what restores the soul.

Nothing but the pad of a walking man
with a great pack on his back

and an old woman sipping tea.

WHISPERING: Magic.

MUSIC: 'An Der Schonen Blauen Donau,
Op. 314' by Johann Strauss II

After flowing steadily eastwards
for nearly 800 miles,

it's in neighbouring Hungary that
the Danube turns dramatically south.

Hungary's earliest settlers
were drawn to the rich Danube basin,

lured in by its fertile soil
and abundance of water.

Today, no other capital city
embraces the Danube

quite like my next stop...

Budapest.

It's so thrilling to be back
on the reason for our whole journey,

on the Danube.

And here is Budapest.
It's called the pearl of the Danube.

And you can see why - it's fabulous!

Famous for its thermal spas
and glorious architecture,

Budapest is a tale of two cities.

The Danube divides the great hills
of Buda on the western side,

joining Pest, which was the city
on the flatter eastern side of it.

And this became Budapest!

This is the parliament.

It was inspired by
the Houses of Parliament in London,

and the architect Imre Steindl said,

"I want to make it
as grand as possible."

And he did, but sadly he went blind,
and he never saw it completed.

But look at it.

It's got something like 200 spires.
Do-do-do-do-do.

And that great central dome
is 96 metres high,

and that's to commemorate Hungary,
which was formed in 896.

How divine!

SONG: 'Budapest'
by George Ezra

# My house in Budapest, my
My hidden treasure chest

# Golden grand piano
My beautiful castillo... #

'Built by British engineers
in the 1840s,

'the Great Chain Bridge
paved the way for unification

'between Buda and Pest,
officially merging in 1873.'

Bye-bye.
Bye-bye.

This was a time when Budapest
was a capital city

within the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The late 19th century was the golden
age of construction in the city.

Andrassy Avenue,
in the centre of Pest,

emerged as one of Budapest's
most opulent streets.

One building in particular is a hub

for Hungary's elite musicians
and performers.

MUSIC: 'Gloria all'Egitto'
by Giuseppe Verdi

George.
Joanna.

Welcome to
the Hungarian State Opera.

Thank you so much. Whoa!

Let me show you
where the magic begins.

This is out of this world, George.

It's spectacular.

The architect was a genius,

and he designed this intimate space
with a thousand seats all around.

Look at all this decoration,
and then the ceiling.

The ceiling depicts
The Apotheosis Of Music

by Hungarian painter Karoly Lotz,

and Apollo is the central figure.

All the gods and goddesses
of the Olympus mountain

are listening to him,

because it's the most
important thing, music.

All the cherubs are playing.
Isn't that adorable?

On stage tonight is the opera Aida,
written by Verdi,

and I've been given
access all areas.

This is magic,
this is just coming onto the stage,

just to feel a sense of the stage.

When you're performing,
you own it, this is yours.

You're not an alien, you go,

"I've been here before
and I belong to it."

You want to make sure
that you recognise the steps.

Your legs, with muscular memory,

remember if they're slightly high,
slightly low.

You've got to get all this into you.

You can't really get it
in rehearsal rooms.

You can see this is made
of wood, plaster, or...

You know,
but this is the whole point.

The whole point is it's an illusion.

This is ancient Egypt!

Hi, Joanna.
I'm Judit, lovely to meet you.

Oh, my gosh.

'Judit Kutasi is
a Romanian-Hungarian mezzo-soprano,

'and tonight, she's playing Amneris,
one of the leading roles.'

This is a huge opera tonight.
This is four hours, isn't it? Yes.

What we call a big sing.
Yes, it's a big sing.

It's a big sing, it is.
It's true.

Have you sung in this house before?
It's my first time, actually.

No! Your first time here?
My first time.

They are so lucky to have you.
SHE LAUGHS

They must be thrilled. What are
the last-minute things you do?

I always love
to take a moment for myself,

to find myself calm and surrounded
by the smell of the theatre.

Toi, toi, toi.
Toi, toi, toi.

I must explain
what "toi, toi, toi" is.

They used to spit three times.
SHE MIMICS SPITTING

And we still do it.
And you still do it.

But only when
I'm wearing the costume.

Thank you.
Thank you.

APPLAUSE

That applause is the conductor
coming into the orchestra pit.

There's nothing
quite like the moment

just before you step out
onto the stage,

and tonight's show is a sell-out.

SINGS OPERATICALLY

The Danube is
the beating heart of Budapest,

but this magnificent river
has also been at the centre

of some of the city's
darkest moments.

This is the most poignant
little memorial I've ever seen.

Shoes on the edge
of the River Danube.

Now, this is the grim story of this.

During the Second World War,

Nazi Germany invaded Hungary
and began purging the Jews

and purging anybody
who was standing up against them.

What they did was they brought them
down here to the edge of the Danube.

They shot them... dead,
and pushed them into the water,

and let the river carry
its grim burden away.

But before they killed them,
they made them take off their shoes,

because the militiamen knew
that shoes were very valuable,

and they could sell them for money.

And so, much, much later, here
these little shoes are standing.

Kicked off. Just heartbreaking.

In 1944, the Danube became
a Jewish graveyard.

Across the city,

those who were not killed or forced
to live in a ghetto were deported.

In just eight weeks,

424,000 Hungarian Jews
were sent to Auschwitz.

In Budapest's seventh district,
the old Jewish quarter of the city,

stands the magnificent
Dohany Street Synagogue.

It's the largest synagogue
in Europe.

Joanna, Tibor.

'Tibor Rosenstein is one of
Budapest's best-known personalities,

'a celebrated chef
and Holocaust survivor.'

Tibor, even though you were only
a tiny child during the war,

the events of the Holocaust
have changed and shaped your life.

So, Tibor, who looked after you?

How did you become interested
in cooking?

For almost three decades,

Tibor has been in business
in the backstreets of Pest.

SHE GASPS
Look.

"Rosenstein."
"Rosenstein."

Oh, Tibor, isn't that wonderful?

'Driven by his family history,

'Tibor is preserving traditional
Jewish-Hungarian cuisine.'

Jewish eggs.

So, we've got butter and onions,

hard-boiled eggs,
diced and re-diced.

Do you remember your grandmothers
making this dish?

Yeah.

Tibor, in Hungary,
paprika is very important.

Ah.

Mmm. Gosh, that's good.

THEY LAUGH

Tibor, how proud your parents
and your grandparents would be

to see what a huge success
you've made of your life

and how much joy and pleasure
you're bringing

with your world-class cooking.

'Tibor is not just preserving
his family's heritage,

'but the history
of a whole community

'that was almost wiped out
of Budapest.'

As Hungary came to terms

with the aftermath
of the Second World War,

like much of Eastern
and Central Europe,

the country fell
under communist rule.

In the rolling Buda Hills
on the western portion of the city

is a curious railway line
that's a hangover from this period.

Hello, may I have one ticket?
One way.

OK, that's 1,000 forint.

Thank you. How old are you?
I'm 13. My name is Vincent.

How long have you been
working here, Vincent?

Two-and-a-half years.
SHE GASPS

You were a little kid?
Yes.

'After purchasing my ticket
from the incredibly young Vincent,

'it's time to find the platform.'

Look at these people, look.
Official little people.

This is extraordinary.

This is actually the beating heart
of the railway,

and here, the whole thing
is being run by children.

It's really, really impressive.

Oh, my gosh,
I've got to get the train.

Hurry, hurry, hurry.
Hello, little one. Hi, hi.

Just in time.

Gyermekvasut is one
of 50 children's railways

built during the Soviet era.

The project was seen
as a way of training little ones

with practical skills.

Can I see your ticket?
Sure.

'It's essentially unpaid
work experience,

'and only students with the best
grades can apply for roles...'

Thank you so much.

'..like Daniel and Vero.'

Daniel, how many children work
on the railways?

Around 700.
700?

Vero, tell me what you love
about working on the railways?

How impressive to start work
on the railways when you're ten.

Wearing their uniforms,
clipping tickets, selling tickets,

making announcements,
noting things down.

The only thing the children don't do
is actually drive the trains.

Well, some things
are best left to grown-ups.

Thank you, thank you.

It takes me so long to remember
the word for thank you,

which is koszonom.

Whenever you go to foreign country,

try to remember: please, thank you,
hello, good night.

Sometimes, you're allowed to say,
"May I have a large gin and tonic?"

But honestly, the first four words
are much more important.

Look how flat this countryside is.

Such a change
from the great Buda Hills.

And we're on our way to see

possibly the longest river
you've never heard of, ever.

It's called the Tisza.
Had you heard of it?

No. Neither had I.

The River Tisza is
the longest tributary of the Danube,

starting its life in Ukraine

and flowing through five countries
before joining the Danube in Serbia.

At Hungary's largest dam,
there's an extraordinary man

who's dedicated much of his life
to keeping the River Tisza clean.

Attila.
Joanna.

Hello, how lovely to meet you.

'Attila Molnar
is the founder of an organisation

'whose volunteers are known
as "The Plastic Pirates".

'Each spring,
hundreds of tons of plastic

'are washed down by floodwaters
from upstream countries,

'leaving the river and surrounding
forests strewn with rubbish.

'For over ten years,
their mission has been

'to clean up plastic pollution
in the River Tisza.'

With all the plastic drifting
into the rivers,

it must go down into the sea.

Yeah. It's recently been discovered

that nearly 80%
of all plastic pollution in oceans

comes from rivers into the sea.

That's a terrifying,
terrifying statistic.

That's what I was taught in school.

Plastics will stay intact
for hundreds of years,

and very recently it turned out
that once sunlight reaches plastic,

then it starts to break up
into small pieces.

That's when it's
at its most dangerous,

because then it's ingested
and it goes into the food chain...

Well, into fish, which feed other
fish, but also feed human beings.

Exactly.

It's very important
to catch out the plastics

before they turn
into microplastics.

Today, Attila is targeting an area

close to the Kiskore dam
at Lake Tisza.

My God, look at that.

There's an absolute mass of it
in here.

So, we are going to clean up
this little area. OK.

Do I take the stuff out of it?

First, you smell,
because if it's oil,

then we are not allowed
to pour it out.

I think it's cola.
Then it goes out.

We used to do posters when
I was small, "Keep Britain Tidy."

We'd do drawings
of happy little hands

tossing stuff into rubbish bins.

Do you know, it's unbelievable.
This is five minutes.

And it's just jammed
with plastic and old bottles.

Well, you saw it.

It's so depressing,
there's masses more.

That's our catch.
Thank you very much for doing this.

No, don't, honestly,
I haven't helped at all.

When there isn't me
and a film crew here,

these guys collect a colossal amount
of waste, up to one tonne at a time.

But there's hope.

Almost 75% of plastic
produced globally is recyclable.

Welcome, Joanna, this is
The Plastic Pirates headquarters.

What we do is separate
all the plastics,

because otherwise all these things
would go to the landfill.

And we just don't want that,
because it's just, you know...

Cleaning rivers to pollute soil
makes no sense. Exactly.

'To date, Attila and his team
have collected

'317 tonnes of plastic waste,

'which is sold off as a raw material

'and also used to produce items
like kayaks.'

Why are you doing this?

Because this is all unpaid work,
voluntary work, isn't it?

Believe it or not, no,
it pays off in a way.

We are able to have employees, but
of course, we do not raise profit.

Every euro we have
goes back into the river.

So, why am I doing it?

Because every day, I have a feeling
that I did something right.

For me, when I hear these plastic
bottles crushing and cracking,

then I hear that, OK, there is hope.

We have a chance.

As soon as we have this pile
of plastic ready for transport,

I feel like "Wow"!

HE LAUGHS

Well done.
You touch my heart so much.

Attila's enthusiasm and dedication

to keeping Hungary's waterways clean
is infectious.

The River Tisza flows through
Hungary's Great Plains.

It's an area rich with folklore
and home to a community

who are preserving
a traditional way of life.

I think this is the place.

I've been told to come
to Hortobagy National Park.

Look at this vast, flat land.

Like prairies.

This is the largest protected area
in the whole country

and one of the most extensive
natural grasslands in Europe.

I'm meeting a sort of cowboy.

I mean, we're in Hungary,
and they're not cowboys.

But they tend livestock,
and they're fabulous horsemen.

Oh. I think that's him.
THUNDER RUMBLES

Peter?

Hello, Joanna.
Hello.

Csikos, like Peter,
are Hungary's mounted herdsmen,

a tradition that can be traced back
to the nomadic tribes

who brought their animals
to graze on these Great Plains

almost 900 years ago.

Csikos can still be seen today,

riding their muscular Nonius horses,

which are part
of a breeding programme

here at the national park,
focused on gene conservation.

Known for their unique riding style
and distinctive attire,

Csikos are also able to pull off
some tremendous acrobatic stunts.

YELLS COMMANDS
AT HORSES

Oh, Peter!

Just to ride a horse is difficult.

To stand on two, steered by three,
it's fantastic.

And he's as still as a cat.
His head like a skier.

So, the horse is moving differently
and separately.

Peter. How long have
you been involved with horses?

Do you think that this tradition
is going to continue in Hungary?

That was rather touching.

Peter just gave me this flower,
and I thought, "It's fantastic."

And he said, "No, it's just
to demonstrate our whipping skills."

I mean... Thanks, Peter.

Yea-hey-hey! My flower's gone.
Janosh, thank you so much.

That shows once you've got
your eye in, you can get anything.

Peter's father, Peter senior,
is a seventh-generation cow-herder,

tending 200 Hungarian Grey cattle,

an ancient breed with horns
up to three metres across.

Traditionally a man's world,

Peter's mother, Marika, is the first
female cow-herder on the plains.

They've kindly invited me to sample
a traditional herdsmen dinner.

Nice to meet you.
Hello, darling.

'On the menu is slambuc, a meal
made with thin pasta and potatoes.'

Gorgeous.

Oh, look, oh-la-la.
That's beautiful.

Mm-hm-hm. This is so good.

Marika, you've been gulyas,

which means you've been
looking after cattle.

Would you have chosen
any other path in life?

Peter. Big Peter. Grand Peter.

Would you ever consider living
in a city?

It's been such a privilege
being here,

seeing all your skills,
seeing the beauty of the animals.

With all my heart.

Well, what a fantastic place

to end the second leg
of our journey,

here on the Great Plains of Hungary.

And in the next episode,
the final episode,

we're going to be following
the great Danube

as she winds her way
across the country

and empties herself
into the Black Sea.

And that country is... Romania!

'Home to grizzly inhabitants...'

What are we looking for?
A bear track.

'..gruesome Transylvania legends...'

Dracula!

'..and the wild beauty
of the Danube delta.'

Oh, look at them.
Aren't they fantastic?

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