All language subtitles for The Worlds Most Scenic Railway Journeys S06E09 1080p WEB DL H264 BTN_track3_[eng]

NARRATOR: Join us on an epic
train journey through Provence,

from the fast-paced 21st century
back into France's rural past,

a land of breath-taking vistas,

stunning lavender fields

and astonishing
medieval hilltop villages.

We'll climb to the top
of some of the highest peaks...

This is the Nepali Bridge,

where you have quite a bit of air
underneath your feet.

..enter a world of steam...

Smells absolutely delicious.

I haven't been hauled by a steam
locomotive for an awful long time.

..and taste a local delicacy...

..before arriving
deep into the heart of France.

I feel very lucky to be able to
work here with such great scenery.

It's a win-win for me.

We'll meet
the people who live and work
along this very special train line.

A very beautiful line, and for us
it's very important to save it.

This is no ordinary
railway journey.

This is one of the most scenic
railway journeys in the world,

le Train des Pignes.

It is no secret that
the French Riviera has a reputation

for glitz, glamour

and golden tans.

Since the arrival of the railway
in the 19th century,

this stretch of coast has been the
playground of the rich and famous.

For the past 150 years,
they have flocked here

to enjoy the balmy summers
and the extravagant lifestyle.

Caught between
the startlingly blue Mediterranean

and the equally stunning skies

is the city of Nice.

And it is here,
at the decidedly modernist
Gare des Chemins de Fer de Provence

that we begin our journey today.

Our destination is here,

le Rocher de Neuf Heures,
a 3,000-feet-high peak

that overlooks the ancient town
of Digne-les-Bains.

Here we will climb to the top
to take in the spectacular
views over Provence.

Weighing in
at a magnificent 69 tonnes,

our train today is the ultramodern
two-car AMG 800 DMU.

Running on a narrow one-metre-gauge
track at 131 feet long,

the maximum speed for this beast
is 62 miles per hour.

This modern train will be
our portal into the past

and will be taking us
on an incredible journey.

Our driver today is
Bastien Machado.

He has been working on this train
for five years.

With all the passengers on board,
coffee in hand,

and with all luggage stowed,

it is time
for the 0830 train to depart.

Our 93-mile journey
will take three and a half hours.

After we leave Nice we travel north

to the charming village of
Villars-sur-Var.

From here our train heads west
to Puget-Theniers,

where we swap our modern train
for one powered by steam.

We then gently meander to
the fairy-tale village of Entrevaux

and on to Annot, where we leave
our vintage steam train.

Back in the 21st century,
our modern train

heads into the mountains
and the village of Le Fugeret

before stopping at our penultimate
station, Thorame-Haute.

Continuing west,
we arrive at our destination,

the spectacular cliff face
above Digne-les-Bains

and the views across Provence.

On board today, taking care
of all passenger needs,

is conductor Christophe Curvin.

Les Chemins de Fer de Provence
railway began construction in 1890.

Built to connect the tiny
rural communities of Provence

to Nice and the international
markets beyond,

the line was finally
completed in 1911.

Also known as le Train des Pignes,
the pine cone train,

allegedly because
when the line was first built

the train travelled so slowly
that passengers could jump off

to collect fallen pine cones
before climbing back on board,

today it carries
around 400,000 passengers per year.

On our journey, we will encounter

16 viaducts,
15 bridges and 27 tunnels,

including the 11,341-feet-long

Tunnel de la Colle-Saint-Michel,
but more of that later.

For now, it's time
to settle in and take in

some of the most magnificent
scenery France has to offer.

It's early May and everything
is just humming with potential.

One hour after our departure
from Nice,

we have travelled 30 miles,
and back several hundred years,

as we arrive at our first stop,
Villars-sur-Var.

With just 730 inhabitants,
this medieval village

is close enough to Nice
to be the perfect place

to escape the hustle and bustle
of the Cote d'Azur.

These venerable streets
and buildings would have been known
to the Knights Templar,

an ancient religious
military order of warrior monks
closely connected to the Crusades.

In fact, the Templars
established the ancient vineyards

that have surrounded this region
for over a thousand years.

Another ancient industry here
is the production of olive oil.

The olive trees were originally
brought here by the Romans,

and in this valley things haven't
changed too much since then.

Here the old ways are the best,

and they still like to do things
the traditional way.

Dating from around 1860,
the Pierrot Carletti Mill

is one of the last in the area
still operating exclusively
by hand -

or should I say by water?

Powered by a local river
with water from the mountains,

their method of extraction
is a process that has
barely changed in generations.

RUSHING WATER

Cecile Deboule
is in charge of the mill and
the olive grove that surrounds it.

What's unique about this mill
is that it's all mechanical,

so there's no electricity used,

except for lighting and heating,
of course.

It's powered by water.

When we receive the olives,
we first weight them,

and then we throw them in here,

and it's being grinded
for two or three hours,
so it's a long process.

Last season
we had more than six tonnes of
olives delivered here in the mill

and we produced
more than one tonne of olive oil.

So we were really happy
with that result
and it was a really good year.

The olive trees in the grove here
have been giving up their fruit
for many, many generations.

With this in mind,
you'd be forgiven for thinking that
growing olives is an easy process.

But sometimes even Mother Nature
needs a helping hand.

We need to keep the branches
healthy so that they can have
fruit on them.

So it's really a question of

finding out which branches
will be the good ones

and help those branches.

This branch that I've just cut,
we don't see any flowers yet.

They're going to be there
in a month or so, around June.

And then the olives will start to
pop out between July and November,

and we pick them up in this region
around December, when they're ripe.

I feel very lucky to live here and
be able to work in the olive trees

here with such great scenery.

It's really a pleasure
all year round,

because you have beautiful weather.

Not today unfortunately but mostly.

It's a win-win for me.

Like wine,
the taste of olive oil depends on
the weather, the soil and the care.

No two harvests are alike.

All that remains now
is to try the local vintage.

It looks really good.

Sometimes it's a little more green,

but this one really has
a nice yellow colour.

It's a little piquant,
so it's sharp to the tongue,

but it's sweet as well,
really good.

I personally think
the olive oil that we grow here
is the best in the world.

As our train weaves its way through
the countryside of Provence,

our journey
is about to quite literally
take a very different turn.

As we head west into the mountains,

we change trains
and travel further into the past

as we enter a world of steam.

We're time-travelling on one of
the world's most scenic railways

through the stunning landscape
of France's rural past

from Nice to the cliffs above
Digne-les-Bains in Provence.

There's fantastic nature here.

Looks as if it's never been touched
when you look out the window.

You can almost smell the cheese
and taste the baguette.

HE CHUCKLES

This is a trip worth going on.

As our journey continues west,

we have been travelling
for an hour and 15 minutes

and are about to arrive
at our next stop,

Puget-Theniers.

Stretching languidly
at the confluence of
the Var and Roudoule rivers,

in this village
classic French houses give way

to shady squares
and inviting cafes.

And it is here that modernity
gives way to tradition

as we change trains
onto this steam-driven beauty

for this next section of the line.

This 286-horsepower E327 locomotive
dates from 1909

and originally ran in Finisterre
in the north-west of France,

where it happily towed trains
for almost 60 years.

When that line closed,
she was saved from destruction
and eventually brought here.

STEAM WHISTLE BLOWS

Now, classified as a national
monument and running on Sundays and
selected days during the summer,

this stately old lady
enjoys a leisurely retirement,

cared for
by 50 adoring volunteers...

..Jean Michel Delfino
being one of them.

It's a very beautiful line, and for
us it's very important to save it.

We are volunteers.
We're not paid for it.

But our pay is people who
take this train, passengers,

and say to us after,
"Very good. Very beautiful."

This is a beautiful train,
and it's clearly much loved
by the volunteers.

HISSING

However, like many other
steam heritage groups,

the future of this train lies
in the hands of future volunteers,

so they like to start them young.

This is my son. He's four years and
a half and he's boarding the train.

When he's older, if he wants
to be a train driver, if he wants
to work on the trains, he could.

If he don't want,
he'll make his own life.

For the moment, he likes trains.
I don't know, I can't say if he
likes the tank engines as much.

Before this magnificent beast
can depart,

several safety checks
need to be carried out

by Jean Michel's wife, Lucile.

With all passengers on board,
all checks carried out,

and with a delightful blast
from the antique steam whistle...

STEAM WHISTLE BLOWS

..this most majestic of trains
can depart.

STEAM WHISTLE BLOWS

Julien Bruguier
is the on-board fireman today.

Smells absolutely delicious.

I haven't been hauled by a steam
locomotive for an awful long time.

It is authentic.

It's equipment that was made a
century ago and it's still running,

which is what I love about steam.

It's the smell of it,
the sound of it, the feel of it.

It's always moving.
And the clickety-clack
of the wheels on the rails.

As we step back in time
and head into the mountains,

the beauty of this part
of the line is revealed.

STEAM WHISTLE BLOWS

All too soon we arrive
at our next scheduled stop,

Entrevaux.

With around 800 inhabitants,

the streets of this spectacular
medieval village

are crammed with ancient
and beautiful buildings.

However, one building that
dominates the local landscape

is this imposing fortified citadel.

Perched almost 500 feet
above Entrevaux,

the citadel was built around 1690

as protection
for the vulnerable village below.

And from up here,
the views are incredible.

This amazing building continued
as a military garrison right up
until the early 20th century,

with German prisoners of war being
held here during World War One,

after which it fell into disrepair.

It wasn't until 1989
that local residents

created an association to renovate
the citadel and work began.

Eliane Terrin is
the president of the association,

and there is always plenty to do.

Even with a group of dedicated
residents doing all they can,

help is still needed
from skilled local craftsmen.

And one of those skilled helpers
is builder Yohann Fournier.

Also a village resident,
he is just as dedicated as Eliane.

With an edifice
as imposing as the citadel,

it would be easy to overlook
some of the other less noticeable
buildings in Entrevaux.

However, your detective work
will be rewarded once you find
the cathedral.

Built between 1609 and 1630,

the cathedral was integrated into
the fortifications of the village.

One wall forms part of the ramparts

and the belfry
is also a fortified defence tower.

Unprepossessing on the outside,

this 17th-century church reveals a
treasure chest of baroque delights

once you are through the doors.

Marie Tapiau is a local tour guide.

It is time for us
to leave the Middle Ages

and swap it for the Edwardian era

as we return
to our 1909 steam locomotive.

STEAM WHISTLE BLOWS

Eventually we cross the magnificent
Viaduc de la Donne.

At 446 feet long and 137 feet high,

it's the highest viaduct
on this line.

These particular mountains
are 45 million years old

and are formed from a rock
known as gres d'Annot...

..which also gives its name
to our next stop.

Sadly, this is where we must leave
the world of steam.

If beautiful French villages
float your boat,

then you need look no further
than the ancient village of Annot.

From cobbles to doorways
to mullioned windows,

this is the Middle Ages breaking
through into the 21st century.

But it's not all
about rustic beauty here.

This is also home
to a local delicacy,

the humble Caillette,

known to you and me
as a pork meatball.

Originating in the 16th century,

the Caillette has been feeding
the locals here for over 500 years.

Everyone has their own recipe,
but today we are visiting
the Boucherie Devincenzi.

The shop is run by Philippe
alongside his mother, Alberte,

brother Sebastien
and daughter Oriane.

With three generations working
here, this is definitely
a family business.

As with all recipes,
the secret to a good Caillette
is the quality of the ingredients.

Following in her father's
footsteps, daughter Oriane
is also a qualified butcher.

Like all good family recipes,
this one has a secret ingredient.

First of all, the pork is minced

and the secret ingredient, a mix of
local herbs and spices, is added.

Then an egg mixture is added
to bind it all together.

Once all mixed through,
the balls are formed.

Finally, the piece de resistance,
if you like.

The meatballs are wrapped
in the lining of a pig's stomach
and roasted.

Let us now leap forward in time.

ORIANE:

Leaving the ancient beauty
of Annot,

we must return to the 21st century
and our modern train.

As we weave our way through
the fertile landscapes of Provence,

we are about to enter
a world of sensory romance,

the lavender fields.

Our train left Nice two hours ago
on its journey to Digne-les-Bains.

As well as being perfect
for transporting tourists,

our train, which, let's be frank,
looks more like a school coach,

also takes locals
about their daily business.

We are now deep into the foothills
of the southern Alps,

a place of fresh air, dazzling
light and sumptuous horizons.

It is also one of the most fragrant
areas on earth...

..and we get to explore it
as we arrive at our next stop,

Le Fugeret.

With over 50,000 acres
given over to local production,

in summer, the land
surrounding Le Fugeret station
is a sea of lavender.

Not only does this
delight our passengers

but it also delights one tiny
yet massively important insect,

the bee.

France has one of the oldest and
best managed honey industries
in the world,

and lavender-flavoured
Provence honey is among the best.

Celine Di Popolo
turned to the traditional art of
beekeeping about five years ago.

She currently has 80 hives.

DRILLING

To the untrained eye,
beekeeping looks like
the simplest job in the world.

Buy a hive, populate it with bees,
collect honey.

However, it's not quite so simple.

Did you know
the humble bee likes to be cosy?

Clearly they also favour
bright colours.

According to the French
beekeepers' association,

because of unseasonably
cold and wet weather
caused by climate change,

France has recently had its worst
honey harvest in 50 years.

Last year, at around 9,000 tonnes
of honey gathered,

the yield was down by two-thirds.

With France consuming around
40,000 tonnes of honey per year,

it's no surprise Celine takes
exceptional care of her bees.

Back on our line, we have rejoined
the modern AMG 800 DMU locomotive.

As our journey continues through
the foothills of the southern Alps,

we uncover
some spectacular scenery.

Soon we are crossing
the splendid Viaduc de Maouna.

Built in 1911,
it has nine 50-feet-wide arches,

and, at 646 feet, it's the longest
viaduct on the line.

No sooner are we across
than we rush headlong

into probably the most spectacular
feat of engineering on the line.

Le Tunnel de la Colle-Saint-Michel

is a staggering 11,341 feet long.

Travelling in an almost straight
line through the mountain,
it was completed in 1903,

eight years before
the line itself was finished.

It took three years and 800 men

to carve and blast this tunnel
through the mountainside
from each end.

At the exit, we are
3,356 feet above sea level.

And if you love tunnels, you don't
get much better than this.

We are now arriving
at our penultimate stop,

Thorame-Haute.

Clinging to the foot
of the Chamatte Massif mountains,

the commune of Thorame-Haute
is a collection
of enchantingly tiny villages.

Overlooked by the dramatic
and spectacular Rock of Notre-Dame

sits the village of Castellane.

It is here, in our journey
back into France's rural history,

that we have swapped
1,000 horsepower for just two.

May I introduce you
to the farmer's favourite,

the Citroen.

This is Henri Fradet,
and he loves the Citroen.

In fact,
he loves the Citroen so much,

he owns 124 of them.

Worried that this classic
was disappearing
from the streets of France,

after a career
as a restauranteur in Oslo,

he decided to save an example
of each from 1948 up to 1974

and has now opened a museum.

I decided 40 years ago
to collect cars,

but I was not supposed to
make a museum at the time.

But I began to get five, six cars
in original condition,

and I thought it was a good idea
to show them to the public.

Arguably
the most famous car Citroen
ever created was the legendary 2CV.

Originally produced just after
the Second World War, the 2CV
was cheap to make and cheap to buy.

It was designed
with very specific requirements.

It needed to be able
to carry four people and a
basket of eggs across a muddy field

without whipping up
an interior omelette.

Favoured by farmers,
doctors and students,
this cabriolet was very practical.

Spare parts were cheap
and it was easy to drive.

And it was this car that brought
the city to these rural areas.

These days
they have a cult following,

and the leader of that cult
is Henri.

This car looks like a regular 2CV,
but the condition is so unique.

Nothing has been moved,
it's original in any detail,

and that's very important for me.

This is the first bonnet.
That appeared in 1948.

If you look inside, the condition
is amazing everywhere.

That's very difficult to find,
believe me.
HE CHUCKLES

And suicide doors.
We call it suicide doors in France

because it was quite dangerous
for young people.

They could fall down from the car
when the car is moving,

so in 1965 in France it was
not allowed any more to produce.

So that's one of the last models,
1960.

And you will see with one finger
you can open the bonnet.

And then you discover
a twin-cylinder, air-cooled engine

with low mileage -
7,000 kilometres.

No radiator. You see the fan front.

It's very easy to work on this car

because everything
is easy to access.

The 2CV was designed
to be light and easy to use.

This little screw here, you can
take it away and then this part off

and you will take the doors out.

This part here
was used to open the window,

so you make it like this,

inside here.

But it was quite dangerous
for the fingers,

and that's quite uncomfortable.

HE CHUCKLES

Time, I think, to take one
of these beauties out for a spin

to see if that early
air-conditioning works.

And what better way
to preserve the dodgy wipers
on an ancient French car

than a couple of wine corks?

ENGINE WHINES

That's the typical noise,
the 2CV noise.

Air-cooled engine. First and second
gear, with one finger.

All is easy.

CAR ACCELERATES

Third gear.

I love this noise.
HE CHUCKLES

When you love 2CVs,
you feel well to hear this noise.

When you drive,
you shouldn't be in a hurry,
you should take it poetically,

because it's a cool feeling.

No stress. Relax. Everything is OK.

It just goes a little slowlier
than a regular modern car.

But anyway, in France, as in
England, you cannot drive so fast,

so never mind.

Back on the train, and we are
speeding towards our destination,

the towering cliffs
above Digne-les-Bains.

TRAIN HORN HOOTS

We are travelling on one of
the world's most scenic railways

from Nice to the cliffs
above Digne-les-Bains in Provence.

This has been a journey
through history,

with an ever-changing
kaleidoscope of scenery

of forested cliffs,
rushing torrents,

fertile plains
and medieval villages,

and it is here that our spectacular
train trip draws to a close

at Digne-les-Bains.

As well as being
a renowned spa town,

the surrounding area is also famous
for its rock-climbing,

which is why,
at the end of our journey,

we have come to take part in one of
the most spectacular climbs,

the Rocher de Neuf Heures,

known locally
as the nine-hour rock.

On the edge of Digne
is the Via Ferrata, or iron steps,

a climbing route designed
to make as much as possible
out of the outstanding views,

and one that employs metal fixtures
as a safety measure.

Climbing instructor Kira Engle
is going to show us how it is done.

On the Via Ferrata,
anyone can do it.

It's made so it's very accessible,
with very good holds.

You have the iron bars
that are in the cliff.

So it's very practical.

And a nice view
of the city of Digne also.

We have two carabiners. We keep
attached with both of them.

When you push here, that opens.

I take it off, I move one,

and then I can move the other one.

The number one rule
is to always stay attached

with at least one
of the carabiners.

When you move them,
you don't take both of them off.

You're always attached at any given
moment to the cable of security.

We're between 30 and 50 metres.

Here we're almost
at the highest point of the Via,

probably at 35 metres.

This is one of my favourite
bits of the climb,

where it kind of comes up
and behind this fold of rock

and finishes on this ladder.

It's a nice vertical part
of the Via.

As you go along, there are a couple
more obstacles to overcome.

This one here is the Nepali Bridge,

where you have one cable
for your feet

and two cables for your hands.

It's 30 metres long,

and you have quite a bit of air
underneath your feet.

SHE CHUCKLES

On the cliffs
is a lot of bird life.

Falcons in the Verdon,
which is not too far from here.

Vultures, which you can see
flying around here.

These ones are some of
the most common, the crag martins.

If you look around, you'll actually
see several that are flying around.

Here we have
one of the crag martin nests.

That is actually made
from their spit.

They spit their nests
and it makes kind of like
a little egg around them.

The climb to the top
may not take nine hours,

but when you get there
you can see why this is
the perfect end to our journey.

The views are truly incredible.

We're seeing the mountains
and the town,

with their orange roofs of Provence
which are so typical.

The entire valley is spread out
before you. It's gorgeous.

I really enjoy seeing people's awe
at being high up,

because it's kind of like
re-experiencing it
for the first time,

and it's definitely something that
takes you out of your normal life.

And to be high up and to look down
and feel the air under your feet,

it's a really wonderful experience.

Our train has travelled
from the urbane charms of Nice

through the beauty of Provence

and into the foothills
of the southern Alps.

We have marvelled at its soaring
mountains and its hidden valleys.

We have gloried in the depths
of its gorges

and the breadth of its vistas.

It is a line that speaks
of a France of the past.

Le Train des Pignes
is one of the great scenic
railway journeys of the world.