All language subtitles for The Worlds Most Scenic Railway Journeys S06E10 1080p WEB DL H264 BTN_track3_[eng]

Escape with us on a 390-mile
Andalusian voyage

around the south of Spain.

A round trip travelling back in time
on a beautiful vintage train.

It's a wonderful way to travel.

From 20,000-year-old
cave dwellings...

In prehistoric time it is music
in the stalactite.

..to the height of Islamic Spain
in the Middle Ages.

The Muslims, they knew algebra
and they were able

to produce these absolute
works of art.

And the lasting legacy of the
different civilisations that

have made Andalusia the incredible
melting pot it is today.

It's a combination of all
the different civilisations,

so rich in culture, it's so unique.

This is no ordinary
railway journey...

..this is one of the most scenic
railway journeys in the world.

Andalusia, in the south of Spain.

Our journey begins in the ancient
city of Seville,

capital of Andalusia, the most
southern region of Spain.

With the name Andalusia derived from
the Arabic, al-Andalus.

Well, it was a Muslim kingdom,
it's a region where for 800 years

the cultures of East
and West have mixed.

And it's through the echoes of those
cultures our train will travel.

We'll begin our voyage in the
ultramodern Santa Justa

train station, home to the
high-speed trains that head

north between Seville and Madrid.

Our train will head south
and is neither fast or modern.

Instead, the only word to
describe it is...

..luxurious.

Fittingly named the Al-Andalus,

this palace on wheels takes luxury
train travel to another level.

The staff are getting the train
ready for our round trip,

starting and ending in Seville.

Isabel and her team are giving the
elegant suites one last wipe down.

The 14 beautifully restored
carriages, modelled

on the iconic Orient Express,
date back to the 1920s and '30s.

Built in France, they were
used by members of the British

monarchy to travel between Calais
and the French Riviera.

So we're preparing all the train,

all the staff for the passengers...

..er, champagne and food.

So when they come here, they have
everything ready.

We'll be introducing them to the
train, er, where they will

live for a whole week.

And that's what we're doing.

Today's driver is Jesus, a trained
veteran with over

35 years' experience.

He is at the helm of a Renfe
class 319 diesel

electric 2,000 horsepower engine,
built in the early 1990s.

As the last suitcases get
safely stowed away,

it's time for everyone
to get on board.

This is something, it is a wish
my wife fulfilled for me.

And isn't that great?

You know, it's just Spain.

It's more than culture, it's the
food, it's the people,

it's, you know, this nostalgic
type of train

which makes me extremely happy,
in awe of this train.

From Seville, will travel to
Jerez de la Frontera,

home of the fabled Andalusian horse.

From here, we will head
towards Bobadilla,

where we make a detour to the
beautiful town of Ronda.

We then continue to Granada
to explore the geometric

patterns of Islamic art.

Then onwards to Cordoba where
Spain's different cultures

moulded into one.

And finally, we return to Seville,
completing the loop

where our journey began.

For the next week our 1,500 feet
long train will be cruising

almost 500 miles through the
cultures of southern Spain.

I would say Andalusia there
is the heart of Espana.

It's a very warm place,
it's got many warm

and charming people with it.

And we have a little bit
of everything,

we actually see really amazing,
pretty cities down here.

Amazing history from Romans
to Arabs, from...

Actually it's a mixture
of beauty itself.

With the sun setting, we are heading
for the ancient city of Jerez,

home of both Sherry and that other
great symbol of Spain,

the fabled Andalusian horse.

Here, tucked up in a siding,
we'll spend the first

of our six nights on board.

It's the next morning and we're
off to meet the horse of Kings.

The Andalusian horse can trace its
lineage back some 30,000 years

and past kings hailed
it as the premier warhorse.

It's even claimed that William
the Conqueror rode one

at the Battle of Hastings.

Nowadays, the beauty of this
incredible warhorse

displays its prowess in
a more tranquil setting

at the Royal Andalusian School
of Equestrian Art in Jerez.

The school is famous for its all
year-round performances

of How the Andalusian Horses Dance.

The weekly shows feature
outstanding horsemanship

and dazzling displays
of equestrian ballet.

DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYS

And at the head of this cavalry
is Belen Bautista,

the first woman to be admitted
as an instructor at the school.

MUSIC PLAYS

Belen is still the only female
professional rider

in the school's history.

When not performing, Belen's
days are spent training

the seven horses she looks after,

aged 5 to 15.

Eso es.

Like any athlete,
the horses have to train every day.

The older ones that still perform in
the weekly show need to stay fit.

And the younger ones
have a lot to learn.

APPLAUSE

For Belen to become a rider and
a trainer at the school

was a lifelong ambition.

The Royal Andalusian School
of Equestrian Art

is considered to be one of the
finest equestrian schools
in the world,

attracting elite riders
from all over Europe and beyond.

APPLAUSE

This incredible
breed of warhorse may have even

helped in the invasion of Britain
some thousand years ago.

Back on our luxury train heading for
the beautiful town of Ronda,

we are riding on lines
that helped the British

with another altogether more
peaceful invasion -

tourism.

Mr Henderson was so enamoured
by the landscape of Ronda

that he decided to build a hotel
up here.

We're on a scenic railway journey,
travelling in a loop

through the south of Spain

on one of the most beautiful trains
in the world.

Having left Jerez,

our train has to climb to 2,500 feet

up into the hills
and the incredible town of Ronda.

One of Andalusia's famous
white towns,

or as they are called in Spanish,
Pueblos Blancos.

From Jerez we head back
towards Seville

and change direction to travel
east to Bobadilla.

Here we cut south to Ronda

travelling along a railway
line built by the British.

And from Ronda we head back to
rejoin the main line

and continue our journey east
towards Granada.

After Bobadilla,

our train steadily climbs for
30 miles

into the hills of Ronda.

It's gorgeous. A lot of olive trees.

Many olive trees.

There are more olive trees than
you could imagine.

Split in half by the El Tajo Gorge,

the town is joined by its famous
bridge, the Puente Nuevo,

arching above the river Guadalevin
some 400 feet below.

In the past, this incredible rock
was as remote as it is beautiful,

but that changed with
the help of both the railways

and another rock cut off from the
rest of Spain -

Gibraltar.

Yorkshireman Manni Coe has lived
in the region for the past 20 years.

Ronda was totally
cut off from the rest of Spain

and the rest of Europe.

The train lines had started to come
down in as far as Madrid

and then as far as Bobadilla
out to the east,

but those tendrils of development,

the Industrial Revolution,

had not reached this far,

so the town of Ronda understood the
importance of the railways,

so they fought tooth and nail
to develop a plan

to bring the railway
into their town.

By the 1890s, Rondenos, as the
people of Ronda are known,

wanted to get connected to the
rail network

to get visitors into their town.

Oddly, the intended market was not
the Spanish, but the British,

especially from nearby Gibraltar,

which was equally hard to reach.

So the British knew that if they
could get a train as far as
Gibraltar,

then all of a sudden Gibraltar
was also connected

to this European rail network.

Because at this time in history

the only way to get to Gibraltar was
by sea.

With that in mind, the British were
so keen to get the line built

that they even bankrolled it.

We call the railway from Ronda
to Algeciras Mr Henderson's railway

because Mr Henderson was the
CEO of the company that built it.

So this line brought a land
connection to Gibraltar

and it was the British
engineering know-how,

because they had already built
trains in India, in South America,

it was their know-how and the
engineering expertise

that they could bring to the project
that made the project passable.

To avoid upsetting the Spanish
authorities,

Mr Henderson's line began
at Algeciras

just across the bay from Gibraltar,

a ferry taking
its passengers to and from the rock.

Then all of a sudden people
from all over Europe started to come

to Ronda, the romantic
travellers of the Victorian

and then the Edwardian era.

The British start to come here

and discover this incredible town
with fresh mountain air.

In some ways, for good or ill,

this was the beginning of the
British love of Spain

as a holiday destination.

So Mr Henderson,
he was so enamoured by the landscape

of Ronda that he decided to
build a hotel up here.

It was designed by architects
out of London

and in the early 1900s
a British hotel

was opened in Ronda on a lofty cliff

and all of a sudden the garrison

and the officers from Gibraltar had
somewhere to go for the weekend.

They were encouraged to come up to
this wonderful

fresh air of the mountains.

It was great for rheumatism
and tuberculosis,

and it was a place where British
people stationed in Gibraltar

could come for rest and relaxation.

Ronda continues to be popular with
British holiday-makers.

These days people can drive,

but making the journey by train
feels far more special.

When you're travelling by rail
normally the train lines

they cut through some of the most
beautiful landscape

and you see parts of the country

that you would never,
ever see if you were on the road.

Travelling by train in Spain
is a delight.

It's an incredible network.

High-speed trains between the major
cities and then all these

tiny, little link trains

that link the cities
by a regional service.

Back on board,

our Al-Andalus train
is the kind of thing

the generals and admirals once
stationed in Gibraltar

might have considered fitting
transport

when they headed inland for a bit
of R&R on Mr Henderson's line.

HORN TOOTS

Our next stop is Granada,

a 90-mile ride from Ronda.

Enjoy.

But first we travel over 20,000
years back in time

to explore the Cueva de la Pileta.

BIRDS TWITTER

No-one had heard of the cave
until 1905

when Jose Bullon, a local farmer,

stumbled upon more than 300
cave paintings near his home.

That farmer was Tomas's
great-grandfather.

Tomas's great-grandfather knew

he had discovered something
very important.

This is the living room.

In the prehistoric time there is
many families in the cave.

The first occupation is 40,000 years

and the last occupation
is 3,000 years.

The time
is possible by carbon dating.

The cave paintings hidden deep
within its chambers depict

what life was like in the past.

It's very interesting
the symbolic painting.

The time in this painting is
22,000 years.

It is possible the animals,
like deer, like a bull.

Normally it's painting the hunting,
representation of hunting.

Neolithic paintings.
The time is 5,000 years.

But in the new time it's different,
the painting like writing.

Calendars, stars,

animals, persons,

but normally it's very, very
symbolic.

The interesting in this painting is

they are not normal in Europe,
not normal in Spain.

It's normal in the
North Africa, Sahara, Tanger,

the same paintings, same time.

Those ancient images may seem
almost alien to us,

but deep in the cave there is
something that instantly

chimes as human,

a musical instrument.

And now it is a very interesting
room. This is the organ room.

The stalactites are broken.

Many are broken but it is possible
natural,

probably earthquake and broken.

In this area it's different.

In this area it's broken and it's
erosion, it's clear erosion.

The professional discovered in this
erosion bones,

animal bones.

The interpretation by long study,
long meditation,

the interpretation is clear.

In prehistoric times it is
music by animal bones.

Music in the stalactite.

DIFFERENT TIMBRES

We will never know who first
played those stone drums.

What we do know is that they were
once played

by the most famous drummer on Earth,

none other than Ringo Starr.

Ringo Starr touched
music in the stalactite

and it's interesting
the different sounds.

It was in 1964.

The guide of the beetle
is my grandfather,

Tomas, Tomas Bullon is the
guide in 1964.

Leaving those incredible
sounds behind we have

a ticket to ride on to the great
city of Granada.

The onboard entertainment might not
rival the Beatles,

but it seems to be going down well
enough amongst our fellow
passengers.

APPLAUSE

We've travelled for nearly 90 miles
and have reached

the outskirts of Granada,

where once again music resonates
from a cave.

FLAMENCO SINGING AND CASTANETS

For over 50 years visitors have been
flocking to a small cave

owned by Enrique Carmona
and his family.

They come in search of Andalusia's
very soul -

Flamenco.

APPLAUSE

The Caves of Sacromonte still
echo to the rhythms

of passionate flamenco performances,

but in Enrique fears for its future.

What about Enrique?
Has he ever performed?

Enrique prefers to stay
in the background

looking after the family business,

making sure today's visitors
enjoy the sold-out performances

as much as flamenco aficionados
did in the past.

With our ears still ringing
to the beats of the music,

our train is about
to arrive in Granada,

where we will spend
another night on board.

And in the morning, we'll
take in the wonders of an art form

that gave the world not only
one of its greatest palaces,

but an understanding
of the mathematics of the universe -

the Alhambra.

Geometry is very important
because it's the infinity

and it can just keep going on
and on and on.

It's day four of our week-long
railway journey across Andalusia,

travelling through the heartland
of Islamic Spain.

The next stop is the
ancient city of Granada.

Granada was the last of the Moorish
kingdoms and perhaps the greatest.

Central to the city is the massive
Alhambra, a world Heritage site.

While much of Europe
was in the Dark Ages,

the Muslim period in Spain
is often described as a golden age.

It was a time of great cultural
and scientific advancements,

in particular in the field
of mathematics.

In fact, this entire palace
can be seen as a homage to maths.

It's a place that has inspired
artist Munira Mendonca so for years.

The Muslims are known
for their geometry

because actually the Alhambra
is totally based on geometry.

Every building...

..is based on a size.

and the next one is
geometrically the next size.

As far as the work here goes...

..they just new mathematics,
they knew algebra,

they knew all these sciences,

and they were able to produce
these absolute works of art.

The idea of basing the design of the
palace on the science of geometry

has its roots in the Islamic belief

that God is beyond
human understanding.

In the Islamic religion,
figures aren't used,

animals aren't used too much,
in these times it was...

Geometry is very important
because it's the infinity

and it could just keep going
on and on and on.

And many of the inscriptions
in the Alhambra are poems,

parts of the Koran, different
inscriptions, depending on...

You know, some are
praises to the Sultan

who built that part
of the palace, etc.

I love the calligraphy
and it's all around the Alhambra,

which is 'wala Ghalib illa Allah'.

And it means 'There is no victory
except with God'.

And that's like the motto
of the Alhambra.

And then the geometrical designs.

We can also find there, that's
the coat of arms of the Nasrid rule

when the Muslims
were here in Granada.

It's just full of beauty
everywhere you look.

At her studio overlooking
the Alhambra,

Munira uses Islamic patterns
in her intricate work with leather.

This is one of my favourite pieces.

I love it and I actually think
it's the best piece I've ever done.

It's from the Lions Court
of the Alhambra.

Because I live here and
I have the palace just up the road,

any time one needs
a bit of inspiration

I just walk up to the palace
and visit and something comes up.

Living in Grenada
is absolutely fantastic.

Anybody who is artistic
or creative in any way,

there's just endless
inspiration here

and it abounds everywhere,

as you've seen on the buildings,
in the Alhambra.

Just walking around town,
there are just little details

that one can become inspired by
and it's a gift to live here.

I love it.

As we leave Granada on the railway,

that great symbol
of the Industrial Revolution,

it's worth remembering that
none of it would have been possible

were it not for mathematics,

which entered Europe via the
great Muslim cities like Granada.

The journey is wonderful.
It's extremely interesting.

It's more than culture,
it's culture and fun.

And, you know,
it takes me really away.

Looking out of these windows

and seeing the landscape of Spain
is just magnificent.

From Granada, our train heads
north past Linares-Baeza

and from there
we continue towards Cordoba,

travelling through Andalusia's
beautiful olive country.

This area is known
as Spain's 'cradle of olive oil',

a sea of trees
stretching beyond the horizon,

making this beautiful landscape
the perfect setting

for another delicious meal
served on board,

naturally finished with
a drizzle of local olive oil.

The food on the train
has been superb.

It's been fantastic. A lot of fish.

Really getting a chance to sample
the food in this area.

We get fresh Mediterranean
seafood all the time.

It is just delightful.

Cheers. Cheers. Cheers.

Fish has always been part
of the Spanish diet,

but before Christopher Columbus
set sail to the New World,

great staples like potatoes
and tomatoes were unheard of.

And at our next stop
on the outskirts of Cordoba,

there is a small restaurant

dedicated to telling the history
of the world on a plate.

Meet Paco Morales, chef patron
of Noor and gastro archaeologist.

Noor means 'light' in Arabic

and Paco's philosophy is to bring
Andalusia's past up-to-date.

His dishes celebrate the legacy
of Islamic Spain

and only use ingredients
that were available

during specific times in history.

The latest menu is intended to show
the changes that happened

soon after Columbus arrived back
from the New World in March 1493,

not just for the cooking of Spain,
but the entire world.

We continue with a signature
dish of the Noor house.

Pistachio karim
with green apple dices

covered in black bread
and smoked herring caviar.

We recommend eating it from exterior
to the inside using the spoon

and you will see how useful
the bread is for this dish.

Enjoy.

When it comes to pudding,
Paco is keen to reflect

Andalusia's Muslim past
and its love of geometry.

Mmm. Delicious.

Back on board our Al Andalus train,

we've now travelled more
than 300 miles over six days.

Our train glides across Andalusia's
beautiful olive country

towards the ancient city of Cordoba,

where we will spend
one last night on the train.

And after a good night's sleep,

tomorrow morning we will head
into the centre of Cordoba

to explore where Spain's
great civilisations of the past

moulded into one at Cordoba's
incredible Mosque-Cathedral.

We are on the final stretch
of a week-long railway adventure

across southern Spain...

..on the beautiful Al Andalus train.

It's a wonderful way to travel,
to be relaxed,

not having to drive yourself
from village to village.

And it's been wonderful
to sleep on at night.

And the staff have been
so accommodating and enjoyable.

After six days travelling
through a land

steeped in the echoes
of past cultures,

our next stop, Cordoba, seems
to be the place where they fuse.

Entered by its Roman bridge,
the Puente Romano,

our view is dominated
by the city's great mosque,

built 800 years later.

And hidden within its high arches
and intricate geometric patterns

is something totally unexpected.

A Gothic cathedral
of unrivalled splendour.

Africa Menendez has loved this city
since she first laid eyes on it.

Cordoba isa marvellous city
with a very long history.

It was founded by the Romans
a long time ago

and you can feel these
different civilisations

and cultures in all the streets
that can be seen around the town,

in the old section
and the new section too.

I arrived here in 1994
to work as a guide here in Cordoba.

And yes, I am still here!

I think I am going to die here!

The city's most prosperous period
was during the Caliphate of Cordoba,

when it was a leading
education centre

and the most advanced
and cultured city in Europe.

But to the north,

Christianity was becoming dominant
and was soon seeping south,

destroying the Muslim cultures
that had reigned for so long.

And in 1236, Cordoba fell.

But strangely, its religious centre,
the great mosque, survived.

One of the reasons why
the building was not destroyed

when the town was conquered,
they thought that it was such

a marvellous place that it deserved
the honour to be kept.

And then they just, in a way,

they started to feel that the
building was so unique because

of the huge dimensions,
because of the sort of design

inside the building.

So instead of destroying the mosque,

the new Christian rulers of Spain
simply built a vibrant cathedral

without walls, nestled within
the tranquillity of the old mosque.

An idea perhaps
unique in the world.

They considered that this is
the best city where you can see

the combination of the whole
different civilisations.

It's so rich in the culture,
it's so unique.

And when you enter,

especially in the building
where we are standing now here,

the surprise is so big

because of the contrast from the
outer section and the inner section.

Over 500 years later,
Cordoba's past lives on.

We have visitors
from Islamic countries,

they are also very
surprised about the town,

about the similar things between
the different things that they

can find here and that they
have in their own countries,

and especially in the buildings.

Every year nearly two million
visitors flock to Cordoba to soak up

this unique fusion of cultures that
is the beating heart of this city.

So you can go through the streets
and you can feel, yes,

you can feel that sort of shawl
of the different civilisations

that has been here,

that has been here from the 2,000
years of history of this town.

I don't really think that
the people appreciate

this example of the multicultural
life of Cordoba.

I think that that something
that makes richer

the culture of the whole country,
actually.

Because it's something
that you can

find in a lot of different
cities in the country of Spain,

but especially here because of the
influence, such a strong influence

of the Islamic civilisations and the
combination with the Christian ones.

Back on board our train,
we are leaving Cordoba

and heading to our final stop,
Seville,

where our luxury railway journey
began seven days ago.

After 73 miles
and two hours of leisurely travel,

our train pulls into Seville
station.

Our trip has come to an end,
and what a journey it's been.

We have travelled
across the whole of Andalusia.

And along the way we got
a real taste of this wonderful

part of Spain.

From the beautiful countryside...

..the rich cultural heritage...

..the incredible food...

..all while travelling
on this extraordinary train.