Germanys most popular bike trail. Hardly any traffic and lots of nature this region is one of the most sparsely populated in the country from here its just 15 kilometers to the river elbe. Biking is becoming more and more popular especially for touring and thats no wonder really or can you think of a more spontaneous way of getting around you can take turns and detours wherever you like you can stop wherever you fancy so naturally im really excited about todays trip along the elbe river about the scenery and about how many kilometers im actually going to get to ride before my legs give up. Also on the show a nostalgic trip on the river album on an old apple steamer. And staying by the water our weekly v mail comes from psystar kind of a holiday whos been skateboarding by the pacific. Globe trotters. Shanas has been in terror on and brought back some striking footage. Of the elk river is 1200 kilometers long so of course i wont cover all of it but im planning to bike about 80 kilometers in 2 days they have a calming me on earth towards the northeast but before we start to follow it for a bit ive got a little overview for you guys so you can get an idea of the twists and turns the river has taken up to here. When the elbow crosses the czech border it already has almost 400 kilometers behind it. In germany the river 1st winds through the region known as sex in switzerland among sandstone outcrops and tabletop hills past the regions mainland monk. The 19th century bust i preach. The next highlights from the album is stressed and the skyline of sex and its capital attracted artists and travellers from the early 1900 centuries. It off as a rock but nicholsons with from kesa the church on lady. The royal palace. And the 700. 00 s. Just 30 kilometers down river is the town of meissen with its distinctive cathedral and casa. This is where ill go to see the strong found at the 1st european porcelain factory in 1710. The river has also inspired Landscape Architects as can be seen in the death knell for thats gotten realm along the middle. Created in the late 18th century by the duke of and how. This landscape park has been a unesco World Heritage site since 2000. Its equestrian statue of otto the great isnt marketable of the citys 1200 years old the oldest on the album. Its striking landmark is its cathedral an early example of gothic architecture in germany the cathedral contains the tomb of auto the 1st emperor of the holy roman empire. From here its a 100 kilometers down river to the next destination. My 1st stop is a debt a socalled stork village in northwestern brandenburg every year more than 30 breeding pairs hatch and raise their young here this year it was over 100. 00. I want to know why so many come here thats why im meeting up with yoden have found he grew up by the elbow and works as a ranger. Work on the wiring in the locals love the stork so much they invest a lot of effort into making the storks feel at home each year dumping it in starting with. The its not just the locals who love storks storks bring good luck. Baby you pulling out when babies theres a reason for that. In the stork scene proximity to humans because they need civilization and they find their food on cultivated land be deafened of which i dont want so because of that in the work people do on farms theres a close bond with storks. Or not to it because they build their nests on roofs theyre said to bring babies least it is so here in roofs that for 35 years ago we had more returning storks than we had nests and they competed fiercely for those that were there or and then 3 or 4 young men got together and said ok well do something about it. Because its an obvious off but well set up a new nests tomorrow. From one day to the next and im talking from one day to the next i dont think that the decision took place in the pub with that loose group of 4 men became the stork club thats was on the people from rushed it who promoted the store population here in the village with nests thats when you thought that they also made sure there was enough food for the birds as their numbers increased. When we were pioneers in many ways why theyre. Giving explains to me that the storks return to their nests every year and that they have a pretty progressive division of labor. How long do they need to get their nests and shape ok country goes quite a vessel but i think if its well prepared when they return the male finishes the nest and waits for the female and if all goes well shell come a few days later and they made during the 1st week yes then she starts laying eggs. It all takes 14 days and then they both sit on the eggs and on simply by both of them yep you can storks invented gender equality they both incubate them. They take turns in a specific rhythm and they both feed the young in a specific rhythm in. The reserve has more to offer than storks for decades the elbow formed part of the border between east and west germany the surrounding countryside remained largely untouched. In. The Biosphere Reserve along the elbe it is the largest protected river floodplain in germany. It stretches from the state of sexually and home through brandenburg and lower saxony. In Lower Saxony Ministry terror is in charge of running the reserves. Hes followed developments here since 2005. When youre not through and on for the 12 on this is when we consider the flood plain here its fantastic to see unexpected increases in certain species and beavers have returned river all to stocks have recovered and there are a focal species again. The white tailed eagles nest here and so to about 40 breeding pairs of cranes weve managed at least to keep whites numbers stable. Those phenomena really please us few minutes. Beavers were virtually eradicated here in the 1900 century now theyve returned to the. Riverside also provides rich pickings for white frighted vs. The Biosphere Reserve is a habitat for a total of 300. 00 different bird species. Floodplain is a model region promoting the coexistence of nature protection tourism and farming widely differing interests to reconcile. Farmers like tim russian bear and whose fields lie within the Biosphere Reserve have to make compromises. He has to accept that so many birds visit his farm that he can no longer use his grass for fodder. To compensate for the conservation measures he receives financial support. Human is preacher is delighted that tourists have discovered the region. They may be birdwatchers or just passing through on the cycle route. All those visitors are part of the Success Story of the old the valley Biosphere Reserve. As a teenager i spent lots of time here and dreamed it would be a nature reserve and being in charge of it now has fulfilled my dream. My next stop 25 kilometers further on is a bag along the elbow youll find not only pristine nature but also industrial monuments. The sewing machine factory in the back it was built in 1903 by the american Singer Company 3000 people used to work here. In a fan how does fit in baggies industrial past contribute to its present charm. You know if we take this sewing machine factory for instance. We have industrial architecture that ranges from the early to the mid 20th century. And most of the people who come here to know the name singer and say we really must take a look at this. And when they come most of them are impressed by the size of the complex and the different styles of architecture here. That interest people and its well worth seeing. The towns main landmark is here on the complex the clock tower from 1928 is still the biggest of its kind in germany. The Industrial History of britain back it began in the 19th century with a spoil mill. You cant say what led to this early prosperity. In 823 a man called solomon have scame here he established a grain trading business and used the profits to build an oil mill. And he built it here inventing because he found the location favorable. Then an 846 the railway was built and he used his influence to make sure it passed through. Modern transportation train together with the waterways made the town so attractive that other companies also settled here. The former oil mill at least has found a new use as a hotel and cafe with a beautiful sun terrace the Perfect Place for a short break. And every time you guys get the chance to check in with our globe trotters steve hayes he and a friend went on a sightseeing tour of tehran and. Im back with some amazing insights into life and hearing in capitals to freeze out. To. Be around me in my body we just heard then its him 0 and will be discovering iran in next few weeks together where we know this is a saudi monument its one of the most iconic buildings see and hear on so lets dive in and explore tehran together. Iran is the capital of the country with a population of about 50000000 the last straw you ran the commission the azadi own Freedom Tower the persian empire steep 1500 ton of personally. I love the symmetry of things. That you just wait around this taking to make sure a pretty good history and its just about incense and heroes of. Another must bring in to run is ecologists time palace which literally means the palace of flowers because of the beautiful gardens you have inside. For some it might be surprising amount to iran and especially cherami is a good example of that is the sheer amount of coffee shops you can find really a place to see. Good spots to go to the complaint is to say keep clear of street away from penalties and fees and put in place of. The times piece of typical ringtone. Went to sit in a very difficult place and Order Mission of issues come up and this is. Just kind of it pretty soon. As iran is located close to the trading business always played a major role still to date in iran this is why you should visit because i hear tehran which is a true maze of more than 7 kilometers per hour. When he was a brown person i also needs to buy some things so we got some nuts for. Our friend from tehran took us up here to the roof cheer on where you can enjoy a beautiful view of the city and this is what were going to do. Thats another cool thing you can do and say around this race down to talk shot on this track. So if you want to email i like to write to tell you there are 2 options you dont like to tell your friends and here i think that you are on to your audio theyd like you today and it like we have a little for next fall because it was on the fringe below full of political and ice shows that is going to follow the color of the road because its really recommendable. Here i am back again im the eldest cycle route this time with company but some effect is going to explain to me why this part of the album has a Bad Reputation and why changes were made after disastrous floods. The autonomy the place where were standing is said to be treacherous by. Is that you know is it a bruise although its treacherous because right in front of us the elbow makes a 90 degree bend. And when theres a flood that can be disastrous for the levee were standing on. And that is when a large amount of water surges straight at the levee it can break. The fortunately a new one has been built behind us that holds the water back despite that wasnt offered. So this is the original dike and the one over there is the new one. Is on this and its also slightly higher than the old one just to make sure. Takes me to an old east german border watch tower and offers a great view of the meadowlands created by moving the dike back. Then as now were on the lensman floodplain whats so special here as a year in the winds in the god behind us we see part of 110. 00 hectares of horst theyve been planted to restore the typical natural landscape here like the large metal lands right behind. Me and it was the young one here dick was invited in whats special is that the intake of water from the elba that flows through the old elba levy constantly provides nutrients to the plants restoring the dynamic course of the river. When we hope that at some point it will once again look the way it used to this will move on. When they have turned against me literally im fighting heavy headwinds im 60 kilometers into my trip and desperate for a break. Find a number of old farmhouses like these many of them are now restaurants are hotels im going to spend the night in this one. And while i get my legs so well deserved rest you guys got to check our mailbox its time for our weekly the mail our viewer psystar from columbia send us a video of his trip to california he traveled down the Pacific Coast of the golden state on his skateboard enjoy. Once upon a. Shadows this would be the most insert came out of place. When face to face with. Naming names you know would. Lead one to. Love. Love. Last. Night i slept like a log and im already raring to go but 1st i need to get everyone really worked up an appetite cycling certainly gets you back to basics. And now im off again cycling can also be addictive no noise no cars besides i only have 20 kilometers left to cover on my 2nd tank. Pumps like this are also part of the elba cycle route there are no bridges for long stretches of the river here so you have to cross it by ferry. Land knowing. If youre getting curious about the elder and the nature and tranquility that surrounds it but arent that much of a bicycle buff ive got just the tip for you you can also discover the river without moving a finger on a story paddle steamer. Scientists one direction get everything shipshape the old kaiser bill home is often a river cruise. Good morning leave your money in your pockets well do all that later on during the trip. Folder which are 1st worked on the paddle steamer Kaiser Wilhelm at the age of 15 as a cabin boy. Thank. The funnel. There is a bridge to negotiate on the 20 kilometer route from. The paddle steamer travels at about 10 kilometers an hour up the. Captain huge tankers for years when he got his boat master certificate back in 1905 the Kaiser Wilhelm was already an old sea dog. All of your senses and your hand is on the wheel. From the riverbed are transmitted via the whale. That may sound silly but you really do notice whether theres enough water under the boat and with the new technology all you have is a joystick and you dont notice anything on. The steamer was launched in dresden on the way the 21800 phone for the visa in northwestern germany. On that trip there were also tourists onboard enjoying the scenery. Stoking the boiler was a back breaking job back then and its still its. Very. Shovel a 150. 00 kilos and now it used to be called 300. 00 weight. Whether were travelling or standing still we have to fire all the little. Guy. Im. Because a real home has been plying the waters for more than a century 1st on the river of aser and now on the elbow. And if the ships a volunteer crew has anything to say about it it will continue to do so for many years to come. I made it after 80 kilometers in 2 days ive reached my destination my last stop on the l. Beside go around is lend some. Good lengths and is one of the oldest towns in North Western brandenburg and has a castle tower with the wonderful view of the beautiful surroundings. Following the course of the elba river for it was a lot of fun but also extremely exhausting at times this trip and especially the wind pushed me to my limit which is why i am so proud to have finally made it. To. The. Im going. To go after. Like. To defend she painted me. But i am not. Going to fascinate ole miss who look at me. The secret of mona lisa. 15 minutes on t w. Board. Being told it is for me. To. Be told it is for. Me to use her heart. And bait. Is for. Beethoven is for everyone the beethoven 2020. The 50th anniversary here on d w. We know that this is a scary time for the coronavirus is changing the world changing avice so please take care of yourself keep your distance wash your hands if you cant stay at how we deal with you for here for you we are working tirelessly to keep you informed on all of our platforms were all in business to get on together and well make it fair. To say to everybody stacy stay safe stay safe the phrase stay safe. Are they friends she wanted to be with you she said she tried to steer the board which it was the william bullfighting of the fitness new mission or are they and i mean when you finish that if you still have a seal which you would call it the biggest user of the water hes going to go get the shit my debit card for our chip damo trump unplugging your pin our 2 part documentary analyzes the difficult relationship between russia and the us and between the president s how does their rivalry and their dangerous mutual admiration affect the rest of the world to some bullies trump and putin starts august 3rd on d w. Come the bag. And. Play. This is d. W. News live from birthday and u. S. President donald Trump Stokes Division on Independence Day in a fiery speech at mt rushmore trump around on the protest is a huge chunk of monuments during anti racism rallies the president has promised especially even named as the celebrations move to washington also coming up