A 2 hour drive northwest of berlin i want to explore the elvis cycle route 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 and i was told to 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. Has been skateboarding by the pacific. Globe trotters steve hanus 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 meters behind us. In germany the river fest winds through the region known as sex in switzerland among sandstone outcrops and tabletop hills past the regions main landmark. The 19th century past i preach. The next highlighter im there is dressed in the style and sexiness capital attracted artists and travelers from the early 1900 centuries. It offers baroque magnificence with from kesa the church on lady. The royal palace. And the 7 homes. Just 30 kilometers down river is the town of meissen with its distinctive cathedral and casa. This is where august is the strong found at the 1st european porcelain factory in 1710. The river has also inspired Landscape Architects as can be seen in the decks alvord its gotten realm along the middle. Created in the late 18th century by the cucumber and how thats how this landscape park has been a unesco World Heritage site since 2000. Its equestrian statue of otto the great is in marketable of the cities 1200 years old the oldest on the album. Its striking landmark is its cathedral an early example of the cockatrice germany the cathedral contains the tomb of off to 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 102. 00. I want to know why so many come here thats why im meeting up with young have found he grew up by the elven 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. Its not just the locals who love storks storks bring good luck. Maybe hell be pulling out when babies theres a reason for that. Storks in proximity to humans because they need civilization and they find their food on cultivated land on be deafened of the chaff so because of that and the work people do on farms theres a close bond with the 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. Well set up new nests tomorrow. From one day to the next and im talking from one day to the next the decision took place in the pub and 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. 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 their country goes quite fast if its well prepared when they return the mail finishes the nest and waits for the female and if all goes well shell come a few days later and they may during the 1st week yes then she starts laying eggs or if it all takes 14 days and then they both sit on the eggs but i dont have them yet. 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 to. The reserve has more to offer than storks for decades the album formed part of the border between east and west germany the surrounding countryside remained largely untouched. The Biosphere Reserve along the elbe it is the largest protected river floodplain in germany. It stretches from the state of section the im told through brandenburg and lower saxony. In lower saxony honest retailer is in charge of running the reserve. Hes followed developments here since 2005. When youre not through a number of the 12 on this is when we consider the floodplain here its fantastic to see unexpected increases in certain species and beavis 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 feel mean of the. Beavers were virtually eradicated here in the 1900 century now theyve returned to the elder. Riverside also provides rich pickings for white fronted geese. 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 that johan assessed 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 elder 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 big bag along the elbow youll find not only pristine nature but also industrial monuments. The sewing machine factory in that in back it was built in 1903 by the american Singer Company 3000 people used to work here. In a fan how does fit in back as industrial pass contribute to its present charm. And if we take this sewing machine factory for instance to where 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 you know. That interest people and its well worth seeing. The thames mainland mark is here on the complex the clock tower from 1928 is still the biggest of its kind in germany. The Industrial History of it and back it began in the 19th century with this oil mill. Because i was led to this early prosperity. In 823 a man called on him its came here he established a grain trading business and used the profits to build an oil mill. And he built it here invid and because he found the location favorable. Then in 846 the railway was built and he used his influence to make sure it passed through a bit and. So modern transportation trains together with the waterways made the town so attractive that other companies also settled here. Under. 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 payments he and a friend went on a sightseeing tour of tehran and came back with some amazing insights into life in the arabian capitals to for yourself. Through. Iran me and my buddies we just heard then it seems iran and will be discovering iran in the next few weeks to get to where we are now this is the saudi money and its one of the most iconic buildings here so lets dive in and explore tehran together. Iran is the capital of the country with a population of about 50000000 the last fall the iran commissioned the azadi own Freedom Tower to mark the persian empires 2510 of those who. Love the symmetry of. His weight around this taking to make sure you have a pretty good system and its just about incense and your oh so. Another must think in iran is a list and thats which literally means the palace of flowers because of the beautiful garden see you have insight. For some it might be surprising how much iran and especially tehran is a good example of that is the sheer amount of coffee shops you can find reading to places a. Good spot to go to fight is the 2nd tier street away from families and campaigns and good places. To keep typical friends when its a very difficult place and weve got a mission of issues come up and easy. To just kind of it but as soon. As iraq is located on the 6 rockets raining business always played a major role still to date in iran this is why you should visit syria because on the interior which is a true maze of more than 7 Kilometers Per Hour it does. What it was it. Francis i also needs to buy something so we get some nuts for. Our friends from tehran took us up here to the roof cheer on where you can enjoy the beautiful view of the city and this is what were going to be d. Its another close thing you can do in tehran its raised down to touch on the day on this writing. So if you want to read a letter here and if you get there and you see you dont like a click tell your friends here i think that you are on t. V. Are you ok like you today and like we are a little bit more or less bob if you were president and feel awful for a little girl and i stress this is going to slightly colored because its really recommended over. 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 set to be treacherous why 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 the size 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 doesnt offer that ok ok so this is the original dike and the one over there is the new one. Size 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 meadow land created by moving the dyke back. Then as now were on the lensman floodplain whats so special here as the year in the winds in the god behind us we see part of 110. 00 headed tears of horst theyve been planted to restore the typical natural landscape here like the large metal lands right behind. It that was young or was invited into whats special is that the intake of water from the elbow that flows through the old elbow levy constantly provides nutrients to the plants restoring the dynamic course of the river. Well we hope that at some point it will once again look the way it used to. Grow more volatile. Than my bike so when that turned against me literally im fighting heavy headwinds im 60 kilometers into my trip and desperate for a break along the elbow youll find a number of old farmhouses like beasts many of them are now in restaurants or hotels im going to spend the night in this one. And while i get my legs well deserved rest you guys get to check our mailbox its time for our weekly the mail our viewer says our 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. This will be. Played. Live face to face with. The one to. Sleep. Last. Night slept like a log and im already raring to go but 1st i need to teach everyone really worked up an appetite cycling certainly gets 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 day. Rallies like this are also part of the elvis cycle route there are no bridges for long stretches of the river here so you have to cross it by ferry. Land knowing. 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 paddles the. Scientists one direction get everything shipshape the old kaiser bill home is off on a river cruise. Good morning leave your money in your pockets well do that later on during the trip through a folder richer 1st worked on the paddle steamer Kaiser Wilhelm at the age of 15 as a cabin boy. Thank. Stoker is in charge of lowering the funnel. Theres a bridge to negotiate on the 20 kilometer route from. The paddle steamer travels at about 10 kilometers an hour up the. Skipper held a house time kept in huge tankers for years when he got his 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. The steamer was launched in dresden on may the 20th 1900 phone for the uplands in northwestern germany. On that trip there were also tourists on board enjoying the scenery. Stoking the boiler was a back breaking job back then and it still is. Here we shovel a 150 kilos and now of what used to be called 300 weight. Whether were traveling most still we have to fight all the. The kaiser bill 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 elba cycle route is len sent. His 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 im so proud to have finally made it. The book. The book. The book. The be. Described as simple as it seems. To understand the world better we need to take a closer ma. Experience knowledge tomorrow changing. Climate to. A safe protective society. Military man a true ass abomb rights group isnt terrorizing the city the body. Has pushed last month old son from within the motions to lead the train to escalate the tense situation. 30 minutes to. A meal and welcome to the 2nd season. Its about the environment its still about society its still about house planets on the brink he spoke to several leading experts in the field about how. Just because the only real face of. This is some dope story a stubborn rice farmer from thailand. His problem. Is crito no chemical. His wife thought i was crazy. And i bought ducks. And his plan was. To step in. Step no. Orders. Are good tests stand a chance. The rice is thriving the farmers free. The finest egg production to top it off. For. Training successful. The cattle. Starts july 27th. This is state of the news and these are our top stories u. S. President dont trump says the country is on its way to a quote tremendous victory against coronavirus after the u. S. Broke its own record for new cases of covert 19 trouble speaking on Independence Day celebrations and much of the country subdued because of the pandemic. Pubs in england are welcoming patrons again after a 4 month coronavirus shut down restaurants and hair salons have also been allowed to reopen the changes dont apply to wales sky