A journey down the elbow river the mouth of the river is in the Czech Republic and about twelve hundred kilometers later the elba flows into the north sea well stop at three especially lovely spots along the way first. Takes in the attractions of saxon switzerland. Then nicole for alicia explores the town of it and back in saxony own home. Where Martin Luther once lived. And then she continues on to brandenburg down germanys most popular bike path the elbow cycle route. So lets start our journey in saxony near the czech border. Im travelling through sex in switzerland its located on both sides of the obit in many places. You can only cross the river by ferry just like here in the cotton. It gets busy in high season. Today im going hiking climbing and taking a boat trip. To the sandstone cliffs are the main attraction. I start my journey in this spot on off thoughts and hikers have been coming here since the early Nineteenth Century. I follow a part of a well known path called malavika or painters way artists from the romantic era loved this landscape and took inspiration from it they made saxon switzerland famous this is its a reservoir right next to painters way. Its one hundred twelve kilometers long guiding you through the cliffs. And even today there are still painters who hike along this path. There are plenty of steps and bridges on the path that leads all the way up to iraq from asian called the bust. Large parts of sex in switzerland are protected as a national park. With a small detour into in their old gorge theyre known as speed militia. There are lots of great views to enjoy along the way. I have free choice the bus type and im not alone. In Medieval Times there was a fortress on these rocks. On the other side the bus. Bridge the landmarks of sex in switzerland. There might also monday dangers from the romantic period love this region what did they like about it. The landscape is so expansive their views are also and the contrasts in a way youve got the forest and the elbow and the valleys but youve also got the mountain sort of starts this for you all the tourists annoy you when you get a bit pushed around here going the others havent as im expected to go through most of them come on bus trips its a bit much but im not going to spend long or all that off somewhere quiet or as soon as possible. I dont mind you know what to expect when you think. Im thrilled to be up here anyway. The view is amazing over there the cliffs down there is the elbow and in the background you can see can extend fortress. Ive admired the rocks from afar now i want to go up so i take a beginners climbing course with the guide we need to get and where better sex in switzerland is the birthplace of rock climbing you know. So. We get started at parent lee you can climb better without shoes im pretty nervous. Will i overcome my fear of heights. The guy premier leads the way first an easy climb to the peak so. He shows us how its done. Weve nearly made it to the top and. Now we just relax and enjoy the view. Time for apps ailing thats the challenge for me and my fear. This brave guy goes first so. You know. What my nerves are on edge so fortunately guinea is also a certified psychologist. On a small. This really starts to shrink he says ive already done the worst bit getting myself into positioning im not sure about that it takes everything ive got but here i go. I even dare to film with my cellphone. And finally i made it. Ah. Im a little sweaty maybe you can see that its because its really high and i was a little afraid. And it was exhausting at the same time but im really proud that i made it. And comparison the next activity is pretty easy. But what. Would. Now my journey leads me to him to help of a town full of charming traditional houses. A boat trip that starts nearby takes you over the river can that which marks the border to the Czech Republic. Our guide young used to be a policeman in prague he seems pretty chilled out now and. If you go right youre in germany if you go left here in the Czech Republic. Thats where we are now. But our passports wont be checked obvious kind of pasco. On the czech side is a region called me in switzerland. There are also steep cliffs. The ravine of the community is situated in the heart of the national park. A special phone has grown on the rock faces. I take a few moments to relax and enjoy the ride before we get back to the dock. At the very end i stop for a bite to eat at the bumbo tim and i have a final view over the mountains. The head chef serves baked goats cheese with local ingredients. And he also takes me over a hill top on the back on. The bridge right behind the restaurant looks quite familiar to me its called little bus type. Office it is. A famous table mountain. The landscape of sex in switzerland is pretty impressive even though not everywhere is as peaceful as it used to be back in the romantic era i cannot paint but i can take some pictures. The second stop on our check in special edition is one hundred ninety kilometers further along the elba river and the call for girlish is headed for. The town where Martin Luther once lived and worked. In the charming little town in saxony on hold is the place to be in germany this year people are coming here from all over the world to celebrate the five hundredth anniversary of the reformation today my view is at least as beautiful as it was five hundred years ago when Martin Luther used to live here back then people came from far and just to hear him teach and because of his place in history i still do. My service. Shop is the Market Square which has always been the heart and soul of the town. Just a few minutes away its the most important site in the history of the reformation all Saints Church also known as the castle church. As ever and surrounded by crowds of tourists from all over the globe this is the door Martin Luther is said to have nailed his ninety five be told where thirty first fifty seventeen today its hard to say whether that is really what happened but one thing is for sure they didnt change the course of history. I want to know why. You know. Im president today so you Christian Langen is the director of the Old Latin School study and visitor center. Back is to protestants what rome is to catholics and thats all because of these famous theses. But at the end of the day all of that was just words many people couldnt read but how did he manage to get a revolution going and change all of christianity. You touched on another really important part of the reformation which was the language and before everything was hauled in latin and people can understand the common person to know how to read or write and they couldnt hear what the the pastor the priest bishop was preaching actually and so Martin Luther had a big focus on the language and he really unified the german language translated the bible from the latin version to german a big push was to have it in the language of the people through that and through social media of the day so printings wood carvings songs that people remember a focus on catechism catechism and learning thats really how it spread and to focus on in the home not just in the church but the leaders of each household really teach and its you know its a parents responsibility its not just the priest or the pastors responsibility. My next stop is a former monastery where luther lived the prince in leicester had given it to the reformer because he needed so much space for his extensive work. The magnificent lectern takes pride of place. There was always a lot going on at least there is no. You have to picture this as a sort of commune luther lived here with us weiss and his six children but its also where you lectured students from all over europe thats what he did in this auditorium and those who could afford it even spend the night and luthers everybody wanted to be as close as possible to the man himself. One of the highlights of the house is the originally preserved parlor this is where luther hosted his famous dinners with plenty of food followed by philosophical debates his guests took notes which is why many of his quotes have survived like this one he loves not wine women and song remains a fool his whole life long. This archway leads to a place that Martin Luther mustve known all too well the estates of lucas kind of the elder a man will greatly contributed to the spreading of luthers ideas. How to cause a smart businessman pharmacist publican the mayor but above all painter a man of talent and influence. Lol. Oh under asked medscape gets visitors here every day his historical printing shop features portraits of all the reformations big players including. And Martin Luther. As has his own theory about why the two reformers came to cooperate lets hop on the time machine its fifteen seventeen and luther species have been nailed to the door of the church but what happens next when you do a little of the other species lasted about a day and a half on the door because of the bad weather there was a debate in the town hall about how to make it easier for people to read most their species. Well just on that one man stood up. The elder about he said friends im not just a painter i also have a Printing Press give me the text and some money. And thats how in fifteen seventeen became the reformations first printer heres a small copy of the ninety five theses. With this product realize the popularity of luthers ideas he told luther that he would print whatever he wrote. In. The comments later put out a collection of luthers writings and a series of pamphlets such as on the freedom of a christian man like this. And thats how looters ideas spread throughout the german speaking world. And people kept asking who is this Martin Luther what does he look like that gave the idea to paint like this portrait to be he said i am an artist. So in a sense mediaval multimedia expert can also functioned as the reformations p. R. Manager. The last visitors of the day arrive at all Saints Church time to take stock of my trip. If youre interested at all in Martin Luther and the exciting times of reformation you should definitely plan a visit to back its full of locations that bear testimony to the religious revolution and you can even lay your head down in some of the places where history once took its course and that is exactly what im going to do now i have a room at that kind of hole. The last stop on our journey down the oba takes us even further north. Im in the seat of brandenburg and bought vishniac about a two hour drive northwest of berlin i want to explore the elba 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 fifteen 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 where every 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. The other river is one thousand two hundred kilometers long ive chosen to ride a stretch of the trail. And brandenburg. My first stop is that a socalled storage village in northwestern brandenburg every year more than thirty breeding pairs hatched and raise their young here this year it was over one hundred. Grew up and works as a ranger. How did you wish to become a stork village he unleashed it is here and rushed at thirty five years ago we had more returning storks than we had nests. And they competed fiercely for those that were there. When and then three or four young men got together and said ok well do something about it well set up a new nest tomorrow. From one day to the next from one day to the next the decision took place in the pub. That loose group of four men became the stork club the people from rooster who promoted the story population here in the village with nests. And off they also made sure there was enough food for the birds as their numbers increased when we were pioneers in many ways. That. Claims to mean that the storks returned to their nests every year and that they have a pretty progressive division of labor. And how long do they need to get their nests and. It goes pretty fast if its well prepared when they return the male finishes the nest and waits for the females and if all goes well shell come a few days later and they mate during the first week then she starts laying eggs. It all takes fourteen days and then they both sit on the eggs. I both of them yep. Storks invented gender equality. For women they both incubate them. They take turns and they both feed the young in a specific rhythm to. My next stop is. Along the elbow youll find not only pristine nature but also Industrial Monuments the sewing machine factory and that in fact was built in one thousand nine hundred three by the american Singer Company three thousand people used to work here. In baggies industrial past contribute to its present charm. And of the life if we take the sewing machine factory for instance we have industrial architecture that ranges from the early to the mid twentieth century. And most of the people who come here to you know the name singer and say we must really 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 with that interests people and its well worth seeing. This. Towns main landmark is also here on the complex the clock tower from one thousand nine hundred twenty eight is still the biggest of its kind in germany. The Industrial History of it in baghdad began in the Nineteenth Century with this oil mill. And a spouse and a new use as a hotel. And restaurant. Back on my bike this time with company who but some off it is going to explain to me why this stretch of has a Bad Reputation and why changes were made after disastrous floods. The autonomous the place where were standing is set to be treacherous why is that you know as it is its treacherous because right in front of us the album makes a ninety degree bend and when theres a flood that can be disastrous for the levee were standing on. That is when a large amount of water surges straight at the levee the levee can break fortunately a new one has been built behind us that holds the water back despite that they had a lot of what doesnt over ok ok so this is the original dike and the one over there is the new one. Is 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 dike back. To the light of the news there. But for the. Now im off again cycling can be so at. No noise no cars. Moments like this are also part of the elvis cycle routes there are no bridges for long stretches of the river here so you have to cross it by ferry. One leg knowing. I made it i reached my destination my last stop on the el the cycle around its legs and. Because lengthen is one of the oldest towns in North Western brandenburg it has a castle tower with a wonderful view of the beautiful surroundings. Following the course of beale the 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. From dan straight. To. The japanese food. Its a neat trick. The green moral truth question and assuming you mean. Street. Fifty. Zero and. Where does it come from. To is of. Starting october fifteenth on w and on line nationalists are on the rise. To make your country great. It is their slogan their focus put your nation first i am taking a road trip to highlights different shades of nationalism and to find out what that nation mean to you. The serious story join the conversation here on to w unto itself and on facebook. 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