Hidden underneath the streets of Paris - almost forgotten among the catacombs, sewers, and metro tunnels - is an old subterranean canal. But where does it go? What is it for? And more importantly, how do you get down there? I decided to find out... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ TUNNEL CRUISES Paris Canal - https://www.pariscanal.com/ (Includes River Seine as far as Musée d'Orsay) Canauxrama - https://www.canauxrama.com/ (Cruise ends at Bassin de l'Arsenal)

Yes, there is a European Tram Driver Championships. Yes, it is amazing. Massive thanks to @tram-em1847 and @VGFChannel for not only letting a cheeky YouTuber invite himself to their event, but also allowing him to go on the loose with a behind-the-scenes press pass. INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ LINKS Tram-EM - www.youtube.com/@tram-em1847 VGF - www.youtube.com/@VGFChannel VGF on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/vgf_allefahrenmit

Saturday 14th September is the day of the 2024 European Tram Driver Championships! And because I know my audience, I thought you might like to know there is an OFFICIAL LIVE STREAM ON YOUTUBE starting at 11am. Tbh this video is more a public service announcement than anything else. OFFICIAL LIVE STREAMS HERE: English - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nWeSxnFALo Deutsch - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQUG44aCA74

Imagine what it would be like to be there when it happens... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ THE SWEEPER PODCAST On Twitter: https://twitter.com/SweeperPod On Apple podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-sweeper-a-world-football-podcast/id1557926870 On Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7j6UfGCD5EtkdhOZpD55jS

Ok, it's a bit late for a Paris Olympics video, but if you're going to be late, you may as well be 124 years late right? The original 1900 Paris Olympics was the most straight-up bonkers Olympics in the history of the Olympics, so today I'm going on a mission to explain the absolute silliest events while visiting the exact locations where they happened. INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ CREDITS "Cricket given Olympic status for 2028 Los Angeles Games" by AP - https://apnews.com/article/olympics-los-angeles-2028-cricket-flag-football-46ee51b40a0580007935668e41c21151 Cricket photo by Prescott Pym - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pollock_to_Hussey.jpg Ukrainian field by Ilya Dobrych on Flickr - https://www.flickr.com/photos/dobrych/2716662543

Yes, it's time for another IMPORTANT QUESTION. Why is the French national anthem called "La Marseillaise"? The song isn't about Marseille, the lyrics never mention Marseille, and the music isn't from Marseille either. So how exactly did it end up being named after the city? I travelled to France's beautiful south coast to investigate... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/

Yes! Today we're visiting the only university on earth with its own suspended monorail. But, er... why exactly does a University need its own suspended monorail? MORE VIDEOS FOR YOUR DELECTATION Schwebebahn: Why Wuppertal's Trains Are Much Cooler Than Yours - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IFh6wFTJiQ The Düsseldorf Dangletrain: Why Does Germany Build Suspended Monorails (When Almost Nobody Else Does?) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeYTtlXywUI Pod Cars of the Past and Future: The Morgantown PRT by @TomScottGo - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iaSaWfw07Sw INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/

In early 1968, Britain launched a revolutionary new form of sea transport: the giant SRN4-class hovercraft. They are the largest passenger hovercraft ever built, and they could fly between England and France in just 30 minutes - three times faster than anything else on the water. So why don't we have anything like them any more? MORE INFO The Hovercraft Museum: https://www.hovercraft-museum.org/ The museum's "Support Us" page, if you'd like to help them out: https://www.hovercraft-museum.org/support-us/ IMAGE CREDITS https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:HoverSpeed_Great_Britain.jpg https://www.flickr.com/photos/widnes_road/52275121709 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sealink_ferries_Horsa_and_Maid_of_Orleans,_Dover,_1973.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eurotunnel_Coquelles_2008.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Princess_Anne_Wellington_2023.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CountryLink_Coach_%28side_view%29.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Princess_Anne_at_discus_medal_ceremony_-_Commonwealth_Games_1974_(2).jpg

In one corner of southern Switzerland, there is a tiny piece of Italy that seems to have accidentally broken off from the rest of the country. So what is it doing there? I travelled to beautiful Lake Lugano to see for myself... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ IMAGE CREDITS Mario Botta by Sanyam Bahga - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MarioBotta.JPG Chess pieces by Michael Maggs - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Chess_piece_-_White_pawn.JPG Milanese Arch by Filip Maljković - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Triumphal_arch_in_Milan_(8870285141).jpg The Venetian Las Vegas by Stefan Wagener - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Las_Vegas_%2822096749969%29.jpg "Venetian" gondolier by Martijn Nijenhuis - https://www.flickr.com/photos/martijnnijenhuis/5062323364 Croissant by Skopp - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Croissant,_whole.jpg – Skopp "Paris" by Ken Lund - https://www.flickr.com/photos/kenlund/66688746 Swissminiatur by Ilario - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Swiss_miniatur_1.jpg

Yes! It's the second - and therefore almost certainly final - episode of my exciting new series about 1920s factory rooftop test tracks. And today, we are visiting the village of Nessonvaux in Belgium to find out what happened to the old Impéria factory and its historic circuit... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ MORE INFO Excellent video by @Retroschaft exploring more of the track and its history - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NFaRzjKLZs Article by DHnet announcing plans to redevelop the site (from 2019) - https://www.dhnet.be/archives-journal/2004/08/05/une-fameuse-histoire-GJAUNDFDQJFFTPGYQHUTCCTRXI/ IMAGE CREDITS Historic images of the circuit by Musée Impéria - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057654789817

In 1923, the city of Turin unveiled a huge new car factory, with one very special feature: it had a high-speed circuit on the roof, complete with banked curves, and two 500m-long straights. The world had never seen anything like it before. But why would you put a racetrack on the roof of a factory? I travelled to northern Italy to see it for myself... MORE INFO Official page on the Pinacoteca Agnelli website - https://www.pinacoteca-agnelli.it/en/pista-500/ "Lingotto: Myths, Mechanisation and Automobiles" by John Cook - https://www.academia.edu/14362388/Lingotto_Myths_Mechanisation_and_Automobiles INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ IMAGE CREDITS Historic Lingotto images by Carlo Maggio used under license from Alamy Giacomo Matté-Trucco - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Matt%C3%A9-Trucco.jpg Fiat's original factory on Corso Dante - https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichier:Fiat_corso_dante.jpg 1920s theatre by charmainezoe - https://www.flickr.com/photos/charmainezoe/8529360476 Aerial photo of Fiat Mirafiori factory - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stabilimento_Fiat_Mirafiori,_veduta_aerea,_Torino_1942_-_san_dl_SAN_IMG-00001319.jpg

Over the last few years, Stockholm has been introducing a fleet of shiny new trains on the city's metro system. And it didn't take long for people to notice they had some cheeky hidden features... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/

If you've ever been to the Louvre, you may have stumbled across a small disc bearing the word "Arago" and the letters "N" and "S" - or in other words, the exact location of the old Paris Meridian. But what's the story there? How close did Paris ever get to becoming THE meridian? And why did we end up with Greenwich instead? I decided to investigate... ALSO STARRING Jay Foreman - www.youtube.com/@JayForeman Walking route here - https://maps.app.goo.gl/jyGGXXu1u2NvdTt36 INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ IMAGE CREDITS https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Observatoire_de_Paris,_24_January_2016.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roundabout_sign_on_A580_East_Lancs_road_-_geograph.org.uk_-_4348969.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Colosseo_2020.jpg

This video is the second and final part of a paid collaboration with Visit Oslo, and today they've asked me to show you one of the city's many cultural and historical attractions. So, predictably, I've gone straight to the the Oslo Transport Museum. Transport Museum official website - https://sporveismuseet.no/english/ Transport Museum page on VisitOslo.com - https://www.visitoslo.com/en/product/?tlp=2983893&name=Oslo-Transport-Museum The Tim Traveller Map - https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=18Avv8ENKUFllJieGN568CSVIYZr6oIcb INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/

This video is a paid collaboration with Visit Oslo, and I've no idea how I've got away with it. But anyway: at the northern end of Oslo's Line 1, there are two stations which are connected not just by the Metro, but also by the toboggan track from the 1955 World Luge Championships. So which one gets you there faster: metro, or toboggan? There's only one way to find out: I hired a toboggan. (I do not know how to toboggan.) INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ Visit Oslo - https://www.visitoslo.com/en/ Visit Oslo's Korketrekkeren page - https://www.visitoslo.com/en/product/?tlp=2984443&name=Toboggan-run-Korketrekkeren Visit Oslo Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/visitoslo/ Visit Oslo Twitter - https://twitter.com/visitoslo Visit Oslo Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/VisitOslo

I don't usually like hanging around in underpasses. Except this one... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/

Recently, I discovered what might just be France's silliest holiday home: a small two-story house built on the top of an industrial chimney. So obviously I booked a night there immediately. INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ LINKS IF YOU WANT TO BOOK A STAY English - https://www.levoyageanantes.fr/en/accommodations/villa-cheminee/ Français - https://www.levoyageanantes.fr/hebergements/villa-cheminee/

Yes, once again, this channel asks the REAL questions. But with at least 4 different countries claiming the record for the world's biggest Christmas tree, which one is actually the largest? I travelled to The Netherlands to see one of the main contenders... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ Drone shots thanks to Wiebe de Jager & Chris van Vleuten Wiebe's drone channel - https://www.youtube.com/@wdejager Original video here - https://twitter.com/chrisvanvleuten/status/1733723628015931567 On-stage button-pressing footage thanks to Tom Heuvel (https://reismeester.com/) & Patrick van Domburg (Mayor of IJsselstein)

The French Cup is legendary (among nerds) for having the longest away trips in club football. That’s because they allow teams from France’s overseas territories to enter - and play against teams from the mainland. But how does this actually work? And what are the games like? There's only one way to find out... A massive thanks to Lee, Paul, and The Sweeper Podcast! You can listen to the episode where they talk about the French Cup here: Apple Podcasts - http://apple.co/47wvsg3 Amazon Podcasts - http://amzn.to/47ALq8T Spotify - http://spoti.fi/3RkjkJf FC Saint Méziéry - https://www.facebook.com/fcstmeziery AS Pirae - https://www.facebook.com/piraefootball INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ CREDITS Tahitian Ukulele Loops by @altblankn1448 - https://soundpacks.com/free-sound-packs/tahitian-ukulele-loop-pack/

We've all heard of the dreaded "Rail Replacement Bus". But what if we had Rail Replacement Helicopters instead? Well, in one small village in central Switzerland, they already do. I went to Linthal to experience it myself... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ MORE INFO Video by @TomScottGo about the car-free resort of Zermatt: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2oD1ZHNMFE Braunwaldbahn official page: https://braunwald.ch/de/planen-buchen/bergbahnen/standseilbahn.html Heli-Linth, operators of the Rail Replacement Helicopter: https://www.heli-linth.ch/index.html

Germany is famously home to some of the largest vehicles on the planet: the oversized Bagger excavators. But because these monsters usually live in active coal mines, you are usually unable to get anywhere near them. Which is why I've come to an abandoned mine instead... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ MORE INFO Ferropolis official site - https://www.ferropolis.de/en/ "Why the World's Largest Land Vehicle Exists" by @halfasinteresting - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESWenFTol4M Extremely informative video about the Bagger 288 by @rathergoodstuff - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azEvfD4C6ow The Bagger 288 crossing a rail line to get from one mine to another - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-B0MugvXUAA Drift racing at Ferropolis - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13WxR2vqhJY

Last time we checked, the Aerotrain museum was about to be demolished, the Cityrama bus was about to be restored, and the ghost metro of Noisy-le-Grand was about to be redeveloped. But what has happened since? I think it's about time we had some updates... LINKS Univem museum - https://univem-paris.com/en/ Latest updates on the Cityrama restoration project from the Normandy Classics Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/normandyclassics France 3 programme "Vroum" visits the Cityrama in Granville [requires signup to FranceTV, and if you are outside France, a VPN] - https://www.france.tv/france-3/normandie/vroum/5271120-granville.html Cityrama restoration fundraiser - https://www.fondation-patrimoine.org/les-projets/cityrama Noisy-le-Grand official website with details of the event on Sat 21st October - https://www.noisylegrand.fr/ Noisy-le-Grand ghost metro event on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/events/1496821427761883/

Čierny Balog is famous for having the only league football ground with a steam railway running through it. But it also has the only steam railway that runs through a league football ground! So what exactly is the story behind this unique piece of track? I took a ride on football's most famous train, and there's a whole lot more to the tale than just a viral video clip... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ MORE INFO - The railway's official website (please note, SK pages are updated much more regularly than EN ones): https://www.chz.sk/ - History of the railway on the official site: https://www.chz.sk/sk/chz/historia-chld/ - More detailled history by engineer Aleš Bilek, who is now director of the railway: https://www.rail.sk/arp/slovakia/history/h900-2.htm - News article about the developer who blocked the railway earlier in 2023: https://zdopravy.cz/ciernohronska-zeleznice-uspela-u-soudu-s-developerem-zatarasy-z-unikatni-trati-pres-fotbalove-hriste-zmizi-166235/

We've all seen that viral video of the football team who have a steam train running through their stadium. But where exactly is this magical place? How DID a railway end up running through the middle of a football ground? And what is it like if you turn up for their biggest match of the season? I travelled to central Slovakia to experience the magic for myself... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ LINKS TJ Tatran Čierny Balog's official Facebook page (in Slovak) - https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057654901106 The railway's official website - https://www.chz.sk/en/ Ellis's video on the @awaydaysfootball channel - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RqY17jeWxA Peter's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/peterbercik The original source of the viral video, "Steam train rides through the football field in Jánošovka" by vlareha - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RPF4TezIno IMAGE CREDITS Slovak bus by ŠJů - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zvolen,_Arway_SAD_Zvolen.jpg Roman Skuhravý by podbrezovan.sk - http://www.podbrezovan.sk/trener-roman-skuhravy-kazdy-zapas-bude-narocny/

In a small suburb an hour west of Paris, there is a park shaped exactly like a miniature France. But why is it there? Who let a bunch of geography nerds build a park? I went out into the wild western suburbs to find out more... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/

It's about time we climbed this one isn't it? INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ MORE INFO ON THE RAILWAY https://snowdonrailway.co.uk/

Cable tramways - or in North America, cable cars - were once common in cities across the United States. But famously, San Francisco is the only American city that still operates them today. Less famously, the United Kingdom used to have cable tramways too. And one of them still survives! But why did all the others die out? I went to the Welsh San Francisco to find out more... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ MORE INFO: https://greatorme.org.uk/tramhistory.html IMAGE CREDITS Cable car grip mechanism by HaeB - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grip_of_a_cable_car,_jaws_closed_(at_the_SF_Cable_Car_Museum).jpg Seattle Bus - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1937_Ford_Transit_Bus_in_Seattle,_when_new.jpg

A stunning medieval fortress town, on the edge on a bright pink lake. It looks like a fantasy location from a Disney film - and yet it's real, and it's in France. But what exactly makes a lake turn pink? And is it natural? I hopped on a TGV to go and have a closer look... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ IMAGE CREDITS Lake Hiller by Aussie Oc - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Lake_Hillier_2_Middle_Island_Recherche_Archipelago_NR_IV-2011.JPG https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Laguna_Rosada_2_Of_4_Yucatan_Mexico_%28248352743%29.jpeg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Microorganisms_from_the_hypersaline_Lake_Tyrrell.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flamant_rose_Salines_de_Thyna.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carrot#/media/File:Carrots_at_Ljubljana_Central_Market.JPG https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%CE%92-Carotene_powder.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Artemia_salina_6.jpg

For half a century after it closed down, the old Berlin Tempelhof railyard was completely sealed off from humans. During that time it became a haven for wildlife, and a tiny lost world on the edge of the city. But in 2000, it reopened - this time, as a protected nature reserve. I went to the German capital to explore it for myself... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/

At the back of a car park, a few minutes from the historic centre of Brno, is a giant old stadium, that has been abandoned ever since FC Zbrojovka Brno were forced to move out "temporarily" in 2001. But why did they leave? How has it survived demolition? And what's the story about the former player and the fans who brought it back to life for one final match in 2015? VIDEO LINKS Boby Brno v Slavia Praha 1996 by @OldZbrojovaci - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lN_EpkDl4vM The 2015 Petr Svancara farewell match by @FanKometa - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04SsJ1O_juw INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ SOURCE ARTICLES AND FURTHER READING DNES article about the latest developments between Petr Svancara and the City of Brno (in Czech): https://www.idnes.cz/brno/zpravy/stadion-luzanky-svancara-schuzka-mesto-posudek-pronajem.A230405_163451_brno-zpravy_krut DNES article on the Lubomir "Boby" Hrstka story (in Czech): https://www.idnes.cz/brno/zpravy/megalomanske-kralovstvi-za-luzankami-srazilo-hrstkovi-vaz.A101004_151813_brno-zpravy_dmk "What happened to Boby Hrstka" on Blesk.cz (in Czech) - https://isport.blesk.cz/clanek/fotbal/411198/byvaly-boss-boby-brno-hrstka-snili-jsme-o-titulu-co-dela-dnes.html IMAGE CREDITS Lubomir Hrstka by iDNES.cz - https://www.idnes.cz/brno/zpravy/foto/DMK363e03_1220872.jpg.JPG Petr Švancara by David Sedlecký - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Petr_%C5%A0vancara_(2012).jpg Karel Kroupa by David Sedlecký - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Karel_Kroupa_2015.JPG https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Petr_%C5%A0vancara_(2012).jpg

On the Straussee lake, 30km east of Berlin, you will find something that exists nowhere else in Europe: a ferry powered by an overhead electric power line. But why would you ever power a ferry with a live overhead wire? I went to Strausberg to find out more... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ IMAGE CREDITS Ukrainian electric train by George Chernilevsky - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Locomotive_ChS4-109_2012_G1.jpg Paris tram by Chabe01 - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tram_Station_Tramway_IdF_Ligne_6_Pav%C3%A9_Blanc_-_Clamart_%28FR92%29_-_2021-01-03_-_2.jpg Trolleybus in Pardubice by Gerfriedc - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Catenaryswitch.jpg Sigmund Jähn by Peter Koard / Bundesarchiv - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sigmund_Jahn_cropped.jpg Buena Vista Ferry by Ian Poellet - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Buena_Vista_Ferry_-_Oregon.jpg Canby Ferry by Deloreanman14 - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Canby_Ferry_1.jpg Wheatland Ferry by EncMstr - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wheatland_Ferry_approaching_east_landing_P2326.jpeg Hassmersheim Ferry by Balou46 - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:BW-hassmersheim-faehre-02.jpg Tunnel de Mauvages by Ketounette - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tunnel_de_Mauvages9.jpg Riqueval Tunnel electric tug boat by Johnragla - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Riqueval_Tunnel_electric_tug.jpg Kastellet Ferry by Chris J Wood - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vaxholm_2017-09-08_13.20.22.jpg

What do you get if you cross a burger restaurant with a model railway? I went to the Vienna branch of "Vytopna", a Czech burger chain, to find the answer... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ IMAGE CREDITS Apple Strudel photo by che - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Strudel.jpg

In 1973, a new hotel opened outside the city of Liberec, in what was then Czechoslovakia. And it looked like nothing anyone had seen before. So what does look like inside? How did it win one of the biggest prizes in architecture? And why was its designer banned from the official opening? I travelled to Liberec to find out more... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ WITH THANKS TO Milena Lánská / Hotel Ještěd - https://www.jested.cz/en MORE INFO Jiří Jiroutek / Fenomen Ještěd - https://fenomenjested.com/phenomenom-jested Petr Vorlík - https://journals.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/index.php/icomoshefte/article/view/75098/68771 "Building Of The Century" by visitliberec.eu - https://www.visitliberec.eu/en/vse-o-liberci/horsky-hotel-jested-stavba-stoleti/ Financial Times article on the building - https://www.ft.com/content/69a0a1f8-8060-11dd-99a9-000077b07658 2013 article by expats.cz talking about the planned restoration - https://www.expats.cz/czech-news/article/restoring-an-iconic-bar-to-its-retro-glory IMAGE CREDITS Antonín Novotný by Harry Pot / Dutch National Archives - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anton%C3%ADn_Novotn%C3%BD_1968.jpg Tuned Mass Damper from Taipei 101 - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tuned_mass_damper_-_Taipei_101_-_Wikimania_2007_0224.jpg Czech "tourists" - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Expozice_podnik%C5%AF_%C4%8CSSR_1972a.jpg 1970s-era Hotel - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:N%C3%A1rodn%C3%A1_kult%C3%BArna_pamiatka._Hotel_Morava,_Tatransk%C3%A1_Lomnica_WMP_19_Slovakia17.jpg 1970s Czech aeroplane by Lars Soderstrom - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:CSA_Tupolev_Tu-124_Soderstrom-3.jpg

In 1999, the eastern French city of Nancy decided to replace its ageing trolleybuses with an experimental new type of tram: the TVR. It was just like a normal tram, except it had rubber wheels, only one rail, and if wanted, it could run off the rail completely and turn into a bus. Basically, it was brilliant. So why are they getting rid of it? INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ A BIG THANK YOU TO: Siyana Pavlova Vincent Tourneur Adrian Fuentes Cat Nicholson MORE INFO Excellent video by RMTransit about the wider subject of rubber-tyred trams: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCyIpIXA4zQRM Local news article about the new trolleybus (and the retirement of the TVR) - https://www.grandnancy.eu/se-deplacer/actualite-ligne-1 Article by Urban Transport Magazine on the story - https://www.urban-transport-magazine.com/en/nancy-tram-project-postponed-the-trolleybus-is-to-come-back/ IMAGE CREDITS Line 1 route map - www.reseau-stan.com Nancy macaroons - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Macaron_de_Nancy_-_IMG_2841.JPG

Where is the world's biggest toilet? Yes, once again, this channel asks the important questions. I went to Germany's beautiful Black Forest region to find the answer... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ MORE INFO WRTV Indianapolis video about the World's Largest Toilet in Columbus, Indiana - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTlsOTh5Y1s Article about Japan's claim to the World's Largest Toilet - https://allabout-japan.com/en/article/617/ Article about India's claim to the World's Largest Toilet - https://www.indiatoday.in/lifestyle/buzz-top/story/world-biggest-toilet-pot-unveiled-haryana-trump-village-lifest-1090139-2017-11-20 The World's Largest Toilet on Simpsons Wiki - https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/World%27s_Largest_Toilet IMAGE CREDITS Photo of Franz Kook used under license from Alamy Stock Photo - https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-franz-kook-ceo-of-the-duravit-ag-shown-at-a-bathroom-exhibition-of-54018310.html Phillippe Starck by jikatu (Jimmy Baikovicius) - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Phillippe_Starck_2011.jpg "Welcome to Swindon" by Roger Cornfoot - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Welcome_to_Swindon_-_geograph.org.uk_-_303432.jpg

Anyone got a spare warehouse? Sign the petition - https://www.change.org/p/aidez-nous-%C3%A0-sauver-le-patrimoine-de-la-lib%C3%A9ration Donate to Univem - https://www.paypal.me/univem Contact Univem with offers of large empty buildings (and/or serious business partnerships) - https://univem-paris.com/contact/ Aerotrain archive footage thanks to Les Amis de l'Ingénieur Jean Bertin - https://www.jean-bertin.fr/

What do you do if you really want to go downhill skiing, but you live in a country that has no mountains? Well if you're Danish, you build an enormous power plant, slap a slope on the roof, and go skiing down that instead. I went to Copenhagen to try it for myself... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ MORE INFO Copenhill official website - https://www.copenhill.dk/en @wireduk video about Copenhill, including an interview with the architect - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOqocj2h6EM @CityBeautiful video going into MUCH more detail about Copenhill's heat production and the concept of district heating - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8Khzns0KIk Dezeen article about the opening of Copenhill - https://www.dezeen.com/2019/10/08/big-copenhill-power-plant-ski-slope-copenhagen/ Building.co.uk article about the project - https://www.building.co.uk/buildings/projects-copenhill-ski-slope-and-energy-from-waste-plant-copenhagen/5102285.article IMAGE CREDITS Olympic skiier by John Wick - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Andrej_%C5%A0porn_at_the_2010_Winter_Olympic_downhill.jpg

In February 2005, Denmark discovered that its highest point wasn't actually its highest point. This was a bit of a surprise - but to be fair, the same thing had happened in 1953. And 1924. And 1847. But how can it be so difficult to find your highest point? Or does the point actually change? Does the mountain somehow move to a different spot every few decades? I went to Denmark to find out for myself... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ MORE INFO The full story on the official Ejer Bavnehøj website (in Danish) - https://ejer-Bavnehøj.dk/historien-om-ejer-bavnehoej/ IMAGE CREDITS https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Panorama_himmelbjerget.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Himmelbjerget_2005_(edit).jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Drone_image_of_Ejer_Bavneh%C3%B8j.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Genforeningst%C3%A5rnet_p%C3%A5_Ejer_Bavneh%C3%B8j.jpgDenmark Cannot Decide Where Its Highest Point Is

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! Last month, the 300,000th person subscribed to this channel. And we all know what that means: it's Q&A time. Now, where would be a good place to do a Tim Traveller Q&A video...? INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ David Bennett's excellent music theory channel here: @DavidBennettPiano

It's World Cup Final day, and Paris has decided to rename one of its metro stations... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/

In 1910, two beardy Belgians started a project: to collect the entirety of human knowledge in one place, and make it available to everyone. It sounds a lot like the Wikipedia or Google - but unfortunately, no-one had invented web servers or home computers yet. So instead, they ended up creating the world's greatest filing cabinet. I travelled to the city of Mons to see the beast for myself, and find out more about its incredible story... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ FURTHER INFO "The web that time forgot", New York Times - https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/17/health/17iht-17mund.13760031.html "Mundaneum: the Belgian archive that anticipated the internet" - The Independent - https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/mundaneum-paper-google-mons-internet-global-city-belgium-wallonia-a8368161.html CREDITS Palais du Cinquaintenaire Panorama by Redvers - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cinquantenaire_Park_panorama.jpg Parc du Cinquantenaire photo by Ben2 - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Parc_du_Cinquantenaire_30-05-06.JPG Vint Cerf by Duncan Hull / The Royal Society - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6b/Dr_Vint_Cerf_ForMemRS.jpg Bob Kahn by Veni Markovski - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bob_Kahn.jpg The Internet by Martin Deutsch - https://www.flickr.com/photos/teflon/3190769121 Bakelite telephone by digitalmuseum.se - https://digitaltmuseum.se/011024979267/telefonapparat Gramophone by Museo della Scienza e della Tecnologia "Leonardo da Vinci" | Alessandro Nassiri - https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Victor_Talking_Machine_Company#Media/File:Grammofono_-_Victor_IV_-_Museo_scienza_e_tecnologia_Milano.jpg Early 50s TV set by John Atherton - https://www.flickr.com/photos/gbaku/2300379755 Bob Taylor by Gardner Campbell - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bob_Taylor_in_2008.jpg

They invited me back to the abandoned metro station in Noisy-le-Grand, and asked if I wanted to go down the tunnel. Bit of a silly question really, isn't it? But the more we explore, and the more we find out, the weirder the story gets... The official SK Noisy-le-Grand Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/127886987865697 More info about the exhibition and station tours - https://www.espacemichelsimon.fr/la-saison/exposition-metro-sk-5725 Booking hotline, if you want to try your luck: (+33) 01 49 31 02 02 That archive footage from 1997 in full - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMHW9cEAO78 INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/

The city of Basel is home to four ferries that have been shuttling across the river Rhine for nearly 150 years. But unlike most ferries, they have no engines. Or sails. Or paddles. Instead, they use two bits of wire, and the laws of basic physics. So how exactly do they work? I went to Switzerland to find out... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ FURTHER INFO The Basel ferries on www.basel.com - https://www.basel.com/en/activities-excursions/ferries Reaction ferries on Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reaction_ferry Tom Scott's excellent video on the same subject - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6utGZQ9Sks

In 1993, the eastern Paris suburb of Noisy-le-Grand (yes, really) built an unusual and revolutionary new mini metro. One problem though: the business district it was supposed to serve never got constructed, and the line was never used. In the 30 years since it was supposed to open, hardly anyone has ever been allowed to see it. Until now... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ IMAGE CREDITS Christian Pellerin photo used under license from Alamy - https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/christian-pellerin.html La Défense by ZarlokX - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:La_D%C3%A9fense_vue_depuis_la_Tour_Eiffel.png Coulommiers bus by COUVRAT Sylvain - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Transdev_Darche_Gros_Iveco_Crossway_DJ-920-KB_(77)_n%C2%B022982.jpg Versailles bus by PR180.2 - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mercedes_Citaro_96_STAVO,_ligne_44,_Versailles.jpg Cergy-Pontoise bus by Florian Fèvre - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Heuliez_GX_327_n%C2%B0119_Cergy_le_Haut.jpg Marne-la-Vallée bus by Occitandu34 - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Iveco_Evadys_Pro_Cars_n%C2%B0336_sur_la_ligne_50_du_r%C3%A9seau_Seine-et-Marne_Express_arrivant_%C3%A0_l%27arr%C3%AAt_Marne-la-Vall%C3%A9e_Chessy_RER.jpg

Hidden away in a city park just 15 minutes from central Glasgow, almost overgrown with trees and weeds, are the remains of what looks like an old football stadium. But what was this place? And what happened to it? I went to Scotland to visit the legendary Cathkin Park... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ MORE INFO Cathkin Park Limited on Twitter (some great archive images here!) - https://twitter.com/cathkinpark Sam from the excellent @Footy Adventures visiting a snowy Cathkin in winter 2021 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OuYLwHASezk Glasgow Times article with more detail about Bill Hiddleston and the demise of Third Lanark - https://www.glasgowtimes.co.uk/sport/other_football/15167547.conman-chairman-bill-hiddleston-cheated-justice-after-driving-third-lanark-to-the-wall-in-scotlands-greatest-footballing-year/ IMAGE CREDITS Hampden Bowling Club by Footballfactsandimages - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Site_of_First_Hampden_Park_at_Hampden_Bowling_Club.jpg Hampden Park in 2021 by daniel0685 - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_new_normal_at_Hampden.jpg

In 2019, in a small town in southern Spain, a group of women started to crochet a giant woolly blanket. Not for themselves; not for their friends or families; but for their local shopping street. Four years later, the blanket has reached 500 square metres and the unstoppable grannies have already started on a second street. Why are they doing it? And how big will it get? I went to Andalusia to witness the woolly wonder for myself... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ MORE INFO The story of the giant blanket on the town's official website (in Spanish) - https://alhaurindelatorre.es/las-tejedoras-del-gran-toldo-de-la-calle-malaga/ Article in SUR about the copycat crochet canopy being made in New Iberia, Louisiana, USA - https://www.surinenglish.com/malaga/guadalhorce-valley/alhaurin-crochet-awning-20220225130045-ntvo.html CREDITS Photo of Alhaurín de la Torre town hall by Juan de Vojníkov - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Alhaur%C3%ADn_de_la_Torre_town_hall,_Spain.JPG Costa del Sol beach footage by Fran

It's happened again: every so often, Paris renovates one of its metro stations, takes down all the modern fittings and facades, and uncovers an absolute nerdvana of vintage signs and posters underneath. This time, it's Marx Dormoy station on Line 12. I went along to take a look at this temporary piece of transport history heaven before they cover it all up again... A big thank you to "Métro de Paris Insolite" on Twitter for the tip-off - https://twitter.com/Metro_Insolite INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/

The historic maritime town of Dartmouth does not have a railway. It has never had a railway. But despite all that, it has a railway station. It's been there for nearly 160 years and it still hasn't seen a single train. So how does it work? I went to gorgeous Devon to find out more... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ IMAGE CREDITS Salcott Creek Salt Marsh by Matthew Barker - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Salcott_Creek-Old_Hall_Marshes_Salt_Marsh_-_geograph.org.uk_-_218032.jpg Collett GWR 0-6-0PT Steam Locomotive by Charlie Jackson - https://www.flickr.com/photos/chaz_pics/22231047943/

What is the world's oldest building? It feels like one of those questions we should all know the answer to. Surely it's somewhere like the Pyramids, or Stonehenge? Nope: there are buildings way older than that, and arguably the oldest of them all is a relatively unknown site in France. I went to Brittany to investigate further... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ MORE INFO: Wikipedia List of Oldest Known Surviving Buildings - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_oldest_known_surviving_buildings Official website of the Cairn - https://www.barnenez.fr/ Visit to the Cairn with Jean-Jacques Monnier, specialist in Breton history (in French) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilyYxpe6bHY Article in Ouest-France about the time a local mayor tried to bulldoze the Cairn (in French) - https://www.ouest-france.fr/bretagne/finistere/quand-la-pelleteuse-rongeait-le-cairn-de-barnenez-5424148 Hurriyet article about the discovery of a site older than Göbekli Tepe: https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/ancient-site-older-than-gobeklitepe-unearthed-149494

It lives! (Just). Link for donations to help restore the bus: https://www.fondation-patrimoine.org/faire-un-don/cityrama INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ Sonnenaufgang (Sunrise) from Also Sprach Zarathustra by Kevin McLeod / Free Music Archive (originally by Richard Strauss) - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Richard_Strauss_-_Also_Sprach_Zarathustra.ogg WITH THANKS TO ANAU Normandy Classics - https://www.normandy-classics.com/

In the east of Belgium lies Eupen-Malmedy, the country's only German-speaking region, which also boasts Belgium's highest summit, the Signal De Botrange. But why do the people speak German here? And if they speak German, why does the mountain have a French name? I went to the High Fens to find out more... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ IMAGE CREDITS Eupen-Malmedy Map based on original work by ikoli - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ostbelgien.jpg

Yes, we're back in Charleroi again. Because the story of its Metro gets EVEN WEIRDER. Link in case you haven't seen Part One: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeMJBqU_eYc INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ IMAGE CREDITS Charleroi 1960s Metro Plan by Nico Brussels and Dirk Hillbrecht - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Metro_Charleroi_60.PNG SNCV logo by BS~frwiki - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SNCV_logo_recompos%C3%A9.svg STIC logo by Olbaussart75 - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Logo_STIC_1990.svg Vicinal Tram in Charleroi by smiley.toerist - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tram_92_Charleroi_Eden.jpg

In the the mid-1980s, the city of Charleroi started building a metro line. But with half the stations already completed, and the track and signals already in place, construction suddenly stopped. The line never opened. What happened? And how much of it is still there? I travelled to southern Belgium to find out... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ FURTHER READING https://www.londonreconnections.com/2022/the-surreal-metro-of-charleroi/ IMAGE CREDITS Charleroi 1960s Metro Plan by Nico Brussels and Dirk Hillbrecht - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Metro_Charleroi_60.PNG Belgian Parliament Building by Oakenchips - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Palais_de_la_Nation_Bruxelles.jpg Waffle Iron by James Starmer - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fresh_waffles_still_on_the_iron.jpg Amsterdam Metro Map by Alargule - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AmsterdamMetroWashingtonStyle_(from_2018).svg Rome Metro Map by Junge30 - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mappa_della_metropolitana_di_Roma.svg Charleroi Airport by Fernandopascullo - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aeroport_de_Charleroi_Bruxelles_Sud.jpg

In a northwestern Paris suburb is a half-demolished decrepit old stadium. If you didn't know, you would never guess that it once hosted the Olympic Games. The World Cup Final. 42 French Cup finals. And legendary athletic performances from Paavo Nurmi, Eric Liddell, Harold Abrahams, and a young Brazilian footballer called Pelé. Last weekend I travelled to Colombes to experience the historic venue for myself, and watch the fallen footballing giants who still play there... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ IMAGE CREDITS Colombes Stadium in 2009 by Dr.Clint.Beans - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stade_Yves_du_Manoir_Colombes7.jpg

In the 1920s, the Wickham family decided to demolish a row of shops in London's East End, in order to build a grand new department store - one that could rival Harrod's and Selfridges in the West. They signed a big budget contract with the builders, and shipped in all the stone at great expense. There was just one problem: one of the shopkeepers didn't want to sell... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ FURTHER READING Story of the buildings on Lookup London - https://lookup.london/spiegelhalter-mile-end-road/ Spiegelhalter family history about the shop - https://www.yorkbeach.co.uk/family_history/spiegelhalter/shop.html Department Stores Of My Youth by Stories of London: stories-of-london.org/youth/ PHOTO CREDITS Nail House by Zhou Shuguang - https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Chongqing_yangjiaping_2007.jpg

In 1956, a company called Cityrama decided to shake up the Paris sightseeing industry, by building the world's most outrageously ridiculous bus. Was it utterly brilliant? Yes. Did it have one catastrophic design flaw? Also yes... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ THANK YOU TO: RobB - http://citroenmodelcars.nl/ Kate Steffens - twitter.com/thefamilyacid Tim Dunn - twitter.com/MrTimDunn Arthur Staal - twitter.com/ArthurStaal020 IMAGE CREDITS Cityrama Bus by TycoonX - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Citroen_Bus_U55_CH14_cityrama.jpg Citroen 55 Truck by JoopAnt - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Citro%C3%ABn_Type_55_gezien_in_Crest_(F)_in_juli_1995.jpg London Big Bus by Arriva436 - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Big_Bus_Company_DA1.JPG Hong Kong Big Bus by N509FZ - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SH6230_at_Central_Ferry_Pier_(20181009145722).jpg New York Big Bus by Tdorante10 - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:State_St_South_Ferry_td_(2018-03-27)_11.jpg Basingstoke Big Bus by BbushkBiz - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bus_Tours#/media/File:HK_Central_Ferry_Piers_Big_Bus_Company_NR4579-06.JPG Paris background scene by Zinneke - https://sco.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris#/media/File:Seine_and_Eiffel_Tower_from_Tour_Saint_Jacques_2013-08.JPG

The D68 is like any other French countryside road, except for one thing: the two towns it connects are both in Spain. Predictably, this has caused all sorts of border-related shenanigans over the years including a major dispute over some stop signs. I went on a hike down the road to find out more... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ IMAGE CREDITS Mexico and Quebec Stop Sign Photos by Dickelbers Mexico - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ALTO_sign.jpg Quebec - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Qu%C3%A9bec_(canada)_stopsign.JPG FURTHER RESEARCH English translation of the 1830 Treaty of Bayonne - https://treaties.un.org/doc/publication/unts/volume%201288/volume-1288-ii-907-english.pdf "Llivia, the Catalan enclave that prevents the roundabouts from going round" from Ladepeche.fr (in French) - https://www.ladepeche.fr/article/2013/03/06/1576149-llivia-l-enclave-catalane-qui-empeche-les-ronds-points-de-tourner-en-rond.html

The Pyrenees mountain range has divided Spain and France for centuries, with Spain on the south side, and France on the north. But why is there one strange little blob of Spain over on the French side? I visited the historic enclave of Llivia and discovered the spectacularly pedantic reason behind its existence... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ New York Times article with more detail on the story - https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/24/world/europe/catalonia-independence-spain-llivia.html How Does France's "Northern Catalonia" Feel About Independence? - https://www.thelocal.fr/20171009/how-does-frances-northern-catalonia-feel-about-independence/

Between 1950 and 1966, the Circuit of Reims-Gueux hosted the Formula One French Grand Prix 11 times, with the likes of Jim Clark, Jack Brabham, and Juan Manuel Fangio all winning races here. But six years later, it was shut down forever. And yet the old grandstands and pit lane are still there. Frozen in time for half a century. How have they survived, and how much can you explore? I went to Reims to investigate... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ The Friends of the Circuit of Gueux (website in French) - www.amis-du-circuit-de-gueux.fr Donation/membership page - https://www.amis-du-circuit-de-gueux.fr/membership IMAGE CREDITS Starting grid of the 1966 French GP used under license from Alamy - https://www.alamyimages.fr/photo-image-grille-de-depart-gp-de-france-reims-de-l-arriere-300-1966-124517581.html "Welcome To Slough" by R Sones - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Slough_Railway_Station_Welcome_Sign_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1220395.jpg

The Aerotrain is a forgotten legend of French engineering: an experimental 1960s hovertrain that destroyed the world speed record for rail vehicles at the time. And in my last video, we visited the old abandoned test track where the record-breaking runs were made. But what happened to the two test vehicles themselves? Are they still around? I decided to try and hunt them down... LINKS Univem home page - https://univem-paris.com/en/ The Friends of Jean Bertin (in French) - https://www.jean-bertin.fr/ Retromobile Exhibition Info & Tickets - https://www.retromobile.com/ INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/

Hidden in the forests southwest of Paris is an old disused railway line with an extraordinary story. Because after it was abandoned in the 1950s, it had an incredible second life: it became the test track for an experimental high-speed hovertrain. I headed out to the suburbs to investigate... GEOFF'S VIDEO https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EtBKPcHPrE UN GRAND MERCI Les amis de Jean Bertin - https://www.jean-bertin.fr/ INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/

In July 2020, the Presidential Palace in Paris took down its French flag, and put up a new one that uses a very slightly darker shade of blue. Mr Macron has been using the darker flag in press conferences ever since. And somehow, no-one [in the media] noticed it until this week. So what does this mean? Does France officially have a new flag? Can the President just do that? Why change it anyway? I decided to investigate... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ CREDITS & FURTHER INFO Europe1 article and radio clip: https://www.europe1.fr/politique/info-e1-le-drapeau-francais-a-change-de-couleur-4076943 “Is it anticonstitutional to change the colours of the French flag?” from La Voix Du Nord: https://www.lavoixdunord.fr/1099237/article/2021-11-15/drapeau-francais-est-ce-anticonstitutionnel-d-en-modifier-les-couleurs BFMTV’s coverage of the 31st March 2021 presidential address, showing navy blue flag behind Mr Macron: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEymMKmv1jI Aramis Navy ship by Jean-Pierre Bazard: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Le_patrouilleur_Aramis.JPG

35 years, 158 competitive games, 0 wins. San Marino are officially the worst football team in the world. But then, the 2022 World Cup draw threw them into the same qualifying group as Andorra. Will they EVER get a better chance to grab a competitive victory? One thing's for sure: there was no way I was going to miss it... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/

Every 31st January, at midnight, France's Pheasant Island does something extremely strange. It becomes Spanish. And every 31st July, it flips and becomes French again. It's the world's only regular, scheduled, country-swapping island. So this summer, I went to see the flipping thing for myself... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ FURTHER READING FOR INSOMNIACS Full text of the 1659 Treaty of the Pyrenees - https://mjp.univ-perp.fr/traites/1659pyrenees4.htm Scanned copy of the 1856 Treaty of Bayonne in pdf format - https://www.basedoc.diplomatie.gouv.fr/exl-php/util/documents/accede_document.php?1635010034494 CREDITS Article about handover ceremony by Mer et Marine (in French) - https://www.meretmarine.com/fr/content/passation-de-pouvoirs-entre-marins-francais-et-espagnols-sur-lile-des-faisans "Mazarin concludes the peace of the Pyrenees" image used under license from Alamy - https://www.alamy.com/mazarin-concludes-the-peace-of-the-pyrenees-and-the-marriage-of-louis-xiv-jules-mazarin-signs-the-peace-of-the-pyrenees-signed-desfontaines-del-moret-sculp-chez-blin-c-no-44-swebach-desfontaines-jacques-franois-joseph-del-morret-jean-baptiste-sc-blin-chez-antoine-franois-sergent-marceau-portraits-des-grands-hommes-femmes-illustres-et-sujets-mmorables-de-france-gravs-et-imprims-en-couleurs-ddi-au-roi-bd-1-paris-chez-blin-imprimeur-en-taille-douce-1786-1792-image328763941.html

Paris's famous Arc De Triomphe is currently wearing what appears to be a giant pair of vintage bloomers. What exactly is going on? I went to investigate... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ PHOTO CREDITS Christo and Jeanne-Claude by Anders Krusberg / Peabody Awards: https://www.flickr.com/photos/peabodyawards/8181990812/ Pont Neuf Wrapped by Airair: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pont_Neuf_emball%C3%A9_par_Christo_(1985).jpg Reichstag Wrapped by qwesy qwesy: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Reichstagsgeb%C3%A4ude,_1995_verkleidet_durch_CHRISTO_%26_JEANNE-CLAUDE_-_panoramio.jpg Vintage bloomers stock photo used under license: Photo 33742733 © Onepony | Dreamstime.com

For 76 years, a private underground line ran under the streets of London, completely separate from the Tube. And most Londoners have never seen or even heard of it - because you could only ride it if you were a mailbag. I went to find out more about the story of the Post Office Railway... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ IMAGE CREDITS Central London Railway by David Cane - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Central_London_Railway_1911.png West Derby Delivery Office by Rept0n1x - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:West_Derby_delivery_office_(2).JPG Mail Rail trains by Matt Brown - https://www.flickr.com/photos/57868312@N00/13267574833 Mail Rail station by Steve Knight - https://flickr.com/photos/kitmasterbloke/36754656882/ Mail Rail train by Steve Knight - https://flickr.com/photos/kitmasterbloke/36754671722/

The cramped northern neighbourhoods of Milan are not the first place you would expect to find an igloo. Let alone eight of them. So what are they doing here? Who built them? And why are they orange? INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ IMAGE CREDITS Park Hill, Sheffield by Julian Varas - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Park_Hill_Samarkanda.JPG Glasgow Red Road Flats by Daniel Naczk - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Glasgow._Balornock._Red_Road_Flats,_view_from_Broomfield_Road.jpg Historic igloo photos used under license from Getty Images

In 1967, eccentric Italian entrepreneur Count Mario Bagno flung open the doors to what he called his "City Of Toys" - the fabulous mountain-top party resort of Consonno, where you could do almost any leisure activity you ever wanted, as well as plenty that you didn't. Tourists flooded in, Italy's biggest stars came to perform, and within a decade, it was closed forever. What happened? WITH A BIG THANK YOU TO: Historic photos of Consonno courtesy of Consonno Official - https://www.facebook.com/ConsonnoOfficial http://www.consonno.it/ Count Mario Bagno's English voiceover by Jay Foreman - https://www.youtube.com/c/JayForeman INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/

Last month I challenged you to find somewhere near you that looks like it isn't - in other words, fake an international trip without leaving your own country. And here are your best entries! Vote for your favourite here: https://www.youtube.com/c/TheTimTraveller/community THE 5 NOMINEES IN FULL The Frenchiest Fry - World Tour of Melbourne https://twitter.com/Nerdcat42/status/1415421381282394116 arewethereyet - Around The World in Brussels, Belgium https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4tfntu4XS8 wickedwy - The Seven Countries Houses https://www.instagram.com/p/CRTzlSslw54/ William Borlase - National Park Seminary https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCN8CCCn2dI Thoomas - To America By Bike https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wK9vFv0mg0 OFFICIAL YOUTUBE PLAYLIST https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeL-qrCp_9NTBrufYVz1iP3u5CYz8d60i CREDITS Motion Backgrounds by #AAvfx: https://www.youtube.com/dvdangor2011 TV Static Animation with Sound Effects created by YouToogle: https://youtu.be/NYWTlVD4vDs Brighton Pavillion by Qmin: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brighton_royal_pavilion_Qmin.jpg

Unlike London, Paris has no Transport Museum. But I've discovered there *is* a museum of Paris Transport - it's just not in Paris. And it only opens one Saturday a month. I went out to the eastern suburb of Chelles to find out more... Museum website: https://amtuir.org/ INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/

The old town of Lyon is famous for what its residents call "Traboules": secret shortcuts and passageways, hidden behind closed doors, and known only to locals. So I went to Lyon and opened a door... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ Map I used to find the traboules: https://www.vanupied.com/lyon/monument-lyon/traboules-a-lyon-passage-pratique-secret-et-typique.html Accessible traboules (info translated from lyon-france.com): - 54 rue Saint-Jean (La Longue Traboule): Heavy door and narrow passageways but the first two courtyards are otherwise accessible. The rest of the traboule has a few steps, so you may need to turn round at the second courtyard. - 27 rue Saint-Jean: heavy door again, but the first two courtyards are accessible. A large step makes it difficult to exit the other side. - 22 rue Saint-Jean: the first courtyard is accessible. - 10 rue Lainerie: again, there's a heavy door, but beyond that the courtyard is accessible and features a beautiful spiral staircase in one corner.

It's time for this year's official Tim Traveller Viewer Challenge! Wait, what's one of those then? Well, it's your chance to go out and do a slightly silly challenge, take a photo or make a video about it, and in one month from now I'll collect all the best ones together in one big video. In other words, you could end up starring on this channel! (Sort of.) If you were here for last year's Mediocre Mountain Challenge then you already know how this works, but this video has all the details you need if you'd like to join in this year and you want to know more. Or even if you don't tbf. IMPORTANT INFO - Post your photos/videos on Twitter, Instagram, or my Facebook page with the hashtag #InternationalStaycationChallenge - The final day for entries is 14TH JULY 2021 - You can "visit" any country you like as long as it's in your local area. Wi nøt trei a staycatiøn in Sweden this yer? INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/

YES WE ARE ASKING THE BIG QUESTIONS AGAIN. In early May 2021, a Belgian farmer hit international news when he moved a stone out of the way of his tractor, and accidentally shifted the French-Belgian border 2.3m into France. Or did he? Is it actually possible to move a border just by moving a stone? And why did he suddenly feel the need to move it, when it's been there for 200 years? I went to the little village of Bousignies-sur-Roc to find the truth behind the story... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ CREDITS Voice of Madame Wélonek by Francesca Vitti "Map Men" theme music originally by Jay Foreman - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfxy4_sBQdxy3A2lvl-y3qWTeJEbC_QCp "Stonehenge" song originally by Ylvis - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbyzgeee2mg Latest Belgium travel advice - https://www.info-coronavirus.be/en/travels/ AND NOW FOR ALL THE ARTICLE LINKS BBC: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-56978344 CBS: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/belgian-farmer-moves-belgium-france-border/ Der Spiegel: https://www.spiegel.de/panorama/belgien-bauer-verrueckt-grenzstein-und-macht-frankreich-kleiner-a-155b509f-a147-4974-882e-09086d73dd6d France Bleu: https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/insolite/une-commission-franco-belge-bientot-convoquee-pour-remettre-la-borne-frontiere-deplacee-a-bousignies-1620653276 La Voix Du Nord: https://www.lavoixdunord.fr/992266/article/2021-04-27/bousignies-sur-roc-il-deplace-une-borne-frontiere-et-viole-le-traite-de-courtrai New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/05/world/europe/france-belgium-border-moved.html SudInfo.be - https://www.sudinfo.be/id392001/article/2021-05-06/angleterre-japon-equateur-usa-canada-buzz-mondial-pour-la-borne-derquelinnes

*** FILMED IN 2019 ***. Suspended monorails are very rare: there are only 8 working systems on the planet. So how have Germany got four of them? Is Germany the future? I went to Düsseldorf to investigate... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ FURTHER RESEARCH https://www.railway-technology.com/projects/h-bahn/ https://www.monorails.org/tMspages/SkyTrain.html Great little vid on the Skytrain by Calling All Stations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mf2TaIXybUs Archive footage of the Bennie Railplane from Pathé: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvSmwMqtylA IMAGE CREDITS SAFEGE Test Track by Jean-Henri Manara - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:JHM-1963_-_Voie_du_SAFEGE_exp%C3%A9rimental,_pr%C3%A8s_de_Gien.jpg Dresden Bergbahn by Norbert Aepli - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dresden_Bergbahn_129.JPG Bennie Railplane blue plaque by Richard Sutcliffe - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Blue_Plaque_commemorating_George_Bennie_(geograph_5640132).jpg Closeup of Wuppertal wheels by Matthias Böhm - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Antriebssatz_einer_aktuellen_Schwebebahn_Projekt_Erste_neue_Schwebebahn_1.jpg Higashiyama Park Monorail in Nagoya by 円周率３パーセント (Enshuritsu 3 percent) - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Higashiyama_Park_Monorail_20170617.jpg

There is a crossroads in Paris where all four exits have 'No Entry' signs. This is possibly the Frenchest thing ever to have happened. I went to investigate. INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ CREDITS Original post on Twitter by @Haflinger34 Citroën 2CV photo by Ezarate - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_2CV#/media/File:IES3CV.JPG

We've hit 200k, I'm in lockdown, you all know what this means... IT'S Q&A TIME. Gordon Giltrap - "The Carnival" on Amazon Music: https://amzn.to/3aoiJR4 Jay Foreman "Unfinished London" playlist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjuD288JlCs&list=PLfxy4_sBQdxwf909hUFsM59Y0RC_k9fvV Geoff’s channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/geofftech2 Jago’s channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcHuNKYzVMc06FXqsBEAV3A Wish You Were Here episodes on Thames TV’s YouTube archive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3T4bG12Q2Dg INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ OTHER CREDITS Professeur Touitte's picture frame by the Wellcome Collection: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Picture_frame_Wellcome_L0051764.jpg

Bored in lockdown? Miss travelling? Why not fake a world tour using the buildings where you live! Today I'm going on a mission to find places that look like other countries - and take a holiday snap in front of each... (Please note: every location in this video is a real place in Paris, and it was filmed fully respecting the current 10km lockdown and all other local regulations here in France.) INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ CREDITS Facebook article by Cairo Scene about the French Clock: https://www.facebook.com/CairoScene/posts/3780791015284909?comment_id=3785882561442421 TTT HQ picture frames by the Wellcome Collection: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Picture_frame_Wellcome_L0051764.jpg

In 1970, Goussainville was a vibrant, picturesque place, home to 1000 people. But now it's almost deserted. What made people abandon a perfectly nice village in valuable commuter belt land? And why are the empty buildings still here, 50 years later? I went to explore Paris's neighbourhood ghost town... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ IMAGE CREDITS ADP Logo - https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fichier:A%C3%A9roports_de_Paris_(1971-2006).svg

The highest summit in the entire region of Ile-de-France - the region that Paris is in - is an old waste dump. So I waited for a beautiful snowy winter day and then went and climbed it. INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ FURTHER RESEARCH "La ville de Trappes est-elle dangereuse ?" ('Touche pas à mon poste !', C8/CANAL+) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtehWvnBHus History of the hill of Élancourt by M Stassinet (in French) http://www.yvelines-environnement.org/notre-contenu/uploads/2016/07/Argumentaire-la-Revanche-par-M.-STASSINET.pdf IMAGE CREDITS Omar Sy - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Omar_Sy_(2020).jpg Jamel Debbouze - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Jamel_Debbouze_C%C3%A9sars.jpg Nicolas Anelka - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Nicolas_Anelka_4720.jpg Patrick Vieira - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Patrick_Vieira_-_Inter_Mailand_(3).jpg Shy'm - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shy%27m_2011_cropped.jpg

Today's mission is simple: try and get to the least used railway station in the whole of France... Sign the "Save the Aubrac Line" petition: https://www.change.org/p/urgence-aubrac All The Stations on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/AllTheStations Geoff's "Least Used Stations" playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLt4q5oaptyI9U2zddss8dm8srzuJj6nRz INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ RESEARCH "Estimates of Station Usage" pdf by the UK Office of Road and Rail: https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/media/1906/station-usage-2019-20-statistical-release.pdf "Fréquentation en gares" by SNCF: https://ressources.data.sncf.com/explore/dataset/frequentation-gares/table/?disjunctive.nom_gare&disjunctive.code_postal "Top 10 des gares les moins fréquentées en France" by Topito: https://www.topito.com/top-gares-moins-frequentees-france MUSIC CREDITS All The Stations theme music originally by Steven Francis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYRSSYzDbVI Cover version by Abandoned Rugs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ss37dpcWluA IMAGE CREDITS Aubrac Line footage by Antoine Levesque / Urgence Aubrac: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4EtnX14PNl0 Photo on Les Cabrils wikipedia page by Kelaïerz : https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gare_Cabrils_-_quai.jpg Garabit viaduct: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Garabit.jpg Millau viaduct: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Creissels_et_Viaduct_de_Millau.jpg Roquefort cheese: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Wikicheese_-_Roquefort_-_20150417_-_002.jpg

What do you get if you cross two second-hand diesel railway locomotives, sixteen tractor wheels, a couple of girders and an industrial water barrier? Well, in 1974, a man called Jean Aubert tried to find out. His bizarre vehicle last ran in 2009, and was then abandoned, but the rumour is it's still there. So today, we're going on the hunt for the Monster of Montech... Thanks to Philipp Janssen (@philwjan on Twitter) for bringing this mad machine to my attention! INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ IMAGE CREDITS Thumbnail image by Joël Damase / Tourisme Tarn-et-Garonne Monster of Montech by Pinpin: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:France_-_Montech_-_Automotrices_de_la_pente_d%27eau_-_2005-01-15.JPG All other historic images of the vehicle by Profburp: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Montech_fermeture.jpg

In 1984, France unveiled a revolutionary new vehicle, a giant beast designed to push canalboats up a 400m-long water slope, thus avoiding the time-consuming use of traditional canal locks. Did it work? No. Footage of it working (briefly) in 1990: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30mtcqRl2KY INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ IMAGE CREDITS Béziers rugby match - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:AS_B%C3%A9ziers-US_Dax_2015-02-21.jpg Fonseranes diagram - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ecluses_de_Fonserannes_diagram.svg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Canal_du_Midi_location.jpg Montech machine - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:France_-_Montech_-_Automotrices_de_la_pente_d%27eau_-_2005-01-15.JPG

The River Lys (Leie, in Flemish) has formed the border between Belgium and France for nearly 200 years. The only problem is: rivers move. So what happens to the border when the river takes a new course? What does it look like? And with hundreds of river borders around the world, how do different countries deal with it? I went to northern France / southwestern Belgium to investigate... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ IMAGE CREDITS: French coat of arms: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arms_of_the_Kingdom_of_France_(Moderne).svg

BONUS VIDEO!* This week I discovered that a short new section of the Petite Ceinture - Paris's abandoned circular railway - has been reopened as a footpath. It seemed rude not to go and explore... * And by BONUS VIDEO I mean NOT AS GOOD AS A NORMAL VIDEO BUT HEY IT'S LOCKDOWN B1M video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjuMcWwMqPk Le Ferrovipathe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5mO34_6x_M INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ IMAGE CREDITS Line 15 map by Pic-Sou: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Trac%C3%A9_ligne_15_Grand_Paris_Express.svg Grand Paris Express map by Hektor: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Grand_paris_express.svg

Paris has many buildings that aren't what they seem - façades made to look like real houses and offices, but with something very different hidden behind them. Tbf you probably already know this, because I made a video about it and YouTube spammed that to several million people. Today we've got a simple quest: we're going to try and find the 5 remaining fake buildings that we didn't see last time, and discover the story behind them... and I promise you they're not all ventilation shafts. (Filmed between Jul-Dec 2020) Map showing all 11 fake facades: https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1i56il5X_tmh-ZyeSMCBunt8Bcku9LvN2&usp=sharing INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ IMAGE CREDITS Photo of Paul Bodin by Allstar Picture Library Ltd, used under licence from Alamy Stock Photo - https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo-paul-bodin-wales-swindon-fc-09-june-1993-133513365.html Photo of l'Institut de France by Nitot - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Institut_de_France_-_Acad%C3%A9mie_fran%C3%A7aise_et_pont_des_Arts.jpg Animated white flag by abFlags.com

On 12th June 1932 San Marino proudly opened its brand new electric railway. It was modern, clean, quiet, and well-used - but 12 years later it was gone. So what went wrong? I went to explore the old tunnels... and discovered the awkward truth. Many thanks to Roberto and Ferrovie Abbandonate. You can find more photos and info about the San Marino railway (and a whole load of other abandoned Italian railways) here: https://www.ferrovieabbandonate.it/linea_dismessa.php?id=141 INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ IMAGE CREDITS: Monument to those who died in the bombing of San Marino: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:San-Marino,_momumento_pri_bombado_1.jpeg Former railway tunnel at Serravalle: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fervoja_tunelo_serravalle_san-marino_2009.jpg

"Head down that way", says the cycle hire guy, "there's a route that takes you through some old caves". Well, that sounds like fun! But what I don't know yet is that I'm about to ride what might just be the world's creepiest cycle path... Half Asleep Chris: https://www.youtube.com/c/HalfAsleepChris INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/

The Château de Saint-Cloud has got everything: beautiful gardens, fountains, statues, unbeatable views. Everything except, erm, the Château itself. So what on earth happened to it? I went to Saint-Cloud to investigate... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ BIG THANKS TO Marie Antoinette / Fran Vitti Otto Von Bismarck / Tim Barton IMAGE CREDITS https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Incendie_du_château_de_Saint-Cloud.jpg https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Prototype_kilogram_replica.JPG

The Brasserie le Dolmen is a family-run café with an unusual garden feature: a 5,000-year-old megalithic chamber. It's the biggest prehistoric structure of its kind in France, and one of the largest in the world, so why has no-one heard of it? I went to Bagneux in western France to investigate... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ IMAGE CREDITS Korean dolmen: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Example_of_a_southern-style_dolmen_at_Ganghwa_Island.jpg Tumulus dolmen: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dolmen_de_Ti-ar-Boudiged.jpg English dolmen: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Devon-SpinstersRock.jpg French dolmen: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crucuno_dolmen.jpg Spanish dolmen: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dolmen_de_Menga_01.jpg Indian dolmen: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dolmens_in_Amadalavalasa.jpg Druids at Stonehenge: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Druids_celebrating_at_Stonehenge_(1).png

The destruction of the Bastille prison is an iconic moment of the French Revolution, but did you know there are little pieces of it hidden all around Paris? Here are 7 places where you can see the last bits of La Bastille. p.s. Feel free to comment with any I missed! Walking route on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/pwWZXVHhfSJHfp1a9 INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ IMAGE CREDITS Bastille model photos by Pierre-Yves Beaudouin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32043467

Behind the Opéra Bastille in Paris you'll find a 1.3km disused old railway viaduct - the "Viaduc des Arts" - now home to chic cafés, art shops, and an elevated tree-lined walkway. But what about the railway that used to run on it? Where did it go to? And what happened to it? I went to investigate the story of the lost line to Bastille... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ Paul & Rebecca's channel on abandoned railways: https://www.youtube.com/user/pwhitewick1 IMAGE CREDITS: Gare de la Bastille aerial shot: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gare_de_la_Bastille_-_Aerial_view.jpg Gare de Reuilly in 1985: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paris-Reuilly_sept-1985-a.jpg SNCF sleeping car: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SNCF_Couchette_car_TEN.jpg Crossrail tunnel photo: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Crossrail_tunnel_looking_west_(11421362975).jpg

After WW2, Germany was split in two parts: West Germany, and East Germany. And Saarland. Wait, what? As Germany prepares to celebrate 30 years of Reunification, I went to Saarland to discover the story of the little country that divorced and rejoined Germany... twice. INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ For more stories about football in independent Saarland, there's a great article here: https://longballfootball.wordpress.com/2014/10/27/historical-football-13-football-in-the-protectorate/ ...and another one here (in German): https://www.volksfreund.de/sport/region/als-das-saarland-um-die-wm-quali-spielte_aid-34773039 IMAGE CREDITS Frank Lampard: https://www.flickr.com/photos/uk-in-japan/26500347199 (c) British Embassy Tokyo Frank Ocean: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Frank_Ocean_-_Cropped.png Frank Rijkaard: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ajax_selectie_seizoen_1981_1982_nr._140a_E._Ophof_speler,_nr._15a_F._Rijka,_Bestanddeelnr_253-8568.jpg Roman Soldier: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Roman_military_clothes_National_Military_Museum_Bucharest_Romania.jpg Saar coins: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:100_saar_franken.jpg 1871 Map Of Germany: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Deutsches_Reich_(1871-1918)-de.svg 1954 World Cup Final stadium: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:ETH-BIB-Bern,_Wankdorf-Stadion,_Fussballspiel-LBS_H1-016067_crop.tif

Football is officially back! With France now allowing up to 5000 spectators back in stadiums for sporting events - socially distanced, masked, and sanitised of course - I thought I'd go and see what it's like to watch a match under pandemic conditions. So on Monday night I popped along to my local team, Red Star FC, who also happen to be the oldest team in Paris, to see them take on the mighty Bastia. And it turned out to be quite a game... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/

When Germany shut down the monstrous 100-year-old Völklingen Ironworks in 1986, they decided to do an unusual thing: keep it. And then RE-OPEN IT AS A TOURIST ATTRACTION 😍😍. I went to Saarland to explore an incredible piece of industrial heritage... Drone shots by Drohne Pix, with kind permission. Full 3-minute video here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA6azukwxjQ INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ CREDITS Photo of the new steelworks by A. Josef Dernbecher - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MGS-Saarstahl.jpg Cologne Cathedral photo by Robert Breuer - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Koelner_Dom_bei_Nacht_1_RB.JPG Rhein Valley photo by Manfred Heyde - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rheinstein.jpg Magnetic Festival - https://www.facebook.com/electromagnetic.de/

How do you hide a deadly military fortress? Well if you're Swiss, you paint it pastel pink and pretend it's a harmless family home. I went to the shores of Lake Geneva to find out more... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ CREDITS: Map music from the Map Men series by Jay Foreman - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfxy4_sBQdxy3A2lvl-y3qWTeJEbC_QCp Additional shots of La Villa Rose by Schutz - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Schutz Toblerone photo by Ashley Pomeroy - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Toblerone_3362.jpg 2CV photo by Ezarate - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citro%C3%ABn_2CV#/media/File:IES3CV.JPG

The 2* Hotel Arbez boasts an almost unique feature: an international border runs straight through it. Why was it built there? How was it allowed? And how did it end up unexpectedly saving hundreds of lives during World War II? I travelled to the Jura mountains to find out more... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/

In June, I challenged you to climb the highest point in your local area, no matter how mediocre it was. Hundreds of you went out and did it. So I think you deserve some awards :) EDIT: ok so it turns out YouTube removed its poll feature literally last month. THANKS YOUTUBE. Please vote for your favourite mediocre mountain here instead: https://www.quiz-maker.com/poll3013123xcB4c40f0-92 ******* YouTube Playlist of all the community-made videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLeL-qrCp_9NR-zT5xwRJv6_pwYP1fdWw6 Motion Backgrounds by: "#AAvfx" https://www.youtube.com/dvdangor2011 Signal de Botrange photo by David Edgar: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SignalDeBotrange6mTower.jpg Fanfare for Space by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://incompetech.com/music/royalty-free/index.html?isrc=USUAN1300026 Artist: http://incompetech.com/

Today we're climbing the highest hill in Paris. But obviously, we're not going straight up it - instead, I'm taking a deliberately wiggly route to try and find some things you might not have seen before... Walking route here: https://goo.gl/maps/TBrHSYLT1KkvR3obA I made this video as part of the #MediocreMountainChallenge, climbing the highest point in my local area. You can join in too! Find out more here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lkCVqLsjHL4 INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/

It's time! Find your local highest point, climb it, take a photo or video - then post it on the internet. Twitter/Instagram: tag it with #MediocreMountainChallenge Facebook: post it directly to www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller Email: send it to [email protected]. I will make a compilation from all your submissions, which could be a very short video, or a very long one, really could go either way tbf. You have until the end of June! Find your local highest point here: https://topographic-map.com/ All ad revenue goes to: https://covid19responsefund.org/en/ INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/

It's the 1880s, and Paris desperately needs a metro, but nobody can agree how to build it. Underground? Too smelly. Aerial? Too Ugly. "Wait a minute", says Navy captain Edouard Mazet, "I have an idea..." A big thank you to Caroline Grubbs of Southern Methodist University for help researching this story! You can read her essay on the topic here (in French) - https://serd.hypotheses.org/files/2018/08/Grubbs_Congres-SERD_XIXe-siecle-au-futur.pdf INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/

France is beginning to relax its shutdown from Monday, but it's complicated, so here's a quick update on things and stuff. Watch Iain's epic expedition to the Highest Point In Salford here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N75LBv5Xox0 INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/

Bonus video!* Here are 8 more quirky and interesting things to see on your travels around Europe, if travelling ever becomes a thing again. All are wheelchair-accessible, apart from Dunottar Castle, and the steeper parts of the tea plantation. * And by "bonus video" I mean random bits of unseen footage from last year that I wasn't planning to use but then there was a global pandemic and I ran out of other material MUSIC "Is This Music?" by Teenage Fanclub https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mz_rBq7fn1M Version used in this video arranged, performed, and recorded by TTT INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/

(Filmed pre-shutdown obv). Hiding at the end of a residential street in Nottingham is a mysterious old tunnel that doesn't appear ever to have been used. So why is it there? Where does it go? And what happened to it? I went to the East Midlands to find out... Thank you to Sky Revolutions for kindly letting me use their footage! https://www.skyrevolutions.co.uk https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCs-ffJcvIVsbZVamMZZTWVQ INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ Animated fireworks effect: https://www.chungdha.nl/?p=4552

(Filmed pre-shutdown obv). For most people, 2061m is a very high mountain. For the Swiss, it's a good place to start building a railway. And then go upwards. I went to the Alps to experience the continent's most extreme train journey, and find out more about the story behind it... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ James May's video with BBC Earth Lab - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbUsKWbOqUU

We've hit 100k and I'm finally answering your questions! Thank you everyone, I think we can all agree I've picked a great time to become a full-time travel YouTuber. LINKS AND CREDITS Evie's Workshop - https://www.eviesworkshop.co.uk/ Insane In The Men Brain (please note, this podcast deals with adult topics and may not be suitable for younger TTT viewers) On Acast - https://play.acast.com/s/insaneinthemenbrain On Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/insane-in-the-men-brain/id1454275103 On Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/5LU4FUIrvP6MvbBumoKyMF?si=3zfZ0xUYQNaRHImeoWxk7w Tom Scott - https://www.youtube.com/user/enyay Geoff Marshall - https://www.youtube.com/user/geofftech2 Jay Foreman - https://www.youtube.com/user/jayforeman51 Orange83 - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTxhd-f3WmraKfCQSambCxA Map music from the Map Men series by Jay Foreman - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfxy4_sBQdxy3A2lvl-y3qWTeJEbC_QCp Animated fireworks effect: https://www.chungdha.nl/?p=4552

Büsingen is like any other small German village. Except it's in Switzerland. Or is it the other way round? I went to discover the story behind this strange little exclave, where they buy German stamps with Swiss coins, and it all starts with a family argument in 1693... CREDITS Map music from the Map Men series by Jay Foreman - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfxy4_sBQdxy3A2lvl-y3qWTeJEbC_QCp Photo of side-by-side Swiss & German telephone boxes by Davidmoerike - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:B%C3%BCsingen_am_Hochrhein_Swiss_and_German_Telephone_Booth.jpg

The beautiful houses at 145 rue la Fayette, 29 rue Quincampoix, and 44 rue d'Aboukir have one thing in common: they're fake. Why does Paris have so many fake façades and what hides behind them? I went on a quest to find out more... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ *** LINKS *** Follow my Fake Facades route on Google Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/JY15BN76MWGDEt8Y6 Explore inside 145 rue la Fayette with Vintage Tran: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VetY3uxYbxo (in French, but you don't really need to speak the language) London's Fake Houses by Half-Asleep Chris: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAw_BU_Zk4c Secrets of the District Line by Geoff Marshall / Londonist: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjMroHF1ZvU&t=220s

In 1900, the Petite Ceinture railway carried 38 million passengers in a single year. But by 1934 its stations were closed forever. What happened? Why was it abandoned? And why do the tracks seem to have been kept in good condition? I went to Paris to find out more... (Apologies for occasional shakey footage in this video: a few shots were filmed last year before I bought my nice smooth camera.)

Deep in the Sahara desert is the world's longest conveyor belt system. I went to see this king of conveyors, to find out why it was built, only to discover how its story is deeply intertwined with an international border dispute... CREDITS Original map of Morocco Protectorate by Cradel (adaptations are my own work) - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Images_by_Cradel#/media/File:Morocco_Protectorate.svg Phosphate stats from US Geological Survey - https://www.usgs.gov/centers/nmic/phosphate-rock-statistics-and-information Map music from the Map Men series by Jay Foreman - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfxy4_sBQdxy3A2lvl-y3qWTeJEbC_QCp

Flevoland is flat. Really flat. So we got a map, found its highest natural point (7m), and then organised a mountain expedition to conquer it. DRONE FOOTAGE: Jos Van Der Veen - https://www.youtube.com/user/meesterJos Matthijs - https://twitter.com/IJszee ADDITIONAL VIDEO AND PHOTOS: Joseph Farthing - https://twitter.com/josephfarthing Andras Hann - https://twitter.com/andrashann Wim Kramer - https://twitter.com/wimkramerurk Marcel - https://twitter.com/madjo/ AND A BIG THANK YOU TO: https://twitter.com/TouristInfoUrk

At 350km/h, China currently has the fastest operating train service on earth. Second place is a tie between the planet's other technology giants - Japan, Germany, France, and Morocco. Wait. Morocco? I went to Casablanca to find out more... **** Amateur footage of Al Boraq at high speed: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3QaBYRWACCI Original Al-Boraq route map, by Classical geographer: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Railways_Morocco.png

A ridiculous number of people discovered this channel last month and frankly it's about time I answered the questions you've all been asking... https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/ https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller/ Animated fireworks effect: https://www.chungdha.nl/?p=4552 Prora photo by Klugschnacker https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Prora,_KdF-Bad_(2011-05-21)_5_crop.jpg

BIG NEWS. On Sat 30 Nov I am organising a mass ascent of Urk, the highest natural point in Flevoland. And you're all invited! I will be posting updates on the day via Twitter: https://twitter.com/thetimtraveller Any major updates (changes of plan etc) will also be on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/

In the seaside town of Margate, beneath a sleepy side street, an incredible underground temple lay forgotten and untouched for decades, maybe even centuries. Who put it there? When? Why? And what's with all the seashells?

This may be hard for some of my viewers to hear but: not all trains are good. It doesn't feel right to post this video without acknowledging that missiles (including Russian ones) are currently being used on civilians in places like Syria. Therefore I will be donating ad revenue from this video to charities supporting innocent people whose lives have been ruined by the conflict. A massive thank you to everyone who has watched my videos recently - it's thanks to you that I'm able to do this. CREDITS: https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/russia-planned-build-nuclear-missile-launching-train-straight-out-james-bond-27096 Peacekeeper Rail Garrison full video by oisiaa - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrpVr9M0O8g TGV pic - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:TGV_original_livery_1987.jpg ICE pic - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:410001MKF_Zug_1152.jpg Signing the agreement to abolish the USSR - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:RIAN_archive_848095_Signing_the_Agreement_to_eliminate_the_USSR_and_establish_the_Commonwealth_of_Independent_States.jpg INSTA: instagram.com/the.tim.traveller/ TWIT: twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE: facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/

Once again this channel asks THE BIG QUESTIONS. When I climbed the Vaalserberg, the highest mountain in NL, a few of you Dutch guys told me it's "a boring place". So I decided to try and prove you wrong, by going somewhere even worse: Kneiff, the highest mountain in Luxembourg. This is a ridiculous idea for a video.

It's finally here! Today I answer your questions from the 500 Subscriber video. Some have you have been waiting 4 months to get a reply and statistically that means that at least one of you got bored and unsubscribed already but NEVER MIND IT'S HERE NOW. Thank you everyone for watching and subscribing and see you soon for more adventures :) Pic credits: Austria-max - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Skylink_interior.jpg Wolfgang Glock - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Vienna_Airport_Arrivals_Zone.jpg Jialang Gao - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shibam_Wadi_Hadhramaut_Yemen.jpg chensiyuan - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:1_li_jiang_guilin_yangshuo_2011.jpg Abdelmadjid Louadfel - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Constantine,_les_gorges_du_Rhummel,_l%27arche_naturelle_et_le_pont_suspendu.jpg Animated fireworks effect: https://www.chungdha.nl/?p=4552

In 1990, the brand new Monte Palace Hotel won an award for Best Hotel Of The Year. Within a few months, it closed down and never reopened. What happened? I went to explore the story behind one of the world's most extraordinary abandoned buildings... THIS VIDEO IS HUGELY INDEBTED TO THE FOLLOWING: This beautifully-written blog about the history of the hotel: https://sometimes-interesting.com/2017/01/02/azorean-palace-in-the-clouds/ Jorge Loures' superb 2011 YouTube documentary about the hotel - this is where I got all the old photos and news clippings from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYGilA8B58U The spectacular drone shots are from this video by Irmãos Brother: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDv30H3uwwQ And finally thanks to Atlas Obscura, the website where I found out about the hotel in the first place! https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hotel-monte-palace

Traditionally, Germany is a country that likes rules. And what it really likes about rules is obeying them. So why is this cheeky steam train driving straight through a pedestrian zone? I went to the lovely little spa town of Bad Doberan to find out more...

Today I'm challenging Frances to conquer her first mountain, the mighty Carrauntoohil. And we've lucked out: a stunning weather inversion means we're high above the clouds, and the views are nothing short of magical...

"The next stop," said the number 386 bus to Woolwich, "is Ha-Ha Road". Wait, it's called what? Well, you can't give a bus stop a name like that without me wanting to find out why. So I got off, and started digging up the story of London's silliest road...

Today this channel asks another vitally important question: where should I live if I want to have the largest possible number of neighbours living with me in the same building? I went to beautiful Gdańsk in northern Poland, where they might just have the answer...

Monorail. MONORAIL. The word feels almost synonymous with futuristic metropolitan travel. So the small Irish market town of Listowel, which is neither futuristic, nor a metropolis, seems like an unlikely birthplace for such a modern mode of transport. And yet... Official website for more info: www.lartiguemonorail.com

Thanks everyone for your helpful comments on the Q&A - and now here's the video (most of) you asked for! The Vaalserberg is the highest point of mainland Netherlands, and is also the meeting point of 3 international borders, with Belgium and Germany being the other two. But mysteriously, the road that leads up to it is called the Four Borders Way. So what's the story behind the missing border? I went to Belgermaland to investigate... SCENIC MONTAGE MUSIC: Vast Chant by Oshóva https://soundcloud.com/osh-va Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b... Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/NlUQbrlb2iQ

Today we're belatedly celebrating reaching 500 lovely subscribers with a 634 subscriber special! To mark the occasion, I've decided it's about time we did a Q&A session. And because it's this channel, we're going to do it while climbing a mountain...

While researching my Vennbahn video on Google Maps, I noticed something that looked really weird just to the east... so the next day I went to see it: and found the biggest hole in Europe. Drone shots thanks to: Rob Kingston - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0qMu4OmApiTMQ3lj80fYNQ Drone-Visions - https://www.youtube.com/user/sirijoga Music: "Gold" by Klee

In the industrial wastelands at the south-eastern edges of London lies a forgotten but beautiful building: the Crossness Sewage Pumping Station. I went to find out more about this Victorian masterpiece, now re-opened to the public, and how it saved thousands of lives... Museum website: www.crossness.org.uk/visit.html

Hidden away in the rolling Eifel hills is one of the world's weirdest international borders: a long, string-shaped piece of Belgium that runs through western Germany. Why is it there, and what does it have to do with an abandoned railway? I went to investigate the story of the Vennbahn... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/

The number 350 bus from Leeuwarden to Alkmaar takes an unusual route: straight across 32 kilometres of sea. I hopped on board for a visit to the famous Afsluitdijk. (If you'd like to learn more about the story of the Afsluitdijk there's a great video here which goes into much more detail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdVEVP9mRRU).

It's not every day you see a 90-year-old electric train running down the middle of the road - unless you live on this street, where it happens every few hours. I went to find out the story behind the unusual Soller Railway on the little-known island of, er, Mallorca...

LINKS / Football v Homophobia: www.footballvhomophobia.com / Alty TV: www.youtube.com/user/AltrinchamFCVideos To celebrate 10 years of the Football V Homophobia campaign, non-league Altrincham AFC decided to go all out and become the first senior football team to wear a full LGBT+ rainbow kit for a competitive league match. I travelled to the suburbs of Manchester to watch a little piece of footballing history...

On the eastern outskirts of London, there is a road sign pointing to the Alps. Mountains? Near London? I nearly started getting my crampons out, but this is Beckton, and nothing is quite as it seems...

It's August 2018, and Frances has roped me in to walk The Speyside Way, a 105km-long National Trail in northeast Scotland that traces the route of two old abandoned railway lines. Will we make it to the end or will we be eaten by a giant mutant caterpillar? PART THREE OF A MILDY INTERESTING SERIES

In the far north of Scotland, among the rugged Highlands, is an inlet of the North Sea where half a dozen giant oil rigs are parked. Some have a skeleton crew still on board, others are left rusting. But what are they doing there? I went to the Cromarty Firth to find out...

Even in the context of a small nation, San Marino's competitive record is terrible: 32 years of international football, 136 matches, 0 wins. But watching Europe's worst football team comes with a strange and unique thrill - what if tonight's the night? What if they actually win? Imagine how good the party will be... MUSIC: Let's Go To San Francisco - The Flowerpot Men The Dam Busters - Geoff Love & His Orchestra

San Marino is the world's oldest still-existing republic, founded way back in 301AD. How has such a tiny country been able to resist invasion and retain independence for 1700 years? The answer lies at the top of a mountain...

What do you do if you're the 16th-Century Duke of Florence and you need a way of getting between your two palaces without being seen by anyone? You build a 1km passageway 3 floors up in the air, of course...

At Plaza Chamberí in Madrid, there's a strange little building which leads to an old metro station that was closed and abandoned more than 50 years ago. Naturally, I went to investigate...

What a ridiculously gorgeous hike! DISCLAIMER: if attempting this yourself, your experience of Northern Irish weather may differ quite significantly from what is portrayed in this video.

It's August 2018, and Frances has roped me in to walk The Speyside Way, a 105km-long National Trail in northeast Scotland. For much of its length it follows the banks of the River Spey along the route of an old abandoned railway line. But why did such a sparsely-populated area ever need a railway in the first place? PART TWO OF A MILDY INTERESTING SERIES

It's August 2018, and Frances has roped me in to walk The Speyside Way, a 105km-long National Trail in northeast Scotland. For much of its length it follows the banks of the River Spey along the route of an old abandoned railway line. But why did such a sparsely-populated area ever need a railway in the first place? PART ONE OF A MILDY INTERESTING NEW SERIES

The Ferrovia Circumetnea is a very quaint, 120-year-old narrow-gauge railway with an unusual selling point: it goes up an active volcano. The biggest active volcano in Europe, in fact - the mighty Mount Etna. I went to Sicily to find out more... INSTA - https://www.instagram.com/the.tim.traveller TWIT - https://twitter.com/TheTimTraveller FACE - https://www.facebook.com/TheTimTraveller/

In August 2017, I decided it was time to take on Britain's highest mountain: Ben Nevis. To make it more interesting, I invited my friend Andrew, who hates climbing. This is his story...

In the 1920s, as America started to go dizzy for skyscrapers, the Vienna city council built an enormous apartment block. But instead of going a long way up, they went a long way along - more than 1km long, in fact. Why did they build it? And is it the longest building in the world? I went to Heiligenstadt to find some answers.

In 1848, Napoléon comes to power in France, the US is at war with Mexico, and Austria looks at the recently-invented steam train and says "I reckon we could get one of these things over the Alps". Today I am exploring the stunning result, the Semmeringbahn - built before anyone had even invented a train capable of running on it. It is the world's first standard-gauge mountain railway, an incredible piece of engineering history, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. *** Check out my previous video on the Wuppertal Schwebebahn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IFh6wFTJiQ *** With 12 months to go before Brexit, I am spending the year travelling around the EU and visiting interesting places. Kind of an EU Farewell Tour. If you enjoyed this video, please hit like and subscribe to the channel, and I will make more.

Wuppertal has possibly the world's most badass public transport: a 120-year-old swingin' suspension railway. But the question is: why? When everyone else was busy building trams and undergrounds, what made Wuppertal say "NOPE", and build this instead? *** Tom Scott Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F4KZLcvMQWg Kaiserwagen photo: By Own work - JuergenG, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34150 *** With 12 months to go before Brexit, I am spending the year travelling around the EU and visiting interesting places. Kind of an EU Farewell Tour. If you enjoyed this video, please hit like and subscribe to the channel, and I will make more.

A short film about a long journey: climbing the highest point of all 48 counties in England. WHY? Good question. It gave me a reason to see parts of the country I would never normally visit. Also I like mountains. And lists. I can't resist completing a list. HOW? The rule was that I had to climb each hill by foot from the nearest train station. This is because (a) I don't drive a car and (b) train stations are usually at the bottom of the valley, so it's more of a challenge. Admittedly I broke the rule several times. WHEN? I came up with the idea in February 2013 and immediately decided that this would be my new year's resolution for the next 5 years. To those of you saying "that's not how new year's resolutions work", shut up, I'm not listening to you with your logic and facts. WHAT? You heard.