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00:00Come with me as I take you to some of my favourite cities on a long weekend.
00:10Buongiorno tutti.
00:13Together we'll explore the places I love.
00:17Oh, Palermo. What a beauty you are.
00:22Oh, my word. Madrid is next to heaven.
00:27And discover places new.
00:29We put the vroom vroom into Milano.
00:34Oh, my. This is astonishing.
00:40From Stockholm to Lisbon.
00:42We'll raise a glass soda.
00:45Soda.
00:46And enjoy great food.
00:49Mmm. Pork that melts in your mouth.
00:52I don't think there's any delicate way of eating it.
00:54Oh.
00:58We'll leave the tourist trail behind.
01:01Every bone of my body has been taken.
01:04My goodness, we are on the ice.
01:06Yes.
01:07Oh, my word.
01:08We are attacking.
01:11And seek out special places to stay.
01:16The view of Prague is magnificent.
01:22Along the way, we'll make new friends.
01:24Oh, Charles. Oh, Charles.
01:27Do you mind if we do a selfie?
01:29Oh, really?
01:29Oh.
01:30And memories to last a lifetime.
01:33Oh! Oh!
01:35Oh!
01:37I think I shall always remember this.
01:39This is a beautiful moment.
01:41I have rarely seen such opulence.
01:45What an amazing sight.
01:48I am loving this.
01:51I can't wait to show you more.
02:07I am loving Stockholm.
02:21This city of blue water,
02:23whose fine architecture shimmers in rippling reflections.
02:27It's not the sort of city I'm used to.
02:29It consists of many islands and countless bridges.
02:34But stick with me, and together we will grow in our understanding
02:39and our enjoyment.
02:43I was last here 20 years ago.
02:46Even now, I recall the relaxed charm of the place.
02:49But I didn't realise how much it has to offer.
02:53To the long weekender.
02:56Just a short flight from the United Kingdom.
02:59I've already lost myself in an historic sport.
03:03Oh, another chance!
03:04Founded in England, apparently.
03:06Yes!
03:09It's the Stockholm bloodbath!
03:12Shot my fair share of schnapps, fire and ice.
03:17I love it.
03:19So now you're officially a Swede.
03:21And discovered exquisite Scandi design.
03:25Past...
03:25What an amazing sight.
03:29And present.
03:30What a beautiful shape.
03:32This is like Christmas, opening all these parcels.
03:34I know.
03:37Today, I cleanse Stockholm's frozen depths.
03:42Here comes something big.
03:45Fashion a fishy form from a block of ice.
03:49I'm a sort of glacial Michelangelo.
03:53And I'm blown away by a mighty warship risen from the depths.
03:57I think they say, shiver my timbers.
03:59It's absolutely stunning.
04:08Much like the British, the people of Stockholm are surrounded by water.
04:12By the Baltic Sea and Lake Melloran.
04:18Fishing is big business here.
04:22Seafood is enjoyed two to three times a week.
04:26According to TripAdvisor, the capital has 100 fish restaurants,
04:30with specialities ranging from sushi to traditional fishy fare.
04:35I'll find my lunch a few minutes' walk from the Swedish history museum
04:40that I visited yesterday.
04:44I'm in one of the poshest neighbourhoods in Stockholm.
04:47And in this area, all the great global design labels have their shops.
04:52I'm here in pursuit of the humble herring,
04:56which in Sweden is no passing fashion.
05:00This establishment has been serving seafood for more than a century.
05:05Thank you very much.
05:06Apparently, it was the first restaurant in Stockholm to do so.
05:10It all looks beautiful, herring any number of different ways.
05:18I'm very impressed by Sweden's relationship with fish.
05:21I think many British people's relationship is frozen products
05:25from the freezer cabinet in the supermarket.
05:28And here in Sweden, on the other hand, the herring.
05:31What a modest little fish the herring is.
05:33It's like a child's drawing of a fish.
05:36And yet, here we are, the Swedes serve it up in all these different ways.
05:39And the fact that this is still what Swedish people eat
05:43in a sophisticated restaurant like this
05:45suggests a connection to heritage and tradition,
05:49which is largely lacking in Britain.
05:51This is food at its simplest and at its best.
05:59On the menu, I recognise some of the local fish and seafood dishes,
06:03but not all.
06:05I note that though the Swedes share the British love of battered cod,
06:09here it's served with pickled veg and mash.
06:13I'm meeting head chef Michael.
06:15Hi, I'm Michael.
06:16Welcome to the roof.
06:17Same name.
06:18Yeah.
06:19To lend a hand in the kitchen
06:21and learn how the humble herring is prepared and served.
06:25Lots of people here.
06:27It's busy.
06:29In Sweden, herring is an everyday meal
06:32and it's rolled out on the big three annual holidays,
06:36Christmas, Easter and Midsummer.
06:40Why do you think Swedes enjoy herring so much?
06:43I mean, clearly, there are a lot of herring in the sea.
06:45That must be the first reason.
06:46It's been a Swedish tradition for ages.
06:48Yes.
06:49I guess it's because way back you cured it
06:52and they had your fish all year round
06:54when you didn't have any other things to eat.
06:57And when you say cure,
06:58what sort of treatments has the fish had here?
07:00The first thing,
07:01you have to put them in the cold water for 24 hours.
07:04You have to get rid of the salty.
07:06Then you will pickle it in some vinegar and sugar and water.
07:12And when you're done with that,
07:13you can do whatever you want.
07:16This is like a small variety
07:18of the types we have in the cold section.
07:21Right now, we have like four or five more on the menu.
07:25Smoked, pickled, fermented, curried.
07:29There are many ways to serve a herring.
07:31Oh, I think that would be absolutely delicious.
07:34Some surprising.
07:35Cheese on the side here.
07:37Cheese?
07:38Yes.
07:39You always have cheese on the side too
07:41when you're eating herring.
07:43The last thing I expected you to say was cheese.
07:45Yeah.
07:46And sometimes, just as it comes.
07:49You going to put any oil down or...?
07:50No, add some salt.
07:52Just some salt, wow.
07:53Add it to the stove.
07:55This is quite a high temperature, isn't it?
07:57Yeah.
08:00Beautiful fish.
08:01Look at the way they sparkle.
08:02Look at all those lovely colours
08:04reflecting their scales.
08:06This is fantastic when you're out fishing
08:08and cook them straight away.
08:10Do you fish?
08:11Yeah.
08:11And you enjoy it?
08:12I love it.
08:13Yeah.
08:14Let's have a look.
08:16Looks perfect.
08:18Mmm.
08:19You know what I love about this
08:20is the absolute simplicity.
08:22Yeah.
08:23It's all about the product.
08:24Yeah.
08:24So, how we usually serve this
08:26is with some mashed potatoes
08:28and some børnois et dill as well
08:31and some lemon.
08:34Squeeze some lemon on top
08:35and it will fall right off the bone.
08:39Let's have a try.
08:43Oh, it's superb.
08:46Oh.
08:48The absolute quality of that.
08:50Marvellous.
08:51Thank you, Mikhail.
08:53If you don't fancy eating in,
08:56they also offer take-out
08:57from the deli counter.
08:59Brim full with local products
09:01and seafood,
09:02some caught fresh
09:03by the restaurant's own boat.
09:07A postscript on Herring.
09:10In the early 1980s,
09:12a Soviet submarine
09:13washed up on the southern coast of Sweden
09:16and the Swedes naturally
09:18became very concerned
09:19about Soviet espionage.
09:22For years,
09:23they monitored sounds
09:25coming from the deep,
09:27which they assumed
09:28were being produced
09:29by Russian submarines.
09:31In fact,
09:32eventually it was discovered
09:33that the origin was
09:35the herring.
09:37The fish has a unique connection
09:39between the swim bladder
09:40and the anal duct.
09:42And when they're startled,
09:44they let out little bubbles.
09:46The sound has been likened
09:47to the frying of bacon.
09:49For all those years,
09:50the Swedes have been suspecting
09:52Soviet spying
09:53and it was actually
09:55fishy flatulence.
10:02Coming up,
10:03my weekend gets very messy.
10:05Getting rubbish out of the sea
10:07is filthy work.
10:10Fishing for tons
10:11of marine waste.
10:13I don't want to knock the crown off.
10:15I want to have the king watching us.
10:17Yes, yes.
10:17A punishment could be very, very heavy.
10:19Hello.
10:20Hello.
10:21Good dog, good dog.
10:22And I discover
10:23a mysterious island
10:24where time travel
10:26is taken very seriously.
10:27In what year are you?
10:301902.
10:31And to complicate it,
10:32I spent summers
10:33in 1794.
10:48more.
10:50My long weekend in Stockholm is flying by.
10:53The more I come to know this city, the more I feel I'm going to miss it when it's over.
11:01Even in winter, maybe particularly in winter, when the sun comes out, Stockholm zings in
11:08the light.
11:13I am not surprised to discover that Swedish people are environmentally conscious and very
11:19keen that Stockholm should be sustainable.
11:22In fact, back in 2010, it was named by the European Commission Europe's first green capital.
11:29But despite appearances, the city needs a deep clean.
11:38Ever since the city was founded in 1252, Stockholmers have embraced their position on the water and
11:45their proximity to nature.
11:47Their commitment to sustainability doesn't feel faddish.
11:52It's part of the culture.
11:55Five years ago, a local diver began retrieving rubbish from the murky depths.
12:02Today, he runs regular clean-ups with a team of divers who brave the freezing temperatures
12:09to clear the waters.
12:12Getting rubbish out of the sea is filthy work.
12:16So I have dressed the part.
12:23Salvaging far below the ice is dark and dangerous work.
12:27Divers are attached by safety lines to shore, where volunteers and members of the public drag
12:34the salvage out of harm's way.
12:37Today, I'm the newest recruit.
12:39And who knows, you too could enlist on your visit.
12:45This salvage operation takes place on most weekends, and in full view of the public, in fact, publicity
12:52is welcome, letting people know what's going on here.
12:56So, if you're going to be in Stockholm for a weekend, it might not seem like a normal part
13:00of a winter break, but you could find out where they're going to be while you're here.
13:04Go down there.
13:05Go down there.
13:05Have a look.
13:06You'll soon learn the ropes.
13:11So, we've got something big here.
13:13My name's Michael, by the way.
13:14Michael, I'm sorry.
13:16I think they've stuck, don't they?
13:17One, two, and on three.
13:19One, two, three.
13:24Well done.
13:25Good job to you, sir.
13:26Oh, well done.
13:28I don't want to knock the crown off.
13:30I want to have the king watching us.
13:32Yes, yes, yes.
13:33OK.
13:33I think...
13:34I think the punishment for knocking a crown off could be very, very heavy.
13:37Yeah.
13:40You are very experienced at this.
13:42You're doing well.
13:43Here comes something big.
13:44One, two.
13:47Are you doing this every weekend?
13:49Almost, yeah.
13:50Ah, you're amazing.
13:52Sorry.
13:54Of all the public passing by here.
14:01It's huge.
14:02Yeah.
14:03Oops.
14:04Oopsie-daisy.
14:05Oh, oopsie-daisy indeed.
14:07Hey!
14:07Dear God.
14:08Good job.
14:09For heaven's sake.
14:10Here you are.
14:11Look at this enormous piece of rubbish.
14:14On the other side of the bridge, the man responsible for these cleanups is finally coming up for air.
14:22Hello, Frederic.
14:23Hello.
14:23Are you feeling a bit cold?
14:25Uh, a little bit, yes.
14:26Yeah, it's been pretty cold.
14:27And you?
14:28No, I'm fine.
14:29We brought some very big pieces up over the bridge.
14:32Great.
14:33Yeah, it's heavy work, especially for you guys.
14:36I can see here a mass of filth and waste and horror.
14:41I mean, we started the project was to get up the lead batteries.
14:45Yes.
14:45They are absolutely the worst.
14:47I'm very proud to say that I think we have 40,000 kilos of those.
14:5140,000 kilos of batteries.
14:53Just that batteries.
14:54And tyres, they contain PAH oils, which are cancerogenic.
14:59But the thing I'm very mad about is that so many put the scooters in, electrical scooters.
15:06We have picked up 1,300 scooters.
15:09And they contain lithium, which is not good at all for the environment.
15:14Where possible, the rubbish is recycled, the team also uses it to make satirical sculptures that highlight the issues of
15:24environmental pollution, like this pyramid of discarded credit cards.
15:29Yes.
15:30Today we've been doing a sculpture to show that each week every one of us gets into itself one credit
15:38card of microplastics.
15:39I mean, I had no idea that I was ingesting all this plastic.
15:43I realised it was bad for marine life.
15:45Yeah.
15:46I didn't really think about how bad it was for me.
15:48Yeah, it sure is.
15:50Well, fantastic.
15:51I've really enjoyed it today.
15:53Thank you so much for joining us.
15:55Fantastic work.
15:56Have a good stay in Stockholm now.
15:58That's a cold hand, but a warm heart.
16:00It is.
16:04Frederick and his team are undoing some of the damage.
16:07They work and work and never tire.
16:18My next destination is one of Stockholm's most popular theme parks, and to reach it...
16:24Ah, the faithful Stefan. Hello.
16:27Hello.
16:28I'm taking my favourite form of transport.
16:33I'm taking my favourite form of transport.
16:34A short voyage from Sweepshomen is an island almost entirely given over to recreation.
16:41The island of Njordgårdan, an island of museums and entertainments of fun and enlightenment.
16:52Wrap up warmly as we step back in time and experience how the Swedes lived in the centuries before the
16:59Industrial Revolution.
17:02A visit in the winter guarantees that we'll have the place almost to ourselves.
17:07And the entrance fee is discounted too.
17:13I learned a lot from open-air museums.
17:16And this one, Skansen, opened in 1891, has been a model to the world.
17:22A man called Artur Hazelius was worried that he saw a lot of the heritage of Sweden.
17:29Old buildings being demolished by industrialisation.
17:32So he started to collect houses and shops and barns and bring them here.
17:43Over 150 homes and farmsteads are spread across the 75-acre park
17:49and brought to life by teams of re-enactors dressed in authentic costumes.
17:54Hello.
17:55Hello.
17:56It's very good to see you.
17:59Tell me about yourself.
18:00In what year are you?
18:021902.
18:04So, you lived part of your life in 1902 and part of your life in 2024.
18:10All my colleagues have a double life like that.
18:14Exactly so.
18:16And to complicate it, I spent summers in 1794.
18:21Which character are you?
18:23Hmm.
18:25So, normally, the schoolteacher.
18:27Do you find that people love to learn about the past from you?
18:33Definitely.
18:34They don't want us to stop.
18:36When I ring the magic bell and times go back to 2024, they say,
18:41Oh, no, no!
18:43This must give you a lot of satisfaction.
18:45That's how it is, yes.
18:49As I explore Deepay into the park, I travel further back in time, to a farmstead from the 1830s.
18:58Well, hello.
19:00Hello.
19:01And welcome.
19:02Oh, you've got a nice warm fire.
19:04That's a perk of your job.
19:06Yeah.
19:06And a terrific farmhouse.
19:08It's a farmstead from the north of Sweden.
19:11It looks like this room was used for everything.
19:14There's a cooking area, an eating area.
19:16There's a bed.
19:17Maybe it's a child's bed, is it?
19:19That is a bed for grown-ups, actually.
19:21Is it?
19:22Yeah.
19:22So you slept at least two in there, keeping it warm.
19:26And what kind of reactions do you get from people?
19:29Some people wanting to live in the old time.
19:33Yeah, yeah.
19:34It's very easy to become nostalgic until you remember that the old world didn't have anaesthetics
19:40and things like that.
19:41No.
19:42And that life was very, very short and very, very difficult.
19:45Actually, it's quite common to live at late 60s or around 70s.
19:51That doesn't give me much leeway.
19:53Yeah.
19:55It's lovely to see you.
19:57Friedrichs.
19:58Yeah.
19:58You keep warm.
19:59Yeah.
20:00You're welcome.
20:01Bye.
20:07At the height of summer, this museum resembles a busy film set, with scores of characters dressed
20:14in historic local costume mingling with the visitors.
20:18Behind the scenes, workshops and wardrobe and art departments help to recreate the past.
20:26Hello.
20:28Hello.
20:29Welcome.
20:30Welcome.
20:31You are now in the centre where the magic is, I would say.
20:35Costume designer Camilla oversees hundreds of garments, all conscientiously restored and preserved.
20:42And it's a big range from all over Sweden.
20:45This is from Dala Floda, Dalarna in Sweden.
20:49I love the embroideries.
20:50These are absolutely superb.
20:52Yes.
20:53And I can show you one that is really, really old.
20:56I think it's so beautiful.
20:57And you can see that it's been worn.
20:59It's really, really old.
21:01How old do you think?
21:03I would say 1850.
21:06Isn't that remarkable?
21:08And we have some photos here of women wearing them.
21:12So it's a part of a folk costume.
21:15So...
21:15How do you acquire these costumes then?
21:17Do you go out and buy them?
21:19Sometimes.
21:20And sometimes we get gifts from other museums.
21:24You have real treasures here, don't you?
21:28Before I leave, Camilla has agreed to let me journey back to the 19th century,
21:35when traditional costume was worn for special occasions and celebrations.
21:41How is it going?
21:43How are you doing?
21:44Nearly there.
21:45Nearly there.
21:46Great.
21:48A couple of things are a bit awkward.
21:50I understand that.
21:52Yeah.
21:55Hey, hey.
21:56Wow.
21:58Perfect.
21:59It's such a beautiful costume.
22:01Like you never wore anything else.
22:04Like you were born into it.
22:05I feel so proud to wear it.
22:07I feel like the person who wore this was virtuous and hardworking
22:12and at a time when men didn't mind being a little bit peacock-like.
22:17Exactly.
22:18Why did they stop being like that?
22:21You've certainly given me some new ideas for how to dress.
22:25Good.
22:30Coming up.
22:31Yay!
22:32I raise a toast to a very cool bar.
22:35The bar is made of ice.
22:37Yes.
22:38The seats are made of ice.
22:39Yes.
22:41And discover a centuries-old warship, perfectly preserved.
22:45And you just can't get over how intact it is.
22:49What a great slab of history.
22:54Yes.
23:02Just a five-minute stroll from Stockholm's living museum is where we're headed next.
23:08We'll be transported back 400 years in time to August 1628, when a mighty seafaring vessel was launched just north
23:18of here, commissioned by a great king of Sweden, Gustavus Adolphus.
23:30Imagine the pride of Sweden, when it built the greatest warship ever seen in history.
23:3969 metres long, 50 metres from Kiel to the top of the mast, weighing 1,200 tonnes, bristling with cannon.
23:49At the front, a four-metre lion representing the power of the Swedish king.
23:54And the Vasa set sail on 10 August 1628 from the palace docks in Stockholm, and travelled 1,300 metres,
24:02when, to the shrieks and horror of the crowd, a gust of wind caught it.
24:06It began to tip the open gun ports filled with water, and it sank.
24:12The shortest ever naval career.
24:20This is one of Stockholm's most visited treasures, and it's been on my bucket list for years.
24:28But not nearly as many as it's spent sunk deep beneath the waves.
24:33I think they say, shiver my timbers.
24:35It's absolutely stunning.
24:43This colossal vessel, the Vasa, lives again.
24:51It sank to the bottom of an icy sea, so icy that worms and microbes are very, very few in
24:58that environment, and so the woodwork wasn't eaten away.
25:01And in 1961, another extraordinary crowd assembled to watch this thing, this huge hulk, lifted out of the water.
25:12And people must have been absolutely stunned by its completeness, as though it had gone down a few days before
25:18rather than centuries.
25:20And you just can't get over how intact it is.
25:24What a great slab of history.
25:27No wonder Sweden was proud.
25:28It is indeed, even now, a mighty warship.
25:36After over 330 years on the sea floor, the mighty Vasa had to be continuously sprayed with chemicals used to
25:45preserve waterlogged wood for a period of 17 years.
25:51What a thing.
25:52Today, the ship is still carefully preserved, in controlled conditions, around 18 degrees and 55% humidity.
26:03These carvings adorned the ship, and they were all about the glory of Swedish monarchs.
26:10And in particular, they asserted the legitimacy of Gustav II Adolf, the king of the day.
26:18And it was alleged that some decisions by the king had played their part in the catastrophe.
26:24But there was an inquiry.
26:26And it was discovered that the only person to blame was the ship's architect, who by then was long dead.
26:34And so this was a work of flattery, and this was a work of vanity.
26:39And after pride comes a sinking.
26:54As dusk falls on my final night in Stockholm, I head to a bar that was originally carved from river
27:01ice, 124 miles north of the Arctic Circle.
27:05Let me take you for a drink at the coolest watering hole in town.
27:12I've tracked down a Stockholm haunt, where even on a cold day, it's colder inside than out.
27:22Whoa!
27:24The airlock into Stockholm's ice bar.
27:37A frozen world set at minus seven Celsius of glacial bubbles and igloos and, I hope, cool cocktails.
27:51First opened as part of an ice hotel in northern Sweden, Stockholm's ice bar has been serving locals and tourists
27:58for more than 20 years.
28:01One of the men responsible for carving and creating it is sculptor Peter.
28:06Hello!
28:07Hello!
28:08Peter, how nice to see you.
28:10Yeah, nice to see you too.
28:11The bar is made of ice?
28:12Yes.
28:13The seats are made of ice?
28:14Yes.
28:15Where does all this ice come from?
28:17It's come from Torna River, actually.
28:19Yes?
28:19Up north in Sweden, yes.
28:21So you don't actually manufacture the ice, you actually bring natural ice from a river.
28:25That's true, yeah.
28:26We pick up big chunks of ice, like 1.6 ton, and then we cut it down in smaller pieces,
28:32bring it down here and build up the bar.
28:35Cheers!
28:36Of course, our glasses are made of ice as well.
28:38Yeah, of course.
28:42It's nice.
28:43They're quite cold on the lips.
28:45Yeah.
28:49Like the ice hotel up north, which melts each spring and is rebuilt every winter, Stockholme's ice bar is reborn
28:58annually from 40 tonnes of fresh ice carved from the frozen river Tournai.
29:05And these bars are pretty popular, are they?
29:08They are, especially in the summertime when people come up here.
29:11It's, the contrast is beautiful.
29:13Of course, if you're coming in from 35 degrees or something.
29:16Exactly.
29:16And then you get in here, it's like, how nice.
29:19You can stand here forever.
29:20As long as you dress for it.
29:21Yeah.
29:22Let me, let me just try, um, moving my glass.
29:24Do you want to meet me in the middle?
29:25Like?
29:26Let's try that.
29:27Here goes.
29:29Yay!
29:30Nice.
29:31Are you able to show me a little bit of how you do your work?
29:35Yeah, I could actually invite you to carve a little bit, if you like to.
29:39Yeah, yeah, I'd love to.
29:40Let's just finish our drinks.
29:41Yeah.
29:42Because I think I'm going to need all the fortification I can get.
29:45OK, cool.
29:47OK.
29:48Good.
29:49Let's go, then.
29:49Let's go.
29:51During winter, Peter's workshop is in the open, on the terrace, where temperatures rarely exceed 2 degrees.
29:59Temperature here is pretty good, is it, for you?
30:01Yeah, I think it's quite all right.
30:03So, we have the sharp end of this tool here, the chiso.
30:07They have two sides of it.
30:08It's a flat side here, which you make straight lines.
30:11Yeah.
30:12And the angled side, you make the deep cut, like that.
30:17Then we're going to make some drawing on the ice, because I think...
30:21What do you reckon?
30:22I think a fish would be fine to do.
30:24The fish?
30:25Well, that sounds ambitious to me, but yes, let's go.
30:27OK, so we make some lines like this.
30:30It's going to be a little fin here.
30:32You're just taking the ice away here?
30:34Yes.
30:35So, if you take it all the way down, I...
30:38So, I try to shape the head here.
30:40I'm just chopping away some of the excess ice.
30:43And creating, like, a waterfall coming up here.
30:46Ah, I'm creating a waterfall, I didn't know that.
30:49Yeah, I can see.
30:49I'm a sort of glacial Michelangelo.
30:56It takes a team of seven sculptors around ten days to build the ice bar from Scotland.
31:03And I can see how it might, as I watch our fish take shape.
31:10So, the fish is curving all the way around here now.
31:13That's right, yes.
31:14Lovely, lovely.
31:16Once you've made this sculpture, how long do you think it will last?
31:19A couple of hours, or maybe to the next day if it's cold.
31:23Oh, my goodness.
31:23And you don't mind putting all this work in for something that lasts such a short time?
31:27No, actually, I love to do it.
31:29That's the main thing about it, to create it.
31:32Is this quite a competitive field, Peter?
31:34Yeah.
31:34You can actually do some competitions with it.
31:36For example, when I was in Turin to do the Olympics, it was, yeah, it was fun.
31:41And I made a torch.
31:43It's about two metres high.
31:45Do you get nervous when you're competing?
31:48In the beginning, yes.
31:49But as soon as you start to carve, you forget about everything.
31:53You're just absorbed.
31:54Yeah.
31:55And you forget the time and someone had to tap you on the shoulder and say,
31:58you have to eat today.
31:59Things like that.
32:03The skin looks beautiful here, yes.
32:07What do you think?
32:08Well, I think we have a fish emerging with its beautiful fins here and its head and its gills.
32:15You did a great job.
32:18To some help.
32:19I did nothing.
32:20It's quite beautiful if you see it from here.
32:23And it's getting lovelier as it gets more glistenier, more glassy.
32:27Yeah.
32:27Beautiful.
32:28Good job.
32:29Thank you very much.
32:36I'm going to have to find an ice place to put this.
32:49Coming up, I stumble across England's patron saint in a most unexpected place.
32:56Whoa, Christina.
32:58An enormous Saint George and a terrifying dragon.
33:02And enjoy a final farewell fika.
33:06Would they come together in the morning for fika?
33:08You have the lunch in the middle of the day and also like in the morning and in the afternoon
33:11you have the fika.
33:12Do you ever do any work?
33:13Y-thefton.
33:23Pseud!
33:24My long weekend in Stockholm is almost over but there's still time to squeeze in a couple of treasures.
33:33Returning to the medieval heart of Gamla Stan,
33:36at the far end of the royal palace,
33:39I'm in search of Stor Schirkan,
33:42Stockholm's 13th-century cathedral.
33:45The religious centre of Stockholm has been a church,
33:49a great church, a basilica and a cathedral.
33:53It has survived the Reformation and today is in the pink.
33:59From the outside, you wouldn't know that this is Stockholm's oldest building.
34:04The exterior was refurbished in the 18th century.
34:09The interior, around 500 years older, draws the crowds.
34:17Magnificent vaulted ceilings, intricate columns
34:20and one of the earliest depictions of the city itself
34:24are amongst Sweden's finest examples of medieval architecture and art.
34:31The top attraction, however,
34:34is a figure tightly bound to English identity.
34:37The chaplain, Kristina, has the explanation.
34:41Oh, Kristina, an enormous St George and a terrifying dragon.
34:46Yes, isn't it?
34:48Made out of oak and elk and reindeer horn.
34:53Really?
34:54Yes.
34:55This, then, dates back to when?
34:591489.
35:00That's quite incredible.
35:01So beautiful, so sophisticated.
35:05George is England's patron saint, but he was neither English nor a knight.
35:11He was probably a Roman officer who died a Christian martyr.
35:15And England shares him as patron saint with Genoa, Ethiopia, Georgia and Catalonia.
35:25I suppose people come from all over to see your dragon and your St George.
35:30That's right.
35:31I say when we have two-minute tourists, they rush over to this corner to see St George and the
35:38dragon.
35:39The story is about St George.
35:42He'd come to believe in God.
35:46And he was out to do good things for the world.
35:50And then he met this little princess outside the wall in tears
35:55because she should be the next meal for this horrible dragon
36:01that was a threat to the city.
36:03And he said, I'll save you and I'll save the city.
36:08And this is the last battle.
36:14This visit has been full of surprises.
36:16I never expected to come across a St George and a terrifying dragon.
36:22There are surprises in life.
36:33Before my flight home, I return to the island where my long weekend began, Södermalm.
36:40I'm in search of a daily ritual that the Swedes take very seriously.
36:44I've heard about it all weekend and have saved it for my final adventure.
36:49I'm fixated to find why there's a fervent fuss about Fika.
36:57British industrial relations between employers and trades unions
37:01used to be dogged by disputes over the tea break.
37:05But when it comes to the institutionalised moment for rest and restoration,
37:10the Swedish win the prize.
37:12And here it's called Fika.
37:14Every day of the working weaker.
37:19Hello. Hello. Hello.
37:22Alfred and Dana opened their cafe bakery three years ago.
37:27What a beautiful display of baked goods.
37:30And the smell. The smell is marvellous.
37:32We bake everything just five metres behind you.
37:34Yeah, of course. It's really fresh.
37:36I've come to investigate the Fika.
37:39Oh, maybe like the most important thing in Swedish culture.
37:41It's like when people almost every day, like, come together to drink coffee
37:46and eat, like, anything you want of this.
37:49Most traditionally this season is like the semla
37:52that people go crazy about at the moment.
37:56To enjoy Fika is one of Sweden's most cherished customs.
38:01It's much more than just a coffee break.
38:04The social side is equally important and requires you to disconnect from work.
38:10Would they come together in the morning for Fika?
38:13It can be any time, but usually, like, you have the lunch in the middle of the day
38:16and also, like, in the morning and in the afternoon you have the Fika.
38:19So, wait a minute. You have a Fika in the morning, a lunch, and then a Fika in the afternoon.
38:23Do you ever do any work?
38:24It's like, it's a nice just few hours chatting with your friends or colleagues, having a good coffee or a
38:31pastry.
38:32Well, look, I'm very interested in trying this important Swedish cultural custom.
38:37So, may I have a coffee? And then which cake were you recommending?
38:42I think you have to try the semla. It's like a fluffy bun. Here we do our own almond paste.
38:48The cream that we have on top, it's actually from Alfred's parents' farm.
38:53So, this is your family's farm's milk? Yeah.
38:57It feels really good to have the best quality products and it makes a difference in the taste.
39:01Yeah. It sounds wonderful.
39:06Semla buns are iconic in Sweden.
39:09At one time, they were eaten only on Shrove Tuesday.
39:13Today, Swedes consume them any time after Christmas.
39:17Dana and Alfred sell buns freshly made on the premises every morning.
39:24Armed with my hot drink and bun...
39:27Hey.
39:28..it's time for me to engage in coffee, cake and conversation.
39:33That is, tafika, like a local.
39:37Do you find it easy to work in a cafe?
39:41My work place is very flexible.
39:43Yeah.
39:44And I have three small kids.
39:46Oh, my goodness. Where are they at the moment?
39:47Kindergarten.
39:48Excellent.
39:49In Sweden, you know, when they turn one, you can go to kindergarten.
39:52Are you paying for that?
39:54300 euro per month for three kids.
39:57Yeah, that's fantastic value, isn't it?
39:59Yeah, yes, it's amazing.
40:00And all part of the Swedish mentality of supporting the family.
40:04Yes. All the people I know, they work a lot, but they also have a lot of free time.
40:11Look at you and me with our semla buns, and I'm sorry to have disturbed you.
40:15No, it's been nice talking to you.
40:23To be honest with you, I don't often give a lot of thought to what I'm eating.
40:26But before tackling my semla bun, I heard from Alfred and Dana about how proud they are of it,
40:34that everything is done here on the premises, that they make their own almond place,
40:37that the milk has come from Alfred's family's farm in the north of Sweden.
40:42And now I'm tackling my bun with real respect.
40:59I was really looking forward to discovering the real Stockholm on my long weekend.
41:05My goodness, we are on the ice!
41:07It's surpassed by highest expectations.
41:10I think I shall always remember this. This is a beautiful moment.
41:15Come prepared.
41:17For your winter break in Stockholm, wear thermals.
41:21A week ago, the temperature was minus 17.
41:25And embrace the Swedish way of life.
41:29Have you baked before?
41:30Hardly.
41:33The Swedes fight back against the cold by eating buns.
41:37So lovely.
41:39Herring.
41:40This is food at its best.
41:43And meatballs.
41:44It's in our blood.
41:45It's in your blood.
41:49By downing schnapps.
41:53Mild fire.
41:55And engaging in vigorous sports.
42:02The city has beautiful buildings.
42:06Oh, my.
42:07This is astonishing.
42:12And museums that cover Swedish culture, from the Vikings.
42:16Oh, my word.
42:17To Abba.
42:19To Abba.
42:19And everything in between.
42:21I think they say, shiver my timbers.
42:23It's absolutely stunning.
42:27The vibe is chill.
42:30But the welcome will send you home with a little sauna in your heart.
42:43A little later, a pub in Southampton with esteemed maritime history is at risk of sinking.
42:48Can the hotel inspector throw them a lifeline, new at nine?
42:53Next, taking the escalator up to a routine appointment can occasionally cause a visit back down to casualty.
42:59Every second counts in just a moment.
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