Rugged rocks, blue sea and idyllic, sandy beaches - this is the Mediterranean as we know it. But this impression is deceptive: the Mediterranean is under constant change. The continents are moving towards one another. Animals, that have to survive under such extreme conditions, must find a way to escape the dangers. Between deserts and volcanoes, the challenges for the animals are enormous. (S1 E02)
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In accordance with the seasons and with deep respect of nature, people all over the world celebrate their long-standing traditions. Near the outermost border of Europe, in Bashkiria, generations of bee keepers have collected honey from rare wild bees, the Burzyan bees. In Japan the last of the Usho catch fish with "living fishing rods": trained cormorants. Traditionally, they provided the Emperor's family with fresh fish. In Poland carp are fished from the ponds to provide everybody with carp for Christmas dinner - this is an old Polish tradition. In Frisia winter is driven out by fires at what is known as "Biikebrennen", and in Hungary the "Busho" - frightening characters wearing wooden masks - do a similar job. "Four seasons - Many traditions" is a journey, meeting people who are passionate at keeping old traditions alive.
In accordance with the seasons and with deep respect of nature, people all over the world celebrate their long-standing traditions. In Japan the first picnics at the cherry blossom festival kick off the long-awaited outdoor season, while the Scots perform their Highland Games. In the summer the Latvians celebrate the biggest party of the year: midsummer night. The vast wildflower meadows provide them with wreathes of flowers which have magical healing powers animals are provided with an abundance of insects. This enables the rare hoopoe to breed in Latvia. In the Spree forest region, an enchanting river landscape south-east of Berlin, farmers still harvest the famous Spreeforest Cucumber. "Four seasons - Many traditions" is a visual journey around the globe meeting people who are passionate and dedicated at keeping old traditions alive.
Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world. Young women are often disadvantaged here and quite a few are married off before the age of 18. Helicopter pilot Priya Adhikari lives and works here. The 38-year-old is an exception and the only woman in Nepal who ventures into the extremely dangerous heights of the Himalayas in her helicopter. (S1 E05)
Alia Twal is an enthusiastic pilot, globetrotter and adventurer. She is a first officer with the Jordanian airline Royal Jordanian and flies large passenger planes. She climbs the highest mountains in the world, dives with sharks or goes skydiving. Alia particularly enjoys travelling in her Jordanian homeland. (S1 E04)
Living conditions are harsh in the Australian outback, especially in William Creek. Only 17 people live here, and in summer even less - only two. There is a motel, a campsite, a pub and the only petrol station in a radius of hundreds of miles. The young bush pilot Hannah Jane Cash lives and works here. (S1 E03)
Aerobatics is the supreme discipline in air sports. Only a few pilots dare to navigate a machine during loops, drops and steep flights because nausea and blackouts due to the strong G-forces can be life-threatening. But flight instructor Jenny Holmenes is not deterred - she wants to prove her skills. Although she is still a beginner, she competes in the "Sportsman" class at the Norwegian Aerobatic Championships. (S1 E02)
Alaska - the largest and at the same time most sparsely populated state in the USA. Only about 740,000 people live here. Often far away in small villages. Almost every village has its own airstrip. Aircrafts are one of the main means of transport in Alaska. Jamie Klaes is one of the many female pilots in the country. (S1 E01)
With a coastline boasting miles of bathing beaches, turquoise waters, breath-taking cliffs whilst being steeped in history, the Turkish riviera was even a fa-vourite of the Ancient Greeks, Romans and Ottomans, who all loved the mild climate and the lush landscape. Near the ruins of the ancient city of Side, Menderes Akdemir works on the latest attraction aimed at Riviera holidaymakers: his spooky pirate ship "Big Kral" is due to leave dry dock and head for the sea. Mehmet Özata came up with a very clever idea: to be able to cope with the basically ruinous puffer fish plague along the coastline, he produces a selection of leather utensils made of their skin. The islands that surround the sunk-en city of Simena are hugely popular, despite the very modest infrastructure and lack of shopping facilities. This is why Fatma and Ahmet Mazili have transformed their small rowing boat into a floating snack bar. An-other gap in the market was brought to life by Ufuk Secgin. He came up with the idea of providing Halal Holidays, vacations that conform to Islam. For Muslims to be able to relax on holiday, much has to be well organised, with a copy of the Koran and a prayer rug seen as the absolute minimum requirements
Sardinia has always been the epitome of pure wilderness, an emerald of volcanic origin in the Mediterranean. 1900 metres of coastline and an infinite maze of offshore islands. But Sardinia also has other facets: green valleys, rugged mountains, murmuring brooks, mysterious ruins and a unique fauna. Just off of Sardinia's coast is an untouched underwater paradise - uniquely beautiful, but also dangerous. Pilot whales, dolphins and mobula rays populate the waters at Capo Testa in the north of the island. In the west, the lagoons of Cabras represent a wild landscape of lakes in which thousands of flamingos live and hunt the red brine shrimps. In addition to the flamingos, grey and purple herons and little egrets breed here. Thousands of bats have found refuge in the craggy mountain world of the Supramonte and Gennargentu, with their countless grottoes and caves. In the sea we can observe the mass mating of sea slugs, and thanks to our camera robots and submersible boats we were able to observe beard worms with luminous red gills, as well as bright yellow tree corals in the area surrounding the hypothermal lava holes.
The Namib, one of the most hostile deserts on Earth. Without a firm survival strategy, no living soul will make it here. Yet, surprisingly, some species have adapted their lifestyles to these extreme conditions: chameleons, beetles, snakes and mammals are all at home here. The film follows a family of desert elephants that has also adapted to this habitat.
Lake Iseo is located on the southern foothills of the Alps. It extends over the provinces of Brescia and Bergamo in the northern mainland of Italy. In the middle of Lake Iseo lies the largest island of the southern European inland waters. Monte Isola, as the island is called after its central mountain lies close to its two neighboring islands, Isola di San Paolo and Isola di Loreto. As early as the 11th century, a monastic association of Benedictines settled here. For many Italians, Lake Iseo is the most beautiful spot in their homeland. It is all the more astonishing how little the influence of tourism is here. Driving is strictly forbidden on the three islands, and only on Monte Isola. Only on Monte Isola there is a regular bus service in the summertime. Thus, the three islands are an oasis of an oasis of tranquility most of the year. The historical buildings and the nature remind of the long tradition in which the Italians have cultivated this retreat. Only every five years in the autumn a big celebration takes place. Then over 200,000 paper flowers decorate the island. The flowers are reminiscent of the time in the Middle Ages when a Roma woman brought her son to the island to be cured from the from the rampant plague. In gratitude, she donated a sea of flowers. The Festa di Santa Croce has been one of the main attractions in northern Italy ever since. The days are radiant with color, it is the only time when it gets crowded in the small streets of the island villages. The next festival was celebrated in September 2021. (S1 E02)
The Sulcis Archipelago is located off the south-western coast of Sardinia and is part of the province of of southern Sardinia. The islands of San Pietro, Sant'Antioco and Isola Piana form the archipelago, together with several uninhabited islets and rocks form the archipelago. It belongs to the less known areas in Italy and is little developed for tourism. Nevertheless stars like Tom Cruise and Roberto Cavalli come here to enjoy the peace, seclusion and good food. The islanders are only moderately interested in these visitors, and their down-to-earth attitude has never lost. (S1 E01)
The cornfield - just an area for producing food… or a land full of secrets? This doc portrays a little recognized habitat right next door. The spectacular visuals filmed with state of the art equipment introduce the surprisingly large diversity of field inhabitants. We follow a hamster family through a season full of adventures and are drawn into an unknown world – a world of which we thought we knew everything about. In the western industrial nations cornfields and woods take up the greatest proportion of rural land. But how much natural life dwells in a cornfield? Why are some cornfield inhabitants harmful and others useful and what do the colourful flowers at the edge of the field promise us? We follow a hamster family through a season full of adventures and are drawn into an unknown world – a world of which we thought we knew everything about.
One of the smallest dams in the Bergisches Land is the Panzertalsperre, with an area of just four-and-a-half football pitches. On the other hand, the Dhünntalsperre is the largest with the area of 660 football pitches. They all transform a stretch of flowing water into still and stagnant water. As a result, completely diverse ecosystems have developed there: where the dipper once dived for insect larvae, cormorants and gray herons now fish and swans and coots cavort. In recent summers, even greater challenges have emerged: the effects of climate change - from extreme drought to destructive floods. On a smaller scale, a rather industrious dam master is operating flood protection: The Beaver. However, the water masses of the Wupper tore away half of his majestic timber castle - and the four young beaver kids were not seen again afterwards. Have they survived the flood? Not everyone can cope with the constant change in the dams, but they still remain an important wonder of engineering for many: for us humans as well as for a number of animals. By combining water management, ecological requirements and tourism a worthwhile goal is possible: Because for the Bergisches Land, its dams are among the most valuable and popular infrastructures that the region has to offer.
The 115 islands and islets that make up the Seychelles present a breath-taking variety of plants, rare animals and beaches laced with palms. This is where the leg-endary Coco de Mer palm nuts grow with fruits weigh-ing up to 20 kilos and giant wild land turtles nibble away at mangrove fruits to their hearts content. The archipelago was first settled at the end of the 18th cen-tury. Today, a very colourful potpourri of peoples in this dwarf state proves just how peacefully different cultures can live side by side. Three times a week, the steamer "MV Espoir" completes the trip from the main island of Mahé to Praslin and back. A ship for every-one and practically everything: Used cars, toilet paper, horses, bicycles, furniture - you name it, the Espoir transports goods of all kinds. Coconuts sometimes pose a problem as there are far too many of them. What to do with them? The best place to send them is undoubt-edly Hubert Roumien's Virgin Coconut Oil Laboratory, hidden away in the Mahé jungle. Straw turns into gold at Seaweed Seychelles! There, Benjamin Port Louis collects seaweed and extracts liquid fertiliser from it.
At 117 square kilometres, the Müritz is the largest lake on German territory, but it's far from the only one in the north east of the country. Even the Mecklenburg Lake District, between Waren and Feldberg, contains around 2 lakes alone. Thanks to the Müritz National Park the species diversity is particularly high in the region: half of the German crane population breeds in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern the osprey is typical of the Müritz area the lively Eurasian otter hunts here and the endangered red milan circles the skies above. Fred Bollmann knows the national park like hardly any other. The former ranger and voluntary nature conservationist is actively involved in the preservation of ‘his' wildlife world. Filming for this production took two years. The outcome is a unique portrait of this stunning region.
The wide, often untouched wilderness of the Baltic hinterland is home to many animals. More than 35 brown bears live in the primeval forests of Alutaguse. In the spring, the Soomaa National Park transforms into a huge lake. Europe's widest waterfall is located in Latvia. In the beginning of May, vimba bream follow the course of the River Venta. The hardly 5-centimetre-long fish have to overcome a 4-metre-long rock barrier in order to reach their spawning grounds.
The Pamban Railway crosses the tropical landscape of Tamil Nadu, the former Madras, for around 600 kilometers. Heavy storms and rain showers make the route a challenge for Indian Railways to this day. The film accompanies the "Rameswaram Express" over the notorious Pamban Bridge, the first bridge across the Indian Ocean. (S1 E03)
The Tanzania-Zambia-Railway (Tazara) is one of Africa's most ambitious infrastructure projects. It connects the inland with the coast of East Africa and meant independence from the surrounding apartheid-ruled countries of East Africa. The film accompanies the Tazara on its 52-hour journey through Tanzania and Zambia and uses spectacular aerial shots to show not only the architectural monuments but also the unknown sides of the previously hidden landscapes of Tanzania and Zambia. (S1 E02)
Over 196 bridges and through 55 tunnels, the Bernina Express fights its way from Switzerland to Italy. Powerful forces of nature make the railyway line a dangerous route over the Grisons Alps to this day. The film accompanies the Bernina Express in winter over the highest rail route across the Alps. (S1 E01)
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