Michael Palin's New Europe - 5. Baltic Summer

A journey through the three Baltic States from Tallinn in the North, via Riga, to Vilnius in the South. Michael tells the story of how these three tiny nations shook themselves free of their neighbour and oppressor, the Soviet Union, and began to reshape their lives and reclaim a culture that had gone underground, but had never died.

In this episode, Michael attends a session of hirudotherapy (leech treatment), a session of fire-walking, and a frolic with revellers at the pagan festival of Jaani crowned in a chaplet of oak-leaves In an impromptu experiment on the streets of Vilnius, he also learns why Lithuanians are called "A Singing Nation".

The documentary ends in Kaliningrad, which was once East Prussia. Kaliningrad is a relic of WW2 and one of Europe's oddities - a region of Russia surrounded by Poland and Lithuania. It is City Day - a celebration of the 60 years since the region was renamed, and whatever the politics, Michael is determined to enjoy himself before sailing around the Baltic coast to Poland. (R)

Broadcast on:

BBC HD, 11:30pm Thursday 14th May 2009

First broadcast:

Thursday 14th May 2009

Duration:

59 minutes

Available until:

Categories:

• Factual,
• Travel