climate change. waste. pollution. isn't it time for good. eco africa people and projects that are changing no ones are meant for the best so to us to make a difference let's in the spirit show there's. going to be a farming magazine. long d w.

this is a very special edition of czech and twenty five years ago the must trace treaty went into effect founding the european union to commemorate that occasion i'm going to be hopping back and forth between germany and france while spending time in freiburg in strasbourg i hope to discover a few things about the two nations idiosyncrasies and similarities. my journey begins in freiburg in germany southwest this region has been greatly influenced by the french it was even under french rule for a time in the seventeenth century some king louis the fourteenth had a fortress built on this hill called the shah spec there's not much left of the fortification today by the spirit climbing up to the site to get an overview of the city. one of the many advantages of the european union. is

that it's in our borders have long ago seized to constitute an obstacle for travelers and citizens all the more excited to find out what awaits me on my border hopping route how much of france well i find in cyber and how much of germany over in strasburg. in addition will pay a visit to germany's biggest theme park i hope. this week's v mail takes us to county tipperary in central ireland. and will also show you around a unesco world heritage site while just capital valetta. one absolute must see and freiburg is the famous minster a gothic masterpiece this cathedral was built between the thirteenth and sixteenth centuries and here's a fun fact when seeking other employment architects and laborers had to prove

they'd worked on the cathedral a clever way was devised to do that they just have to say where to find the devil on the cathedrals main entrance. and if you'd like to hop not with the local crowd you should pop by the market on the cathedral square here you'll find stand selling products from all around the region and that includes frank. thomas. letters he was on. the show. down here in germany south spring always brings a little earlier than elsewhere in the country and that's not only great for visitors but also farmers who find ideal. conditions for growing all sorts of crops

here the mild climate for example favors the cultivation of asparagus things and all delicacy popular on both sides of the border and since french cuisine has a slightly better rep than instrument counterpart will introduce you to asparagus season in alsace. when the spring sun has warmed the earth sufficiently the atmosphere turns festive in some parts of our sauce on a sunday in early may fans of a slim pale vegetable flock to the town of earth to get their share of the freshly harvested delicacy. this is one of the major asparagus growing regions in all sauce . it's a veritable force best the vegetable tastes best twenty eight and as soon as possible after it's plucked from the ground. i don't know if on large tents have been set up on the menu fresh asparagus served with pam and a choice of two sauces. in the spring season

asparagus is also on the menu of all the top restaurants in all sauce. in order that we combine asparagus fish and mushrooms. in albany ny we fry the asparagus and butter until it's tender and brown people. that's how it served in this way includes senior restaurant and good as often one of the region's finest establishment. here food preparation presentation and service are top notch. and after a delicious meal you can stroll through the gardens of chateau de kock side. and sometimes the chateau zone or even shows visitors around the grounds which are among the region's most. uta full. chateau is located west of strasbourg and is

steeped in european history its garden is modeled on english parks. the chateau owner's grandfather was a german diplomat. at some point my grandfather gave up his career as a diplomat as well as his german nationality and then settled here for good and. he devoted his life into his paw fortune to go before people. reach to own a gold above the entrance gate. and. back in freiburg i'm continuing my search for french influences right next to the cathedral square there is this something say it's primarily a language school but every now and then the center hosts exhibitions to this one

titled water women introduces twenty three women from all around europe who have a special relationship with water and any of its many forms. and since two thousand and two the center's director has been much. clumsy dumbasses do you think that people here in freiburg have a special interest in french culture due to the proximity to france is unclear to him it. yeah sure for lots of yes i hope so and on the french holidays everyone comes to fribourg. the common island off by boat it's like a french invasion on zero four months is also here at. rio because i'm coughing and they come to shop and stroll around the city. as and it's the same the other way around the french can tell when there's a holiday in germany because then german stream into france. and if i may stick

with the cliches germans had to france to visit restaurants and go shopping that's typical or a fairly recently established a regular frankl german get together this is it's incredible more and more people are attending people from many different backgrounds and of different ages it's a wonderful make such an ignorant soon fissionable who for want to wipe the light then director of the center for fifteen years you how is interest and the center develop it hasn't grown already decreased do germans want to know more about their neighbors or less you have to have they changed over the years. the sis and us it's changed us is certainly less french seems to be spared him his pocket or less fluently at least. just have to accept that. this is no longer what the germans call the homo not. we live in an era of

globalization. we all are mother tongue and everyone second language is basically english but ideally you should learn a third language that's on the story international here. do you have a very ritzy bot or place here in freiburg we're in the heart of the city is there something close by that we could look at together can we have a new square. between the universe the theater and the university library when you get to the square of the old synagogue i think it's really lovely and should let's go check it out yes let's go to it. this where was renovated in twenty seventeen and now provides a generous public space on the spot where the old synagogue stood until it was destroyed by the nazis and nine hundred thirty eight. years or thanks for the tour that was

a lot of fun this was my pleasure and it will definitely be back my she did she was . a big motivation behind the foundation of the european union where the painful experiences of warfare in the region and in order to keep the memory alive of what happens if diplomacy fails all along the border there are places that remind us of the atrocities and victims of war. before going to visit the. memorial the students delved into world war one history my father would make out of marking at sea this morning my dad told me that my great great grandfather on my mother's side of the family the german side died here in the war. and my father's great great uncle was part of a group that killed. my great great grandfather died so it's possible someone from the french side of my family and i felt someone from the german side i mean one of

my diet and the. french president a man who when mccall and german president frank by to star in my demonstrated the close ties between the two nations when they unveiled the war memorial in nov twenty seventh team it was here that thirty thousand young german and french soldiers lost their lives in a bloody war of attrition now one hundred years later students from fribourg and get villar in our sas symbolically held hands and then talked to the two presidents . after the first world war a lot of disgruntled german sympathized with the nazi party and now election results in germany and france demonstrate a similar sense of dissatisfaction with the heads of state explained that this new nationalism has emerged out of a fear of globalization and a lack of trust in politics but they urge the students to fight for a strong united europe and for democracy. this thursday miles i agree with mr stein

miles that the younger generation should become involved i think that's the best way to go. it's also important to remember events of the past and to learn from them and that is the purpose of the hotline's violet kopf memorial site one of the first joint franco german war memorials the battles for control of hotlines vine a cough symbolize the senselessness of war the monument a museum there to remind us of that because of dark chapters like this it is the judy of germany and france to build a shed future. that's true for the whole continent and it is also the central idea behind the european union. northwest of freiburg still in germany you'll find the kaiser is still in

a low mountain range of volcanic origins the region is one of the warmest in germany and best known for its wine perfect excuse for a tasting but it's not just your taste buds that are in for a treat along the operand you'll also find some amazing architecture like at the avril vineyards which carry on century old traditions and modern facilities. a special about wine from the kaiser comes that's it can you tell it's from here by the smell of the streets of a car that's really thought. is an active volcano on and that's why we have a very interesting soil formations of this we have plenty of different things but underneath that there is very dark decomposed volcanic soil. it's really crucial for us our best wines grow well in that dark soil and we think you can taste it in

our wine with the mineralogy there which is typical of the kinds of stew of burgundy to be she'll be hard pressed to find a wine like that anywhere else in germany bushland. sounds great. picking up honey yeah i think a trace of honey exactly. what else does the experts now. from it. is enough even for well i can detect a notable honeydew melon it does have a rather fruity taste. there are some slight traces of the miller from the wooden barrel forth with bow. you're sure of that. and when you take a sip you get a. thankfulness that it tastes completely different than its mounds and exactly where the flavor of local fruit slowly reveals itself if it be on the taste of ripe apples right pears combined with the really nice men around here you know it. it

was in there to be and that flavor stays in your mouth for a very long time and. in which you must try this it's delicious. leave. if all of this is a bit too peaceful and quiet for your liking do not fret the upper rhine region of course has a lot more to offer than vineyards and nature if you're looking for a little thrill to spice up your trip look no further than oil pockets with over one hundred rides and more than five million yearly visitors it's one of the world's most popular museum and parks and my colleague elizabeth went to check it out for you. best it's not just about to take off on a little nervous but i'm sure i'll be back soon. to stop the

mighty blue fire roller coaster this ride goes from zero to one hundred kilometers now in just two point five seconds. behind us of course is the loop to do what an adrenaline rush. is captive i survived. i'm a bit shaken up but it was really fun but there is possible. there more than a hundred different attractions including thirteen bruddah coasters and snooped features are being added over time. like the dome of dreams a three hundred sixty degree multimedia cinema. there's

a good reason for calling this place he wrote a poc. rushers. these iceland and many other european countries are represented here. each country has its own special attractions. in spain for instance visitors can enjoy a stump show. another highlight is the boatwright on the europe the pot lake. the quiet moment to ask other visitors what they like best about the palm. leaves walking in the park it's seeing all these beautiful the course well the countries that are represented a lot because i really like it here out of the blue fire is sensational it's really fast. food even the best park i know.

my visit here is just about over and i'm now at the super splash atlantica this attraction is really popular in the summertime because chances are you'll get an impromptu shower bush will help you cool off. a few months as you can see i got on really well i said but that's perfect in this weather is that so i'm going to sit down in the sun to dry off good bye camera but . by now i've crossed the border from germany to france i'm in strasbourg alsace is regional capital has a long history the celts were here as well as the romans the huns and the franconian and the middle ages strasbourg was part of the holy roman empire of

german nations and strasbourg cathedral does bear a striking resemblance to the one in feinberg no wonder they were built around. same time where are you from atlanta georgia or the united states the future. this is completely different the what do you what do you like about it love the age the history so charming beautiful instead of it what's your impression of the city it's the first time like your computer. i feel i'm leaving the piece of paper and that would be a value that of those we love your above that we're always trying to get over here from argentina when we have charles then when you move the frequency but it was. another tourist hot spot is the pity false quarter with its have to merge houses strasburg's old town has been declared a world cultural heritage site by unesco that's also the case with the so-called new town where you find monuments from the times of the german empire in the nineteenth century. many of our viewers from across

the globe travel around europe and come back home with some amazing footage of their trips one of them is david maloney he didn't go too far he say to his native ireland and paid a visit to the county of tipperary in the heart of the emerald isle. oh oh

. and welcome to grow parliament the european parliament the city of strasburg is the official seat of the european parliament. instead we are right here below this ray of light. in madison there's always this wow factor when you step inside even those of us who've worked here for years never get over it and where does the interpreter sit ins and down the interpreters sit down there in newsgroups we currently have twenty four official languages some visitors have a right to understand what members of parliament are saying it's you know here in

the plenary hall there is room for seven hundred forty eight m e p's and six hundred fifty visitors. we end our tour on the roof overlooking france and germany. come look over there you can see the black forest of their of the mountains of the harvest to see and that is the cathedrals moves for. every year the e.u. names two cities as the european capitals of culture with the aim to and i quote highlight the richness and diversity of cultures in europe this year the baton was handed to little garden and the netherlands as well as a letter on the island of malta and that's where we're headed right now to europe smallest capital.

the letter may be a capital but it has just six thousand residents of the island state of malta has a total population of less than four hundred fifty thousand people here spend lots of time outdoors the streets of the letter a generally bustling thanks to the mild mediterranean climate locals are happy the city has been named twenty eighteen european capital of culture. is a magical place it's there. you know it has so much history on this financier it's the sixteenth century so many people from the night so forth to have come by and they've left such a legacy which now i think is finally being recognized any of the eleven. letter lives on a peninsula in the east of the main island it was founded by the knights of the order of st john in the sixteenth century to defend against invaders they surrounded the city with fortresses called bastions in one thousand nine hundred

eighty be entire city was listed as a unesco world cultural heritage site every single house in the old town is a listed building. one of the main sites is the grandmasters carlos completed in fifteen seventy five one grand master john poppy saw it gave the city its name. st john's coca is the conventional church of the order of st john's. visitors are not just dazzled by the letters historical treasures the city also offers some contemporary highlights like the city gate. and the new parliament building both of which were designed by italian architects renzo piano. the cultural capital of europe. it's outstanding it's fantastic for us as maltese we are all very proud and this is the place to be the. it is the place to be valetta

in two thousand and eighteen. more than four hundred different cultural events will be held in europe's smallish capital through a twenty eight team to mark this special year. in the. fight franco german torah between freiburg and strasbourg and it's right on the border in this case the rhine river. it's a symbolic place a bridge connecting two countries that were more than one set war this is the past and then to do the bridge of the two banks. a bridge crossing a border river there may not be a better symbol for european unity a thing i've learned a lot about on my trip from germany to france and back one could almost forget that the european union as we know it today has only been around for twenty five years

happy birthday and keep up the good work. foolish to.

enter the conflict zone come from doing the powerful. it's no secret the west is angry with russia on a whole range of issues but the feeling here in moscow is decidedly neutral my guest this week is russia's deputy foreign minister sergei korea cup for the whole thing this current slide in east west relations is the worst of.

serious issues. we may come home but we want to solve conflicts that fund education we are the sum of the surface of. the moon to shape the continent's future christmas. politics and african youngsters testing share their stories. and their challenges. to the seven percent to the. dummy's platform africa is charting. the dangerous battle for images five women. five exceptional stories. one calling more photography dramatic pictures from the frontlines capturing faithful moments in time and even risking death. she gave her life to tell the

stories of people who ended up killing. women more photographers starting may third on t.w. . how the germans came together in one nation from shanda money to chancellor although from bismarck. the history of the germans has been shaped by great movers. i swell always to bring my royal college of best to protect christendom and spread this line truth. if you please learn to play school. athletes ok i got it because of the enemy. and stupid but courageous decisions least of comes close your mouth your research perceived problems of the room could come from his presumptuous or promiscuous playing. soccer player. we must fall to pieces.

the german starting may thirteenth on g.w. played. the studio is live from her lead the afghan capital kabul rocked by a suicide bombing dozens of civilians are killed as they line up to register to vote in elections later this year also coming up. the political crisis in armenia worsens police detained over two hundred protesters along with three prominent opposition politicians among them is the man who's been leading the days

of mass anti-government demonstrations. and germany's social democrat.