Burt Wolf: Travels and Traditions

For over 12,000 years, Native Americans have been living in the area around Santa Fe, New Mexico. The Spanish arrived in the 1600s and eventually the two cultures blended together to form one of the most interesting societies in America. In this program, we take a helicopter tour of some of the most beautiful parts of the Southwest, visit the oldest church in the United States, and discover how the native tribes used modern ledger paper to preserve their heroic legends and personal stories. We visit the Loretto Chapel and inspect its magic staircase, which appears to be totally unsupported. We travel through the Bandelier National Monument and see the remains of an ancient Pueblo community and take a look at a simple and inexpensive construction technique that will keep a house in good shape for hundreds of years.

Christmas is observed in cities throughout the world, but the festivities in the Austrian city of Vienna are unique. Burt joins the celebration, explains the ancient history and meaning of Christmas, tours Vienna's famous Christmas markets, and discovers why we have Christmas trees. He takes us inside the magnificent castle of the Habsburg family and unravels the story of how they became the most powerful rulers in Europe by using their marriages instead of their military. We also take a look at the foods of Christmas and discover their special meanings. The program gives us a real understanding of one of the world's most popular holidays.

Rome's Vatican City has a population of only 550 people and a landmass of just over 100 acres, which makes it the world's smallest independent state, but its influence is extraordinary. Burt takes viewers on a unique tour of the city and its history. There are some amazing images from the ceiling of St. Peter's Basilica as well as a look at St. Peter's Tomb below. We see the Sistine Chapel in close-up and visit the Vatican's 500-year-old mosaic studio.

Built by the ancient Romans, Cologne is a mixture of old and new - 60, 000 university students keep it young, a thousand-year-old cathedral gives it maturity. In this program, Burt visits the cathedral which is Germany's most visited tourist attraction and finds out how it can reconnect travelers with their spiritual feelings. He also stops into the city's best restaurants and presents Cologne's traditional foods and drinks. He takes viewers through a chocolate museum, and a cruise on the Rhine River. He unravels the mystery of why light perfumes are called Eau de Cologne. He also takes us to Cologne's world-famous carnival celebration.

During the 8th century, Charlemagne united all the Christian communities in northern Europe and centered his kingdom in the town of Aachen. The magnificent church that he built is still standing. Burt takes viewers on a tour of the city. We discover the strange legends of its ancient fountains, the reason the healing powers of its hot springs have been famous for over 2,000 years, and what made it one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Europe. We also find out about Aachen's spice cookies and why the people buy over 45,000 tons of them each year. And, of course, Burt introduces us to the signature foods of the city.

During the early 1960s, Hamburg was the world's epicenter for rock music. The Beatles, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Bo Diddley and the Everly Brothers were local heroes. Burt takes viewers on a musical tour of the period. He also explores the city and discovers why it has more millionaires per capita than any other city in Europe. We take an excursion through the city's famous port and end up at the Sunday morning fish market party that takes place every week. We also visit the Montblanc factory and discover why their fountain pens don't leak.

The eastern part of Switzerland is one of the best-kept secrets in European travel. It is picturesque, un-crowded and has one of the most interesting Baroque abbeys in the world. Burt takes viewers on a tour of the town of St. Gallen which is celebrating its 1,000-year history as an innovative center for textiles. We visit the artists that make St. Gallen a center of clothing design. Burt takes us through the extraordinary fashion exhibits that have been set-up by the city government. Also included are St. Gallen's tourist attractions, its famous marzipan bakers and its great restaurants.

Tuscany is the artistic, cultural and gastronomic center of Northern Italy. In this program, Burt brings viewers to a vineyard just south of the city of Siena to take part in the fall harvest. We find out what makes the wines of Tuscany so famous, how the grapes are cared for, how the wine is produced. We also get a gastronomic tour of the region and its most famous dishes. We spend time with the owner of the vineyard who immigrated to Canada because he was starving and returned 50 years later as the millionaire founder and owner of Canada's largest trucking company. Burt makes the trip with one of America's leading authorities on Italian wine.

These two programs take a new approach to television travel. In each half-hour, three people, who have come to the United States from Taiwan and achieved considerable success, describe the reasons they immigrated to America, what they have accomplished in the U.S. and what they recommend to visitors in their native country. Chien-Ming Wang (star pitcher for the New York Yankees), Dr. Henry Lee (the world's leading forensic scientist who appeared as an expert witness in the O.J. Simpson trial), Dr. David Ho (foremost authority on AIDS research), and others tell us what to see, eat, drink, visit and shop for in Taiwan. Burt takes his video team to Taiwan and follows their advice. The programs give you a unique insight into Taiwan and are equally entertaining - either for those staying at home or for the seasoned traveler.

These two programs take a new approach to television travel. In each half-hour, three people, who have come to the United States from Taiwan and achieved considerable success, describe the reasons they immigrated to America, what they have accomplished in the U.S. and what they recommend to visitors in their native country. Chien-Ming Wang (star pitcher for the New York Yankees), Dr. Henry Lee (the world's leading forensic scientist who appeared as an expert witness in the O.J. Simpson trial), Dr. David Ho (foremost authority on AIDS research), and others tell us what to see, eat, drink, visit and shop for in Taiwan. Burt takes his video team to Taiwan and follows their advice. The programs give you a unique insight into Taiwan and are equally entertaining - either for those staying at home or for the seasoned traveler.