Burt Wolf: Travels and Traditions

The first residents of Boston arrived in 1630 which gave the city an early start in our nation's history. Burt retraces some of the city' s historic sites and tells us what really happened during the midnight ride of Paul Revere. You'll visit the first Dunkin Donut shop and see what their donuts once looked like, tour the world's oldest commissioned warship still afloat, learn about the most complex highway construction project ever undertaken in the United States and find out who's cooking the best lobster and how.

One of Europe's finest locations for a family winter holiday. You'll join Burt for a balloon trip over the snow covered Alps, meet a team of amazing skiers who specialize in making sports available to the handicapped, paraglide from the top of one of Switzerland's most famous mountains, and visit an ancient castle that's been turned into a museum for wine lovers and a restaurant for food lovers.

The most mountainous region in Switzerland, the Valais has some of the highest peaks in Europe including the Matterhorn. Since the middle of the 1800s, the snow, the blue skies and Swiss hospitality have attracted tourists to this area. You'll see twenty-four of the world's best snowboarders drop down 10,000 feet of uncharted mountain, travel along with the Glacier Patrol as they race across the top of the Swiss Alps, learn the art of curling, discover the secrets of dog-sledding, tend the Dalai Lama's vineyard and take a train ride through some of the world's most beautiful country.

The Yucatan peninsula, on the east coast of Mexico, juts out into the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf. It is home to the most impressive concentration of Mayan ruins. Burt takes us to Uxmal, the intellectual and cultural center of the Maya, tells us the best places to shop for hammocks and panama hats, explores the capital which at one time had more millionaires per capita than any other city in the world, and explains what makes flamingoes pink.

One of the best-kept secrets in European travel, Eastern Switzerland is picturesque and uncrowded. You'll visit the finest Baroque abbey in Switzerland, a textile center that still produces some of the best embroidery, and one of the greatest couture houses in Europe. You meet a group of sculptors who are uncovering the history of a famous Greek statue, discover how dulcimers are made and played, and see the ultimate democracy in action.

In the heart of Switzerland, the Jungfrau region is considered to be one of the most remarkable spots for lovers of nature. You'll take a steamer to the ancient villages on Lake Thun, visit the site of Clint Eastwood's film The Eiger Sanction, ride the highest railroad in Europe to a research station that is studying the earth atmosphere, and climb inside a million year old waterfall.