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Curious Traveler - Season 2

Series: Curious Traveler
4.1
(41)
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Episodes
12
Rating
TVG
Year
2017
Language
English
Publisher
Christine van Blokland

About

Remember when you were a child, and you constantly asked "Who? What? Where? Why? and How?" Well, this is your enriching and entertaining field trip for grown-ups, who have never quite grown up. Curious Traveler takes you to the most intriguing places in the world, to dig deep into the mysteries of each destination's art, architecture and hidden histories. Emmy, SATW, NATJA and Telly-winning travel, arts and culture journalist Christine van Blokland brings her passion and curiosity for history, the arts, quirky characters, storytelling, and lifelong learning to this fascinating series.

Related Subjects

Episodes

1 to 3 of 12

1. Curious Paris

30m

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Why does Paris look like Paris? Why were the Eiffel Tower and the Pont Alexandre III built for World Expos? Why is the Opera Garnier so ornate? Why is there a Romano-Byzantine Basilica atop the highest point in Paris? Why are the streets so windy in Montmartre? Why was a famous cabaret built inside a red mill: the Moulin Rouge?

2. Curious Rome

30m

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Why is there a giant hole in the top of the Pantheon? And how is it still standing after more than two millennia? Why does Piazza Navona look like a racetrack? And why did it used to be a swimming pool? Where did the bronze for St. Peter's Basilica come from, and why are those windows in the dome so heavenly?

3. Curious Copenhagen

30m

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Why did Shakespeare use Kronborg Castle as the setting for Hamlet? Was picturesque Nyhavn really the playground for sailors and brothels? Christiansborg Palace, Amalienborg Palace, Rosenborg Palace - why so many palaces in one small European country?

4. Curious Vancouver

30m

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Who was Gassy Jack & why was he so gassy? Why was Capilano Bridge built and what do all those totem poles mean? What's so important about the Hotel Vancouver, and what does it have to do with the train station, the Queen of England, and Harry Potter? Who was Yip Sang, and why did he have his own Boy Scout Troop?

5. Curious Loire Valley, France

30m

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When and why were so many stunning châteaux built in such a concentrated area in central France? Why is there a river running through Château de Chenonceau, and what do the ladies of the castle have to do with it? Why does Château de Chambord have 440 rooms, yet no one ever lived there? Why is there a porcupine over the entrance to Château d'Amboise?

6. Curious Venice

30m

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Where is the hidden symbol of Venice on the iconic gondola? Why are there two different saints on the gateway columns? Why is the solar system off on Torre dell'Orologio? Why does Saint Mark's Basilica look like Hagia Sophia? Why does the Doge's Palace have a Stairway of Giants, and what do those symbols mean?

Extended Details

  • Closed CaptionsEnglish

Artists

Craig Whitleydirector
Christine van Bloklandactor