Pilgrimage The Road Through the Alps S01E02
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00:00On the medieval pathways of the majestic Austrian and Swiss Alps.
00:07Wow, look at that.
00:09Seven celebrities are making an epic pilgrimage.
00:13Look at this sign.
00:14Ah!
00:15Pilger Herberger.
00:16Pilger Herberger.
00:17Pilgrimage Hostel.
00:19Among them, a pilgrim with mixed heritage.
00:22My father was born into a Jewish family,
00:25but I'm told I was christened, obviously I can't remember.
00:28A Muslim who's doing things her own way.
00:30I have been through periods of my life where I didn't lose faith, I gave it up.
00:36And a practicing Catholic.
00:38I've been saying, show me a sign, just let me know you're there, let me know you're there.
00:42And funny enough, I'm now going on a pilgrimage.
00:45That is insane, isn't it?
00:49Do you want to look at that view, Helen?
00:51Not really, thanks.
00:53Their final destination is Einsilden Abbey, with its revered 15th century Black Madonna,
00:59which attracts almost a million pilgrims and visitors every year.
01:04I wasn't expecting to have my breath taken away.
01:08For 12 days and over 300 kilometers.
01:12We are twice as high as Mount Snowden.
01:14Wow.
01:15There'll be challenges.
01:17Fingers crossed, none of us die and we all make it.
01:20Yeah.
01:21Realizations.
01:22I feel like I'm plugged into something really special.
01:26You're someone who makes me believe more.
01:28And surprises.
01:29I ain't going over a spider.
01:31With this stroke, you're becoming our brother.
01:35I never sit down with a mate and say, okay, let's talk about faith.
01:39We have killed, we have maimed, we've done terrible things to one another.
01:43But will they embrace this journey of a lifetime?
01:47I wonder how far we are from the border.
01:51We've not got too long left.
01:53How long?
01:54You don't want to know.
01:56You don't want to know.
02:01On their journey, meeting a monk was a first for actor Helen Lederer.
02:06I want to ask a question but my mouth is full of bread.
02:09But singer Jay McGuinness was left disappointed.
02:12I found it a little bit more difficult than I thought I would.
02:15Paralympian Steph Reid was in her comfort zone.
02:18Has anyone ever noticed Jesus is often painted with like a solid six pack?
02:22No.
02:23But journalist Nelifer Hedayat and comedian Daliso Chapunda clashed.
02:27We have done terrible things to one another in the name of faith.
02:31Do you think Mohammed is a fan of people killing in his name?
02:35While traitors winner Harry Clark and presenter Jeff Brazier with a perfect match.
02:40I'm not complaining because I'm about to sleep with Jeff Brazier.
02:43Goodnight son.
02:44Goodnight.
02:45The pilgrims have woken up in the alpine village of St Anton am Alberg.
02:57In medieval times it was a hamlet on the pilgrimage route.
03:00But these days it's a popular ski resort.
03:03This morning the group are taking a cable car to just over 2,000 metres.
03:09Wheeee!
03:10I could just do this all day.
03:13It's like a roller coaster.
03:15I was not expecting that.
03:16That was good.
03:17No.
03:18We are really high.
03:19Oh yeah.
03:20Seriously, no one else's ears popping.
03:21No, not yet.
03:22Helen's Czechoslovakian father regularly brought his family on ski holidays to Austria when she
03:30was a child.
03:31Look at the views.
03:32I mean this is where you see the little villages and when it's snowing you see all the snow
03:38and it all looks pretty and it's glistening and then you might have an apple juice and a
03:43chocolate cake maybe and then you put your skis on and then you go down.
03:47When was the last time you went skiing?
03:49When I was 17.
03:50That was the last time I went anywhere with my parents.
03:52After that it becomes embarrassing, doesn't it?
03:54The group started out four days ago in Inzing and have travelled west by foot and by bus
04:05following the Inn Valley.
04:08With 200 kilometres still to go, they'll explore the St Anton area before heading across the
04:14Alberg Massif towards the border with Switzerland.
04:19There they'll cross the Appenzell Alps and the last push from the medieval town of Rappersville
04:25will bring them to their journey's end, Einseelden Abbey.
04:29A famous pilgrim destination with a remarkable history that goes back over a thousand years.
04:39I've jumped out in that way.
04:41There we go.
04:42I didn't know you did your own stunts.
04:43I did my own stunts.
04:44Here we go.
04:46With challenging alpine paths still to come on the Camino...
04:49Here we go, team.
04:51Get the legs working.
04:52The pilgrims have been advised to acclimatise to mountain terrain by taking a higher walk
04:57in the St Anton area.
04:59Ah, this is the angle in my legs.
05:02They'll be getting a workout.
05:03Feel the echoes of previous days.
05:05Wow, look at that.
05:07The pilgrims are surrounded by the peaks of the Fairval Alps, towering to over 3,000 metres.
05:15Anyone else feeling it yet?
05:19Yep.
05:20I think everyone is.
05:27So, we are 2,080 metres, pilgrims.
05:33Ugh.
05:34Twice as high as Mount Snowdon.
05:36Wow.
05:37Well, this is the highest we've been.
05:48Yeah.
05:49It's probably the highest I've ever been.
05:51The highest you've ever been?
05:52I think so.
05:53I mean, Swaziland I was high, but it's not snow high.
05:59I'm very aware that my body's working much harder to do the same amount.
06:09We're nearly in space, aren't we?
06:11Must not be much further.
06:18I need to rest.
06:20I'm feeling it in my chest.
06:22Any opportunity to rest, I'll take it.
06:26On this pilgrimage, when we're going through these places, the memories, like, how do you feel?
06:33Are you...?
06:34It's triggering so much of, you know...
06:35Obviously, my father loved Austria so much, because as a boy, he would come to Austria.
06:39But then, the more you know about the actual role that the Austrians purportedly played in the war,
06:46the two things are in conflict because a lot of Austrians were part of the final solution.
06:53I mean, this is the thing about numbers.
06:55There's thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of people who died,
06:59including my father's family in Auschwitz.
07:03I mean, it's just beggar's belief, doesn't it?
07:05Yes.
07:06So, it was your father's family.
07:07How did your father get away?
07:09Well, I think what was usual in 1939 is you had to have a sponsor in England.
07:15They sent my father to school in Margate early, and then his parents followed and his sister followed.
07:22And when you were growing up, was it spoken of or never spoken of?
07:26It wasn't largely spoken of because of the need and the gratitude to be English
07:30and wanting to put the past, you know, behind you and celebrate.
07:38Like, we are just celebrating now, but move forward.
07:42Yeah.
07:45Do you feel your Jewishness plays a big part in your life?
07:51The Jewishness is complicated because I wasn't brought up in a Jewish home.
07:56My mother was English, not Jewish.
07:58But when I think about my grandmother and the way she spoke and her sadness, because there was obviously sadness,
08:09it's a conflict because you've inherited this, like, paranoia that there's something you can't talk about.
08:15You can't over-claim it because that would be a disservice to those people who are central to it.
08:21But it's really coming. It's kind of... I'm feeling it now.
08:25Feeling it here.
08:27So pick up your sticks. Let's go and catch up with the others.
08:31I enjoyed a brief rest. Did you enjoy a little rest?
08:34A little rest. A little rest.
08:35Let's do it.
08:36More pilgrimage now.
08:37Last week, there was an unseasonal dump of snow, and the pilgrims have to follow the path as it descends and cuts across the hill.
08:53Be careful.
08:54It's very slippery.
08:56Deeper here.
08:57But the path has been covered by a deep snowdrift.
09:00I'm really scared about this bit.
09:04As the route can be dangerous, the pilgrims have mountain guides with them, who take the lead.
09:10Yeah, go in my foot.
09:12Yeah, exactly.
09:13That's so deep.
09:14Delisa, are you putting your feet in her feet, yeah?
09:17In her feet, yeah.
09:18Okay.
09:19So if you put your feet in my feet, we're all good.
09:21Oh, my gosh.
09:23Are you supposed to be there?
09:24That is deep.
09:25That one's very deep, this one here.
09:26Okay, okay.
09:27Yeah.
09:31That foot there, that one, do you think?
09:34So this one.
09:37We are like proper pilgriming right now, innit?
09:39Yeah.
09:42Nana!
09:45I got it.
09:46Where?
09:47Oh.
09:48Whoa.
09:49If you go down, we go down together.
09:50I'll do it on my own.
09:51I'll do it on my own.
09:52Sure?
09:53That was very dicey, wasn't it?
09:56Do you think that's it now, Delisa?
09:58Yes.
09:59We're once more upon gravel.
10:02Oh, the joy.
10:03It's very satisfying once you're past it.
10:08So it.
10:09Okay.
10:10Okay.
10:11I feel the halo coming on.
10:13Snow angel.
10:14I feel the wings growing.
10:15Okay, it's finding the spot.
10:16Bags off.
10:17Bags off.
10:18Yeah.
10:19Okay.
10:20Oh, my God.
10:21Oh, my God.
10:22Is it deep?
10:23Can we do it?
10:24One, two, three.
10:26Wave, wave.
10:27And then we have to wave up and down.
10:29Oh!
10:31Oh, man.
10:33Wait, look.
10:34This is the best snow angel for real.
10:36Beautiful.
10:37Steph's angel.
10:38Was that Gabriel?
10:39I was channeling Manor Gabriel.
10:40Yeah.
10:41It's perfect.
10:43As the pilgrims have just experienced, unpredictable weather is becoming more frequent in the mountains
10:49and climate change is seen as a real threat to many ski resorts.
10:55On the way back down the mountain, the group take a local bus to visit the Verval Valley.
11:02Hello.
11:03Jay, lovely to meet you.
11:04Welcome.
11:05Martin.
11:06St Ebster grew up in St Anton and is proud that as a community, they're making the most
11:11of the area's greatest natural resource, water.
11:16People here decided, why don't we use our water for making electricity without producing CO2?
11:25And then they built the lake here.
11:27Yeah.
11:28I want to jump off this so bad.
11:29Don't.
11:30I can't lie, guys.
11:31Don't.
11:32Look how clear it looks.
11:33How fun would that be?
11:35The sun is shining right into our faces now.
11:38But behind the mountain top, there's a huge lake, about 20 times as big as this one.
11:44And they made a big pipe through the whole mountain, four kilometres, and it falls down
11:52500 metres.
11:54And that falling energy is used to produce hydropower.
11:59And that means that St Anton, the whole village, we don't need any electricity from anywhere in Europe.
12:06Self-sufficient.
12:07Self-sufficient is the right word.
12:09Martin takes the pilgrims to the dam at the end of the reservoir.
12:14Okay, so just step on here.
12:17Oh, wow.
12:18It's amazing.
12:19Goodness gracious.
12:20Wow.
12:21That is amazing.
12:23So, you can feel the power that water has.
12:26Wow.
12:27And this is what is so precious for us.
12:30That is amazing.
12:31See?
12:32Wow.
12:33Cool.
12:34By the lake is a small swimming spot.
12:46Geoff regularly takes ice baths at home and is keen to try it out.
12:51Every conversation we seem to have is a confirmation for me of what I've found and what I believe
12:57in terms of the universe, in terms of spirituality, in terms of connection with myself, in terms
13:01of a connection with the environment around me.
13:04I feel like that is absolutely deepening.
13:08And being in this environment just makes me feel like I'm recharging, like I'm plugged
13:15into something really special.
13:18Ten more seconds.
13:20My voice is a bit high.
13:22I feel like every moment I spend in this wonderful place is that feeling of I'm on the right path.
13:33So, this is my suffering.
13:35People in the past have gone on pilgrimages to suffer.
13:37And that's what I think it's about.
13:39I think it's about overcoming something that you know is going to be really uncomfortable
13:43because knowing that at the end of the discomfort, the other side of it is a feeling of pride
13:48and satisfaction.
13:50And as you'll notice, I didn't get my hair wet.
13:55No need.
13:56No need.
14:00Thanks a lot.
14:01Lovely.
14:03Thank you, thank you.
14:04It's time for the group to head back to St Anton.
14:07Which way did he say?
14:08That way.
14:09Thankfully downhill, Helen.
14:10Oh goody.
14:11Thank goodness.
14:16But before the pilgrims can take their boots off, they've got a five kilometre descent through
14:21a gorge.
14:24Big steps.
14:25Big steps.
14:26Steph is a below-knee amputee after a boating accident and has to be careful where she places
14:32her prosthetic foot.
14:33Helen, I need to copy your feet.
14:35I find it really helpful to follow someone's feet.
14:37Follow someone's feet.
14:38Oh yes.
14:39So I watch where you go.
14:40Copy my feet.
14:41If you need a hand, just let me know.
14:42I will.
14:43All good?
14:44Yeah.
14:47Wow.
14:48The views are amazing if you're brave enough to look at them.
14:51I know.
14:52I feel really torn though because I have to really pay attention.
14:53Like, I feel like I'm looking at what my feet are doing.
14:55That is insane, isn't it?
14:57Do you want to look at that view, Helen?
14:59Not really, thanks.
15:00It's been a long day.
15:07Here we are, eh?
15:09It's nice to have feet back on solid ground.
15:11I already feel different.
15:14Now the group know each other better, Steph decides to tell them about her accident.
15:20I do appreciate that no one's kind of just asked, just because it is a tough story to tell.
15:25When I was 15, we were doing this thing called tubing, which is when you attach a rubber inner tube to the back of a speedboat and you go flying across the water.
15:38I hit a wave and I flipped off and the driver had no idea.
15:43I was in the water and I saw the boat coming.
15:47And I knew immediately, you know, something was wrong.
15:50He is just, he's coming way too fast.
15:53And I just remember the last thing, just seeing that ridge of the boat as it went on top.
15:59I just knew from my friends' faces as they pulled me onto the boat that, you know, this is not good.
16:08Like there is too much blood.
16:10I remember being in the back of the ambulance and just desperate to survive.
16:20Suddenly that was it.
16:21In a split second, that was it.
16:23There was going to be no more time.
16:24And it was terrifying.
16:26And I prayed for the first time, probably seriously, God, please, please save me.
16:37And I know that he answered that prayer.
16:43And I remember waking up from surgery and just feeling so grateful.
16:48And then my mom walked into the recovery room and she was the one who had to tell me that my right foot had had to be amputated.
17:01And I was devastated.
17:04I was so thankful to still be alive, but I was so angry.
17:13And I just thought, how can a God save you and yet leave you in such a cruel position?
17:20But I think back now, and I cannot deny that there was another, I think presence is the best word that I can say.
17:29It just felt like something was fighting for my life.
17:33Something that said, this sucks right now, but it will not be like this forever.
17:38The day will come when this is going to be okay.
17:41And this level of hope, that was the start of my faith.
17:48Which sounds bizarre, but that was it.
17:51I will never forget, seven days after the accident, a nurse walked into my room who absolutely changed my life.
18:01She said, Stephanie, it is time.
18:05It is time to move forward.
18:08Others have and you can too.
18:12Wow.
18:14Yes.
18:15I was shocked.
18:16Because she was the first person who had walked into that room and didn't feel sorry for me.
18:23Had absolutely zero pity.
18:25That was the first time that I actually felt like doing something or fighting.
18:28That was enough to just release that competitive spark.
18:32Is that hope what has carried you through all of those Paralympics and the awards and the accolades?
18:40Is that the genesis of that hope?
18:42Um, you've got me going there.
18:45Um, yes.
18:48Because I think, like that to me, if you don't have hope, I just think, what is the point?
18:54There's nothing else.
18:55I find you're someone who makes me believe more when I talk to you.
19:00Because I had a certain amount of faith.
19:03And then it's not that I lost it.
19:05It just became a thing in the background.
19:07And then when I talk to you, I remember the fervour which I had and I miss it.
19:12And so I just find you've been a catalyst for faith.
19:17Yeah.
19:18Thank you for, um, taking us through that and coming out the other side and showing us what faith is.
19:28Thank you for listening.
19:29Thank you for telling us.
19:30I really appreciate that.
19:31We appreciate that.
19:32Thank you for this.
19:33Thank you for this.
19:34Thank you for this.
19:35You appreciate us.
19:36We appreciate us.
20:06The group are getting ready for another day on the Austrian Camino.
20:10Sorted. Now I look half as good as Jeff.
20:16Helen, is it me? Yes.
20:19Or are these heavier than they were?
20:21They are heavier, yes. Confirmed.
20:24I think it's cumulative.
20:27Thank you. Everyone ready to go? Yeah.
20:30We're going that way. Are we? OK.
20:32Maps is that way. That way, does it? Yeah. Follow the leaders.
20:35Let's do it.
20:39I haven't woken up this morning. No.
20:41I'm very much very sleepy.
20:44From St Anson, the pilgrims will head to the mountain pass on the Alberg Massif
20:50via a steep climb to the highest point of the Camino,
20:53just outside St Christophe.
20:56Then they'll head down the other side of the pass towards Dalas.
21:00It is very steep. Yeah.
21:02We're going up this way here. Oh.
21:05OK.
21:06If it's this all day, I will be dead.
21:08And I'd forgotten how everything has to be uphill if you're a pilgrim.
21:13Well, religion's an uphill battle, sir.
21:15That's it. Allah help me.
21:17On the way, the pilgrims pass Senhuta, a place famous for its alpine flowers.
21:26Look at this, the chocolate plant.
21:27Tanya Sen has spent 15 years working to preserve alpine flora.
21:32Touch it and smell. Oh, I love it.
21:34I can't believe they actually smell like chocolate.
21:36Lovely.
21:37Now I want your opinion. What's this?
21:41Like peppermint or something?
21:43No, it's something very special.
21:46Coca-Cola.
21:47Oh, yes.
21:48It's Coca-Cola.
21:49Yes.
21:50Yeah.
21:51Scientists have warned that alpine plants like Edelweiss,
21:56which thrive between 2,000 and 3,000 metres,
21:59could become extinct if it becomes too warm for the flowers to grow there.
22:03Over there, that's our Edelweiss.
22:07Oh, wow.
22:08Tanya has cultivated 107,000 of Austria's national flower in the shape of the flower itself.
22:17Edelweiss has always been used to say, I love you.
22:22No way.
22:23There were 47 men killed picking Edelweiss in one year.
22:28No way.
22:29Why would you be killed by it?
22:31Because it's growing high up on the mountains and it's very difficult to get there.
22:36He says, is that why it's such a big deal if a man gets you an Edelweiss flower?
22:40That's it.
22:41Because he risked his life.
22:42He really did a good job to find it.
22:44Got it.
22:46Quality.
22:47Handpicked.
22:48For the girls.
22:49Amazing.
22:50Thank you, darling.
22:51You're welcome.
22:52Wondrous, wondrous ladies.
22:54It's our first keepsake.
22:56Oh, thank you.
22:59I am married though.
23:01Apologies.
23:02It was worth a shot.
23:04Thank you so much.
23:05Thank you so much.
23:06Thank you for being here.
23:07Enjoy your trip.
23:09And don't forget the Edelweiss.
23:10We will never forget it now.
23:11Thanks so much.
23:12Take care.
23:13Take care.
23:20The group continue their climb to St. Christoph following the ancient Pilgrim Way, which is
23:25part of the Camino de Santiago or Jakobsweg.
23:31In the Middle Ages, pilgrims and traders could only get through the mountains by taking this
23:36route across the Alberg Pass.
23:39In winter, it was a dangerous trek.
23:42We're now on our way to St. Christoph, right?
23:44Yeah.
23:45He is my favourite patron saint.
23:46Why?
23:47Well, it's in the Catholic religion and he's the patron saint of travel.
23:52He also is supposed to protect you from like epileptic fits, lightning strikes, literally everything.
23:57Oh.
23:58Oh.
23:59Oh.
24:00Oh.
24:01How's it going?
24:04I'm just emitting sound.
24:08Sort of helps.
24:10What about you, Steph?
24:14I'm loving the natural steps I built them.
24:17Yeah, they are helpful.
24:20Nature's stair climber.
24:22So, my St. Christopher was given to me by my family.
24:26Do you want any by such?
24:27Yeah, of course.
24:29So that's my St. Christopher.
24:31Then on the back you'll see it's engraved from my family with a special little message.
24:35Then it was blessed by the priest in my church.
24:39Dear Harry, our hero.
24:42That's so nice.
24:44It's cute, isn't it?
24:45That's lovely.
24:47I'll never go anywhere about this.
24:49It's like wherever I am in the world, especially when I was in the army, it's like my family's always with me.
24:53That's beautiful.
24:54And they're always over my heart too, so.
24:55It's kind of cool, isn't it?
24:56That's lovely.
24:57I know.
24:58Okay.
24:59Onwards and upwards.
25:00If you need a little breather, just remember to stay.
25:09No deal.
25:10Carry on it.
25:11Okay.
25:12Okay.
25:13Okay.
25:15And that one.
25:16Yep.
25:17Okay.
25:18All good?
25:19Yeah, I'm good.
25:20Do you want me to take your bag for this bit or are you good?
25:21No.
25:22Not yet.
25:23I'm a pilgrim.
25:24I'm in a team of other pilgrims and frankly that's the only way I can do them.
25:33Would you forever be in love with someone, Helen, if they climbed up this to get you an Edelweiss?
25:37No, I think they'd be a bit over keen.
25:40You don't want someone that clingy?
25:43No.
25:44I like them a bit hard to get.
25:46Oh, you like a bit of the challenge?
25:48I do.
25:49I do.
25:50Nearly there now anyway.
25:51Are we?
25:52Yeah.
25:53I mean, are you just saying that?
25:55GASPING!
25:56It's keeping me going.
25:57Okay, Harry.
25:58Yeah?
25:59I'm giving it to you.
26:00Of course.
26:01Get rid of it.
26:03It's so much nicer.
26:04For me, I don't know about you.
26:05No, it's fine.
26:06It's like you're carrying four children now.
26:07Sorry.
26:08I've got all my cosmetics.
26:10Does it feel better?
26:11It really does.
26:12I can't tell you.
26:13My body is struggling.
26:14I think I'm closer to God than everyone else because I'm struggling more.
26:19Still going?
26:20Still going?
26:21Still going.
26:22After an hour and a half, the path eventually flattens out.
26:41Oh, this is looking promising.
26:44This is the lake.
26:47the pilgrims have reached the plateau at the top of the albergh pass we've made
26:53it made it with a lot of assistance has to be said we could eat here yes it
27:00looks like an inbuilt table chairs really built by nature thanks Harry so
27:08what I'm saying yeah well done everyone thought to finally be here and we're
27:15near the highest point of the trail so hopefully it'll be always downhill after
27:20that result this is so nice because this just feels like I'm with a bunch of
27:25mates that's lovely I think we are I'm not sure I'm interested in being friends
27:30with Harry lovely lovely Harry on either onwards and upwards after lunch it's just
27:45a short walk to the highest point on the entire Camino de Santiago or Jakobsweg I am
27:52very aware that it's very safe for us but back in the day like a lot of the pilgrims
27:57would die on this route I don't know if I'll die for my faith if it's dangerous
28:01I'll become an atheist to reach here through winter storms and snow put many a floundering
28:08medieval pilgrim at risk so here we are at the highest point right yeah you know what was kind
28:16of inspiring is there was this amazing guy called Einrich Findelkind he was a foundling mm-hmm and he
28:24was a shepherd and lots of people were dying on this route I mean we're at the highest point they have
28:30very deep snow it's perilous and he wanted to have a hostel for the pilgrims who were dying on the
28:38journey so he built somewhere for pilgrims he built somewhere for pilgrims named after the
28:44patron saint of travelers the chapel in st. Christophe marks where the 14th century hostel
28:50was built to save pilgrims from untimely deaths I mean to find corpses in the snow I mean that was the
28:59motivatory factor wasn't it yes exactly there would have been a lot of deaths quite frankly
29:04wouldn't there no paths there was no none of them steps imagine where we're walking up that mountain
29:08oh none of that's there fingers crossed none of us die and we all make it yeah come on cheers to
29:14that that's rough we will make it we will make it the only way is down from here oh I'm so happy
29:20the pilgrims start following the path down towards st. Christophe I think it is just around that corner
29:32oh that would be good it's a cool town because there's only like 50 people living here right
29:35now only 50 well no until ski season oh yeah and then it explodes right so Nelly why are you on this
29:45pilgrimage is there something that's lost inside you I came on this pilgrimage because I thought
29:50it would be fun but I'm finding it going to this sinews of my heart I didn't expect that you seem a
29:57bit like a rule breaker so how do you overcome that in your faith and essentially why do you still
30:03believe in your God and why are you still Muslim I've learned that the rules of my faith do not make a
30:10good Muslim because I'm rebellious because I've chosen to modernize the faith my faith lives on
30:15and the only way that I can really do that is sometimes by bending if not breaking the rules a
30:21little bit Harry so well I'm like you just in a different faith so that's why I asked that's why
30:26I said the point is Harry that I make decisions for myself you know I've got a white atheist husband
30:32you know I'm a feminist I'll go to the beach I'll go for a swim I don't wear the hijab yeah but no one
30:38can tell me I'm not a Muslim because I tell me I'm a Muslim so would you say you're damned by now
30:47and how do you how do you bear that never shy away from asking the hardest questions on earth yeah
30:52you keep cracking on am I damned yeah I think so but I don't know if I believe in the version of the
31:04God that would damn me for living the life that I pick tonight the group are staying in a local guest
31:14house while most of the pilgrims are settling into their rooms downstairs after a hard day Helen is
31:29having a drink with Jay you want a sip yeah come on babes thank you raised Catholic Jay became an
31:37atheist in his teenage years but recently has realized he's more agnostic what I want to know
31:43with you is because we talk about atheism and we talk about agnostic being agnostic there could be a lot
31:52more than meets the eye in this world and beyond and beyond so you are saying there's something else
31:59right and because I believe in God there is something else you do believe in God I do believe in God when
32:05we die what happens to our soul I don't think life just ends I'm just thinking that we we live on in
32:14who we've touched don't you ever get a sense of something or I'm tempted to think that but no I
32:22think I want to think that I know that when like where my mother died from says when you're having to
32:29face grief then that person is still with you I get a sense of her being with me um so
32:39in 2022 Jay lost his close friend and bandmate Tom Parker who died from cancer aged just 33
32:57right okay I'll probably go again but don't yeah I'm not panicking because I was great great to see
33:08back no but no but it's interesting because I said that about my mother only because being the one
33:16left behind um you have to think about it so I know your close friend Tom died did you know that he was
33:26dying yeah um so they knew it was serious quite quickly and um there's not really
33:38lots you can do did it make you think a person is here and what happens to you um when that person's
33:50not there oh I totally um I think it felt really senseless did that make you believe less in God I mean
34:01it's so painful to think of the end of a human yeah all the joy all the little micro cells that made
34:07that and him then you just go what is that it what was it all for I think as much as you can be
34:16I'm agnostic I'm really open to the idea that there's something but I haven't got a clue I haven't
34:22got a clue but you have got a clue you've got loads of clues that's why you're agnostic if you're an
34:26atheist it would be like yes you've got loads of clues yeah I'm missing something yeah but we
34:32need to work on it don't we yeah probably but knowing that someone that I really respect and
34:38really love believes in God is a big comfort to me thank you I just don't know if I'm exactly there
34:46yet get it well and you don't have to be I'm gonna take some wine yeah maybe I'll get one
34:53the group has a busy day ahead of them on the Austrian Camino
35:17let's do it let's do it cheers thank you hey birthday girl yes yeah here we are do you not
35:28want to talk about it um no I'm embracing it good even if you don't want to talk about it
35:34we're gonna celebrate it this morning the pilgrims are heading to Saint Christophe
35:40and it's medieval chapel so it is my birthday birthday queen how would your birthday be topped off
35:48on this fine pilgrimage day um a mattress I'm hoping for and a drink minimum and some kind of closure
36:01that the next day will be not my birthday really do you not like your birthday do you not like
36:09the attention I don't actually possibly because of the numbers of the birthday but um but I think
36:16it's giving everybody else an opportunity to plot and do something and then it might go horribly wrong
36:20um but I'm wise and I'm old and I'll act with grace whatever happens I can't promise anything I don't
36:28want you to dress up in stupid clothing and then think it's all fun I mean I will be polite but just
36:33know it's not what I want the chapel of Saint Christophe belongs to the Brudershaft or Brotherhood
36:44oh I love shields you see the shields I always loved the heraldry and what the heraldry may mean
36:51the Brudershaft is a charity set up in the 14th century by Heinrich Findelkind the foundling when
36:59he built his hostel right on this spot for medieval pilgrims struggling in the snow
37:04eerie isn't it like going into a dungeon oh wow even smells old in here hello hello Jeff hi Jeff Florian
37:16nice to meet you Florian yeah this is defo like medieval times Florian Werner and his family have
37:22been looking after the chapel and the Brudershaft charity since 1961 hi welcome welcome in Saint
37:29Christophe and welcome to our secret hidden place we are here in the cellar of the church but the cellar
37:37is not underground because we are on a huge stone and Heinrich the foundling knew that he has to build this
37:43place on a stone because then it stays forever there this used to be the cellar where they kept
37:48the diary products what had the cheese in it when my father came to Saint Christophe he figured out
37:56it's nicer to have some wine in here so this is really this old traditional really old stones they're
38:02all from the 14th century wow what you see this was built in the 14th century yes this part it's all
38:10very cloak and dagger yeah that's a nice history and I like this tradition you know it's it's nowadays
38:16it's important to have something you can touch and know okay this is 600 years old this is really and
38:22it's still here in medieval times members of the Brudershaft donated money for the upkeep of the pilgrim
38:29hostel and chapel these days members are part of a centuries-old giving community and donations go to
38:36families in need at the moment we have 16,000 members in the Brudershaft and with the money we
38:43have around 1 million euros a year nowadays where we can help people when they got in financial
38:49difficulties we have members from all over 58 different countries we even had your king now King
38:56Charles when he was here in the 80s with Lady Di he was supposed to become member but my father said
39:02that he's still under observation so he's still nowadays under observation but we have the royal
39:07family from Spain we have the royal family from the Netherlands so this was our lucky part that we got
39:12all those members we say from the little man from the street up to the royal families becoming member of
39:17the Brudershaft but what does it actually mean to be part of the Brudershaft when you become a
39:23Brudershaft from any religion how does that sort of work obviously in the 14th century it was Catholic
39:28and nowadays we do not even ask what religion are you so can we all become Brudershaft members it
39:36would be a great honor now we go upstairs you're never gonna call us all to battle or to fight for
39:43you or anything no okay fine fair the initiation ceremony has barely changed since the Middle Ages
39:51welcome to the Brudershaft Church in St Christoph we do now the ceremony this is unfortunately only a
39:59replica it's not the original one but the original one is in Spain in a museum and Christoph Columbus when
40:05he became Admiral of the Spanish fleet they used the same sword for him to become an Admiral of the
40:13Spanish fleet so we have the great pleasure calling our novice Helen Lederer go on what did you do on your
40:21birthday the sword weighs a hefty 15 and a half kilos dear novice Helen according to the old law of the
40:30brotherhood with this stroke you're becoming our sister welcome to the Brudershaft St Christoph thank you
40:37and now you may take this word and there's this the pin this design unchanged since 600 years the
40:45three red crosses hope love and belief and I put this up here and now you are our sister except welcome
40:54thank you and I may kiss my sister thank you dear novice James according to the order of the brotherhood
41:02with this stroke you're becoming our brother our sister Nelofa with this stroke you're becoming our
41:12member brother D'Aliza in the brotherhood our sister Stephanie brother chef dear novice Harry according to the
41:21old law of the brotherhood with this stroke you are becoming our brother Harry please take this word can I
41:28ask you a question brother how can we use the sword because it's tradition 600 years we used it so I
41:38can't keep it no you can buy one so thank you very much for becoming member of the brotherhood this morning
41:51is over and you survived thank you thank you thank you so much everyone in and a sword
41:59thanks brother bye oh thank you thank you flow bye it's nice meeting you all the best thank you Florian
42:10enjoy your walk I really liked him I did too very special man what we keep finding that don't we with
42:18the people we're meeting that they're really playful as well as dedicated from here the pilgrims are
42:26descending to close the top an alpine valley and they're hostile in the village of the lass
42:32need a hand step all good of course but as they work their way down the weather closes in the heavens have
42:42opened there there's a one time where I will walk briskly I do not want to be wet like a tea bag oh I
42:50think we're heading somewhere pretty interesting in terms of a hostel interesting means unknown yeah
42:56part of a pilgrimage is to step outside your comfort zone yes yeah I feel like I'm already there but I am
43:02so there just another beautiful day on the pilgrimage eh I agree I can't wait to take my boots off we
43:19must be close to this hostel after a long wet afternoon the pilgrims finally reached the outskirts
43:25of the lass stunning and their hostel is in sight oh look there's a donkey there oh look at this sign
43:32oh pillager her burger which I think me he'll get her burger pilgrimage hostel run of beans oh this
43:41is all looking really homesteading very homesteading right so I wonder if they eat them do you think
43:49I think they probably do we have made it pilgrims look at that hammer it's lovely hello hello hello
43:56hello hello hello hello hello hello hello hello hello hello Christine Dietrich has been running her pilgrim
44:14hostel for over a decade while the girls check out the bathing facilities the boys head inside let's go this
44:30way this place is mad this reminds me about the Waltons very quirky oh it's a stable it's a stable one of us
44:40staying in here like Jesus look at this yeah what's around there uh-huh this is like mad one two three
44:48four five six art is a double bed Harry that's gotta be Helen's room right I could do a sleeping bag
44:58on the floor yeah yeah she speaks to the ladies even if she doesn't take the double though I think Helen
45:04should choose where she wants to sit yeah she won't mince her words anyway yes she will know hi guys
45:11hello have you been in the house not yet Helen we think you should get the double for yourself it's
45:16your birthday so well are you all sure oh yeah yeah yeah if you are all happy I will take that yes
45:23are you sure you can sleep on the floor though because I have slept in the floor I'm an African
45:27so you have to go through like a barn so Helen that will be your boudoir oh my god over there and
45:37then one of the other ladies will stay over there this is fair oh my god Helen the Buddha up there yeah
45:44gosh okay will you be near the animals yeah wonderful unbeknownst to Helen the pilgrims have
45:54been making plans for her birthday oh thank you it's good that doesn't look good that's lovely
46:03thank you darling what a surprise thank you now my eyes are drawn to the bottle that has the word
46:16gin on I don't deserve it do I I think you do oh you've kept our spirits high oh and more spirits
46:22now we put the champagne
46:27now it's a birthday party thank you cheers to Helen to Helen so longevity
46:40party over the pilgrims start getting ready for bed but the hostels at an altitude of more than 800
46:54meters and at night the temperature drops it's extremely cold actually I think I think I might sleep with my hat
47:06on um yeah if it wasn't her birthday I would literally be like no
47:17it's a little bit chilly but when you snuggle down you warm up I will survive
47:27sleep tight good night Helen are you sleeping in your clothes too
47:34Helen yeah do you know where the light is yeah do you know where my light is Helen no I don't you'll have to find it
47:46Hallelujah wait can you put yours on while I get back to my bed it's never ending are you sorted?
48:03I'm sorted all right good night good night Helen happy birthday
48:07it's seven o'clock and the pilgrims are slowly waking up I hate my life right now what's happened
48:26no honestly I've been munched up by bugs I've got hay fever there's a shared toilet that I froze on that cock-a-doodle-doo is going to get jabbling out the window in a minute
48:40all right listen I'll go and make your cup of tea or coffee
48:43I'll do the best I think they might smuggle the ducks into the walls at night because
48:49there was quacks coming from every room in this house
48:52the beds are absolutely tiny look my feet I'm like elf
48:58I'm not doing this again my body is going to be so in pain today's walking
49:06Dave do you fancy a bath?
49:10yeah go on then
49:11a bath at Christine's hostel is a unique pilgrim experience
49:17oh sorry oh sorry
49:22okay let's try
49:26it's going to be freezing hard for them though
49:32yeah it is are you ready?
49:34I think so
49:34all right I'll have a bit
49:40it's very cold afterwards
49:42we might be running out of warm
49:48that was bad
49:50hi Christine
49:52it's nice
49:55I'm going to get bathed by the queen
49:58oh lovely
50:02thank you
50:04the bag is gone
50:22before the pilgrims leave the hostel
50:31their host has a special stamp to send them on their way to Einseelden Abbey
50:36oh lovely thank you so much
50:43Auf Wiedersehen
50:45Bye
50:45Auf Wiedersehen
50:46Switzerland this way
50:48that was a very beautiful stay wasn't it?
50:51it was
50:52it's the pilgrims last day in Austria
50:56and this morning they're following the Camino towards the Swiss border
51:00but today the group are splitting
51:02as one group forges ahead taking the direct route
51:06Nelofa is keen to visit a nearby former hospital
51:09now a refugee centre
51:10and has asked Steph to go with her
51:12thanks for coming on this side quest with me
51:15I'm enjoying today because my only criteria is no rain
51:21when it's like this and it's beautiful
51:24I could walk all day
51:25as long as it's not super uphill
51:27well we will be walking all day
51:29I will be
51:30I will be
51:30we're actually walking to Switzerland now
51:32we are literally von Trappes
51:34yes we are
51:35we are
51:36so I was going to ask you guys
51:39what do you reckon
51:40has been your favourite moment
51:42from the Austrian part of the pilgrimage
51:44that we've done already
51:45mine was actually
51:46that might surprise you
51:49but it was a conversation
51:50I had with Helen
51:51when we were up on a mountain
51:54for me the moments between two
51:57have been very much what I valued the most
52:01because I never sit down with a mate
52:03and say okay let's talk about faith
52:06let's talk about Nazis
52:08do you know what I mean
52:09like it's intense and unique to this
52:12lovely view
52:16stunning
52:16amazing
52:17Harry where are we?
52:19so actually
52:20looking on this map
52:22see where them snowy mountain peaks are
52:25yeah
52:25we've come around in front of them
52:27then walked all the way through this valley
52:29wow
52:29we've done the highest point of the pilgrimage path
52:31now we're here
52:32about to enter Switzerland
52:34I wonder how far we are from the border
52:36on here we've not got too long left
52:38how long?
52:39you don't want to know
52:40let's just get to Switzerland
52:43meanwhile
52:47Nelifer and Steph
52:48have gone to the town of Bluedesh
52:50on the outskirts
52:51is a refugee centre
52:52run by Caritas
52:53an international Catholic charity
52:56Nelifer came into the UK
53:00as a refugee
53:01from Afghanistan
53:02at the age of seven
53:04it's one of the
53:06invisible things
53:08that make me who I am
53:09but I am nervous
53:11I feel like this is quite a personal
53:13story for you
53:15yeah
53:16they're meeting
53:19Faisal Karim
53:20he's lived at the centre
53:22for a year
53:22with other international refugees
53:24from a range of backgrounds
53:26and situations
53:27hi
53:30hi
53:31good to meet you
53:32I'm Nelifer
53:32Baha'iir Baha'iir
53:34Salaam
53:35Stephanie
53:36Faisal Karim
53:38was brought from Afghanistan
53:40by people traffickers
53:41and spent a difficult year
53:43moving through various countries
53:45before finally arriving
53:46in Austria
53:47for now
53:49my time
53:49my time
53:50it was very active
53:51for me
53:52because I want
53:53to be involved
53:58and there were
53:59the plenty of relatives
53:59that all
54:01they put together
54:02the girls
54:04can
54:04run
54:05they
54:06they
54:06¿quda-tuba?
54:07and
54:07fired
54:08by the
54:10way
54:11the people
54:14did not
54:16With his own eyes.
54:21How important was your faith in your journey?
54:35Thank you very much for your life.
54:54He says when you're a Muslim, you're a Muslim.
54:58His deen, his belief was always the same.
55:01My religion was a great thing, but some of the people
55:05do the same, they do the same, they do the same,
55:08they do the same, they do the same, they do the same.
55:12Absolutely, I'm very proud of you.
55:15I don't want to pray for prayer, but I don't want to pray for prayer.
55:21But in Afghanistan, everything is important.
55:25Wow!
55:27Here, he's free to pray or not pray.
55:30But in Afghanistan, he had to pray.
55:35So then, which is faith?
55:37Which is real, you know?
55:39May I ask?
55:41What is your hope for the future?
55:43What is your dream now?
55:44Just normal things, really.
55:56Ordinary things that we all have.
55:58For now, Faisal Karim has a job locally, studies German, and spends time with the other refugees.
56:05This is not a job for us to develop the scheeps, people in the earth!
56:11And this is not a job for us to come to practice, but I cannot go to the other ones to come.
56:16We are all the same.
56:19We are all the same for us to come.
56:20We are all the same.
56:21Thank you so, so much.
56:24Thank you, Hafez.
56:26Thank you, Hafez.
56:27Thank you, isn't it?
56:28I'll give you a hug.
56:29Thank you, Hafez, Hafez.
56:31Bye!
56:31Bye!
56:32On we go.
56:35Wow.
56:37Oh, my God, that was amazing.
56:39He wasn't angry at his God.
56:42Whereas I am, I am quite angry.
56:44I still feel, I don't know, it's not resentment,
56:47but just a sense of, where is Allah?
56:49Where is the justice in all of this?
56:51So I'm not, I'm not fully over it.
56:55What, what would it take for that anger to go?
56:58I've never asked myself that question.
57:00Do you think it's okay to be angry at God?
57:02What if he's okay with it?
57:04Sometimes when I'm angry at the world,
57:06I put that at God's door.
57:08Maybe I'm misplacing that anger slightly.
57:11I don't know.
57:12How can I meet someone like him
57:14and not feel the joy that he has?
57:21It's been a great walk today.
57:24Yeah.
57:25Yeah, I think we're well overdue the reunion now.
57:26Definitely.
57:27Let's get the seven pilgrims back together, shall we?
57:28We need a seven.
57:29Yeah.
57:30A five is nice, but we need a seven.
57:31Yeah.
57:32Rudershaft.
57:33Yes, absolutely.
57:34We're sisters.
57:35Yeah.
57:36The pilgrims are meeting up at a well-known spot on the Camino,
57:40the Basilica in Rankweil.
57:43Oh, wow.
57:44Wow.
57:45Wow.
57:46Now, that's a brave position.
57:48Here they are.
57:49Here they are.
57:50Ah, you saw them.
57:51We missed you guys.
57:52Hey.
57:53Hello.
57:54Reunited.
57:55Okay.
57:56Let's roll.
57:58How was it for you lot, by the way?
58:01I didn't even ask.
58:02Very different from your experience.
58:04Oh.
58:05Which way is Switzerland, Harry?
58:06I don't know.
58:07I'll get the map out.
58:08Next time, the pilgrims go full Swiss.
58:14Look at that.
58:15That one's nutsack.
58:16This is both nutsack.
58:17They're others.
58:18Dig deep as the weather turns.
58:21Ouch.
58:22Oh.
58:23This is definitely the hardest bit of walking that we've done.
58:25Yeah.
58:26And discover the healing waters of the abbey.
58:28It actually is delicious.
58:29Morgan, help, please.
58:38Every day, the river has always gone.
58:53Oh.
58:55No.
58:56No.
58:57No.
58:58No.
58:59No.
59:01No.
59:02No.
59:03No.
59:04No.
59:05No.
59:06No.
59:07No.