Curious Traveler

5 seasons available

Christine Van Blokland explores European and North American cities.
Curious Kraków
S6 E8

Kraków's Copernicus; Rynek Główny; Wawel Castle; Jagiellonian University and Collegium Maius; Wawel Dragon parade.

Estonia's Curious Palaces & Castles
S6 E10

Tracing the history of Estonian homes made for Baltic Germans, Scandinavians and Russians; Kadriorg Palace; Alatskivi Castle and Palmse Manor; interview with a historian who lives in an Estonian manor house.

Curious Gdańsk
S6 E12

Old Town; Neptune Fountain; Amber Museum; Battle of Westerplatte; St. Mary's Basilica.

Curious Greece
S5 E1

Ancient Olympia; Kefalonia's Melissani Cave; the crossroad of cultures in Chania, Crete.

Curious Innsbruck
S5 E2

Hofburg Imperial Palace; Ambras Castle; Old Town & Golden Roof; Olympic bobsledding run.

Curious Sicily and Sardinia
S5 E3

Phoenician ruins; temple to Venus in Erice, Italy; Cagliari medieval walls; Sicilian street food.

Curious Tyrol
S5 E4

How the Luftmalerei tradition began; a visit to Emperor Franz Joseph's winter retreat; building an igloo.

Curious Barcelona
S5 E5

Sagrada Família; what is happening on Casa Milà's rooftop; where Columbus met the king and queen of Spain after returning from the Americas; Bishop's Bridge in the Gothic Quarter; 1888 World Expo.

Curious Toronto
S5 E6

Casa Loma Castle; Hockey Hall of Fame; Chinatown; the largest distillery in British Empire; secret underground tunnels in Toronto.

Curious Lisbon
S5 E7

The Portuguese explorers of the Age of Discovery; why a Lisbon castle is dedicated to the patron saint of England; tiny tiles tell the history of Portugal.

Curious Bergen
S5 E8

The oldest church and building in Bergen; why King Hakon's Hall was built; when Bryggen was an important port; a simple fish soup tells the story of Norway's fishing heritage.

Curious Braga & Guimaraes
S5 E9

Sanctuary of Bom Jesus do Monte; Guimarães Castle; symbols all over the Torre de Menagem; a blue Baroque palace; Braga Cathedral; how a rooster became the symbol of Portugal.

Curious Lofoten, Norway
S5 E10

Viking Museum; Lofoten villages and islands; the history of Norway's painted houses; stockfish.

Curious Historic Villages of Portugal
S5 E11

Portugal's historic villages of Belmonte, Castelo Rodrigo and Sortelha; how three different kings contributed to one castle.

England's Curious Great West Way
S4 E1

Following the ancient path from London to Bristol in South West England, exploring Stonehenge, Bath's masonic architecture, the Roman Baths and the SS Great Britain; pub pies; charming villages.

Curious Brussels
S4 E2

La Grande Place in Brussels; the origins of Brussels' chocolate legacy; walking through the pages of a comic book; how Flanders became a source of master artists.

Curious Cardiff
S4 E3

The purpose of the giant wall in the middle of Cardiff; who built Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch; why Cardiff has so many Victorian and Georgian arcades; bara brith; laverbread; the location of Princess Diana's first public speech in Welsh.

Curious Manchester
S4 E4

How Manchester kick-started Railway Mania in the Industrial Age; Water Palace; the architecture of the John Rylands Library and Chetham's Library; National Football Museum.

Curious Hong Kong: Culture & Traditions
S4 E5

How Hong Kong got its name; junk boat; Big Buddha, Po Lin Monastery and the Wisdom Path on Lantau Island; Kung Wo Tofu Factory; Tin Hau Temple; Man Mo Temple; a traditional Qipao dress-making shop.

Curious Southern Wales
S4 E6

Brecon Beacons National Park; Pembrokeshire Coast National Park; St. Davids; Hay-on-Wye; Victorian seaside resort town of Tenby.

Curious Bruges
S4 E7

The Flemish Masters; Michelangelo's Madonna of Bruges; why Bruges looks the same as it did in the Middle Ages; beguinage; Blind Donkey Alley.

Curious Dublin Pubs
S4 E8

Why Dublin is known around the world for its pubs; where traditional Irish music originated; why flowers decorate pubs; how Arthur Guinness became so important.

Curious Ghent
S4 E9

Who stole the Ghent Altarpiece; Prinsenhof; Ghent dragon; why Ghent is famous for its lace; the importance of St. Peter's Abbey.

Curious Sussex
S4 E10

Why George IV's Royal Pavilion looks different from other British royal palaces; what happened to Seven Sisters cliffs; Smugglers Pub; where Sherlock Holmes retired; what the Guinness family has to do with a medieval hotel.

Curious Dublin
S3 E1

How Dublin got its name; why Maewyn Succat is celebrated with green beer; how the harp became a symbol of Ireland; the history of the Book of Kells.

Curious Vienna
S3 E2

How the Habsburgs, Maria Theresa, Franz Joseph and Sisi shaped Vienna; the Ringstrasse; where Mozart performed as a 6-year-old; what the eagles on the rooftop of St. Stephen's Cathedral symbolize.

Curious Yorkshire
S3 E3

Why country estates are named castles or abbeys; The Shambles; how the Quakers and chocolate shaped York's history; Herriot's country.

Curious Salzburg
S3 E4

The DomQuartier in Salzburg, Austria; the occupants of Mirabell Palace and Hellbrunn Palace; the importance of the shop signs in Getreidegasse.

Curious San Miguel de Allende
S3 E5

How San Miguel de Allende got its name; mansions in San Miguel de Allende; an art school in a former convent; why the city attracts retired American military members.

Curious Edinburgh
S3 E6

Why the Scottish kings lived in Edinburgh; why Edinburgh Castle was built high on the Castle Rock; the connection between Edinburgh and Harry Potter; Edinburgh's Royal Mile; Arthur.

Curious Guanajuato City
S3 E7

Why a stone giant holding a flame overlooks the town; how silver helped shape Guanajuato City; why the streets and alleys are winding; what happened to the Guanajuato River; what the church has to do with the king of Spain.

Curious Austrian Christmas Markets
S3 E8

What European Christmas Markets have to do with the Holy Roman Empire; why are Christmas Markets mostly in German-speaking countries; history of the Advent wreath, Silent Night as well as the character named Krampus.

Curious London Shops
S3 E9

Royal Warrants is a designation given to people or companies that have provided goods or services to the royals, including dressmakers and tiara makers.

Curious Glasgow
S3 E10

A look at who is buried under Glasgow Cathedral; Saint Mungo; why Glasgow City Chambers looks like a palace; how Glasgow became a center for Scottish Enlightenment; how the creativity of Charles Rennie Mackintosh left a permanent mark on the city.

Curious Williamsburg
S3 E11

Why the English chose Jamestown, Yorktown and Williamsburg, Va., as early American settlements; why King William III and Queen Mary II established a university in Virginia; what life was like for colonists; colonial apothecary.

Curious Quebec City
S3 E12

How Quebec City has retained its "Frenchness" for nearly 500 years; why the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac hotel looks like a French castle; Rue Saint-Jean, Place Royale and Petit Champlain.

Curious Sorrento
S2 E10

Why the ancient Romans vacationed in Sorrento, Italy; town clock's meaning; history of majolica tile art; lemons and limoncello.

Curious Stockholm
S2 E11

Alfred Nobel's invention leads to his creation of the Nobel Prize; Gamla Stan; the throne inside the Royal Palace of Stockholm; Djurgården Canal; the custom of growing grass on rooftops; history of folk costumes.

Curious French Villages
S2 E12

Why architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc only worked on one residence, the Roquetaillade Castle; monolithic church in Saint-Émilion; giant wall around Blaye; why Bourg-en-Gironde was built into the side of a cliff; Cadillac and Pauillac.