Griff Across the Alps

Griff Rhys Jones continues his journey in Switzerland, where he travels on the famous Jungfrau railway to the Sphinx Observatory, explores lakes and meadows, learns the traditional sport of schwingen, samples farm-fresh whey, hears an American comedian’s perspective on Swiss people, meets a thrill-seeking base jumper, and takes to the skies on a hang glider.

In the “Dolomites of Danger”, Griff starts his journey with wobbly legs as he clips himself to the side of a mountain via a via ferrata, the ancient mountain passes used by WWI troops. Language barriers make harvesting hay with traditional scythes on near-vertical slopes quite difficult, but when it comes to ancient woodcarving in a tiny homestead, the peace of the mountainside dulls any need for conversation. A cheese and butter churning competition means a quick laundry change once it’s all done, but he should’ve waited until the end of the day, because barefoot grape-stomping isn’t a clean job. Nocturnal owl-counting surveys and moonlit mountain choir rehearsals wrap out his trip through the Italian alps.

High in the Austrian alps, Griff is buried alive during avalanche escape training, Dog teams guide Griff through snow rescue patrols, alpine horses haul logs, and in a mountain tavern, he joins a group of young musicians incorporating the ancient zither into their blended new-age music. As he wraps his journey, he gets existential in Dachstein as he climbs the iconic stairway to nothingness.

Serene Germany takes Griff from ballooning over Bavaria to glaciers, lakes, violins, lederhosen and mountains fires at dusk.

Griff’s Alpine journey reaches pristine Slovenia, where he ends the series at spectacular Lake Bled, one of Europe’s most picturesque lakes. Donning his hiking boots and staff, he explores the stunning Alpine meadows, discovers the worlds of bees and foraging, and enjoys one final adrenaline rush, surrounded by breathtaking scenery, spellbinding stories, and the promise of adventure, all accessible by train via some of Europe’s greatest engineering feats.