All my life, I've been a global traveler, seeking cultures and traditions that are just as vibrant today as in times past. We're opening doors, stepping into worlds most never see, because that's where the best stories are, behind closed doors. We're sharing stories of local life and the working world, plus spending time with some of the most interesting people you'd ever want to meet. It's truly privileged access that always leaves me excited to explore more.
In the period drama Downton Abbey, this imposing castle and way of life was kept alive by the wealth of an American heiress. A story of marriage and status that actually played out many times in real life. Over a period of 30 years, more than 20 billion dollars in today's money came shuttling across the Atlantic to prop up Britain's aristocracies and their stately homes. The estate is in reality Highclere Castle and its history is equally compelling, as it too was rescued by English Almina Wombwell.
Lady Almina came here as a young 19-year-old bride in 1895. She was the daughter of Alfred Rothschild. She was actually illegitimate and married George's great-grandfather. She then acquired immediately a wonderful place in society. Really, her inheritance which she brought here is terribly important to the family and it means we're still here today.
Much as in the television series, the world at Highclere Castle changed abruptly with the onset of World War I. And Lady Almina stepped forward, committing the estate to help support the war effort. She turned her club into a hospital. She took in patients, officers who were wounded in the SA in Gallipoli, including officers from the Royal Flying Corps with the early armored aircraft who had broken bones but survived crashing. She made such a difference to so many people's lives. Each room is beautifully decorated with a personality all of its own. One room well known in the series is not surprisingly missing its most notorious guest.
So this looks like the room where the Turkish fellow met his end.
I know you're completely right, and then ended up being dragged around the corridor.
With privileged access to Highclere Castle, Viking offers a relaxed, immersive experience here. Every room, every display speaks volumes about the intriguing, enduring family history, including an extensive Egyptian exhibit where Highclere's kitchen used to be. He's from about 3,500 years old or so. The collection came from excavations by the fifth Earl of Carnarvon.
My great-grandfather, the fifth Earl, he was an extraordinary adventurer. He was such an inquisitive man. Of course, he teamed up with Howard Carter and then found the steps down to Tutankhamun's tomb, and the two men together then opened up the archaeological find probably of all time, really.
If you've ever been intrigued by the lifestyles of the British aristocracy, join Viking for an exploration of Highclere Castle. We can't wait to share with you the glories of times gone by.
In fairy tales, deep woods are often home to magical castles. And in Germany's dense Spessart forest, it's actually true.
Normally they have the castles in very open places, but here it's very hidden and closed. You will not find it if you don't know there is a castle. In all the wars, even in the Thirty Years' War, they never found it. Never.
Echter Family Representative
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Schloss Mespelbrunn was born not from the daydream of a wealthy aristocrat but rather from an act of selfless heroism. There was one member of the Echter family who helped the Duke Archbishop in a very dangerous situation and he helped him to stay alive. He carried him on his shoulders as long as he had to. He never stopped. And then the Duke Archbishop woke up and was happy to be alive and said, 'You saved my life. I will give you this place as a present for your family.' Carved from nature in 1412, Mespelbrunn was at first a hunting lodge, a place of bountiful feasts and tall tales, of jolly clansmen and proper nobles, of brave knights matching wits with elusive deer, wild boar, and on occasion unruly bandits and even radical Hussites. As the Echter family sought to tame this wild land, in the 16th century, a new generation reshaped the castle into the more pleasing form we see today.
200 years ago, this was completely closed. You couldn't look through the arch bows. Well, one day they decided to take these parts out and put a romantic arch bow in. And that was the best thing that happened to the house. Schloss Mespelbrunn overflows with distinctive details, all of which have somehow survived the continuing threat of war and weather, except for one inadvertent casualty that came in World War II. They covered this in wood to keep it safe. But they didn't know they would have the most hardest winters in their life. Those winters in the Second World War were extremely cold. After the war, when they took the cover off, the pieces came off because the water dripped between and froze. So, no weapons, but the frost destroyed it a little bit.
One key symbol that has transcended the centuries along with the story behind it is the Echter family crest. The three rings are from the family Echter, and the family Echter had those crests for many, many, many centuries. There was a very strange and wonderful story from this family. There were three very strong boys, and they had always trouble with other strong knights, and one day they had a fight and one of the other knights was killed. They were taken to court and they were banished to live in the woods and they became fair game for hunters and everybody who came upon them. During these years in the woods, the three boys, they said once in a month we should meet. And so when they had their meeting point, they had to put the horses together, and after they came free, they took the three rings in memory of those years when they had to fix their horses at that meeting point. And so the spirit of the three brothers lives on. Mythical Mespelbrunn is a rare gem bathed in beauty. A Renaissance-style masterpiece that captures the essence of life in the 16th century. I hope you too will do what I did and explore Schloss Mespelbrunn for yourself, and perhaps even encounter its signature moat trout. In this splendidly serene setting, you almost forget there's an outside world, and you'll find yourself in absolutely no hurry to leave.
While Bordeaux is famous for its reds, there's another story here. A story built on distillation and aging in oak barrels, where the fruit of the vine is reborn. A story that began amid the vineyards surrounding the Camus family chateau, where I went behind closed doors for a visit with my good friend Cyril Camus to learn more about his family business and its artisan culture that has been passed from father to son for five generations.
Camus was founded in 1863 by what would be then my grandfather's grandfather. What began as a simple wine growing business was transformed when Jean Baptiste Camus took the huge risk to compete with the elite. A gamble that created one of the world's most treasured brands. We were wine growers, not from the nobility, didn't have a coat of arms, and at the time you couldn't be considered a serious company or a serious brand if you don't have this link to aristocracy. What my grandfather's grandfather then did, the founder, is that he actually took the key to the gate which has this very unique clover design, and he used that as the basis for the family emblem.
