The intriguing history of Transylvania
Romania is the latest European country to join the Schengen Agreement, meaning that travel across its borders is now a lot easier once tourists enter Europe. The country has big plans to attract more tourists, as Reece Parkinson discovers when he travels to the country for the first time and finds a place full of hidden histories and diverse cultures.
This video is from The Travel Show, the BBC's flagship travel programme.
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Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Race Across the World brothers who captured the nation's hearts reveal emotional impact of their loveless childhood and how the show brought the 'two old codgers' back together
There is a single photograph in Melvyn Mole's living room, given pride of place on the windowsill. It shows him and his brother Brian standing on a far-flung beach, arms around each other's shoulders, both pleased as punch at reaching this particular destination – in the world, and in life. Millions of TV viewers witnessed that photograph being taken, by a passing beach photographer, and heard Melyvn's heartbreaking admission that he didn't really do family photos; indeed, he confessed he didn't have a single one on display in his house. 'Well, you take this one and put it up,' said his little brother. And he has. There was some jesting about whether Melvyn – a self-confessed cheapskate – would make do with a frame from his beloved Poundland, or splash out on the sort of posh one his flashier brother would buy. In the event, he didn't have to shell out at all. 'My wife Julie found a nice one we already had,' he says, rather neatly confirming the idea that sometimes the things you need in life are under your own nose. The journey of Melvyn and Brian Mole, two Coventry-born brothers aged 65 and 62, has captured British hearts in recent weeks. Their 'journey' in the wider sense provided some of the most unexpectedly moving moments in recent telly history The pair were competitors on BBC's Race Across the World; 'two old codgers', as they put it, taking on the youngsters in a challenge that involved navigating their way across China, Nepal and India with limited funds, no mobile phones and only each other (and their childhood memories, or demons) for company. They covered 8,700 miles in the race, which took nine weeks. They didn't win, even though by the end they had emerged as the viewers' favourites. The top prize of £20,000 went to mother and son pairing Caroline and Tom. But the Mole brothers certainly won the affection – and respect – of the public. And their 'journey' in the wider sense provided some of the most unexpectedly moving moments in recent telly history. For these were brothers who – courtesy of a very difficult childhood – had drifted apart. They weren't particularly close when they signed up for the show, although they had been inseparable when they were youngsters. All that changed during the epic trek, with nights spent in dodgy hotels and cooped up on buses. The pair talked, properly talked, for the first time ever, really. 'And we come from a family that never talked,' says Brian, pointedly. 'But when we did, we reconnected, on national TV, with all these people invested in us.' He still seems slightly incredulous, while Melvyn just seems delighted. 'I found my best friend again,' he says. 'And we talked about things that we'd never really discussed. It was therapeutic. I certainly came to understand things a bit more.' I meet the pair on Zoom, because back in the real world they live 300 miles apart – Melvyn, the eldest brother, in Redcar and Brian in a village near Litchfield. But the brotherly bickering is in evidence from the start when Melvyn struggles to get himself on the Zoom call, and Brian shouts directions at a blank screen. What emerges over the next hour, though, is a display of – dare we say it – true love. The final episode ended with Brian and Melvyn being asked about brotherly love, which led to fans on social media urging them to say 'I love you' to each other. So have they, now they are home? 'Well we don't say the words, because we are a couple of old blokes and people of our generation don't do that,' says Brian, looking vaguely appalled. 'I mean, I'm not turning around to Melvyn all the time, saying 'I love you'. That would be stupid. We still do the very British pat on the back and firm handshake, and all that nonsense.' But you do love each other, anyone can see that! 'Yes, that's the point,' says Melvyn. 'We probably do but we are never going to say it.' Those who watched the show marvelled at how the brothers were chalk and cheese. They talked differently (Brian has a 'posh' accent; Melvyn less so), and seemed to come from different worlds. Brian was a successful businessman (before retirement he ran a very successful financial advice company) who enjoyed the finer things in life, while Melvyn was a straight-talking driving instructor who likes a bargain. But viewers gradually became aware that theirs had not been a happy childhood, and that the way they had been parented had not only contributed to them going in different directions in life, but led to both having 'ghosts', as Melvyn put it, to lay to rest. Even allowing for different generational approaches to parenting, this family sounds strikingly disconnected and cold – although the brothers both stress that 'at the time, it was all entirely normal because it was all we knew'. With hindsight, though, it was a childhood entirely devoid of love and affection. 'We did talk about it on Race, actually,' says Brian. 'I think it was at the fishing lake, where we discussed it and we said that neither of us could remember a time where a parent put an arm around us.' Of particular note were the discrepancies in their schooling. While Brian had been sent to boarding school - at the age of eight - Melvyn had not. Viewers wanted to know more, particularly when Melvyn revealed that he felt his brother had been sent away to school because their parents did not want Brian to turn out like him. 'We need a documentary on this,' said one social media commentator. That may not be forthcoming, but only because the brothers are still quite protective about their parents, who only died recently (their mum eight years ago, in her eighties, and their dad in 2020, at the age of 93). But even from what they say today it's clear how the lack of love and warmth in a child's life can have lasting impact. Melvyn, for example, made the decision not to have children, and is open about why. 'One of the reasons I didn't want children was that I was afraid I may make my children feel the way I felt,' he says. 'I don't really know how else to explain that. I didn't want to put myself, or any children, in a position where they would turn round and say 'I hate you' or 'I really do not want to be with you'. 'I actually think, now, that I'd have made a great dad, but I didn't have the confidence to see it through. I didn't know whether I was capable. 'Some people might say this is very sad, but it became a life choice for me, and I accepted it early on.' His feelings towards his parents are clearly complicated, even now. On the one hand he says he 'does not want to slag them off', but was there at least a stage when he hated them? 'I certainly went through a phase, yeah. Yes. I tried to talk to them. I couldn't understand why we couldn't just communicate. 'I couldn't understand why I was being treated the way I was, but there was never a right time to talk about it. But I did try. Up until the dying day.' Brian adds: 'Our parents didn't do talking, or conversations, and Melvyn did try. I remember him phoning me in tears. I don't know why but he got the brunt of it. It was worse for him.' The brothers were born in Coventry to parents who ran a successful business together. 'Sometimes it felt like their business was more important than their children, if that makes sense,' says Brian. Melvyn nods. 'They were close to each other, and we happened to sometimes be in the way.' Still, they had each other. They chat away about how they were bosom buddies, always out adventuring while their parents were at work. These were latch-key kids to an extreme level. 'It was great at the time, don't get me wrong,' says Melvyn. 'Our parents didn't know where we were most of the time, didn't really care either, so we'd just head off on our own adventures. 'In the summers, we'd just take off for weeks on end, getting the bus to Bridlington, hiring a rowing boat, rowing out to the harbour, fishing, coming back the next day, selling the fish. We'd camp where we could, sleeping in farms, anywhere really.' It would be unthinkable today, considered neglect, they agree. Brian says: 'I wouldn't think of letting my children do the things we did.' The boys were inseparable – until they were separated. Neither knows, to this day, why their parents decided to send Brian away to boarding school, and they find it incomprehensible that no-one sat them down to explain anything. 'I wasn't asked if I wanted to go, or even told that I was going. It just happened,' Brian says. Nor was Melvyn prepared in any way for his brother's sudden absence. 'He was just gone. My best friend was just gone.' Whatever the reasons behind it – and Melvyn clearly believed he had done something wrong – this forced parting set the brothers on different paths. Neither was particularly happy from this moment on, although it was only during the show that they confessed this to each other. Brian says: 'I just hadn't realised that Melvyn hadn't been told anything about me going, and hadn't realised it had such an impact.' Nor did Melvyn, who was heading into his teens then, realise that, actually, rather than feeling special, his brother was utterly miserable at boarding school. They have since talked at length about this, and joke that they have been each other's therapists. There is a touching moment during this interview when Melvyn says to Brian 'tell her why you don't take sugar, Brian'. Brian shudders a little, and mutters about it not being relevant, but then does relate the story of turning up at the boarding school refectory for breakfast, knowing no-one and feeling utterly alone. 'I was sitting there with my Cornflakes and I asked the boy next to me to pass the sugar, please, and he just completely ignored me. I sat there, and I thought: 'I'd better have my Cornflakes without sugar then', and I've never taken sugar since.' He can see now that his boarding school life made him. 'Not because of the academic side. I didn't do particularly well in my exams, but I hardened up pretty quickly there. You do, because you are on your own. It gave me a sense of independence, a knowledge that I needed to make my own way.' And he did, admirably so, eventually running his own company. He married in 1987, and went on to build 'the sort of family I never had'. He has two children and three grandchildren now, and has clearly been a hands-on and loving parent: 'I wanted to be the opposite of what my parents were.' There was a sense of Melvyn being presented as the less successful brother in the show, but he insists he doesn't feel this. He has been married to his beloved Julie for 44 years now, 'and we've achieved everything we wanted in life. We may not have the financial backing that Brian has, but I'm really happy with what we have'. Each one acted as the other's best man at their respective weddings, so it's not as if they completely lost touch over the years. But they both acknowledge that there was 'a drift'. Was Melvyn resentful of Brian's success? 'No,' he insists. 'I was always pleased for him, but we just made different choices and we were on different paths.' It was Melvyn, a fan of Race Across the World, who first saw the appeal for contestants, and suggested to Brian that they apply. 'I knew Julie wouldn't want to do it,' he says. Brian was quite bemused at first, but up for the challenge. Neither really expected to be able to recreate those childhood adventures that had so bonded them – but say now that they are very glad they did. 'Because it was an adventure,' says Melvyn. 'How many people can do what we did – and experience all those amazing places and things? And at our age. But it shows it's never too late.' Before they get too soppy, Brian points out that 'if you have to spend 10 or 11 hours on a bus with your brother, you're going to have to talk', but they both seem thrilled with the outcome nonetheless. 'It's taken 40 years but I've got my best friend back,' says Melvyn. What now? The pair have linked up in person again several times since filming finished – 'in Doncaster, which is at the halfway point between us'. They have a family day out planned at Ascot. And the villa holiday that was mooted during the show – with Brian footing the bill? Melvyn, the mischievous one of the pair, reminds me that 'during the show you heard Brian Mole say he was going to book a villa and invite everyone to come'. Brian says: 'Would you come, though? You'd have to put up with my grandchildren.' Melvyn is already packing his bags. 'Yes... if it's big enough and has a bar. I'm there.' Watch this space for the family photos to come.
Metro
12 hours ago
- Metro
The Race Across The World victors aren't too posh to win
How posh is 'too posh' to win Race Across The World? I didn't think there was an answer, but according to an alarming amount of viewers, there is a limit – and Caroline and Tom Bridge are it. Against the odds, the mother and son duo beat four other teams of two to win £20,000 and become crowned the fifth Race Across The World winners. Travelling 14,000 kilometres from The Great Wall of China to Kanniyakumari, the southernmost point of mainland India, without a phone or credit cards, they just had instinct and the kindness of strangers to guide them. The charm of Race Across The World is all about the casting. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Yes, the race and the spectacular places explored are magical too, but ultimately, without a cast of ordinary people who turn out to be quite extraordinary, Race Across The World has no heart and wouldn't draw some of the BBC's highest viewing figures each week. Five series in and its popularity only appears to be growing. On paper, Caroline and Tom are prime Race Across The World candidates. Caroline gave up her career to raise a family and said until the show came along: 'I didn't know what life would offer me.' Her self-esteem was shattered and she needed to prove to herself she could be more than 'just a mum'. Her son Tom had his own barriers to overcome too. He left school without any GCSEs, expelled for smoking cannabis, diagnosed with ADHD and said he was essentially failed by the education system that didn't fit his learning style. During the race, he also opened up about living with cerebral palsy, unable to use his right hand in the same way as his left. Tom has spent his whole life feeling shame because of his condition, even keeping it a secret from some of his close friends, but told millions of viewers and is now feeling less alone. They both had a lot to prove to themselves – they did that and then some. The thing is though, they're posh. They speak with RP accents and Tom calls his parents 'mummy and daddy'. They're so posh that they've received more backlash than any other Race Across The World contestant before them because, apparently, regardless of their personal journey throughout the race – their growth, determination and most importantly, the fact they just played the race better than anyone else when it mattered – they didn't deserve to win. The reaction to Caroline and Tom's victory has been both appalling and eye-opening. I saw critics complain that Tom was obviously going to spend the prize money 'on a business class ticket home'. Far from it, he's going to be investing some of it into starting his new business, teaming up with a family he met in India to import their rugs and sell them in the UK, with the money going back to the local community. Rather than Caroline's successful journey of self-discovery being something to be applauded, she was accused of turning her 'privileged life into a sob story'. Granted, I can't relate to what she's been through, but her experience is one that will resonate with so many others who put their family before their careers and later asked themselves: 'Who am I?' Perhaps they have more money than most but I'm not privy to their personal finances and neither are the people who are making assumptions they can't back up. But this isn't just about money, it's specifically about being posh. Brian and Melvyn were by far the most popular team this series and their story was perhaps the most compelling. Brian was sent off to boarding school while Melvyn, his older brother, stayed at home and subsequently didn't receive the same education; they became divided without any explanation from their parents. They captured everything golden about Race Across The World. They, by their own admission, were about to enter their 'twilight years' and took on the race to rebuild their relationship, which for most of their life had been unnecessarily fractured. It was like watching a comical road trip movie packed with so much heart and humour, they were impossible not to root for. But Brian wasn't shy about boasting that he was used to a lavish lifestyle, a regular business class flyer with a penchant for five-star hotels and luxury travel. I haven't seen anyone suggest he wouldn't have been a worthy winner. Race Across The World isn't a public vote; the most deserving winner isn't even a matter of opinion. The winner is the team who gets to the finish line first. We all have our favourite teams. I actually would have been happy for anyone to have won this series and was gutted for the other teams who didn't, but I was rooting for Caroline and Tom at the final hurdle. They started the race completely useless, lagging behind their rivals by hours and finishing the first leg in last place. The moment they left China though and touched down in Nepal, something switched in them both, particularly Caroline, and they just became unstoppable. They grasped how to embrace the culture and use it to their advantage, building relationships with locals and seamlessly zooming through countries at an impressive speed. They were completely transformed by the time they got to the final and that, for me, is what makes the best Race Across The World journey. More Trending Race Across The World has never been a rags-to-riches story. It's a game that tests relationships and, hopefully, makes them stronger. The stronger they become the better chance of winning. I think there's something particularly special about a mother and son taking on an adventure together, recapturing the bond they once had before children grow up and find their independence. After watching Caroline and Tom, I want to head on an adventure with my own mum, something so few of us ever get to do before it's too late. View More » They were inspiring, so wonderfully kind, determined, and such deserving winners because there is no such thing as being 'too posh' to win Race Across The World. Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing Share your views in the comments below.
Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Daily Mail
I won Race Across The World but hid a secret struggle from the cameras
Race Across The World came to a tense conclusion earlier this week. The BBC reality competition show, which started in 2019, sees five pairs of contestants undertake a cross-continental race - without smartphones, credit cards, the internet or air travel. The fifth series saw the travellers take on an almost 9,000-mile route from the Great Wall Of China, through Nepal, to the southern tip of India, with a budget of just over £1,000 per person. And its winners were mother and son duo Caroline and Tom Bridge, 61 and 21, who narrowly claimed victory - with sisters Elizabeth and Letitia only 19 minutes behind them. The pair, who took home the £20,000 prize, have now spoken out about the secret battles their epic 51-day journey helped them overcome. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. Caroline and Tom spoke extensively on the show about the mother claiming - and her son accepting - her identity beyond being a housewife and parent. But she told Metro she had been facing another challenge behind the scenes too: 'We'd just downsized the house which I really struggled with. 'I didn't have a horse anymore and we had our dog put down. 'Tom was becoming more independent and I thought, "I don't know what life is going to offer me now". 'Luckily, Race Across The World came at the right time.' She took the loss of her horse so hard because it has emerged since her time on the show that Caroline is a successful eventer. The Race Across The World winner loves to take part in the equestrian event, which sees competitors take on dressage, cross-country and show jumping. Just before appearing on the show, which was filmed at the end of last year, she won all three events in British Eventing's grassroots BE80 league. And since finishing the BBC competition show, she got her horse back and made a successful return to the sport: 'I have a much more positive attitude now. 'I still spend a lot of time outside with my animals but I'm not as frightened of being lonely.' In fact, her return to horse riding has been so effective and positive that she has already topped the British Eventing BE90 March/April OBP league. Caroline told The Horse and Hound in May riding prepared her well for the TV show: 'Eventing has got a little bit of the challenge of Race Across the World because you have to be prepared, fit, determined and have an aim in mind... 'Horsey people are generally quite grounded and extremely tough. 'You can put up with being dirty and grubby and you just get on with it and that really helped because dignity goes out the window very, very quickly. 'You don't mind getting your hands dirty in both senses of the word. 'And I was quite fit, which was probably the biggest help for me in the long run.' But some viewers of the BBC programme, upon discovering her sporting career, questioned why it was not mentioned during the series. One said on discussion site Reddit: 'I'm not dismissing her feelings about being her role in life. 'But her whole "I'm just a stay-at-home mum who has never done anything in my life" attitude rubs a bit thin when you take her sporting career in to account. 'She's not just an amateur - she has been doing it for 25 years i.e. all the time she was running a house.' Another added: 'I don't like how Caroline is making out she is just some poor housewife who has never had a life when actually, she is a very successful eventer. 'She is making out that she hasn't done anything for herself since getting married. This is simply not true.' Someone else said: 'Caroline is successful in eventing which, to me, makes her sob story seem a little disingenuous and designed to counter their obvious privilege. 'They definitely have grown over the course of the series and become more likeable. 'I don't think the producers really needed to work as hard on it as they might have thought.' But other commenters defended her: 'I think that's more of an age thing and your children getting older. 'My mum kept going on about having lost her purpose and confidence when I went to uni... even though she had a very successful career. 'She's just retired and is saying the same thing now she's not working.' Another added: 'Oh for goodness' sake, it's the lowest level of eventing you could possibly do... 'She has a horse (not a crime, last time I looked) and she does a bit of very low entry-level eventing. As a hobby, not a profession... 'She's stayed home and looked after her children and husband. And now she is wanting to do a little bit for herself before it's too late. 'Have an adventure... what's wrong with that?' And it clearly worked - as they signed the coveted check-in book, Caroline said, through tears: 'We must never doubt ourselves, ever, ever, ever again.' Caroline has also since confessed how hard it has been to keep their win a secret from all their family and friends. They had to lie and say they had been visiting Tom's godfather in Australia and doing some travelling around the country. But both of them have never been there - leaving them quickly brushing off any family or friends who tried to ask anything more about it. Months after their life-changing trip, they still have not received the prize money - and even with all that time, they remain not quite sure how they will spend it. Caroline plans, sensibly, to put it in a premium bond until she decides - while Tom thinks he may well go to do more travelling. In the meantime, Tom has set up a new business endeavour with a friend the pair met on their travels. While in India, they stayed with a man named Mr Chhotaram and his family, who have a rug-making business. But Tom and Caroline know they are not going to stop travelling any time soon - with a trip to Kazakhstan in the works The mother and son had a go at it themselves, eventually buying and shipping their creation to the UK - and all Tom's friends have been admiring it. And ever since their interest, Tom has been importing Mr Chhotaram's rugs to the UK, selling them on his behalf and sending the money back to him. The business partners have imported ten so far, with a pop-up shop and a website both in the works. And Tom and Caroline are not going to stop travelling any time soon - with a trip to Kazakhstan in the works. She smiled: 'We're not going to do any research, just [fly] by the seat of our pants and just be impulsive, speak to locals and find out what's good to do.' Race Across The World is available to watch on BBC Two and to stream on BBC iPlayer.
