Sofia to Istanbul - Part 1

Bradshaw's 1913 Continental Railway Guide in hand, Michael Portillo travels through the Balkans, following the route of the historic Orient Express. His journey begins in Sofia, where he discovers the then newly independent orthodox Christian nation, which had broken free of the decaying Ottoman Empire and found an ally in a British prime minister. In the ancient city of Plovdiv, Michael discovers a Roman amphitheatre built in the 2nd century AD and still in use today. Further east in the beautiful region of Rumelia, Michael picks roses with the flower girls to produce precious rose oil in a 100-year-old distillery.