The Hairy Bikers' Northern Exposure

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Travel Documentary hosted by David Myers and Si King, published by BBC in 2015 - English narration

[edit] Cover

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The Hairy Bikers' Northern Exposure The Hairy Bikers head north on a big Baltic adventure in search of new cuisines to explore, travelling from Germany to Sweden via Poland, Russia, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

[edit] Poland

For two sausage-loving bikers, Poland is the ultimate destination, and the boys are like kids in a sweet shop. Si and Dave make sausages in the Polish countryside with a family who have been making them for generations. They visit the home of gingerbread and Copernicus, the astronomer who changed the way we all look at the universe. The boys examine Copernicus's theory and break it down in true bikers' style - using gingerbread. Both boys are keen to get to know our Polish neighbours better and the fun is mixed with more poignant moments like a visit to the Treblinka Extermination Camp, which has a profound effect on them. Hailing from ship-building communities, Si and Dave can't resist a chance to visit the great shipyards of Gdansk to honour the men and women who stood up to the Soviet regime and helped change the world.

[edit] Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia

The Bikers travel on to the Baltic States. These countries are so close but we know little about them! Si and Dave want to change that - starting with Lithuania. They make a pilgrimage to the Hill of Crosses. A site bristling with crosses and historically under constant threat from the KGB, the hill has been a Lithuanian symbol of strength and resistance for over two centuries. In Latvia, the Bikers can't resist the opportunity to ride with Latvia's oldest biker gang, the Brothers of the Wind. They travel to Riga's huge indoor market constructed from former Zeppelin sheds and taste some of the country's most amazing produce. Estonia sees the Bikers going back to basics on the peaceful and beautiful island of Muhu. They get a taste of the future with an inventive chef, go foraging for sea kale and fall in love with a group of dancing grannies.

[edit] Russia

The papers are awash with stories of Russia's latest anti-western political play and the Bikers are slightly nervous, but they've got their visas and they're going in! There is only one problem... their bikes are not. Dave has a surprise for Si - a post-war Ural motorbike (complete with sidecar) and the very first bike Dave owned. We see the boys' preconceptions of this country challenged as they spend a night backstage at the ballet courtesy of one of Russia's most powerful oligarchs, become a walking history lesson courtesy of St Petersburg's biggest fashion designers, immerse themselves in Soviet culture and cook for everyday Russians in their dacha (or country house). Si and Dave taste some of Russia's finest foods (washed down with vodka) and go down the rabbit hole of a country and culture we know very little about. What will they think of modern Russia when they come out the other side?

[edit] Finland

The Bikers fall immediately in love with the beautiful and tranquil lakes of Finland and enjoy what they think will be a complete change of pace from the intensity of St Petersburg. Dave learns how to have a traditional Finnish sauna experience, while Si makes himself feel right at home cooking up Finnish pastries. The peace and tranquillity doesn't last long, though, as the Bikers learn all about the national pastime of wife-carrying, fulfil their boyhood fantasies of riding tanks through the forest and meet a priest who has given his service a heavy metal twist! To cap it off, the Bikers see how island communities in the middle of the Baltic help each other survive and arrange their own food festival complete with food carts and local bands. Have they bitten off more than they can chew?

[edit] North Sweden

With thousands of miles under their belts, Dave and Si are delighted to arrive in Sweden, home to some of the world's top chefs and the Nordic cuisine that has put them there. Crossing the Arctic Circle into Lapland, the Bikers get straight back to basics with the Sami people, who have been cooking this way for centuries. They quickly learn that it's all about keeping it local, fresh and simple. The Samis introduce them to the traditional techniques of smoking to cure meat, manufacturing their own hunting knives and fishing to stock up for the coming winter. Inspired by it all, and with some of the best local ingredients at hand, the bikers treat their hosts to a berry and almond rice pudding and put together their own Nordic reindeer and fish dishes before hitting the road. With a hunger to know more about the traditional life of the reindeer herders, the bikers head deep into the wilderness to meet Lars, one the last surviving forest Sami folk.

[edit] South Sweden

A trip around the Baltic wouldn't be complete without the Bikers tasting the ultimate smorgasbord - it's the very best of Sweden on a plate. They then meet Eva, a local fisherwoman (and fisher-feminist!) who had to fight for a place in the fishing community and is now a leading light. They try Eva's delicacies and inherit one of her grandmother's old pickling recipes before getting back on the road. The Bikers have always wanted to cook with wild boar and decide to tackle that Swedish classic - meatballs! The Bikers revel in their new-found Viking spirit! There is a surprise in store for the boys - a DNA test to see if they have any Viking blood flowing through their veins. One of our bikers is a direct descendent of the Viking hordes, but which one is it? To end their epic road trip, the Bikers jump a ferry for the medieval island of Gotland.