Rosie Benn sets off on an epic adventure through five European capitals. As a young deaf woman who uses sign language, Rosie is keen to explore deaf culture in other countries. What is life like for the local deaf community and what are the highlights for deaf travellers seeking out a short city break? Rosie's first stop is the exciting capital city of the Netherlands, Amsterdam. The city has a reputation for its naughty side but what else is there to see for deaf travellers? Rosie takes a bicycle tour of the city, taking in the flower market, the parks and the art galleries. In the Van Gogh museum, she discovers they have a signing guide to encourage deaf people to come and visit. And she meets contemporary artist Timothy de Graaf, a deaf Dutch master, who gives her some tips on drawing portraits. Later, she takes a trip along the canals in a 'signing boat' and visits the Amsterdam Deaf Club, which has been going for more than 40 years.
Rosie Benn sets off on an epic adventure through five European capitals. As a young deaf woman who uses sign language, Rosie is keen to explore deaf culture in other countries. What is life like for the local deaf community and what are the highlights for deaf travellers seeking out a short city break? Rosie visits the up and coming tourist destination of Lithuania, a former Soviet state nestled between Poland and Latvia. She discovers that until recently, life was tough for deaf people in the capital city of Vilnius. Many of them were housed in a notorious block of flats with a reputation for drug taking and violent crime. But things have been getting better ever since the country won its independence in 1991. Rosie meets Giedrius Paulauskas, a deaf fashion designer who has quickly established himself as one of the best in the business, with customers from as far afield as Tokyo, Paris, Los Angeles and London. Finally Rosie tries her hand at a Lithuanian obsession - orienteering. But will she be able to navigate her way through the local forest?
Rosie Benn sets off on an epic adventure through five European capitals. As a young deaf woman who uses sign language, Rosie is keen to explore deaf culture in other countries. What is life like for the local deaf community and what are the highlights for deaf travellers seeking out a short city break? Rosie discovers the dark history of the German capital city, from the war years through to the construction of the Berlin Wall. But deaf artist and actress Rita Mazza wants to show her the new Berlin - a city which prides itself on being vibrant, artistic and open to people of all cultures. They visit Rosenthaler Strasse, which has been transformed into a giant open air art gallery and they try out some yoga in one of Berlin's many urban parks. After having her photograph taken at Checkpoint Charlie, Rosie calls in at a vegan café run by a deaf couple. Here you can get some tuition in German sign language along with your falafel wrap.
Rosie Benn sets off on an epic adventure through five European capitals. As a young deaf woman who uses sign language, Rosie is keen to explore deaf culture in other countries. What is life like for the local deaf community and what are the highlights for deaf travellers seeking out a short city break? If you are looking for clean air and summer days that seem to go on forever, then there is probably no better place than Helsinki. With 18 hours of daylight, Rosie has plenty of time to see the sights, including the impressive architecture of the Central railway station and the Kauppatori food market, with its reindeer burgers, freshly caught fish and wild berries. Rosie meets Gavin Lilley, a British deaf man who moved to the country after falling in love with a Finnish woman. He explains that life in Finland is very good for deaf people, with easy access to interpreters and a decent education system. To experience the beautiful countryside surrounding Helsinki, they visit the island of Kaskerta, a treasure trove of Finnish deaf culture. Run by deaf people, the island has a series of log cabins available to hire and a lake with a private beach. This is a place to get away from the hustle bustle of the city. After a run through the woods, Rosie relaxes in a Finnish sauna before plunging into the lake.
Rosie Benn sets off on an epic adventure through five European capitals. As a young deaf woman who uses sign language, Rosie is keen to explore deaf culture in other countries. What is life like for the local deaf community and what are the highlights for deaf travellers seeking out a short city break? Just a short hop from the UK, Rosie visits Ireland's thriving capital, Dublin. Showing her around the city is Wendy Murray, a campaigner for the rights of Irish Sign Language users. She explains that the language actually derives from France and there has been a long campaign for it to be legally recognised and protected by the Irish government. They visit the Irish Deaf Village - an impressive complex of buildings, housing various deaf charities and organisations, including a church. Here Rosie joins in with the fun of a garden fete and gets a sense of how the deaf community pull together to ensure no-one is left isolated. Rosie's next stop is the Irish broadcaster RTE to see how they have committed to producing news bulletins in Irish Sign Language. But how will she get on when she is invited to have a go at presenting them herself? Finally, she heads to a lively bar to experience the famous black stuff and the legendary craic for herself.