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Quest Means Business
Nigeria: Strikes Were Collaborative Effort with U.S.; Zelenskyy Says He Will Meet with Trump on Sunday; A Journey to Awe: Safari Designed to Rejuvenate; From Guam To Honolulu On United's Island Hopper Route; Luxury Train Features Transformed 1923 Pullman Coaches; Humm: Going Plant-Based Has Not Been Limiting. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired December 26, 2025 - 16:00:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:34]
LYNDA KINKADE, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: The closing bell ringing on Wall Street, a pretty flat end to this shortened trading week. Those are the
markets and these are the main events.
The Nigerian Foreign Minister says the country's president gave the go ahead before a deadly U.S. strike on ISIS targets.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he plans to meet U.S. President Donald Trump for peace talks on Sunday.
And if end of year burnout is getting you a little down, perhaps some awe would help. A new trend in high-end luxury travel.
Live from Atlanta. It is Friday, December 26th, Boxing Day. I am Lynda Kinkade, in for Richard Quest and this is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.
Good evening.
Nigeria says a strike on terrorist targets in the country's northwest was a joint effort with the United States. The U.S. Military says it killed
multiple people in ISIS camps. Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth posted a cryptic message saying more to come.
Nigeria says it approved the Christmas Day strikes in Sokoto State, adding that they were aimed at protecting innocent civilians of all religions. The
Christians are U.S. President Donald Trump's main concern. He wrote on social media: "I have previously warned these terrorists that if they did
not stop slaughtering of Christians, they would have hell to pay, and tonight there was."
Our Larry Madowo is following developments from London.
Good to have you with us. So this was a joint operation between Nigeria and the United States. They are saying that more strikes could come. What are
you hearing?
LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We know that this is a collaborative effort between the Nigerians and the Americans, though the exact
coordination here is a little shaky.
So initially, the U.S. Africa Command, that is the arm of the U.S. military said that they carried out these airstrikes at the request of the
Nigerians, but then they deleted that post and changed the language to say it was in collaboration with Nigerians.
The Nigerian Foreign Minister told CNN that he held a call with Marco Rubio, the U.S. Secretary of State for 19 minutes. He spoke to President
Bola Tinubu, who approved these airstrikes. He had another five-minute call with Secretary Rubio and then these attacks happened. But then President
Trump said on social media that this was to target Islamic terrorist "scum" he said, who have been primarily killing innocent Christians.
The Nigerians pushed back on that. They said that terrorism is a regional security problem that affects both Muslims and Christians, and it is not --
it does not have a religious angle. And that is a disagreement between the Americans and the Nigerians over exactly who is responsible for this. But
overall, the Nigerians say they appreciate the help of the U.S. and they welcome any other support from any other country that wants to deal with
the problem of terrorism in this region that affects not just Nigeria, but the other Sahel countries, the neighbors in this arid and semi-arid part of
Africa, Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali and so on and so forth.
But there is already some criticism in the country from Muslim clerics, for instance, this one pointing out that Sokoto, where this attack happened,
and that's the aftermath you see in that video, a crater formed, but we haven't seen any more Battle Damage Assessment, so we don't know how bad
the impact was and this cleric points out that Sokoto State is 80 to 90 percent Muslim, and they haven't had really a lot of militant attacks.
There hasn't been a Christian persecution there and they are wondering why the U.S. carried this out on Christmas Day.
Listen to what this cleric said.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AHMAD GUMI, MUSLIM CLERIC: I wouldn't like another foreigner to come to say the turn Nigeria into a theater of war. Whereby Nigeria will become the
field where they fight each other.
It has shown that Nigeria is very weak. It is at the weakest point in life of Nigeria whereby foreign force will come and bully Nigerians into
accepting this kind of indignation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MADOWO: About the timing of this attack, President Trump told POLITICO today that he decided to have it happen on Christmas Day as a Christmas
present, that they wanted to do it earlier, but he delayed it so it could happen on Christmas Day, so that's the specter of this.
The issue of the persecution of Christians has been an animating issue on the U.S. right, many of them, including Ted Cruz have been talking about
this. They finally got the attention of President Trump. But it began in Nigeria within a separatist group known as IPOB, who have been highlighting
the issue of Christians getting attacked in the country.
[16:05:10]
The government of Nigeria has always maintained, Lynda that both Christians and Muslims are attacked. The population is about equally split between
Christians and Muslims, and we've seen a lot of these attacks in recent days. Even two days or three days ago, there was an explosion at a mosque
and the Vice President of Nigeria was today visiting some of the victims from that attack.
KINKADE: All right, Larry Madowo, good to have you on this story for us. Thanks very much.
We are going to continue on this story. I want to welcome National Security analyst Beth Sanner. She is a former U.S. Deputy Director of National
Intelligence.
Good to have you with us.
BETH SANNER, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Thanks. Happy to be here.
KINKADE: So, Beth, we've heard from Donald Trump framing this U.S. strike in this northwest region of Nigeria as an attack on ISIS militants who were
slaughtering Christians. Analysts say the situation is far more complex than that. What is your assessment?
SANNER: Well, it is. It is absolutely, and I think that the reporter you just had on really did touch a lot on the complexity here. It is true that
Christians are persecuted in parts of the country. It is true that Muslims actually bear the brunt of more of these kinds of Islamic militant attacks
and I think that the administration actually understands this complexity in some ways.
I mean, I think that they absolutely understand the risk to this entire region of growing Islamic militancy, particularly in neighboring Sahel.
But, you know, this message is really for the American political base of Donald Trump, and this is a Christian message that you've seen echoed
throughout administration officials on Christmas in ways that, you know, are rather unprecedented for political leadership.
KINKADE: And, of course, the Trump administration recently expanded its travel restrictions, its travel ban on certain countries to include a
partial ban on Nigerian citizens. In light of that, what do you make of the cooperation we saw between the U.S. and Nigeria on these strikes?
SANNER: You know, look, Nigeria absolutely lacks the capacity to deal with these kinds of issues, but they've also lacked in some ways, the political
will to take on this complexity and the difficulty of these really violent attacks that are happening throughout the northern region, although more in
the northeast, where Boko Haram is, and another Islamic state offshoot rather than the northwest, but nonetheless, I think that, you know, the
whole issue of you know, what is going to happen here next?
The Nigerian government understands that they need to have the United States on their side, as well as actually needing practical help. I think
that the issue is that it is unclear whether just random -- not random, but just one off bombings or a series of bombings that are, you know, aerial
attacks or attacks from ships really can serve as the whole kind of broad counterterrorism strategy that you would need to actually make a dent in
this problem.
KINKADE: Beth, I want to turn to Ukraine. We know that the Ukrainian President Zelenskyy is expecting to meet with Donald Trump this Sunday to
discuss the 20-point peace plan. And in recent comments, we've heard Trump position himself as again being the one essentially holding the cards
saying that Zelenskyy doesn't have anything until he approves it.
What is the risk when you have a U.S. president, you know, framing themselves, putting out that messaging that they are, in fact, the judge,
the referee of this ongoing conflict.
SANNER: Well, in a lot of ways, it is true, isn't it, that the United States does have a lot of cards in this, but President Trump hasn't played
all of them. He hasn't played the cards that he has where he could really punish Ukraine and push them toward a peace agreement, not nearly as much
as the threats have been about Ukraine.
But that said you know, President Trump and President Zelenskyy are meeting. The negotiations seem to be going very, very well from President
Zelenskyy's viewpoint, and certainly the Ukrainians don't want to look like they are the problem children here. So they've actually been making a lot
of concessions. And at the same time, they've said that particularly, Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have been very, very good in understanding their
position and moving making adjustments.
So now the real question is, I think that we could actually have an agreement coming out of this meeting, or at least a framework agreement,
and then the ball is going to be in Russia's court, and I think that that's where we are going to have some big problems.
[16:10:08]
KINKADE: Yes. All right. We will stay tuned and watch those that meeting as it plays out.
Beth Sanner, great to have you with us. Thanks so much for your time.
SANNER: Thank you.
KINKADE: Well, still to come, shiny yellow and soaring in price. We will tell you what has fueled a huge spike in gold prices this year.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kincade.
Gold prices, they are on track for their best year since the late 1970s. U.S. gold futures have skyrocketed more than 70 percent in 2025.
The climb continues today. Prices now comfortably above $4,500.00 per troy ounce after starting the year at around $2,600.00. Well, investors flocked
to gold as a safe haven in times of global uncertainty, and the weaker dollar has helped fuel its rise.
Well, U.S. President Donald Trump shook up global trade in 2025 from liberation day to new deals, CNN's Anna Cooban takes a look at this year's
biggest moments in trade.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ANNA COOBAN, CNN BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS REPORTER: 2025 was a pretty eventful year in global trade.
When President Trump took office again in January, countries braced themselves for new tariffs. But when Trump's so-called Liberation Day came
in April --
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: We came armed with a little smaller chart.
COOBAN: The hit was even harder than anticipated. Tariff rates were higher than expected. All countries were hit with duties of at least 10 percent,
with some, like Brazil, hit with tariffs much, much higher.
TRUMP: They charge us, we charge them, we charge them less. So how can anybody be upset?
COOBAN: Tax experts say that high tariffs tend to lead to higher prices for consumers, and markets reacted to Trump's new duties, but when the bond
market began to selloff, the President then seemed to listen.
TRUMP: I thought that people were jumping a little bit out of line. They were getting yippy, you know, they were getting a little bit yippy, a
little bit afraid. I did a 90-day pause for the people that didn't retaliate because I told them, if you retaliate, we are going to double it
and that's what I did with China, because they did retaliate.
So we will see how it all works out.
COOBAN: But the U.S. and China each raising tariffs on the other and then eventually lowering them. The markets rebounded. And a new term, TACO was
coined, that stands for Trump Always Chickens Out.
TRUMP: You call that chickening out? Six months ago, this country was stone cold dead. We had a dead country. We had a country -- people didn't think
it was going to survive and you ask a nasty question like that, it is called negotiation.
COOBAN: And over those 90 days, negotiations continued. The U.K. agreed to the first trade deal, at least in principle, and more deals, though with
limited details, were announced over Truth Social. That's Trump's social media platform.
By August, those without a deal got a new tariff rate.
TRUMP: I love tariffs. Most beautiful word, but I am not allowed to say that anymore. I said tariff is my favorite word. I love the word tariff.
[16:15:10]
COOBAN: Then in October, Trump and Chinese Leader Xi Jinping met and began to soften their respective positions on tariffs. Further meetings next year
will be key.
But in any case, Trump's tariffs bypassed U.S. Congress and in 2026, Trump awaits a decision from the Supreme Court on whether some of those tariffs
are even lawful.
So 2025 may have been eventful, but there is clearly plenty to watch out for in 2026.
Anna Cooban, CNN, London.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: Well, Hollywood Royalty, Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson stars Lightning and Thunder in a new movie that features the songs of American
music legend Neil Diamond. It is a love story about a tribute band that has already picked up awards and nominations. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(VIDEO CLIP FROM "SONG SUNG BLUE"/FOCUS FEATURES PLAYS)
KINKADE (voice over): Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson bringing music and messy, honest love to life in the film "Song Sung Blue" inspired by a true
story about a Neil Diamond tribute band.
MIKE SARDINA, PLAYED BY HUGH JACKMAN: I am not a songwriter. I am not a sex symbol. I just want to entertain people.
CLAIRE SARDINA, PLAYED BY KATE HUDSON: I don't want to be a hairdresser, I want to sing, I want to dance, I want a garden, I want a cat.
KINKADE: What resonated with you and what hit home when you first read the script?
HUGH JACKMAN, ACTOR: It is real family showing up with some regrets, with some left turns, with some difficulties, and yet they are still showing up
for each other.
KINKADE: What was the biggest challenge in putting this film together?
JACKMAN: Well, getting it made, everyone turned this film down except one, Universal Focus.
M. SARDINA: We should call ourselves Lightning and Thunder.
KINKADE: And I heard you two felt like a married couple making this movie.
JACKMAN: Yes.
KATE HUDSON, ACTOR: Yes.
KINKADE: How did you build that chemistry?
JACKMAN: It was thankfully easy.
HUDSON: But this love story is central. Like, if it doesn't work, the movie doesn't work. So it was our job to make sure that we were, you know, that
we had that connection. And thank God, thank God, thank God it was you.
(VIDEO CLIP FROM "SONG SUNG BLUE"/FOCUS FEATURES PLAYS)
KINKADE: Congratulations on your nomination for the Golden Globe.
HUDSON: Thank you. Thank you very much.
KINKADE: Why do you think this was a bit of a breakout for you in terms of showcasing all of your talents?
HUDSON: Well, I don't think these roles come around very often. There are musicals and there is, you know, dramatic stories and things like that. But
this kind of walks this line of entertainment and drama and art.
KINKADE: You did such a fabulous job at the Milwaukee accent.
HUDSON: I would slip into it sometimes, even when we are doing press.
C. SARDINA: Just try it.
M. SARDINA: I told you, I'm lactose intolerant.
C. SARDINA: I know, but it is just a little gas --
M. SARDINA: Plus, I hate cheese.
HUDSON: We had a great dialect coach. He kept us in line.
KINKADE: How's Kate's Australian accent?
HUDSON: It's awful. This is the hardest one for me.
JACKMAN: Not many people do it well, right?
HUDSON: No, no.
JACKMAN: No. No.
KINKADE: And I loved when I saw you two just pop up at a bar, beer in hand, and start singing.
JACKMAN: It was so great. We went down to Old Mates, which is, I don't know --
HUDSON: Also what a great bar.
JACKMAN: Yes.
HUDSON: But it is literally like you step into Australia when you're -- I mean, everyone is Australian.
KINKADE: Where do we turn up to for the next performance at a bar?
HUDSON: Well --
JACKMAN: Well, we are touring the world.
KINKADE: Over the holidays and looking forward to 2026, wishes and hopes.
HUDSON: I am going back to Neil Diamond's house. I've decided I am spending the holidays with the Diamonds.
JACKMAN: Goal is to get invited.
HUDSON: On cinnamon sticks.
JACKMAN: To Kate Hudson's for Christmas. That's the epic Christmas.
KINKADE: That would be gone. Her family, I just feel like you just want to hug them all.
JACKMAN: It is true.
HUDSON: Oh, well, it depends on if we are playing games. If we are playing games, you won't want to hug us. We get really competitive.
My mom leaves the room.
JACKMAN: There's a line in our movie "Dream huge" and I wish that for every single one of you for 2026.
(VIDEO CLIP FROM "SONG SUNG BLUE"/FOCUS FEATURES PLAYS)
(END VIDEOTAPE)
KINKADE: And the film is now in theaters.
Well, still to come. It is the latest in luxury travel, a safari, but not like you've seen before. We are going to take you on a journey to awe.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:21:18]
KINKADE: Nigeria says a Christmas Day strike on terrorists in the country's northwest was a joint effort with the United States. The U.S. military says
it killed multiple people in ISIS camps. President Donald Trump says ISIS had ignored repeated warnings to stop attacking Nigeria's Christians.
Police say two Israelis are dead after a Palestinian man launched a series of attacks in Northern Israel. Emergency Services tell us the attacker used
his car to ram a 68-year-old man, and then pulled out a knife and stabbed a 17-year-old girl. The suspect has been arrested and taken to hospital.
One of the most visible figures in the Trump administration is expecting a baby. Just a short time ago, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt
announced that she is pregnant and is due in May. Leavitt says she is having a baby girl. It will be her second child.
Well, 2025 was a boom year for luxury travel, with more people seeking experiences to help them connect with the world. One of the newest trends
is restorative travel, taking a trip designed to rejuvenate your mind, your body and your spirit.
ROAR AFRICA is teaming up with UC Berkeley psychologist Professor Dacher Keltner to launch a journey to awe. It is a safari designed around the idea
of awe.
The experience will cost you anywhere from $24,000.00 and up per person. Deborah Calmeyer is the CEO of ROAR AFRICA, she joins me now from Cape
Town, South Africa.
Deborah, great to have you with us.
DEBORAH CALMEYER, CEO, ROAR AFRICA: Thank you, Lynda. Great to be with you.
So recent studies show that burnout is widespread, especially amongst, you know, workers here in the U.S., the recent study showed two-thirds of
Americans are reporting burnout this year. And of course, there are stress reports showing that Americans feel just emotionally disconnected from
others. So I am wondering if those trends have impacted the uptick that you are seeing in people desiring this sort of travel that you offer.
CALMEYER: Definitely. I think, you know, there is a deeper yearning amongst a lot of hard charging Americans. It is not only about glamor and all the
amenities, but people are searching for something more. And I think the power of the African landscape, her people and the wild can be a cathedral
for the soul. It can be completely recalibrating, nourishing, and turn people back into their hard charging lives, perhaps a slice gentler, a
slice kinder, and hopefully a lot more aware of what is at stake if we don't save these wild spaces that are really the last remaining big, open,
vast wildness that, you know, allows us to find ourselves again and connect.
KINKADE: And for people who are feeling the burnout or the stress, the exhaustion, whether from work or family, how does these immersive
wilderness experiences help restore clarity and focus, and you know, strategic thinking? What sort of measurable benefits have you been able to
observe?
CALMEYER: I think it is the Africa effect. I often hear people say to me, you know, Deborah, this changed my life. I see the world differently now.
And it has really, you know, pushed me to work with psychiatrists and psychologists and seek out people like Professor Keltner and ask them to
help me put words to the experience.
What is happening to us physically, emotionally and spiritually when we find ourselves out of the chaos on the savanna, away from our screens?
[16:25:10]
What does it mean when you know you look into your little boy's eyes and a big bull elephant walks towards you? Can you put a price to that moment? Is
that about a screenshot that goes on a post? No, that's about the poetry. That's about feeding the soul.
And at the end of the day, you know, what do we take with us? All we are is the sum of our experiences. And I think that, you know, that is what is so
important in these chaotic times where we are just bombarded by so much finding space, finding time, finding silence and really, Africa is the last
frontier of where you will find that.
KINKADE: Yes, and I do wonder, it is not just the people that are going on these trips that are finding benefits. I understand your company, you know,
helps support women's businesses and conservation. Tell us a little bit about that, Deborah.
CALMEYER: Yes. With pleasure, thank you for asking.
Our company vision is if African women rise, wildlife will thrive. So threaded into everything that we do, we are a 95 percent female company and
I really believe that, you know, tourism is in the DNA of women. We are caregivers naturally, and that women should be at the forefront of tourism.
You know, we have that radar of being able to handle multiple things at once and so I've really tried to drive the narrative of what was a very
male-dominated industry to try and help women get into positions of being pilots, flying helicopters, being rangers, being anti-poachers, running
lodges, being executive chefs and that narrative is really changing and we have done that through sort of annual retreats using the power of
perception to bring philanthropic women from America and all over the world to hear the stories of African women and the challenges that they may have
had and the limited resources they've had to get into the tourism space and it often provides a lot of support and certainly a huge amount of community
and well-being and an open conversation.
KINKADE: Deborah Calmeyer, great to have you on the program and Happy New Year.
CALMEYER: Thank you. Same to you.
KINKADE: Well, that is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS. Great to have your company. I am Lynda Kinkade.
Up next, Richard Quest revisits some of his favorite destinations from a busy year on the road.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:30:44]
QUEST: Christmas trees are being lit around the world. Lisbon, Brussels, London, Prague, just a few of the cities where we visited and brought you
QUEST MEANS BUSINESS. In all, 27 countries, one of our busiest years yet. What a year, what a privilege to see so much of the world and bring it to
your doorstep.
On QUEST MEANS BUSINESS, one of our greatest joys is to bring to you different parts of the world. And I think we outdid ourselves this year. 27
countries, it would appear. And I got to visit some countries and parts of the globe. I've always wanted to. Bucket list stuff.
And particularly, when I took the Island Hopper flight. It goes from Guam to Honolulu, stopping at various Pacific islands on the way. It is one of
the great airline journeys of the world, and we were delighted to bring it to your attention.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST (voice over): The sound of music makes it clear this will be a special trip.
QUEST: Time to board.
QUEST (voice over): And that's even before I've got on board.
QUEST: Good morning!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE)
QUEST: Good morning. Good morning, you all.
QUEST (voice over): As I step onto the plane, I know the rain in Guam will not dampen bright spirits.
QUEST (voice over): These are my colleagues and friends for the next year. How many hours?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 12.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 12 hours.
QUEST (voice over): I'm promised better weather down route. The proper name for this Island Hopper is United 155. The flight takes 16 hours. It will
stop at six islands on the way connecting remote communities as we wend our way across the Pacific.
There are four pilots on board, all choose to fly this route, which has to have special regulations because it's so long.
JUSTIN SCHUCHAT, PILOT, UNITED AIRLINES: This isn't like any other plan you can do back in the mainland, where all the runways are two miles long and
you are on final approach for 20 miles. And this is just very unique.
As you can see, there is not a lot of other traffic out here. It's just -- it's just us.
QUEST (voice over): That much is clear as we make our first stop, the island of Chuuk. It's a quick turnaround. Within 45 minutes, we are back in
the air. Next is Pohnpei, and then, Kosrae. We are making good progress.
Wherever we land, there is always a tremendous welcome.
QUEST: What do I do with this?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Those are love sticks.
Who am I marrying?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mariana (PH).
QUEST: Oh, hello. Welcome on board.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Will you marry me too?
QUEST (voice over): The plane itself is a Boeing 737-800.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (via telephone): You have received your arrival cart?
QUEST (voice over): Trustee and reliable.
Even so, the Island Hopper crew has its own onboard mechanic who must inspect the plane at each stop.
Standing like a flow. Follow the shape of the airplane. We are on the island, so make sure we didn't hit any birds where we're coming in. That's
a common thing.
The friendliness and warmth of the Pacific Islands is everywhere.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: (INAUDIBLE).
QUEST: Hey!
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For you.
QUEST (voice over): As the passengers get on and off, I am reminded that U.A. 155 and 154, are more than just going from A to B. Since 1968, these
flights have been a vital link for the Marshall and Mariana Islands.
JOHNSON ASHER, CONGRESSMAN, FEDERATED STATES OF MICRONESIA: A lot of people here rely on this airline to commute to Guam on one ends and unite -- and
Hawaii on the other end.
[16:35:05]
QUEST (voice over): OK, six hours into our flight and I'm starting to lose count.
Is this landing number three or number four?
QUEST: This is such good fun.
QUEST (voice over): And on this journey, there is a new definition for beverage service.
QUEST: So, we're now refueling, getting ready to go to the next stop, and the captain came up to me and gave me a drink.
Now, that's what you call in-flight service.
QUEST (voice over): I have now crossed the International Date Line and jumped back 24 hours.
The sun is setting as we approach Hawaii and land on Honolulu. What a journey.
QUEST (voice over): I'll just remember the warmth, the charmingness, the kindness, the island Hopper has really served its part. Richard Quest, CNN,
aboard the Island Hopper (PH).
(END VIDEOTAPE)
So, from Honolulu, let's cross oceans and continents to the north of Spain, to Basque Country, where they have the Transcantabrico Express, a luxury
railway with magnificent views and experiences.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST (voice over): All aboard the Transcantabrico train, a lavish hotel on rails. Over the course of eight days and seven nights, it takes passengers
through the breathtaking coastline of northern Spain. Through the Basque Country. It goes all the way from Santiago de Compostela to San Sebastian,
and then back again.
The train has a cozy bar for a cocktail and serves dishes showcasing local favorites. As for those accommodations, they are comfy and beautiful, but
it is expensive, $23,000 per couple.
Of course, for those on board, this train is about the visit and the experience not getting from A to B.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Train travel is very romantic, much nicer than being squished in airplane or sitting at a tour bus the whole time.
QUEST (voice over): the Transcantabrico was Spain's first tourist train, making its inaugural run in 1983.
QUEST: It's a beautiful, beautiful train, isn't it?
GONZALO PASTOR BARAHONA, DIRECTOR OF TOURIST TRAINS, RENFE: Yes, it's -- I mean, it remember as the times of the Bella pop the 1920s, when we went to
travel was experience and adventure. It's a -- the romantic way of traveling. And I'll say --
(CROSSTALK)
QUEST: This is extremely important. Yes. You have to book ahead on this train, don't you? Because it's quite it's very popular.
PASTOR BARAHONA: It's fully booked, also the time, so you have to buy tickets in advance for one or two years.
QUEST: Really.
PASTOR BARAHONA: Wanted to see us advances. Yes. We have a dedicated web page, the Spanish luxury train, because most of our clients come from
abroad, 80 percent of our clients, and 20 percent are Spanish.
QUEST: Of course, food is incredibly important. And on the train, you must have a lot of good food.
PASTOR BARAHONA: The gastronomy (PH) Express is great. When you travel with us, you will taste the different types of food of the north of Spain, from
the west country to Galicia, because we also have a kitchen and a special chef, a great chef in the train that will provide us, you know, all you
want, all you need.
QUEST (voice over): For the passengers, they are taking full advantage.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We feel like we are just eating all day, every day.
QUEST: And you are planning the next meal before you finish the last one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just about.
QUEST (voice over): The Transcantabrico train is a jewel of Spanish railways, elegance of the past, comfort of today.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: With great travel must go good food, and here in New York, we visited 11 Madison Park, a restaurant that was in the news because it put
meat back on the menu.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:41:47]
QUEST: Welcome back to QUEST MEANS BUSINESS and our traveling year. There is a restaurant here in New York that quite exceptionally, we visited and
filmed that twice in the space of a year. And for good reason, it is Eleven Madison Park where the Chef Daniel Humm, had made great news when he took
the restaurant vegan five years ago. He showed me all around and explained why the menu, plant-based was so good.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: All right. You promised me food.
DANIEL HUMM, CHEF AND OWNER, ELEVEN MADISON PARK, NEW YORK CITY: Yes. Where is the first dish?
QUEST: Go on.
QUEST (voice over): The kitchen at Eleven Madison Park is a model of efficiency five hours before opening. That is until I arrived.
QUEST: Listen, by the way, this kitchen is far too quiet.
QUEST (voice over): Chef Daniel Humm is on a mission to promote plant-based eating.
HUMM: So, all these ingredients are from our farm at the beginning of the meal.
QUEST (voice over): He was recently named a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Food Education and released a new cookbook. So, today, he is going to try
to convince me what the fuss is all about.
HUMM: I think, for me as a chef, the magic of cooking really comes from transforming leeks into something. That can live in a restaurant like 11
Madison Park, you know. Like taking a luxury ingredients and put it on a plate, it's a lot easier than taking a very humble ingredient and elevating
it.
QUEST: What do we got here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Avocado with tonburi, aji Amarillo, and basil.
QUEST: Oh, look at that.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You want to give it a try? (INAUDIBLE)
HUMM: He is going to ruin it.
QUEST: I'll thank you to hold your opinions to yourself.
HUMM: Nice.
QUEST: So, what's this in the middle?
HUMM: This is a seat from the cypress tree, and it's sort of also referred as land caviar.
QUEST: I was about to say, are you trying to trick me into thinking this is caviar?
HUMM: We're trying to trick you. We've been trying to trick you since the moment you got here.
QUEST: You are succeeding.
So, it's not like you've just got the vegetables out the garden, shoved them in a steamer. I mean --
HUMM: There is a lot of thinking that goes into it.
QUEST: (INAUDIBLE)
HUMM: But you know, what's also interesting is that before, when I look back, I thought maybe going plant-based would be limiting, because we're
removing all these ingredients we are no longer using. But today, when I look back, it almost seems like we were just cooking condiments for meat
and fish. And today, the entirety of the dish is created from the vegetable.
QUEST: Right. I'm told that our last course --
(CROSSTALK)
[16:45:02]
HUMM: Is sweet. Do you have a sweet tooth?
QUEST: I love dessert. I have never met a dessert I didn't like.
I told you I love dessert.
HUMM: Nice.
QUEST: How difficult is this to make?
This is a polite way of saying you can't make it at home.
HUMM: You can't make it at home.
QUEST: Tell me what you really think.
QUEST (voice over): I'm not going to throw out my butter, eggs, and steaks anytime soon. That would be foolish. But the experience of this plant-based
meal from Chef Daniel Humm has opened my eyes to new possibilities.
QUEST: And now, for that famous since it was a brasserie, last phrase, Chef.
HUMM: L'addition, s'il vous plait.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: Well, imagine our surprise when a few months after that report, Daniel Humm decided to add meat back onto the menu. Eleven Madison Park
would no longer be vegan. What's going on? Somebody has to ask a question.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HUMM: We created a whole new language of food like we created milfoy without butter, we made ricotta with fermented almond milk. We made stalks
with khoji.
QUEST: But, but, but, but?
HUMM: We, today, I feel like -- I've been anxious about the announcement, what people going to say, or they going to say, he is a hypocrite. But what
I've learned is that to truly push plant-based cooking forward is to have a restaurant where everyone feels welcome at the table. And I think the most
hospitable way of doing that is to offer a choice, because at the core of what a restaurant is, that's the main goal, having people eating together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Daniel Humm and Eleven Madison Park, where you pay your money, and now, it takes your choice.
In just a moment, all the beautiful, magnificent props from the T.V. series, "Downton Abbey". They went under the auctioneers hammer (PH)
Downton for sale.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:50:18]
QUEST: On Christmas Eve, Rudolph has no problem getting around the world as fast as he can. I have a little bit more difficulty going from country to
country to country. But this year was a milestone.
This year, I actually got to visit my 100th country. I joined the Century Club.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: I am on my first visit to Oman, and it is a special particular trip, a particular first, because Oman is my 100th country that I have visited.
I have now joined the Century Club, but I'm -- with these views, I cannot think of a more beautiful place to celebrate 100th.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, just here on the map. I was privileged this year to go to Samarkand in Uzbekistan, part of the ancient
Silk Road where traders would travel and gather the original global marketplace.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just stars, because, Ulugh Beg was like an astronomer, famous astronomer.
QUEST: It gets very tight inside, doesn't it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
QUEST: Now, you know me, I do like a good market. Oh, look at all this.
What is the main thing that people buy in Uzbekistan.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Some samples of handicrafts. (INAUDIBLE) handicrafts.
QUEST: Yes. What sort of --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For example, embroidery.
QUEST: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ceramic.
QUEST: Ceramics.
Let's have a look. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As-salamu 'alaykum.
QUEST: What have we got going on in here?
Let's have a look.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Technology to ceramic, 250-300 years old. But today, same technology. It's my grandfather, like, 1819 --
QUEST: Oh, look at that. I mean that just lifts the heart, doesn't it?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
QUEST: Lifts the heart.
Is there any worship here at the moment? Or they all -- they are no longer working mosque. Is that right or I'm just --
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, if you are here, you can pray.
QUEST: I am.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If on the way, they are going to make some of their friends. I hope --
(CROSSTALK)
QUEST: Oh, we have to remove our shoes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
Right. Oh, my goodness.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
Now, why are we climbing these stairs? What's at the top?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Here it is middle layer of the building of the necropolis.
QUEST: Gosh, a feast. Really is a feast. When you get to the top and you suddenly see this intricate, right? Beautiful.
Oh, my goodness, there is more, more, more beautiful on what beautiful on the last.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: It's no secret on quest means business that one of my favorite television programs is "Downton Abbey", with the final Downton movie being
released in 2025. So, the producers decided to sell off all the props for charity. We visited the auction house to see what was going under the
hammer. What would Mr. Carson say?
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: Did it work?
HARVEY CAMMELL, HEAD AUCTIONEER, BONHAMS: It does work. We drove it in here.
QUEST (voice over): From the Grantham family's 1925 Sunbeam Saloon.
CAMMELL: You can speak on your mobile connector through to Tom, the chauffeur.
QUEST: Oh, yes, look at it.
CAMMELL: So, enjoy your ride.
QUEST: Tom.
QUEST (voice over): To the house telephone that was installed in season one.
QUEST: Hello, this is Downton Abbey. Carson, the butler speaking.
QUEST (voice over): Hanged dresses, lots and lots of period dresses worn by everyone, from the Dowager Countess the late Dame Maggie Smith, of course,
to Lady Mary, played by Michelle Dockery and Jessica Brown Finlay, that is of course, Lady Sybil.
[16:55:06]
CAMMELL: You got this unforgettable harem pants that Lady Sybil wore, and no one could forget that scene when she comes to the drawing room. Everyone
was rather shocked when she is wearing it.
JESSICA BROWN FINDLAY, ENGLISH ACTRESS, PLAYING LADY SYBIL CRAWLEY IN DOWNTON ABBEY: Good evening, everyone.
QUEST: What is it about Downton that appeals to us so much?
CAMMELL: I think it's the story. It's a beautiful story. It's a sort of a family, and we live with that family for a generation. And we watch the
drama unfold, the lives, deaths, births, marriages unfold. It's also the glamour. It's the fashion and the clothes, it's that spark,
QUEST: The sort of thing I would love to buy, the toast rack from Downton, just to have that.
CAMMELL: Again, it's within Richard.
QUEST: Yes.
CAMMELL: Just a very low estimate.
QUEST: So, why am I interested in a toaster from Downton? A toast rack?
CAMMELL: I'm delighted here you are, Richard, and is the fact that you are drawn -- you love the series, you are -- you, perhaps, you have seen it in
that particular scene that you loved. Or it could be that you just want something, a token piece, a keepsake from the series, and it will be a
talking point in your life for the rest of your days.
QUEST: It's patheticness as that. I want to be able to say to like, you know that toast rack came from Downton Abbey.
CAMMELL: Well, I think it's pathetic at all. I think it's the stuff of life. It's the stories, and its stories upon stories, and it's the -- it's
what makes the world go round.
QUEST (voice over): Bidders have until the 16th of September to make their offers. Carnival films, the producer of Downton Abbey, will donate the
proceeds of the auction to the U.K. charity together for short lives, which supports children with life-threatening conditions and their families.
CAMMELL: Currently, at 16,000 on the bidding.
QUEST (voice over): One of the star lots of this auction, the bell wall from the servant's hall.
QUEST: So, these are all the bedrooms.
CAMMELL: Yes.
QUEST: All the suites. And these are all the dining room, the water room, the library, the small library, the saloon, the front door, the back door,
the study, the drawing room. Oh, this is wonderful.
CAMMELL: There are four great designers who created this series. The last one being Anna Robbins, who's also working on the films. And it's that mix.
It's the design from the Edwardian period through to the Roaring Twenties. There is wonderful flap of dresses. It's the level of detail that went --
that went into it, and that's the craft, but that's the part. Also, people have come, flocked to see here at Bonhams.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: It is a big world, and we have so much more of it to visit and bring to your attention. One of the best parts of the program is getting out and
about.
And that is our review of our travels in 2025. I assure you, we have plenty more for next year ahead.
In the meantime, whatever you're up to and wherever your travels may take you, I hope that profitable.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
END
