Original subtitles

(upbeat music)

- From the bustling streets of Athens

and the historic port of Hydra,

to the beaches of Zakynthos and the villages of Kythira,

our journey over the coming weeks

spans many of the Ionian Islands,

some well-known, others that few ever get to visit.

But before heading off,

you probably wanna know a little bit about me.

My story starts as boy

growing up in the inner suburbs of Sydney.

Like a lot of Greeks early last century,

my parents moved overseas to find a better life abroad.

They arrived with very little and worked extremely hard

to give my sisters and I

a loving upbringing.

They also made me believe

that if I too worked hard enough,

I could achieve anything.

54 years later, I've built a successful business.

And that has enabled me to do things I once only dreamed of.

One of those dreams was to step foot

on all 227 inhabited Greek Islands,

and I'm gonna take a big chunk out of that

in this first series.

Athens, cradle of civilization.

And what better place to see it

than at the top of Mount Lykavittos.

Right over there is the Acropolis.

That was the power base two and a half thousand years ago.

This is just such a wonderful sight,

and the best place to start my journey.

Okay, you're probably thinking this is going to be

another one of those boring travel or documentary shows,

with some fish out of the water presenter

spruiking the same old locations he knows nothing about.

Well before you reach for that remote let me tell you,

this is in my DNA.

It's a story that I've been breathing

and following for 45 years.

I'm gonna take you on a personal journey of discovery

through one of the most historic

and picturesque places on earth, Greece.

Yeah, I'm Greek.

And yes, I'm biassed.

But that's given me the opportunity

to show you things in many instances

have never been filmed before.

Once you've seen what I'm gonna show you

in the coming weeks,

you're gonna be dancing on tables,

growing olives, smashing plates.

You'll be wishing you had a little bit of Greek in you.

Mind you, you probably do.

We've been sowing our seeds

in every corner of the globe

for two and a half thousand years.

This is my pride and joy.

Her name is Mia Zoi, which is Greek for one life.

This beautiful lady has already taken me

to some incredible places that people never get to see,

but this time,

I look forward to sharing that journey with you.

(engine humming)

(metal clanking and creaking)

I arrived in Greece early

to check on the makeover of Mia Zoi

which included a new interior and fitting some stabilisers.

As calm as the Greek waters can be,

my beautiful wife wanted things a little steadier

when there's a wave or two.

And trust me, Helen is the most gentle of ladies

but rock that boat with her in it

and she makes Poseidon's fury

look like playtime at poolside.

While all this was going on

I had some time up my sleeve

to get reacquainted with Athens.

Normally when I fly in,

I head straight out to sea.

So it was a nice change to spend the week

in this great city.

(speaking foreign language)

(upbeat music)

Clearly, I'm no Adonis.

But I do my best to keep a few kilos off.

And when the sun's up, I'm up.

And the first thing I do is my morning exercise.

Always happens, I think I'm lost.

Always happens to me

when I run around Plaka and Monastiraki.

Now most places are closed at this time.

Greeks generally operate on relaxed business hours

that start a little later than your average city.

(speaking foreign language)

But you can always rely on a periptero

to be open to grab a paper and a drink.

And there's a particular one I've been visiting for years.

(upbeat music)

One of the classic institutions exclusive to Greece

is the periptero.

You can buy almost anything here,

and they're on every corner, in every village,

on every island, all through Greece.

This one's classic 'cause it's at the bottom of Syntagma,

and my good friend Pavlo is there.

(motor revving)

Yes, Pavlo!

Fantastic! I need-- - How are you?

- I need this water.

I've just been running.

(speaking foreign language)

Pavlo, you've been here 30 years?

- Yeah, I've been here about 30 years, yes.

- What a great accent!

Where does that accent come from?

- I spent a few years, I mean about 12 years,

in the United States in Chicago, yeah.

- Wow! So how many hours a day are you spending here?

- About 10 to 12 hours a day. - Wow.

- Seven days a week. - [Peter] Seven days a week.

- Yeah, I'm one of the lazy Greeks.

Yes. - Really?

- Yeah, I'm lazy!

Because that's what the Europeans say.

The Greeks are lazy.

(laughing)

- You bought this business?

- No no, you don't buy it actually.

This business belonged to war veterans

and they gave 'em the kiosks so they have an income.

- Right. - Because

the state could not give 'em enough money to live,

so they gave 'em a store to make a living.

- [Peter] What I wanna know, Pavlo,

I'm looking at that little space in there.

How do you work in that space 12 hours a day?

(Pavlo laughing)

- Actually, now I'm used to it.

We must. - Well after 30 years,

you'd expect that. - Yeah.

- Wouldn't you? - I know.

- Do you have a stool in there?

- Sorry? - Do you have a stool?

- Yeah, yeah, yeah. - You've gotta have a stool.

- Oh, of course. - I couldn't stand up

12 hours a day, no way. - I cannot stand all day.

No no no. - Yeah.

Well now I've had my water.

I need to go and have a coffee, Pavlo.

So I'm gonna get going. - Okay.

- Thank you very much. - Nice to see you again!

- Good to see you!

(speaking foreign language)

Yeah!

Yeah!

(laughing)

Athens is one of the oldest cities in the world.

It's the birthplace of democracy, philosophy,

modern medicine, mathematics, free speech,

and the power for you and I

to vote for our elected officials.

The city is also packed with ancient ruins,

many of which are amongst the most recognisable

sights on the planet.

In this one spot just beside Plaka,

you can walk around the architecture

of several different civilizations,

and see the Parthenon, Hadrian's Library,

Monastiraki and its flea markets,

the Roman Agora, churches and mosques.

There's two and a half thousand years of storytelling,

that shows how different cultures

have left their mark on Athens.

And you can do this in three hours or three days.

It's a must!

The Benaki Museum!

I've been coming here 40 years

and never been to that museum.

There's always a first time.

A great way to learn about Greece's history,

is by visiting one of the many museums in Athens.

I'm told there are over 200 of them,

so you're spoiled for choice.

But one that's particularly important,

and often overlooked is the Benaki.

I met with Dr. George Manginis,

who is considered one of the foremost Greek art historians.

- And the classical periods.

- I love the classical periods.

This is my favourite, I'm Greek.

Why is this a special museum?

- Because it's the only museum in Greece,

and perhaps in the world,

that shows Greek history

from prehistory

through to classical antiquity, Byantium,

early modern Greece,

the War of Liberation from 1821 to 1830,

and all the way to World War II and beyond.

So, we even have contemporary Greek culture.

You cannot find that anywhere else.

It's the only museum that features it.

So, that's what makes it uniquely special.

- And it's all thanks to him.

- It's all thanks to him.

- [Peter] The museum was established by Antonis Benakis.

An art collector, who believed in the tradition

of national benefaction.

Within his lifetime

he donated much of his fortune and collection

to the Greek state,

so people would have access to artefacts

significant to their culture.

It's a testament not only to his legacy,

but the proud history of Greece.

- He was the visionary

who brought all this into this country.

He gave it to the Greek nation,

and he allowed the museum to introduce to this country

the latest trend from abroad

and also be original and improvise worldwide.

- To be honest, I have a short attention span

when it comes to the arts,

but there was so much diversity about this museum,

that I never got bored.

You literally walk 20 metres

and you've passed 500 years of history.

If you haven't got time to visit

the 200 odd museums in Athens,

then come to this place,

and get a crash course in Greek history.

Doctor, I'm amazed.

In a few short hours we've gone from the Bronze Age,

to the 20th century.

Doing that in one museum is just amazing.

- Isn't it?

You need a lot of time for it.

But, you can come on a Thursday.

It's open all day until midnight

and you can even have a drink at the bar.

- Well, should we go and have a drink now?

- It is not Thursday, okay?

Remember.

(laughing)

(upbeat music)

(loud stomping)

- As strange as the marching might look,

what's going on here is quite serious

and steeped in tradition.

These are the Evzones.

They're an elite, ceremonial guard unit

that protects the presidential mansion

as well as the tomb of the unknown soldier.

Apart from this slightly unusual parading technique,

they're also known for their striking uniforms

which are handmade in the barracks.

Six months!

Six months, to make this.

So, this is all the needle work that you see

on the reverse side,

and when you turn it over,

you actually can't see the base cloth,

it's all wool stitch.

This part of the Evzones regalia

is called the fustanella.

It's important because it has 400 pleats

that represent the 400 years of Ottoman occupation.

There are two halves to it,

each of which have 80 metres of material.

This perimeter going from here,

all the way to the end,

is 80 metres.

80 metres!

They've got 80 metres of fabric wrapped around them.

That's amazing.

Another important part of the outfit

is the tsarouchia, their shoes.

These create the thunderous sounds of marching,

and like the rest of the uniform, are made by hand.

So, George is just saying to me

that they actually put together everything.

The stitching here, which is just a decoration stitching,

he does.

The stitching to form it, when they nail it together,

he does.

There's nothing that's made by a machine.

There is nothing here that is done externally.

They do it all themselves.

It's very impressive.

It takes a week for one pair to come together

and George the cobbler has been making them

for over 25 years.

Only he and his apprentice know how to make them,

so it's an incredibly specialised craft.

(loud pounding)

- This is a platoon of 15 Evzones,

offering honours to the flag and the platoon commander.

They can't sit down.

They have to stand all the time,

until we arrive at Acropolis.

- One of the significant roles the Evzones play

is raising the flag on the Acropolis.

It happens every Sunday morning at 8:00 a.m. sharp,

rain, hail, or shine.

It's a rare honour to be invited

let alone be escorted by Lieutenant Kalantzis,

third in command of the presidential guard's two battalions.

Lieutenant, I notice that you and I and the driver

and just a couple of the boys

are the only ones sitting down.

You mentioned the Evzones have to stand.

What is the reason for that?

- It's a matter of respect to the uniform,

that they always have to stand.

All of the people,

one of the reasons that they are proud

for Evzones

is that they can stand

and take all the difficulties,

through their duty,

and still stand still.

- Right.

(solemn music) (tsarouchia tapping)

I noticed the only sound we can hear

is the sound of the tsarouchia.

- Yes. - On the marble.

- [Lieutenant] Nothing more.

They are not allowed,

and they don't speak

when they are dressed with their uniforms.

- [Peter] Yes.

- [Lieutenant] They only walk to their position

when they are on their duty,

they just stand, they can't even move their eyes.

That's the way we train them,

when they come to presidential guard.

We train them for six weeks.

We are trying to learn them the idea to be Evzone.

- So as soon as they put the uniform on,

their whole being changes

because they become part of that uniform.

- Yes. - They become part

of the historical importance. - That's right.

- Of being an Evzoner. - Yes, that's right.

- It's very special, very special.

The Evzones are known for being heroic,

none more so than Konstantinos Koukidis.

Here, on April 27th 1941

during the first days of Nazi Occupation in World War II,

he refused the orders of a German officer

to surrender the Greek flag and raise the swastika.

In a moment that lives in legend,

Konstantinos wrapped the Greek flag around him

and leapt to his death.

It's a story that in many ways

encapsulates the passion and loyalty of these soldiers.

You know Lieutenant, I've been to the Acropolis 20 times,

but I've never been,

in such a solemn, quiet moment.

You could hear a pin drop.

It's amazing. - Yes, that's right.

When we come here at the Acropolis

for raising or lowering the flag,

the civilians are,

there are no civilians here.

- Not allowed?

- No. - Nobody else allowed.

- No, nobody. - It's just the troop.

And that's it. - Just us, just us.

- Impressive.

(military marching band music)

What I love about this,

is that the band isn't playing

to entertain a crowd or a group of dignitaries.

It's essentially serenading the flag,

and honouring the traditional raising process,

and all that it symbolises.

(military marching band music)

Lieutenant, I can hear and I can feel

the tsarouchia hitting the ground.

What is that significance?

- The significance of this noise

that we make with our tsarouchia,

is that our ancestors hear that we are alive and free.

- Unbelievable.

I can feel the hairs on my arms,

as we say in Greek.

(speaking foreign language)

- Yes, yes.

That's amazing. - Yeah.

(triumphant classical music)

From the Acropolis we made our way back to the barracks,

to follow the whole troop

along their route to the Presidential Palace.

Like the flag raising,

the parade happens every Sunday,

however it's open to the public to watch.

If you're unable to be here for this spectacle,

then at least make the time

to see the hourly changing of the guard.

While it's not of this scale, it's still quite impressive.

(triumphant classical music)

(speaking foreign language)

I see the sweat, the hard work, the patience.

The discipline that's involved must be unbelievable.

- Yes, yes.

That's why we train them

and we press them to their limits,

so they can take the difficulties

and still stand,

without moving,

without any expressions, without nothing.

Like statues.

- Lieutenant, you should be proud of what you're doing.

This is fantastic. - Yes, yes, I am very proud.

I am very proud.

To be part of the presidential guard.

- Excellent.

(triumphant classical music)

I ended up spending a couple of days with these guys,

learning about their practises.

It still amazes me how as soon as that uniform went on,

they never spoke a word or looked me in the eye,

always maintaining absolute discipline.

Such is the self-control that on a hot summer's day,

it's not uncommon for Evzones

returning to the barracks after guard duty

to collapse into the arms of a colleague

at the sound of the sergeant calling for at ease.

Now that's dedication!

(angelic choir music)

(moves into upbeat music)

This is Salamis Bay, a short distance west of Athens.

In the present day, it's a relatively busy water way

flanked by urban development.

But some two and a half thousand years ago,

it was the scene of one of the most significant

naval battles in history.

You've probably seen the movie 300.

Well, the sequel to that was centred around battles

that occurred right here.

And the main character,

is the general and politician Themistocles.

- The Battle of Salamis was a naval battle

between the Greek ancient cities,

and the Persian empire.

Athenians had 200 triremes,

the rest of the Greeks had 200 more.

So 400 ships against 1,200 Persians.

So, Themistocles sent an informer

down there to Aegaleus Mountain,

where the Xerxes, the emperor of the Persians,

was waiting to see his fleet flight.

He gave the false information

that the Greeks are about to leave.

You have to rush

and you have to catch them on the Salamis Strait.

- Yes.

- So actually, Xerxes believed him

and sent his fleet immediately the next morning

to enter the Salamis Bay.

So the Greeks had to fight in this area.

And as Themistocles predicted,

everything went just fine,

the Persian fleet could not manoeuvre easily.

They were not--

- And this happened just here?

- Yeah, just down there.

- Right here? - Down there. Down there.

So, they basically were defeated.

This naval battle was not only important for Greece,

but it was important for the rest of the Europe

because Persians never again attempted to move to the west,

and that gave the opportunity

for the western civilizations for centuries later

to emerge and become the great power and the great spirit.

So, Europe would not be the same.

- We may not be speaking the same language

and we may not be the same religion today

if it wasn't for Themistocles.

- Everything would be different.

- Wow. Wow.

And it all happened right here.

- Right here. - You know Captain,

I'm wondering how Xerxes felt,

when he was up there watching his fleet,

like you said, lose,

because he had never lost a battle.

He had never lost anything.

He was a winner all his life.

And he came here

and lost.

- It was not just a disappointment,

it was a humiliation

because the Persian emperor was considered

as a god not as human being. - Yeah.

- So, for everybody, not just for him,

it was a great humiliation.

- Well 'cause gods could not get anything wrong.

- Of course.

- And so his soldiers, his navy,

would have seen that Xerxes did have a fault

and he wasn't a god.

- Exactly. - Amazing.

- Exactly.

- This turning point in history can't be understated.

Only after the defeat of the Persians,

did the Athenian culture flourish.

And the development of science, democracy,

and philosophy subsequently proliferate

throughout western civilization.

This is where Xerxes stood,

when his fleet came in from the Saronic Gulf,

to battle with the Greek ships, the triremes.

Through this small channel,

the God King was annihilated and turned into a mortal man.

The look on his face,

at that time would have been something to see.

In my early high school years, I studied history.

But coming here and visualising it,

gives me a sense of excitement I've never felt before.

Themistocles wasn't a noble,

but one of the first great leaders

that came from the masses.

And being one of the common folk,

I'm sure that if he was around today,

he would definitely join me for some Greek fast food.

When you're in Athens,

come down to Monastiraki

and come to any one of the restaurants.

It doesn't matter which one really, and have a yiros.

Now there's two styles of having a yiros.

You can have it either in an open plate

or if you're on the run,

and the traditional way is as a wrap.

Now you can have it as pork, chicken, or lamb.

I prefer pork.

And I tell you what, these morsels are absolutely awesome.

I'm starved, we've been shooting all day.

So I'm gonna go hard.

(upbeat music)

Oh!

Absolutely magnificent.

Wash it down with a glass of wine,

or in my case 'cause I'm driving, a glass of water.

Okay, so the first things that come to mind

for most people when you ask them about Greek food

are olives, souvlaki, moussaka and more olives.

All eaten with a glass of ouzo on the side.

Well, being an ancient civilization

that's spread across hundreds of islands,

the food here is actually very diverse.

Every region has its own flavours,

which I'll be exploring throughout the series.

But here in Athens,

one of the best things to wrap your lips around

is the yiros or kebab.

It's simple, cheap, and delicious.

(upbeat music)

Being a largely island nation,

Greece naturally has a long, colourful history with the sea.

We've always been a seafaring people,

be it as traders, travellers, or as a naval power.

These maritime ways

have led to many of Greece's most notable moments

and created great wealth for the nation.

I've always felt at ease

being surrounded by the sea

and this led to my love of ships and maritime history

which brought me to a museum

located a short walk from where my boat was dry-docked.

What is the Laskaridis Foundation?

- Its main aims are to promote civilization

and Greek letters.

But its main occupation is historical libraries

and educational programmes for school children.

We have a large maritime collection

which consists of a Nelson Collection,

which is personal items.

There are some 96 letters handwritten by Nelson himself,

mostly to other offices of the navy

and a number of them also to Lady Hamilton.

- Have you read any of those letters to Lady Hamilton?

- Well, some of them are here.

And you can see some of them.

- I'd love to go and see some more of the building

and some of these artefacts.

Let's go. - Okay, yeah.

- [Peter] Thank you.

The collection is vast and varied,

with every piece having a story to tell.

You could easily spend half a day here.

- [Admiral] They are built out of bones

used for food of the French prisoners of war,

during the Napoleonic Wars.

- So they crafted these from the bones

of the food they ate while they were imprisoned

in these old ships. - Yes.

- They were anchored at just off the shore line.

- Yeah. - How impressive is that!

Even more amazing is that the model rope twining

is actually made from human hair

of the prisoners themselves.

Wow!

The Laskaridis Foundation

is a treasure trove of rare books and maritime goodies

that make you feel like a kid in a toy store.

- This is the first printed edition of the Odyssey.

The Iliad and the Odyssey.

Actually, this volume is the Odyssey, the second volume.

As you can see,

it's one of the earliest printed books.

It is from 1489.

- It is a very, very impressive part of your library, I see.

- Yes, of course.

We do have a collection of early printed editions

of Greek books. - Wow.

- And this is one of our best.

We're most proud of it of course.

- What really intrigued me about this collection

wasn't just the fascinating items within it,

but the man behind it all.

Similar to the Benaki Museum,

this establishment came about

through the passion and philanthropy

of a wealthy Greek man and his vigilant wife,

who for various reasons saw it fit

to give back to the nation they were so fond of.

For someone to put their time and resources

to create something like this, it's exceptional.

- You know, time and resources as you say.

Time, I am lucky because I,

by some

weird

miracle of nature,

I need very little sleep.

So I sleep very little.

So I have a lot of time to spend on many things.

So I am kind of a busy body,

you can say. - How much sleep do you get?

- Maybe four hours a day. - So you're a naval man.

All the captains, they're like that!

I would think that in another lifetime

you would have been an admiral.

- Maybe.

So that's one thing.

Secondly, resources and money.

There is an Arab saying that says,

that money is like dung.

If you keep it close to you, it stinks.

But if you spread it in the field,

it produces good crops.

- [Peter] Yes.

- So.

Well I have been very lucky in terms of wealth in my life

without really working that hard.

So, it's time to.

And you know we have a big crisis in Greece here.

- [Peter] Yes.

- I feel we should all do a little bit,

whatever one can.

There are others who do much more,

others who do less,

so everybody should do--

- [Peter] Well, you're right up there,

in people that have done things.

- Ah, no no no.

- Yeah. - It's okay.

- We spent hours together,

the whole time Panos never mentioned

how he and his brother are shipping tycoons,

owners of the national airline

and stable the best hotels and properties in Greece.

It shows how humble and giving a man he is.

He uses his time and wealth to both educate

and inspire future generations

and wishes for nothing in return.

He's somewhat of a role model

for those more fortunate in the world.

Greece is uniquely positioned

at the maritime trade centre of three continents,

Europe, Africa, and Asia Minor.

Consequently, it has always had a comparably large navy

for such a small populous.

Everyone has wanted a piece of these beautiful islands

and we Greeks have needed to defend the place.

Something I was really looking forward to

was spending the day with Captain Tsiantoulas,

discovering all the different types of vessels

in the Greek Navy.

It's every little boy's dream,

and I'm just a big kid at heart.

The Greek Navy, the Hellenic Navy,

is probably one of the oldest navies in the world?

- Indeed, and you are quite correct.

Because the history of the Hellenic Navy

pretty much goes way,

all the way through history.

Probably starting from the Chaeronea Wars.

The strong traditions within the Hellenic Navy

was pretty much everywhere with the rest of the navies.

However, as correctly said,

we follow all those traditions through the years.

And we are quite proud of all of those traditions.

- [Peter] The traditions started over two millennia ago,

and many still hold true to this day.

But where did it all start?

This trireme is the Olympia and the only one of its kind.

It's a replica that was built

to better understand how these ancient vessels operated,

and more so, to learn what made them so dominant

in the naval battles fought in the Mediterranean.

Wow!

- This is a reconstruction of the ancient Athenian trireme.

And it's a very good example of experimental archaeology.

It was built from 1985 to 1987.

It's a replica of the time of the 5th BC period.

The period of the Persian Wars.

- Two and a half thousand years ago?

- Yeah, that is correct.

She was built in Greece,

by Greek ship builders.

And we are very happy from the results.

- [Peter] Wow, can we have a look at more of the boat?

- Of course, let's go. - Thank you.

So, they would sit here like this,

and there'd be a guy right next to him,

and a guy right below him as they row.

- That's correct.

The total of 170 oarsmen.

It was the largest amount,

the largest number of oarsmen for a ship, at that time.

That gave the ship a tremendous speed of nine to 10 knots.

- What made this a more special boat,

in things like the Battle of Salamis now,

than say the Persian boats it was up against?

- [Captain] To me, what is important is that crew

were free citizens and not slaves.

- Wow.

- They were fighting for their home.

They were not mercenaries.

They were doing what they had to do.

- [Peter] Triremes allowed the Greeks

to dominate the Mediterranean

some two and a half thousand years ago,

and the slipways from these times

still exist today around Zea Marina in Athens.

In recent times the Hellenic Navy

has maintained its position as a significant regional power

by modernising its fleet.

This strong naval tradition

is a source of pride for the people

and harks back to ancient times

when wooden vessels powered by hand and wind

took the place of the steel giants you see today.

One of the vessels that helped

protect our waters for a half a century

was the Georgios Averof,

built in 1911

and one of the last ships of its era.

- Actually, this is the only ship in this size

that has fought in both World Wars.

- Is that right? - First and Second World War.

That's correct. - Wow.

- And additionally, it fought in the Balkan Wars,

and due to reactions

Greece duplicated their territory.

It is considered as an active ship,

it has a commanding officer, it has a regular crew.

And whenever a Greek Navy ship comes in the vicinity,

we salute the ship.

We give all the honours that require,

as if we meet the ship

with an admiral. - Wow.

Greece's current navy is quite modern,

and although I saw a lot,

I'm actually not allowed to show you much of it.

But what I can tell you,

is that it was designed specifically

to defend Greece's multitude of islands.

While I was really impressed

with how powerful the Hellenic Navy is.

What surprised me most

was how welcoming the officers and crew were.

Oh, that's classified as well!

But I can walk through though?

- Yes, of course we can have a tour.

- Can you take me through?

- Yes, of course. - Thank you very much.

I'm gonna try and do this.

It doesn't,

I don't think it's made for big people like me.

(officer laughing) (Peter grunting)

(speaking foreign language)

That's heavy.

That's.

(speaking foreign language)

Seven kilos.

Wow!

Look at this, look at this.

This is fantastic.

Oh, man.

What a buzz!

That was

sensational!

I tell you, I can't get over it.

(upbeat music)

Myrtillo Cafe is hidden

in a leafy part of Athens called Panormou.

The cafe is a community co-op

that employs Athenian teenagers with disabilities,

giving them experience in the workforce.

This subject is close to my heart, so I had to drop in,

and meet the president of the co-op, Georgia Raffan.

- People with disability into the mainstream market.

We try to train them.

We have a training programme.

And they also work properly here.

They're salaried,

with proper salaries and insurance.

And they make an exit,

to life.

They are very interested,

because they feel that the cafe belongs to themselves,

the enterprise. - Yeah.

- They are the masters and servants of this business.

At the same time,

and masters and servants of themselves.

- [Peter] Of their own destiny.

- In this way,

the cafe is an innovative business,

because-- - I'd love to go

and meet some of them. - Pardon?

- [Peter] Can we meet some of the staff?

- Of course, let's go!

(Georgia laughing)

- [Peter] This is far from your average cafe business.

Their day-to-day costs are much higher,

having to pay for psychologists and occupational therapists

adds up.

But they keep on moving forward

because of employees like Sofia,

who is the administrative assistant

and always very busy.

- The idea is fresh, it's new, there's nothing like it.

And we are changing people who were not given a chance

to do something with their lives and feel useful.

Here they are given that chance.

And it's what gives people hope for a better future.

We need to have a chain of Myrtillos running,

so that other people like us,

who have some sort of physical or mental disability,

can have the same opportunity we did,

of having work experience on a resume,

social-- - Integration?

- Integration with the community

and being happy, knowing that you can actually--

- [Peter] That you're adding value to the world.

I think it's great. - Adding value to the world.

- [Peter and Sofia] Yeah!

- Sydney, so you're like me!

Meeting Georgia and Sofia,

as well as the rest of their team,

was both humbling and inspiring.

And by the way, the coffee was great too!

(religious chanting) (bell tolling)

Religion plays a huge role in the life of most Greeks.

It runs throughout the fabric of our culture

and is practised at some level by almost everyone here.

As a Greek, I've been going to church all my life.

But ask me to explain what it all means

and I'll get it wrong.

So to clarify what Easter in Greece is all about,

I asked Father Raffan to help.

His story is an interesting one.

He was born in Glasgow, Scotland,

and met a Greek girl at university.

They ended up getting married

and came to Greece on a holiday.

He fell in love with the people, religion,

and of course, the country as a whole.

It's this love that led to him becoming a priest.

Oh, and by the way, the girl he fell for

was Georgia from the cafe!

Over 90% of people, born in Greece, are Greek Orthodox.

Why is that so?

- When the Greek State was established

less than 200 years ago,

it was established as an enclave for Greek,

for Orthodox Christians within the Ottoman Empire.

And so, it was hiding a religious identity

from the very beginning.

That identity was something

that the Greeks had paid a high price for.

They had, living as Christians within the Ottoman empire,

it had a cost.

But when they came in to the church,

they found here they had something

that made it all worthwhile.

They found a freedom in the church

that made slavery worthwhile.

So that sense of being Christian and Orthodox

was deeply rooted in them

because they had paid so high a price for being Christians.

And people don't think of their roots very often.

But yet, during Holy Week,

which we are celebrating,

then they remember.

Ah, this is where we come from.

And they find themselves, as it were, in all the services

of Holy Week.

There's the sense of the suffering and resurrection,

which was that light of the resurrection

is what had always given them such hope and comfort.

(chanting in foreign language)

- [Peter] Throughout the year

there are all sorts of religious festivals and celebrations

with century-old customs being practised.

But the biggest and most important one is Easter.

(chanting in foreign language)

- Throughout Holy Week there is a,

the services in the church tell the story of everything

leading up to Easter.

Starting of course on Palm Sunday

with Christ's entrance into Jerusalem.

And then, by Thursday we talk about

Christ celebrating the Last Supper with his disciples.

And giving to his disciples saying,

"Do this in remembrance of me."

Following that Last Supper,

the whole story of the Passion gathers pace.

It's after that he goes into the garden,

goes to Gethsemane, he is arrested,

he is taken to the high priests,

he is taken to Pilate, he is crucified.

And so, it is after that event on Thursday,

it is a key event, that sets everything else in motion.

- [Peter] Thursday's events

are centred around the Last Supper.

And in preparation for Friday's epitaph,

women in each congregation

help decorate the tomb or Epitaphio.

- People as they come to the crucifixion,

always bring flowers with them,

as they weep to a funeral.

You bring flowers to lay on Christ's tomb.

And so all these flowers are brought in,

they are used then to decorate the tomb,

and then that is brought out

into the whole community once again.

And the Epitaphio goes around

gathering everything that is dead everywhere,

and turning it into life.

- Now we are walking up to Syntagma Square,

where we're gonna meet the other Epitaphio

and do a bit of a circle.

So, it's a really special moment.

There's thousands and thousands of people here.

Have a look now, there's just people all the way up.

(church bell tolling)

(upbeat music)

(solemn marching music)

In Greek Orthodox churches all around the world,

streets are blocked off on the Friday night.

The Epitaphio is then paraded around for all to see,

and remember Christ's crucifixion.

I've been watching this ceremony my entire life,

but being here in Athens,

the feeling and atmosphere was magnified

beyond my expectations.

You don't need to be Christian or Greek Orthodox

to be enlightened by this experience.

(solemn marching music)

(church bell tolling)

The extent to which people adhere to their faith

varies from the very devout Orthodox practitioners

who regularly visit church

and lead lives closely tied to their religion,

to those who have a more tenuous link

that stems from a cultural bond

rather than a spiritual one.

However, at this time of the year

it seems most Greeks come together

and attend their local place of worship

for at least one or two church services.

It's an important part of the Greek ethos

that plays a major role

in strengthening bonds within the community.

The Greek Orthodox Church

is known for keeping strict tradition,

however it has also come to embrace technology,

especially in Easter week.

For some decades now

they have been flying the Holy Flame

from Jerusalem all the way to Athens.

As you can see here,

there are priests from all over Greece,

waiting for the flame.

The priest in front of me is from Crete.

He's got his lantern over there,

there's another lantern that's just there,

they'll take the flame,

and they'll take it right through Greece.

(loud stomping)

Amidst pomp and ceremony befitting a head of state,

the flame is escorted by various religious leaders

and government officials into the country,

where it's then used to light several candles and lanterns

that are quickly spread across the country

so that even the most remote corners of Greece

can share in its glow.

(solemn music)

(plane engine humming)

Saturday commences with a morning service

where holy communion is taken.

But the big moment, like many others here at Easter,

is celebrated by the senior most clergy,

flanked by politicians, military leaders, and various VIPs.

It's as if everything at the airport

stops for this little flame,

and then throughout Athens,

as the motorcade passes on its way to its final destination.

The religious elements of Holy Week

more or less culminate on the Saturday night.

This is when the resurrection of Christ occurs.

Everyone meets at their local church,

carrying candles with them to be lit

when the flame spreads through the crowd

just after midnight.

There's a tangible sense of excitement

and positive energy in the air.

Families gather and wait

while the prayers echo through the streets.

And when the priest finally announces,

"Christos anesti."

or Christ has risen,

people rejoice and celebrations begin.

It's a special night of the year

and a time not only to celebrate

but be thankful for what you have.

It's a part of our DNA and embedded in our culture.

You don't have to be religious to understand it

and spread that positive message.

(solemn music)

It's Sunday and we've been eating meat

since one o'clock in the morning.

Remember, many Greeks have been fasting for 40 days!

It's okay to speak with your mouth full here.

I'm in Athens, in a neighbourhood.

This is the real Athens.

This is where people have Easter Sunday on the street,

sharing their food with their neighbours,

drinking pure alcohol and having a good time.

This stuff is really, really good.

And this!

I can't believe we're eating,

from five doors away,

we're eating the lamb from your neighbours.

- All this street is one family, man, one family.

- One family.

- One family.

(speaking foreign language)

- To me, this is what Easter is all about.

Yes, the religious part is very important,

but it's the coming together of people

that I'm most drawn to.

It's the community spirit and sharing of food and laughs.

It's the singing and dancing.

But most importantly,

it's taking the time to be with family and friends

to celebrate life's joys and look forward to new beginnings.

In the weeks ahead,

I'll be heading out to sea onboard Mia Zoi,

to explore many of the Ionian Islands

and show you what makes this part of the world so special.

It's gonna be a journey of discovery,

filled with history, laughs, food, and characters.

I'm gonna show you there's so much more to Greece

than its stunning beaches.

For me, it's a country that's rich in culture

and diverse in not only the landscapes,

but also the heritage.

No two island's the same.

Each has its own story to tell,

and I'm gonna do my best to bring them to life!

(pleasant music)