Original subtitles

(exciting music)

- From the bustling streets of Athens

and the historic port of Hydra,

to the beaches of Zakinthos and the villages Kythera,

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 want to 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.

If this is the first episode you've seen of the show,

then you've missed one hell of an adventure.

Don't stress though,

because we've got some pretty special things

in our series final.

I would have said we saved the best for last,

but if there's one thing you should know about Greeks,

it's that they all think their island or town

is the number one highlight in the country.

To tell you the truth, asking me to pick my favourite place,

is like asking me which is my favourite child.

Well my home island of Kythera for sentimental reasons,

and Skorpios because of my idol Onassis,

and Paxos because of Helen,

and Ithaca and Hydra, and and, and...

Well it's just too hard!

In this final episode I'm headed to Antipaxos,

just a stones throw from its bigger neighbour, Paxos.

Then I'm upping anchor and making waves

as I cruise across to Corfu,

where I'll be spending my final week in Greece

exploring the far north of the Ionian Sea.

I've left a lot to do in a little time, so get comfortable,

because you won't want to miss a single second of it

At the moment I'm on the island of Paxos.

I've been here for a couple of days now,

and after doing very little for most of that time,

I was keen to explore a bit of the coastline,

before making our way to Antipaxos.

It is just so awesome.

And we're here for a spec of time, mate.

- [Rhette] Yeah.

- We don't get to see any of that movement.

This is where it's all happening!

In rough seas, which is most of the time,

it's pushing, pushing water, waves onto the rocks,

and you get these little alcoves that end up being caves.

You can see that was a cave, but it has fallen in.

I'm certainly no geologist,

so you can forgive me

if I don't use all of the correct terms.

But what I am, is an inquisitive guy.

I'm fascinated by these incredible sites

and learning about how they've come about.

I love the geology here.

That's fact, there is no dispute,

there is no contestation about what's happened here.

But the Greeks have their own stories, and they add colour.

Right here they talk about Paxos being formed

as a result of Poseidon and grabbing his triton

and cutting off the southern tip of Corfu

and dragging Paxos, that tip,

all the way to this lovely destination

where the sun is beautiful,

specifically for his lover, Amphitrite,

and his marble palace apparently, is in one of these caves!

Absolutely awesome.

It's fantastic.

Look at the blue, look it's green,

blue, there's all sorts of colours here.

Mate, we can go all the way in.

- [Rhette] Yeah.

- They reckon this is the mother of all caves.

The Kytherians wouldn't necessarily agree with that.

- [Rhette] We'll go find Poseidon and his marble temple.

- Let's go and find it, mate!

It's got to be in here somewhere.

(energetic music)

How spectacular is this!

There's no wonder so many tourist boats come here.

These sea cliffs are constantly evolving

and as one cave collapses,

leaving a scarred, rocky shore, another forms nearby.

What we're looking at now

will be a completely different picture

in just a matter of decades.

From one tiny landmass to an even smaller one,

next stop was Antipaxos.

You're pretty tame aren't you, eh?

Nice and early, nobody's here!

We're here at Vikra beach.

Antipaxos really only has two sandy beaches.

Vikra and Voutoumi behind me.

But my wife Helen loves this beach,

because the sand goes all the way up.

Both of them have tavernas, and they are very, very popular.

We're here early in the morning

because we wanted to avoid the rush.

Finest sand in all of the Ionian.

Lots of people come here, they absolutely love it.

It's one of Helen's favourites.

Probably one of mine too.

You've probably heard me say that whole,

this is my favourite beach comment several times over

the last few weeks.

But on this occasion, I mean it.

Just don't tell my relatives and friends

in Kythera I said that.

Showing me around was Lefcothea,

who I met in Paxos a couple days ago.

It's a donkey track.

- We have proof, (laughs) we have proof,

we haven't seen the donkey but.

- Oh, sea level!

Look at that.

We've walked up a fair bit, haven't we?

- Yes we did!

So this is the difference between Paxos and Antipaxos.

The difference is that Antipaxos has vineyards

and fruit trees as you can see.

And Paxos has olive trees, that the Venetians planted.

- [Peter] Oh right, so the Venetians didn't come here

and plant olive trees?

- No. - Okay.

- [Lefcothea] So you can see here pomegranates.

- [Peter] Quince?

Is that quince over there?

- Yes. - Fantastic.

Let's keep going hey. - Let's go and see more.

- [Peter] I reckon we could pick one of those pomegranates.

We'll take it back to Kyriako.

- Very tasty! - Yeah.

So, Lefcothea what is the population of this island?

- The population, actually, nobody lives on this island.

- Yeah.

- They only come frequently through the season

to check the vines, maintain them,

and of course make the local wine.

- Right.

And in summer, how many people are living on the island?

- Only holiday makers, visitors,

because we only have about four villas.

- Four villas!

- Yes! (both laughing)

Now be careful please, it's very safe block.

So here is the only church on the island,

which is Saint Milanos.

- [Peter] Okay.

So this must be the highest part of the island, the church?

- Yes. - Of course.

(light music)

And on Paxos, how many churches have they got on Paxos?

- [Lefcothea] Oh, Paxos has about 68 churches,

believe it or not.

- Now, it says there 1864.

- Yes, the monk renovated the church,

but the actual church is dated further back in time.

All the churches are about 16th century,

- Wow.

Fantastic.

I want to have a look around the back there.

- [Lefcothea] Yes.

Here you can see actually how the church was before,

you know, stone.

- [Peter] Before they rendered it?

- Yeah. - Okay.

I'd say that's very original.

So what is the condition like inside the church?

- [Lefcothea] Ah, unfortunately it's not

really good maintained. - Yeah.

- [Lefcothea] But it's only once a year opened you see, so.

- [Peter] Well there are so many churches on Paxos,

how can they maintain them all?

- [Lefcothea] We have a lot of churches and not enough Papa.

- Enough priests. - Yeah.

- Yeah, yeah. - So.

- We need more priests! - We need more priests!

- [Peter] We need more priests in Greece and on the island.

(speaks in foreign language)

This is where the priests have been buried.

What was once a lively setting, is now abandoned.

The church and surrounding landscape are slowly eroding,

much like the sea cliffs of Paxos.

But behind the sombre mood is an element of beauty.

It's a serene place,

where those that have been laid to rest,

will forever be left in peace.

(mellow guitar music)

(upbeat music)

Lefcothea, there's houses here.

Does anyone live here?

- [Lefcothea] Sometimes, if we're lucky we can find Nikki.

- Nikki hey? - Yes.

She stays sometimes here.

Nikki!

(Nikki speaking quietly)

- Oh, she's here! - She's here!

- She's here. (speaking in foreign language)

- Six months you live here.

Fantastic, hey. - Yeah.

- And what does she do here?

- Ah, so she picks the grapes, hey?

- Have you tried her wine? - No.

- You should try her wine one day hey.

- Oh, Spiros is here too!

Who is Spiros?

- [Peter] Nikki is a spritely 91 year old.

Despite her age, she still spends the summer out here

on Antipaxos, tending to her animals and vines.

She loves her way of life

and wouldn't trade it for anything else.

It's simple, but fulfilling.

- Cheers. - Cheers.

- Ah, (speaks foreign language),

I think the camera man should try it!

There you go, mate.

As for the wine,

well let's just say it's not the finest drop,

but still quite enjoyable.

Maybe it just needs a bit of time in the barrel.

For these guys, it does the job.

(speaking in foreign language)

They're good, hard-working folk

that have a tough quality about them,

that only those who live in these remote places, possess.

They're also incredibly welcoming.

Are we on the other side of the island now, are we?

- [Lefcothea] Yes, now it's the west coast

we go walking down.

- [Peter] Jeez it didn't take us long.

How big is Antipaxos?

- [Lefcothea] It's about two kilometres length, by one.

- [Peter] At five square kilometres,

Antipaxos is one of the smallest inhabited islands

in the Ionian.

There are just a handful of people

that live here permanently,

and as the years pass, they become even fewer.

It's a hard life on a rock like this,

and I can understand why it's largely abandoned.

Ooh.

- [Lefcothea] This is the cistern I was talking about.

- [Peter] And it's the same colour as the houses.

- [Lefcothea] Yes the traditional colour of okra.

- [Peter] The cistern was used by the navy to collect water

as they passed the island.

They would drop anchor in the small cove,

and refill their tanks.

For the hikers, it's not quite so easy.

They've gotta go back the way they came, unless of course.

So Lefcothea, this is the end of the walk is it?

- Yes, but don't forget,

you have to walk up 108 steps still.

- Okay.

Well we might just call the tender to get us from over here

because the water is just over there.

What do you think?

- It's a better idea! - Let's do it!

- Okay! (both laughing)

(light music)

(speaking in foreign language)

- Let's go.

(light instrumental music)

Words simply don't do the rugged beauty

of this place justice.

It's a raw and dramatic landscape,

full of colour and contrast.

You never really see images like this of Greece.

It's normally all about the beaches and historic landmarks,

but in my opinion, the wild, rocky coastlines

of many of the Ionian Islands, are just as spectacular

as scenes you'll come across anywhere on earth.

Leaving Antipaxos, we travelled a few hours

further north to the far bigger

and much more popular tourist island of Corfu.

It was also the final, major port of call of our journey.

Corfu, named so because Corfu in Greek means Corfee.

Peaks, and there's a couple of peaks on this Island.

But in popular mythology,

Poseidon fell in love with a nymph,

brought her here, married her,

and named the island after her.

Kerkyra.

He was a bit of a philanthropist, Poseidon.

Down in Paxos another love with his marble palace.

But Hercules fell in love here,

Jason from the Argonauts fell in love here,

Kings and Queens have been coming here for centuries,

for their summer holidays.

There must be this love thing going on here.

Where's Helen?

Helen?

Over 100,000 people call Corfu home,

with a third of them living here in the main city,

which shares the same name.

It's the second largest of the Ionian Islands

and has been a major centre since ancient times.

It's had a turbulent history,

with epic battles and various conquerors,

spanning centuries of drama.

Things haven't really changed here for 500, 600 years.

Maybe some of the balconies have gone

from stone to this Greek version,

but generally, it's the same.

They've even been able to incorporate Ronny Mac.

The story of the island is told through the architecture.

There are remains from antiquity,

and buildings from each of the periods of occupation since.

The influence of the varying powers remains today,

and has also impacted the culture of the place.

I look at this beautiful Venetian and European architecture,

it's just so grand!

But the Brits were here for a long time.

Do you think they left anything behind?

(laughs) Absolutely they did.

The cricket pitch and a massive cricket field!

In actual fact, when I came here 30 years ago,

this cricket field was much bigger.

It's now been reduced by these car parks.

I definitely think now, being a little bit older,

give me a cricket bat.

Pow!

I could whack it out of the park.

Corfu is clearly far more touristy

than most of the islands I've been to recently.

And it's totally understandable why.

It's easily accessible,

you've got great shopping and restaurants,

plus of course there's the amazing culture.

But most noticeably, everywhere you turn in this place

there's something incredible to look at.

From the natural beauty

of the beaches and mountainous interior,

to the manmade wonders that span centuries of occupation,

it's a history buff's dream.

What a place!

I can't wait to explore it some more.

The hard part is trying to see everything

in just a handful of days.

That means only one thing.

I'm gonna be really busy!

(upbeat music)

Morning arrived with a sunrise that rivalled

the best I've seen throughout my travels.

I don't know if it was because of the place I was in,

or the fact I didn't have much time left in the journey,

whatever the reason, it was particularly memorable.

Today was gonna be a big one,

and it all started with meeting Waffa,

for a tour of some of the significant sites

in the main town.

- What you see from it is built by the Venetians

in the 16th century.

But actually it started in the sixth century,

under the Byzantine rule.

So it's one of the most beautiful places in Greece,

but also in Europe.

And that's why it joined

the World Heritage of the UNESCO since 2007.

- [Peter] Often, it's only when you meet someone

as knowledgeable as Waffa,

that you get a real appreciation for the sites you see.

This is such a massive fort,

I can see why it's the biggest in Greece.

It's huge!

- [Waffa] Yes of course,

because in the 16th century for example,

there were 4,000 people living inside,

plus the garrison, plus the governor

together with all of his court, and all that.

Well they used to live here.

- [Peter] And I'm looking at that building there,

it looks just a little bit out.

It's a neo-classical building,

something you would see in Acroplyis.

- Yeah. - What is that?

- Well, this is the Anglican church

dedicated to Saint George.

After the leading of the British

in 1864 it became an orthodox church.

And that's where, Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh,

the husband of Queen Elizabeth, was baptised as an orthodox.

- There? - Yes.

- Well we better go and have a look at that.

- Yeah, okay! - Let's go.

When was this built?

- [Waffa] Well that was built in the 19th century

by the British.

- [Peter] Right.

So, they learnt from the Greeks

how to build neo classical buildings right?

- Of course. (both chuckling)

(light music)

- So this is where Prince William

and Harry's Grandfather was baptised.

It's obvious they've got a little bit of Greek in them.

I mean, look how handsome they are,

clearly they've got the Greek gene.

Beyond its fame for the people

that have walked the halls or been christened here,

it's a beautiful place.

The walls are adorned with magnificent icons.

It's worth visiting just to see the artworks.

From the pristine interior of a church,

to a dusty, hillside farm,

you couldn't have a more contrasting change of scenery.

But one thing the two places have in common,

are their connection with Greek culture.

If you were to list the things that lie

at the heart of Greece, religion, politics and food

are at the top of it!

We're in Strogili.

We're about to do something that's very, very important.

We're gonna milk a goat.

And the reason we're milking a goat

is because I love the white cheeses of these islands.

Mizithra, and I don't know what Mizithra is in English.

And feta.

You know feta!

Most people know feta, but they know a salty feta.

They don't know the feta, which is fresh feta.

Fresh feta basically only lasts a week,

and that's why it's not for sale out in the wide world

and I absolutely love that stuff.

I remember when I was 10 years old.

My uncle made some for me, it was awesome.

We're gonna have some tonight.

But I need to milk the goats first.

- So it's time for the goats to get fed!

And Petro and I are pulling out the,

this looks better than hay, it's very fresh.

(bells clanking)

- Look at them go!

Wow!

Have you ever seen a happier bunch of fellas?

And gals!

(light upbeat music)

- You've gotta have clean hands.

Clean hands, right?

(speaking in foreign language)

(both laughing)

(Harry laughing)

This is not gonna happen!

(Harry laughing)

There you go!

Agh, I got it on myself!

All this for a lump of cheese.

What's in that can?

How are your hands?

Strong hands hey!

Look at that!

Unbelievable.

I think I'm gonna let her go, 'cause she's worked hard.

She's a good girl.

You're a good girl darling, you go.

You go and eat.

(speaks in foreign language)

That was fantastic mate, thank you very much.

He's a legend, he's a legend!

You're all legends!

What a blast!

I have a newfound appreciation for the farmers out there.

I'll never be one, so I'll just have to do with eating

the amazing produce these hard working folk make.

Now we're back from milking the goats

and that was a real experience.

But this was the product that we were looking for.

- Okay so we've got Mizithra fresh, or fresh Mizithra,

and fresh feta.

Apparently there's a difference between the two,

and they don't last for long.

- Three or four days.

- Three or four days.

- So, you don't get these in super markets,

because these are made fresh,

so you can eat them straight away.

- So if you put that in water, salty water,

a brine solution, it will last a lot longer,

but it becomes that salty feta that you know.

Now I want to try the difference, let's try the difference.

(speaks in foreign language)

I'm dying to try this stuff!

That's a big piece, I put a big piece on.

(speaking in foreign language)

- Yes.

- I just dripped it all over the place.

The only way to eat this stuff is with some olive oil,

oregano and bread.

Have a few olives and a sip of wine between bites,

and you've got the perfect entree or snack!

Creamier, lighter.

But they're both, stronger taste,

much stronger taste the feta.

This is a lighter taste.

- So, that's mizithra, and feta.

Both fresh, lasting three or four days.

And if you come to any family house in a village in Greece,

you'll find this stuff, it's awesome.

Bravo Kyriako.

- It's all about the recipe!

(light upbeat music)

(soft music)

This is Palaiokastritsa,

on Corfu's weather-protected east coast.

All along this stretch of the island

are towns that have become famous

for the people that holiday in them.

In many instances, generations of families

have spent their summers here,

from royalty to the wealthiest,

such as the Rothschilds, poets,

writers like the Durrell's, blue collar, white collar,

there has been no social distinction

as to who has used this place for their holidays.

(upbeat music)

It's certainly no secret

how amazing this part of the island is,

which is why so many tourists come here.

I can only imagine that the really famous folks

end up in private villas hidden away from the masses.

The trip here is a scenic one,

whether you come by boat, bus or car.

But before reaching Palaiokastritsa,

I had a place to stop in

to learn about one of Corfu's special gems, called Nouboulo.

It's the Corfiots version of prosciutto,

and is made using a 500-year-old recipe.

I've come to the middle of Corfu, to this butcher shop,

but it's not just a butcher shop, it's a delicatessen.

They cure their own meats.

It's special to me because my father

worked in a delicatessen for a couple of decades.

(speaking in foreign language)

They say delis have their origins in Germany.

But I reckon they've come out of Greece.

Hasn't everything?

This particular one has all the usual stuff you'd expect,

like olives, cheeses and cured meats,

but it's the local produce that it's famed for.

These guys stock all the best goods made on the island,

and what's more, they make plenty of great stuff themselves.

The meat they use comes from a monastery

just a stone's throw from here,

so you can't get any fresher!

Inside the fridges and on the shelves,

there are so many different things to try,

that I bet you can't come here without leaving

with a few bits and pieces for dinner that night.

Lucky for me, not only did I get a special tasting session,

but I also had a food prep lesson from a master.

Now tell me before I try it,

what's the difference between that and prosciutto?

What is the difference?

- The prosciutto is for wine, this is Italian.

- Right. - Here, we drink Ouzo.

- [Harry] So it's, this is with ouzo,

you drink this with ouzo. - Yes.

- It's more salty, yes. - It's more salty, okay.

And is it made in a different way?

Does it take longer or shorter to make?

- Yes.

Prosciutto is about six months.

This we make here, in 20 days.

- Ah, that's very Greek, isn't it?

A lot quicker, hey.

Let's give it a shot.

It's really good!

We just need ouzo now don't we!

Even though it's ugly, man it tastes good.

Can we see how it's made?

- Yes, of course. - Let's go.

(speaks in foreign language) - We're cutting the bone,

I see we've got bowls here with salt in them,

we've got garlic here.

- Wine. - We've got everything.

We've got wine, white wine.

So this is the difference.

While you're cutting it up.

Prosciutto, they don't use garlic and wine.

- Yes.

- You guys, it's completely different from prosciutto.

So if anyone says it's prosciutto,

no it's nowhere near it, okay.

- The first step is to--

- To me, the key difference

between the Italian Prosciutto and the Corfiot Noubello

is the quality of the meat they use.

Only the best part of the animal is used in the Noubello,

and that's the backstrap, which is lean and full of flavour.

The result is a much less fatty product.

Then there's the garlic and wine marinade

that give it a character all of its own.

The vast quantity of salt

is probably the only unhealthy part.

But you eat this stuff in small quantities,

and you are allowed to indulge every now and then!

So we cover it with salt, now what happens?

20 days. - 20 days.

- 20 days.

That goes away for 20 days.

- And the next step.

- We just happen to have one,

that's been sitting for 20 days!

- We put it five days in the water.

- Five days in the water.

Can we have a look at that?

Let me have a look.

Let me have a look, open one up.

It still looks pretty good.

It doesn't look ugly just yet.

So what do you do with this?

After five days in the water you?

- Marinate it. - In what?

- White wine, garlic, and black pepper.

- Fantastic.

And then?

You put it in the?

- We put it in the odero.

- In the odero.

And this is the odero.

- Yes, this one.

- This is the intestines.

The sausage skin.

Right, okay.

It's not the best looking thing but I tell you what,

you can put that out of your mind

and just think about that nice taste of that beautiful...

- And when you eat it, you pull it out.

You don't eat it.

- You pull it out, okay.

So when we eat it we pull that out, so it's okay.

The noubolo is still good!

Ah, we put a rope in there.

Ah, this is a special tool.

- Yes. - Okay.

(light pleasant music)

This is a five or 600 year old recipe.

- [Leonidas] You can make this if you want.

Like this.

(Peter laughing) Yes, slowly.

- I really don't want to tell you

what I'm visualising right now, but.

It's looking better than I thought it would anyway!

Oh, God. (laughs)

So we're going to the smoking room.

We're gonna smoke my Nouboula, the one I made!

(speaks in foreign language) Let's go.

- Good on the steps. - Oh!

I gotta go up the ladder.

Okay, alright.

- Put it there, with the salami.

- I'll put it up here with the other salamis.

So it's the lone Nouboulo!

On its own, with the salamis.

- Yes.

- Okay, all right.

Everything is done as it was 500 years ago.

Even the smoking room was simple,

using local timbers from olive trees.

Apparently the timber

has quite an impact on the resulting flavour.

(speaking in foreign language)

Hey, Kyriako look at this!

There's nothing better than sharing

in the fruits of the labour of passionate people.

What's more, Kyriako is going to love

using these ingredients on the boat!

It's amazing to think that with so many spectacular

and fascinating sites in Corfu,

they drag all the tourists to a spot like this.

It's basically a car park built on a swamp.

You really are better off taking the time

to read a good guidebook and search out

some of the weird, wonderful and old world landmarks

on the island.

There's no shortage of ruins, magnificent architecture,

and natural wonders worth exploring,

most of which are easily accessible,

and often not crowded with tourists.

Take Mon Repos villa for example.

It was built in 1828 as the summer residence

of the British Lord High Commissioner.

Later it became a fine arts school before once

again being used as accommodation for royalty.

One interesting fact is that Prince Philip,

Duke of Edinburgh was born here in 1921.

The final person to call it home was King Constantine II,

who was the last King of Greece.

After he fled the country in 1967,

the villa became derelict.

Thankfully though, the damage from being uninhabited

for decades wasn't too bad, and in the 1990's

they managed to restore the building to its former glory.

Naturally, to be fit for a king,

it has to be rather opulent.

(upbeat music)

There's no denying the beauty of Corfu,

both natural and man made.

There's a certain romance to the place that draws you in.

There's something unique about it that sets it apart

from other Greek islands.

I don't know if it's the architecture, the scenery,

the culture, or a combination of the three.

Whatever the case, Corfu is a remarkable place

that gets underneath your skin in a good way.

Wow!

The Achillion palace, named after Achilles.

It's the third most visited monument in Greece

after the Acropolis and the Parthenon.

And behind every majestic building like this,

there's some wonderful stories.

The palace was originally commissioned in 1890

by Empress Elizabeth of Austria.

It was named after the Homeric hero of Achilles,

and is full of statues and paintings dedicated to him.

It later became the summer home of Kaiser Wilhelm II.

It's been a military hospital, orphanage, headquarters

for the Axis powers during World War II, even a casino.

Now it's fully restored, and serves as a museum.

Elizabeth of Austria came to Corfu in her 20's

and she fell in love with Greek Mythology.

She later married her cousin and became Empress.

This palace, she built.

And wherever you go, you see this impressive artwork

of Greek mythology and Greek art.

I'm not an art expert by any means,

but the works here are so amazing,

that even a completely unartistic guy like me

can appreciate it.

Take this piece for example.

It depicts a triumphant Achilles,

dragging Hector's lifeless body behind his chariot.

In the background are the walls of Troy.

I could stand and look at this work for hours

and dream of a fantasy world of gods and mighty battles,

just like Elizabeth probably did.

She spent most of her summers here.

And with her statues of Achilles,

you could see that she was infatuated

by his image of valour, beauty and his tragic fate.

And ironically, she suffered a tragic fate

when she was assassinated in 1898.

After her assassination,

it fell into the hands of Kaiser Wilhelm II.

And he made extensive renovations,

one being this magnificent statue of Achilles.

I think he might have had something for Achilles as well.

I first visited Achilleion Palace in my 20's,

back when it was still a casino.

I can remember playing blackjack on the gaming tables

in this very courtyard.

At the time it was the Monaco of Greece.

It's a special memory from what feels like a lifetime ago.

Corfu is still a relatively busy part of the world,

only people no longer come here to gamble.

Instead, you visit the island to relax,

eat great food and take in magnificent scenery,

the relax part is something I don't seem to get enough of.

I'd planned a busy schedule for my time here,

so we kept moving, leaving the main town

and making our way to Kasiopi,

on the north east of the island.

What was once a simple fishing village is now a major,

and modern tourist spot.

To show me a local's only guide

to the area I met up with Savva, a born a bred Kasiopian.

Savva, would you live here at some time?

- [Harry] Yeah, she was born here?

- Born here, yeah. - Fantastic.

- Somewhere over there. - Over there.

- Yeah. (light music)

- [Harry] Why did they all leave?

Why did 2 1/2 thousand people leave?

- They go by the sea, because they stopped the problem

about the pirates, so they go--

- [Harry] They didn't need to be here anymore.

They didn't need to hide.

The pirates never came again, they went to the sea.

- Yes. - Fantastic.

Should we start the walk?

- We go, yeah.

- [Harry] This is a beautiful archway.

Is this the archway to the old fort?

- Yeah. - Yeah, fantastic.

- [Savva] It's old school this one.

- And the old school is a beautiful, beautiful school.

As always, simple rocky ruins hold stories

that most would never know.

You could easily walk on by,

totally oblivious to what was once here.

Is this, Savva, you live in a house with no electricity?

- Yeah. - Why?

- Because I like freedom. - You like freedom.

- [Savva] I like freedom, yes.

- [Harry] You don't have to pay for electricity,

you don't have to pay anyone.

- [Savva] No, no.

- [Harry] You live out in the mountains?

- Yeah! - You're a gun, man!

You're a gun, man!

You're a gun, you know that? - Yeah.

- He said he would have. - Better!

(men laughing)

- Savva spends most of his time living in the mountains.

He grows and collects herbs to sell at the market.

Between his gardening and hosting walking tours,

he manages to make enough to get by.

It's a simple life, but a rewarding one.

As Savva says, I haven't a worry in the world!

I had one concern though.

It was hot and dry, and we still had eight kilometres to go.

So this is the cave, hey?

- Yes.

- And what would I use this cave for mate?

- For sleeping goats in the bad weather,

to save the animals.

- As a refuge.

- Yeah, exactly.

- That's funny that, because I also heard

that you also used it in World War II, for the people.

- Yeah, in the second war. - Yep.

- From the planes. - Right.

Now, he's taking me down these rocky stairs

that are very, very dangerous.

So you got to be careful when you come down here,

bring some water though,

bring water when you're coming down here hey.

- [Savva] Of course.

Definitely.

- Definitely.

And bring something to eat as well!

This is a massive cave!

Massive!

Look at the size of it.

- Yeah, it's maybe the best cave in Corfu I think.

- Yeah?

- Yeah.

- [Harry] You know what,

I should have brought one of those sticks.

What do you call that stick?

- Next time. - next time, next time.

- (speaks in foreign language) I make it my own.

- You make it yourself? - Yeah.

- [Harry] And so, this is the well.

But it really is not a well,

it's a hole that's been dug for the water

that comes off the Stalactites.

- [Savva] Stalactites.

Yeah.

- [Harry] So the water for the animals.

- [Savva] For animals, and for people.

- People as well!? - Yeah.

- This is huge. - Yeah.

- [Harry] Thank you for bringing me here.

- [Savva] You're very welcome.

- [Harry] Now it's a long march out.

Which way?

This way?

Same way? - Go left.

Same way, yeah.

- [Harry] Can I have your stick?

- [Savva] Yeah of course.

- No, you can carry it, I wont take your stick.

Come on, I'm not gonna take your stick.

(Savva laughs)

It was a long, but rewarding hike.

Along the way we chatted about living

in such a remote part of the world,

and one thing became clear.

Savva needs or wants for little,

and enjoys sharing the knowledge of the area

and how to live a simple existence.

It's not the life for me,

but I can appreciate much of what he has to say.

If you can see the joy in the seemingly mundane,

you'll never be unhappy.

So, that's Alabania.

Salander. - Salander, yes.

- [Harry] Salander.

And that's Albania over there?

- Tamia. - Tamia.

- Another town, yeah. - Right, okay.

Let's keep walking.

A word of warning for anyone

planning on joining Savva for a walk.

It's a tad disorganised, or at least it seems that way.

Rest assured though, you'll eventually find your way home.

It might just take a couple hours longer than you expect.

So I gotta tell you Savva,

that was not easy coming down that mountain,

with those rocks.

- With the rocks, yeah.

- You are definitely Greece's Crocodile Dundee mate!

- Thank you very much.

- Do you eat snakes?

- Yeah, sometimes.

- Yeah.

But I bet you eat them with feta and olive oil, hey?

- It's full of proteins!

- Full of protein!

- Yeah.

That's why I have muscles.

- Show me, show me, show me.

Your gun, mate.

You're a gun!

- From snakes. - Right?

- From snakes, yeah!

- You know, I reckon I need to spend a month with you,

one month with you,

I'm gonna lose some of this, that I've put on!

- Of course. - One month!

Can I stay with you for one month?

- [Savva] Yeah but it's not actually tasty.

- I don't want to eat snakes!

I don't want to eat snakes.

I just want to exercise with you.

- [Savva] Yeah, any time.

(light music)

(upbeat music)

(light peaceful music)

- 38 nautical miles from Corfu is Othoni,

which is the northern most island of the Ionian Sea.

It's one of the Diapontia group of Islands,

and the most western part of Greece.

This is the final stop in the first series

of My Greek Odyssey,

not just because it takes us as far as we can go

on this side of the country,

but because it's a special little place

that I've always wanted to see.

The majority of the people

that emigrated from here went to New York,

and a few of them found their way home again.

Some come for the summer,

others once again live here permanently.

I'm told it's like walking through Astoria,

the Greek part of New York.

All you hear are American accents!

Those that didn't head to the US became mariners,

which is another thing Othoni is known for.

The third claim to fame

is that it's a holiday haven for Italians,

because just a stones throw away, is the heel of Italy.

The result is cosmopolitan place,

but sadly it lacks the usual trappings

of a normal tourist haunt.

Visitation is down, which has destroyed the local economy.

However there are plenty of unique attributes

that hark back to a time

when this was a remote little island,

far away from the maddening crowds.

It's the untouched coastline and beaches

that I like most about the place.

Just a half our walk

through this absolutely beautiful forest,

I'm up here, on the top of a mountain,

in the middle of nowhere really.

460 miles that way is Libya, 38 miles that way is Corfu,

43 miles that way is Italy, and these three islands,

Erikoussa, Mathraki, and Othoni

are part of the Diapontia Islands.

We're on the top of Othoni.

Population right now, about 90 people.

For centuries, the population here

has been between 700 and 2,000.

But in the time between the '50s and the '80s,

the population dropped dramatically.

It happens to many islands around Greece,

and many parts of the world but islands

like this are affected in a big way.

I'm about to have a chat to a couple of guys

to see how it's affected them, and why it happened.

(light music)

Nobody wanted to talk on camera, everyone was just too shy.

I guess the island's future is a tough subject to raise.

I did manage to find Tassos,

a local who left at the age of 15 to make a life

in the Bronx of New York City.

He started his own restaurant,

and has since moved back to the island to discover

that everything has shut down.

He's trying to make the best of a bad situation,

by opening a tavern.

But there's little patronage.

Tassos when you came back in 2008, what was the change?

What do you think the change was?

- Everything changed.

Before everybody here was working, you do this, you do that.

But now, after I come back,

everything has changed and it is not like before.

- Not like before. - No.

- The schools--

- The school is closed, yeah.

- The school has closed?

- Yeah it is not here, you have to go somewhere else, Corfu.

- When was the last person do you think born in Othoni?

- I don't know.

- I hear that-- - Too many years.

- Maybe 40 years, maybe 40 years.

- I don't know, I don't now. - Yeah.

Okay.

One of the only disappointing things

I've experienced throughout this trip,

is the frequently told story

of how many of the remote islands

have essentially gone through a depression.

Some are still deep in one at the moment.

The Industrial Revolution was the first cause.

Then there was the recent economic downturn in Greece,

that left the country broke.

The challenge now is to reinvigorate the populous.

To inspire the youth to return to the islands,

start up sustainable businesses,

and generate employment opportunities.

The saviour for many of these places is tourism.

But it will take time, money, and passion

to make it successful.

Hopefully, my travels through Greece will help shine a light

on some of the lesser-known places.

The little islands and towns,

well off the beaten path of the average tourists.

(upbeat music)

Walking along the beach,

I reflected on the weeks I had just experienced.

It's impossible to fully take everything in as it unfolds.

To be honest, I was still absorbing the adventure

for a couple months afterwards.

I had seen and done so much

that it was only once life had settled down for a bit

that I started to remember it all.

From Athens and Nafplion, to Hydra, Kythera and Corfu,

with numerous islands in between, it has been, unbelievable.

As with most of my travels,

the scenery, history and culture were all incredible.

And I appreciate all the unique experiences I've had.

I enjoyed countless special moments, ate amazing food,

and saw things I had only ever dreamed of.

But nothing beats the personal connections

I made along the way.

It's the people that make Greece such a wonderful place.

Telling stories over a meal,

seeing the smiling faces in the streets,

and the countless laughs I've had

are what I will remember most fondly.

Sharing life's joys with others is what motivates me.

It's the whole reason I went on this journey.

Which is why my Greek Odyssey

will continue until the day I die.

We've been travelling for several months now,

but my journey began decades ago,

when I was a 10 year old boy.

My mother brought me and my sisters out

to these beautiful Greek islands.

Our heritage, our DNA, it's something I'll never forget.

And I've taken it with me ever since.

I've now seen 60 of the islands!

Homer took 10 years on his Odyssey.

My Greek Odyssey is 44 years and counting.

(upbeat music)