Original subtitles

(lively instrumental music)

- In the first series,

I began unravelling the story of this spectacular

and historic nation, by travelling from Athens,

around the Peloponnese, and up to the Ionian islands.

It took in parts of the country

that lots of tourists know well.

But in amongst the popular places were hidden gems,

undiscovered by the holiday masses.

This series, I'm back onboard my beautiful boat,

Mia Zoi, and heading to a region of Greece

I haven't spent much time in.

The plan is to skip between the islands,

taking in the sights of the Northern Aegean.

It'll be a journey of discovery, where I'll be digging deep

into the fabric that makes Greece so unique,

and immersing myself in a centuries old culture

unlike anywhere else on earth.

In this episode, I'm finishing

my time in Lesbos by exploring the capital.

Then it's off to the tiny island of Psara,

before finally arriving in Chios.

(rhythmic music)

Lesbos is a big island, the third largest in Greece,

so circumnavigating it takes a while.

That gives me time to read my nights

on the next port of call.

In this instance, it was the capital, Mytilene.

From Plomari, on the southern end of Lesbos,

the seaward journey is around 40 kilometres,

which is much the same as driving between the two locations,

the difference being, the views along the coast

are just that little bit nicer.

(upbeat music)

Arriving in the port, it's immediately apparent

that this is where the action is.

Mytilene is home to around 35,000 people,

and is serviced regularly by ferries

from the major nearby islands, as well as Athens.

It's a busy hub with plenty of tourists

taking advantage of the great climate, food,

and fun on offer, in and around the town.

It's difficult to imagine, but in ancient times

Mytilene was a small island of its own,

which was connected to Lesbos via bridges.

In the centuries since, the space between has been

filled with earth, making it one landmass.

Like all big towns in Greece,

there's a fortress looming on a hilltop,

which I'll be exploring a little later.

For now though, I'll be doing

what every newly arrived traveller does:

going for a stroll around town.

Apart from needing to find my bearings

and stretch my legs, I was starving.

(upbeat music)

Navigating the streets is pretty straightforward.

The only things to be wary of are all the motorbikes.

It seems they're the transport of choice in these parts.

But once you're past traffic and into the pedestrian area,

you'll discover a town full of beautiful architecture,

rich in character, and very tourist friendly.

Speaking of tourists, they say that numbers

are down at the moment, but with so many roaming

the shopping centre, it's hard to believe.

It must be pumping at its peak.

(man singing in foreign language)

Sardines from Koloni, the Gulf of Koloni.

Most locals buy their seafood first thing in the morning,

when it arrives into the stores fresh off the boats.

The early risers make the effort to go down to the harbour

to get it directly from the fishermen.

Apart from being a little cheaper,

it also means you get the pick of the catch.

I'm getting a cheese pie, tiropita.

I'm starved.

I haven't had breakfast, and you can't beat these.

They're awesome.

(speaking in foreign language)

One euro 80.

Can you beat that or what?

Ooh, looks good.

(speaking in foreign language)

- Local cheddar.

- Local cheese man, awesome.

(speaking in foreign language)

- You're welcome.

- A tiropita, or cheese pie, is Greece's go-to snack.

It's like the hotdog in America,

the meat pie in Australia, or a pretzel in Germany.

You'll find a tiropita or its variants

in every corner of the country.

If you come to Mytilene, you gotta come to Ermous Street.

It's the main drag, all shopping happens here,

and get yourself a tiropita.

I feel much better now.

I was a bit hangry.

Much to the relief of the cameramen,

and with some fuel in the machine,

I was now able to function a little better

and more pleasantly.

Ah, there it is.

This is, see?

That's Lesbos and here is the olive oil

that keeps the cheese.

Awesome stuff.

I'm gonna buy some, take it to Kyriako.

He probably hasn't bought any.

It looks awesome.

7.60, that's not too bad.

We don't have to put it in the fridge

that can stay out all day.

The gentleman's actually saying,

as long as you keep it in the oil,

it can stay for up to a year,

but as soon as you open it up,

you gotta put it in the fridge.

The cheese I just bought is called lathotiro.

It's a local specialty made from sheep's milk

and then preserved in olive oil.

It's rather pungent and full of flavour.

It's a trend with all the food here.

The aromas are thick and everything tastes amazing.

Part of the reason for that is most of the produce

comes from local suppliers, not shipped in

from thousands of kilometres away.

It's as fresh as it gets.

And the folks here know how to make

the most of the ingredients.

That said, it's hard to beat

the simplicity of a morning coffee.

It's one thing that seems common the world over.

If it's not the food here that will win you over,

it's the architecture and charm of the cobbled laneways.

They draw you in to discover the hidden stores and delis,

turning a 30-minute stroll into hours of exploring.

(upbeat instrumental music)

(lively instrumental music)

I'm in the hills of Mytilene, a very wealthy district.

The modern history of Mytilene is very, very important,

because the industrial production of olive oil and soap

was huge, and a lot of people got wealthy as a result.

One family, the Eleftheriadis family,

sent their son to study law in Paris,

and something really special happened as a result.

It's all in this building.

(rhythmic upbeat music)

Stratis Eleftheriadis, later shortened his name

to Theriade, for obvious reasons.

He went to Paris.

It was there where he discovered his passion for art.

He met artists like Monet, Chagall, Picasso.

He ended up writing articles and publishing notes

on all these artists that he befriended.

Later on, he became a very popular art critic.

He then created a magazine, called Verve.

30,000 copies of each one of his magazines,

two and three a year, went around the world.

An amazing man.

Here it is, the first Verve.

It was more than just a magazine; it was a review.

And he didn't do it for commercial reasons.

He did it because he loved art.

He loved the artists.

He loved what they did.

In these rooms are all 38 Verves as you walk through.

Theriade's circumstances were ideal.

He had money when there was none.

He was in the right time, at the right place.

It couldn't have been any better

for a passionate man that loved art.

Apart from having the great artists of the time

featured in Verve, the likes of Hemingway

and James Joyce also contributed.

It took modern art from the elite

and presented it to the masses

in a vibrant and accessible way.

From writing articles in newspapers, to creating his review,

publishing books, cataloguing lithographs,

this guy did everything at an awesome time.

I'm no connoisseur on art, but I'm pretty much inspired

by this collection of wonderful prints

and beautiful lithographs that he's got in this museum.

It's well worth a visit.

(upbeat rhythmic music)

Seeing works from the masters is inspiring,

even for a simple guy like me.

The creative use of colour and imaginative flair

is something that I've never been good at.

I'm more a heavy lifter than the delicate artistic type,

but I can still appreciate the work of a skilled artisan.

Not even a five-minute walk from the fortress

is the new archaeological museum

that has some wonderful ceramics

and pottery from 3,000 B.C. all the way up to today.

But what I really like are these beautiful mosaics.

This specific one has been lifted from an old villa,

around 100 A.D., 200 A.D., the Roman period.

And when they were lifting it, they found other artefacts.

They found this beautiful fresco from 300 B.C.

They found some stuff from 700 B.C.,

all in the same house in that area.

And it's wonderful just to look at.

(solemn music)

I'd gone from looking at contemporary works

to pieces that pre-date them by well over a thousand years.

This might be a very different form of art,

but it's equally as spectacular.

To be honest, I find works like this mosaic

to be more impressive, not so much for the craftsmanship,

or creativity, but for the age.

The museum tells a story of life in Lesbos

during ancient times, using tangible pieces

that I could visualise someone drinking from,

or having in their own home.

I got a sense of how people lived hundreds of years ago,

and their appreciation for the arts.

While these are all quite decorative in nature,

many of these things were in daily use.

It's amazing such delicate items have survived

centuries of wear and tear, weathering, and looters,

and found their way to this great little gallery.

(solemn music)

From the confines of an indoor museum,

to an open-air one that spans a vast area,

I'd made my way to the island's premier fortress.

It towers over the city and commands attention,

drawing you up to explore what remains.

(thumping of footsteps)

This is the main castle, the big brother

of the two castles that the Gattilusi family

built in the mid 1300s A.D.

It's well worth the walk up here.

Bring your electrolytes, and you'll be fine.

Not too hot, but have a look at it; it's massive.

It's one of the biggest castles in all of the Mediterranean,

and there's so much history here.

Below it, there was an acropolis.

Acropolis 500, 600 B.C., I'm not too sure, but they used

those stones to help build this fort itself.

The period of the Gattilusi reign was only 100 years,

but I'm told it was some of the best years

that Lesbos has had, because they didn't invade.

They protected the people, they educated the people,

they developed the people.

It was a golden period.

(lively instrumental music)

It's said that Barbarossa, the legendary pirate,

and later admiral of the Ottoman fleet,

was educated within the walls of this fortress.

It makes sense, considering he was born on the island and,

at the time, the castle was being used by the military.

This isn't just a fortress or a castle.

What you see around me was in the city.

Thousands of people lived in here.

And you gotta wonder, where did they get their water from?

Well, that's a wonderful engineering feat.

This slope, the overland flow of rain falling

on this huge area, would bring water down to

what is an amazing engineering feat.

But before we go in there,

let me explain something about these walls,

and the sustainable way that these guys built.

These stones are actually sixth century B.C.

These ones, are from the Byzantine times.

So the Byzantines actually reused stones

from the acropolis, to build this fortress.

Let's go down and have a look at

what I think is fantastic stuff.

Wow, what a difference in temperature.

That's 'cause we're underground.

There are three chambers here,

and all the water would flow into holes above us,

into not all three chambers,

that would flow into this chamber here.

The water would come down, this wall was a barrier

for the sediment, the sediment would fall to the bottom,

and as the water came up, it would flow over

into clear water in the other two chambers.

That would be their drinking water.

I love this stuff.

Forgive my excitement, but this collection tank,

with its sedimentation pit, is the same system

we use to collect rainwater for drinking today.

I build a modern version of this,

in almost every project we work on,

so I feel a little connection to it.

(upbeat instrumental music)

The fortress has probably been in a state of repair

or construction, since the first foundation stones

were placed, all those centuries ago.

It might not be as grand as it once was,

but still incredibly impressive.

(upbeat instrumental music)

(lively instrumental music)

(faint beeping)

Over the last few years, the Coast Guard of Lesbos

would've been amongst the busiest,

if not the busiest, in the world.

Because of its close proximity to Turkey,

Lesbos was a key artery for refugees fleeing Syria

and other war-torn countries evolving from the Arab spring.

In 2015, this small group of patrol vessels

saved half a million people who were on their journey

through Greece, making their way to other parts of Europe,

where they would eventually settle.

It's a humanitarian disaster, and one of

the poorest countries in the E.U., is bearing

a large part of the burden of care for the refugees.

We're on a Greek Coast Guard vessel.

These guys have some 6,000 islands

that they've got to patrol, massive seaway,

227 of them are inhabited, they're on search and rescue

right through the Aegean, right through the Ionian.

They've got a hard job to do.

This is a 23-hour shift.

Seven guys, all day, all night, they're out there searching.

There could be nothing, but they've gotta keep alert.

The people on the frontline of this crisis

are just like you and I.

They have families and loved ones,

which gives them empathy for the people they're saving.

In charge of this tight-knit crew of seven,

is Captain Nikos Gkolias.

In his 18-year career, he's seen it all.

What other things do you do?

You do search and rescue--

- We are looking for smugglers.

We patrol and see if the fishermen doing the job correct.

- [Host] Quotas.

- Yeah.

- [Host] And smugglers, what do they smuggle here?

- Usually,

cigarettes because, you know, the biggest island

when you come out from Black Sea is Lesbos,

so they are passing from Greek waters,

so we inspect boats that pass from this area.

- Right, I see a navel vessel out there,

and it looks like it's a Greek vessel.

I've seen British vessels;

I've seen Portuguese vessels, Italian vessels.

There seems to be action here from the European Union now.

- Yes, yes, big actions, and is very good that,

because they are helping us.

- In 2015, there was a lot of refugees,

thousands coming every week.

It's slowed down now; it's still happening, no?

- It's still happening that, but if you compare

the statistics between 2017, 2018,

the numbers are more higher in 2018.

- [Host] So they've come up a bit in the last year.

- Yeah, a little.

Okay, now and change also the nationalities.

They are coming now more Somalian people

than Syrian people, as it was in 2015.

- [Host] And why do you do this job?

- First of all, is to protect, and search and rescue

for people that they're in dangers,

but the thing that all the captains have in the Coast Guard,

and they feel it, they don't know exactly how many person

they have rescued, maybe thousands of people,

due to the immigrant they are coming.

But all the captains know how many people they have lose,

and they can count them in my hands.

This is the good thing, because in 2015, in Lesbos island,

more or less they pass half million of people.

- And the percent of the people that we lose

is less than 0.5%, so this is the purpose of us.

This is why we do this job, and I believe that,

because in all other countries, if the Coast Guard

have to do this job, the percents of the people

that are going to lose will be bigger.

We are proud.

(sobering music)

We are in the front place of the boat.

Winter time we use it for the immigrants.

There is chairs as you see.

- Yeah.

- They got people sit here, have air conditioning,

because winter time the temperatures are down,

and you know, the biggest difficulty is the hypothermia.

- Hypothermia, yeah.

- Hypothermia, so the very young children,

and very old people, they can die from that.

So we have this area, we put the people here,

this is the blankets that we give them,

and try to make them warm, and bring them

as more quickly as possible to the hospital.

- Right.

- Also, I have a for rescuing people in rocky small islands.

- So this is a remote control boat

that you send out in difficult weather amongst the rocks,

in a safe way, and it can take four people.

This was donated by the Americans.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- Fantastic.

- Very helpful for us.

- [Host] And it's called Emily.

- [Captain] Emily, yeah, we use it in a--

- Oh show me the bottom.

Oh you can see the bottom.

Look at that, look at that, look at that.

Emily, so what's Emily in Greek?

What name do you give her in Greek?

(speaking in foreign language)

Come on, we gotta give it a Greek name.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah.

- Amalia, Amalia, not Emily.

Now that it's come from America to Greece,

we're gonna call her Amalia.

(speaking in foreign language)

- Amalia, that's it, christened.

Let's keep going.

I saw the mess over there.

Can I see where you have coffee?

Let's go down and see where you have coffee.

So this is the galley?

- Yeah, is the galley.

When you are patrolling 24 hours per day, you have to eat.

So we have a galley, we are cooking our food,

we our refrigerators.

We prepare our foods for lunch.

- Who cooks?

Who is the cook?

- He the guy that cooks.

- He is the cook.

Another handsome one.

- [Captain] And he is specialist, with spaghetti every day.

(laughing)

- Oh fantastic, fantastic.

You're all "starsy".

You know you look like Pierce Brosnan.

You know you look like Pierce Brosnan.

(relaxing instrumental music)

This boat, what weather can it go in, all weather?

- Seven Beaufort.

- Seven Beaufort.

- But if somebody is in dangerous--

- You go out anyway. - Yeah, I go.

- That's amazing man.

These guys go out, even if it's unsafe for them,

and they know there's somebody out there,

they're gonna go out.

That's fantastic.

This is a huge responsibility and,

to me, these guys are heroes.

They risk their lives to save others,

and are regularly confronted with tragedy and danger.

Without them, thousands more would've drowned,

or died at sea, attempting to flee adversity.

Being here first hand, puts a human face

to what's normally just a bunch of statistics,

or images on a TV screen during the news.

It gave me a far greater appreciation

for the tireless work of the Coast Guard,

not just here, but the world over.

- We go there.

You see in the front, a small target?

- Yep.

- We go to check that.

- Okay, there's something out there.

We're gonna go and check, okay.

It's a vast sea that they have to patrol.

They're constantly on the lookout for anything suspicious.

A strange dot on the horizon, a puff of smoke,

a flash of light in the distance,

anything that could be a vessel in need of help,

or someone up to mischief.

It's a thankless task, yet they carry out

their work with passion.

(relaxing instrumental music)

(lively instrumental music)

(calming plucked string music)

A cool morning and calm sea, make for a

beautiful cruise to our next destination.

The passing coastal cliffs, soon gave way to open sea,

as we left Mytilene, and travelled around

the bottom of Lesbos, tracking southwest

to our next stop, the island of Psara.

(calming instrumental music)

The year is 1821, three tiny islands of the Aegean

put their naval forces together to go up

against the Ottomans after 400 years of rule.

Hydra, Spetses, and this beautiful island of Psara,

they defeated the Turks, but only three years later

in a reprisal attack, the Sultan put 14,000 of his troops,

140 of his ships, onto this island,

levelled it, burnt it to the ground.

Very few lived, but today it's quiet.

The beaches are awesome, the lobster fishing is fantastic,

and I'm gonna go for a swim, try and catch a lobby,

and have one for dinner.

Looking forward to it.

(calming instrumental music)

The extermination of the population here, at the hands

of the Ottomans, is best described as a holocaust.

Nearly all of the 7,000 people

that were living here at the time were wiped out.

It's quite a confronting story to hear.

Today it's a peaceful place,

with only around 500 inhabitants.

The landscape is stunning, albeit rather dry.

The rolling hills are a tapestry of brown, green, and gold,

running to the azure water of the Aegean.

Dotted about the place, are ruins and stone walls,

and the coastline is punctuated by grey, rocky headlands,

with the occasional beach providing a safe place for a swim.

It's quite the contrast to the noise

and development of Lesbos.

For those that call Psara home, most end up working

on the sea as fishermen, captains, or engineers.

It's always been this way.

Being surrounded by water, and with little else to do,

it makes perfect sense.

To tell me more about the place,

particularly the naval history,

I met with former mayor and shipscaptain, Manoli.

He's travelled the world, and found himself

drawn back to Psara in retirement.

I understand Psara has a deep history

with its captains and its naval history.

Tell me a bit about it.

- Yes, yes.

The Psarians and the holocaust of the Psara,

and the holocaust of Mesologi, and the mainland of Greece

was the peak of the revolution against the Turkish.

Here, the Psarians, was the first one

which they make the fireship.

They went across to the big ships of the Turkey,

and they burned them.

- And they burned them.

- Yeah, all the people here, they gave everything

which they had, for the freedom of the Greece.

They gave the money, they gave the families, they gave

even the places, everything. - They gave everything.

They gave all their wealth, and this was really

the first point of defence for Greece, wasn't it?

- Yes, of course, because we are closer

than the Hydra and Spetses, to the Turkey.

- Yes.

Due to its maritime fleet, this small island was once

extremely wealthy, but it gave its all to save Greece

from the continued oppression of 400 years of foreign rule.

You could say that Psara has been drained

of almost everything.

There are few remnants of its glorious past.

Even the sea is almost fished out.

However, tourism seems to be the island's saviour.

It's already proving a means to reinvigorate

the local economy, with visitation on the increase,

and a small amount of infrastructure

being built to handle it.

That said, there's still a long way to go.

(calming instrumental music)

After spending just a brief amount of time here,

to me, there's no reason why this beautiful little island,

with its historic port, can't return to

somewhere near its former glory.

There's plenty on offer for travellers,

or even those willing to settle here.

You just need to take the plunge, and think beyond

the usual islands you see on all the postcards.

The thing I've come to discover about Greece,

is the more you explore this great country,

the better it gets.

The tiny little island of Psara doesn't really have

much to offer except for good seamen,

great fishermen, good captains, great first mechanics,

and I'm with one of the best fishermen the island has,

and we're going out for lobsters.

He laid out his net two days ago,

and we're hoping to get something.

Over the years, the lobster fishing industry

has gone backwards a bit, so I'm crossing my fingers.

(upbeat instrumental music)

So it's gonna take us about an hour and 15 minutes

to pull up the nets, 2,800 metres, 2,700 metres.

There's a lot of crap coming off the bottom.

In days gone by, instead of hauling in shells,

bits of rubble, and weed, these nets would've contained

sardines, mackerel and, primarily, lobsters.

Today, it took nearly an hour before

the first thing worth keeping came aboard.

Here we go.

Here's another beauty!

(machine rattling)

(speaking in foreign language)

Here we go, there's a couple coming through.

(speaking in foreign language)

Look at that, oh geez, we've got a few here guys!

So we've pulled up half a dozen already,

and it seems like it was in one little trench down there.

At least they'll pay for their fuel.

Here's another beauty.

Oh look, this is a good guy.

There's two!

There's two!

We got two there!

As you can see, they got a couple of beauties here.

Here's one; there's another little one.

It's a decent size one there.

That's a beauty there.

So he's pulled out about 10 in there,

so it's probably about seven kilos.

Problem is, there's a lot of crap in the nets,

and it's gonna take them all afternoon

to clean the nets up, and then they're gonna go out

later on this evening, and put them out again.

Fishermen's life never stops,

but I'll tell you what, that leg will tonight.

These fishermen endure long days at sea,

being battered by waves and scorching sun,

all for a handful of lobsters.

Some trips are better than others,

but the trend is towards fewer good ones.

The same is happening across all the Greek islands,

not just here in Psara, as ocean stocks decline,

this age-old way of life will disappear with it.

(upbeat instrumental music)

(lively instrumental music)

(waves splashing)

These tiny islands are quiet at the best of times,

but take a stroll first thing in the morning,

and you could be forgiven for thinking

the place is deserted.

Greece wakes up a little later than most places,

but it also goes to bed well into the night.

Granted, I was up at 4:00 a.m.

to head out on a fishing boat,

but this is just outside the peak season here,

so you'd expect a few more people to be out and about.

Maybe the lack of deck chairs and taverns

are the reason no one visits here,

but that's exactly why I came over.

Psara really is a secluded island.

Just across the way is a place that's even more isolated.

I know, it's hard to believe, and it's not as though

the island I'm talking about is just some baren,

barnacle-covered rock, with a few seagulls.

It's actually a beautiful spot.

The isle of Psara has a very short tourist season,

from the end of July to the end of August.

And if you come here during that period,

there are very few people here anyway.

Come outside that season, and it's still awesome.

So, if you're George Clooney, or Arnie,

take off your sunglasses!

Take off your hat!

No one's gonna recognise you buddy!

And if you want more tranquillity,

come three miles south, the Antipsara,

and nobody lives here.

Have a look at it, it's absolutely awesome!

(upbeat music)

During Ottoman times, there was a port and naval base here,

and prior to that, there's evidence

of Ancient Greek and Roman settlement.

Today though, there's not a soul to be seen.

Apparently, there's a few people living here,

but the only inhabitants I could see were

nesting birds and a stray goat or two.

We had the entire island to ourselves,

so it was only fitting to set up a beach barbecue.

(upbeat music)

So we have a few guests on the boat,

and it's very very important that we taste the meat,

before it gets to the guests, just in case it's off.

You've already tried, hey!

What's going on here?

(laughing)

What's going on, hey!

We've gotta cut a fair bit off to taste it properly.

The tasting goes on for about 40 to 45 minutes.

(upbeat music)

These little morsels, they're gold.

This is, without a doubt, the best tavern is Antipsara,

even though it's the only tavern in Antipsara, but

These guys are unbelievable man.

I'm blessed to have Captain and Kyriako.

You are, you are blessed too, true, to have me.

You are blessed (laughs).

That's a joke, all right, it's a joke.

Lunch was only the beginning of a long day

that largely revolved around food and swimming.

Come to think of it, that sounds

like most days on this journey.

The difference on this occasion

is that what was on the menu for dinner,

I saw being caught, just a handful of hours earlier.

Seafood doesn't get any fresher.

Preparing the lobster, was Garifalia.

She's a local tavern owner,

and famous for her home-cooked meals.

Pepper, tomato, that's a big splash of olive oil.

And then the onion.

Ah, this looks fantastic.

I tell you, most Greek recipes are really easy.

It's just put the stuff in.

Some salt and pepper in.

The hot peppers are going in.

Ah, the smell is beautiful.

(speaking in foreign language)

Ah, look at that, look at that, look at that.

The wine goes in, the white wine.

So it's gotta be a dry, white wine.

So now we want it to boil.

So what we wanna do, is we want the wine to evaporate a bit,

and then we're gonna put the tomato in.

The tomato paste and--

Fresh tomato, fresh tomato; we're gotta put fresh tomato in.

Well, that's all they have here.

So we put the tomato in.

- Tomatoes.

(speaking in foreign language)

- And a bit of water.

So we're waiting for it to boil,

but once it comes to a boil, we add the spaghetti,

10 minutes later, it's ready.

We'll be eating in 15 minutes.

I'm starved, I'm starving.

The aromas are absolutely magnificent.

I don't know about the chilli,

I can't feel that at the moment,

but everything else, the wine, the tomato.

Unbelievable.

The smell of the sea, mixed with the aroma

of cooking lobster, had me salivating,

but gourmet food is always worth the wait,

and what a beautiful place to be doing exactly that.

That is awesome man.

That is so good.

Belissimo, as the Italians say.

That is

absolutely fantastic.

(speaking in foreign language)

(upbeat instrumental music)

(lively instrumental music)

From the peace and serenity of Psara,

and neighbouring Antipsara, to a place

that's quite the contrast, Chios.

My travels headed southeast to an island

that's barely a stone's throw from Turkey.

Having spent the last week in relative isolation,

arriving in such a big and busy port

was a shock to the system.

(ship's horn honking)

When you come to Chios, don't be overwhelmed like I was,

by the hustle and bustle of this port

that is a bit of an architectural salad.

It's the birthplace of chewing gum.

Yes, several thousand years ago,

chewing gum came from here, from mastiha.

Mastiha has inspired many products,

from cosmetics through to pharmaceuticals.

It's also the birthplace of Homer,

and there's some wonderful little towns here.

And I really look forward to walking through

this 840 square kilometre island.

This is the fifth biggest island in Greece,

and across its wide and mountainous expanse,

is a wealth of history waiting to be explored.

There's over 50,000 people living here

and, it seems, just as many tourists.

The place is alive and thriving,

with plenty to entertain you,

between relaxing on the beach,

and strolling around the port.

There's great food, fantastic shopping,

and a pleasant climate year-round.

But what excited me the most about coming here,

was the dramatic past of the island.

It's a place where around every corner,

there's a story to be told.

The history of Chios is apparent in the mix of architecture.

There are striking buildings dotted about the place,

and you can't help but ask questions

about who built them and why, or maybe

that's just the construction worker in me coming out.

The birthplace of Homer, and yet there's nothing

around Chios to record where he was,

where he taught, where he lived, except for this rock.

Legend has it that Homer sat here and taught his followers.

Homer, you say Homer?

Eighth century B.C., you don't know who he is?

The Iliad the Odessey, come on!

If you don't know who he is,

grab your bullshit metre and google him.

Great man.

(calming instrumental music)

Chios is made for the walking tourist.

You can stroll the streets and discover

all sorts of hidden gems.

Mind you, it's a hilly maze of a place,

so best you carry a tourist guide to avoid getting lost.

Even with a map, I managed to get myself turned around.

Greece is full of castles, and I've visited

my fair share, but none like Chios castle.

Chios castle is still occupied; people live here.

And I'm about to meet an archaeologist,

and she's gonna take me through a bit.

I'm a bit lost.

No matter how much research you do on a landmark,

you never get a true picture of it,

until you step foot on the ground.

The smells, the sounds, and colours bring to life

the image your mind conjured up,

filling in a few of the gaps the words in the book left out.

However, to take your understanding to the next level,

there's no better way to learn about a place

than by talking with a local expert.

They'll know all the secrets and subtleties

that get missed in your research.

In this instance, I'd arranged to meet

with Anna Adamantidou, an archaeologist

with a passion for Chios and its ancient ruins.

- This castle is so old, like the Hellenistic period,

second century B.C., so it has been inhabited since there.

- Right, so how many people were living back then?

- We're not really sure about this but, let's say,

it could be 1,000, 2,000 people living there.

- And today?

- Today, we have more or less 100 houses,

so, let's say, a couple of hundreds of people, probably.

- So this place has been continually inhabited

for a couple of thousand years, at least.

- Exactly.

- Wow, it's impressive.

The local heritage laws that have been put in place

to maintain the history of Chios, have made it hard

for locals to be able to afford the upkeep

of their centuries old buildings.

For that reason, there are a lot of dilapidated houses.

It would seem the rules created to protect things

are somewhat counterintuitive,

particularly in these tough financial times,

although there is still some rebuilding going on,

and when you see a few of the restored buildings

around town, you get a sense for

just how beautiful and prosperous it once was.

An example of one such structure

that's been given a new lease of life,

thanks to some renovation, is the hammam.

Built during the Ottoman period, it looks incredible,

especially considering it's 400 years old.

So Anna, this is obviously a hammam of Ottoman influence.

- Exactly, yes.

- And what period are we talking about?

- Okay, is dated at the 18th century,

so I'd say that the Ottomans,

whenever they were occupying a place,

the first thing they were doing is to build a hammam.

- What a great idea.

I love that.

Can we go and have a look at a bit more of it?

- Of course.

(rhythmic instrumental music)

- Wow, this pretty awesome.

- It's lovely isn't it?

And the holed room that we're standing right now,

it was 45 degree celsius.

- Wow, and what's this bench for?

- Okay, the people were lying there, and they were,

let's say, having a massage by the bathkeepers,

and they were buffing their body.

- And so what are all these taps here?

- Okay, they had running water,

both cold and hot water, in basins like this,

and they were taking the water

for the people, by the bathkeepers.

- Anna, I think I was born in the wrong century.

I like this. - Me too, me too (laughs).

- This is awesome.

They lived well, didn't they?

- Yeah.

- [Host] This place really was ahead of its time.

There was underfloor heating, and even cubicle toilets.

Mind you, those stone seats would be

chilly on a cold winter's morning.

What amazes me, is that some of the technology

employed here, or should I say,

design and construction techniques, are still in use today.

As a builder, I can't help but marvel

at the beauty and ingenuity.

In the next episode, my exploration continues,

as I go both above, and below water,

to show you the sights, sounds, and tastes

of this fantastic Aegean island.

I've only just scratched the surface Chios,

and already discovered so much.

After a day here, I've come to the realisation

that I might need to add a few more nights

to the itinerary.

Chios might be famous for its mastic production,

but there's a whole lot more to this place than that,

including a fireworks festival

that will leave you you gobsmacked.

(lively instrumental music)

(swooshing)