Original subtitles

- My travels around Greece as part

of this odyssey have taken me from the heart

of the nation, Athens, and throughout several

of the major island groups.

We've cruised around the coast of the Peloponnese

and traveled amongst the Ionian Islands.

Then we made our way across to the Northern Aegean,

before spending time exploring the hidden gems

of the Western Cycladic, and man, was it beautiful!

This series sees us steering me even further eastward,

and into the Dodecanese.

In this episode I've arrived on the island of Kalymnos.

It's one of the biggest islands in the Dodecanese,

famed for its rock climbing.

Now, I'm not exactly an extreme sports athlete,

so yeah, I'll show you the adventurous side

of this place.

But I'll also delve into the culture of it.

The incredible story of the sponge divers

that put Kalymnos on the map.

When you learn about what they went through,

you'll think they're more out there than the rock climbers!

This might be a place for the young

and outdoorsy, but it's also a destination

for the history buffs.

There's something here for everyone.

The locals say that when God made Earth,

he took a few rocks, and he threw them in a spot,

and he called that Kalymnos.

And Kalymnos is very dramatic.

It's a big, rocky, mountainous island.

Now, what they thought was a curse was actually

a blessing, because it made the Kalymnians

go out to the sea, and find their riches thar way,

and they ended up becoming the preeminent sponge divers

of the world!

The sponge diving trade collapsed,

and Kalymnos is now the rock climbing capitals

of the world, and I'm looking forward to trying

my hand at a bit of rock climbing,

and maybe getting into one of those diving suits,

and seeing what they went through in those times.

With Kos to the south, and Leros to the north,

Kalymnos is home to about 16 thousand people.

It's a mountainous and rocky island

with a jagged coastline, full of hidden alcoves.

To truly understand Kalymnos, you need to take the time

and delve into its sponge diving past.

It's still an industry today, but not the thriving business

it once was.

And thanks to advances in technology,

the dangers faced by the divers of the past

have been greatly reduced.

To tell me more, I found local historian

and school teacher, Stathis, who took me around town

and told me about how people lived here

over a century ago.

- You have to understand,

Pothia is made up of different neighborhoods.

There's the Captain's houses, there is the diver's houses,

there is, what else is there?

There is the sponge dealers houses.

- The sponge dealers houses?

- That's what this neighborhood is.

You can finds the places

where the deals were made, yes.

- Where the deals were done.

- Yeah, yeah.

The kafeneio, there were two kafeneion over that way.

And they were closing the deals.

And they were drinking, they were feasting,

things like that.

- So, so, this is where it all happened.

- Yeah.

- Where money exchanged hands.

- Yeah, money exchanged, it happened in here.

- Wow.

The sponge trade had a huge social

and economic impact on Kalymnos.

It actually made it one of the wealthiest islands

in Greece, a position it still holds today.

It was an industry that created

all sorts of jobs, not just for the divers.

You had boat builders, sailors,

and other crew.

There were the traders and financiers,

then you had to consider all the infrastructure

that was necessary to support these people.

- It's good they're repairing the houses.

They're restoring the houses, which is fantastic.

At it's prime, they built restaurants,

stores, medical centers, roads and ports,

to service the sponge trade.

If you just look at the architecture of the place,

it becomes obvious that even though the sponge traders

died off, Pothia is a thriving center.

We're up high, and these are obviously smaller houses.

This is the sponge divers' neighborhood?

- Yes yes.

This is the sponge divers' neighborhood.

- So, they were poorer than everybody else?

- Well, poorer than--

- They were the hardest workers, but they were the poorest!

- Yeah, yeah, always, yeah.

Now, here is a sponge diver's house.

- Yes, woulda been a lot of people

living in this house.

How many people would of lived in this house.

- 10, eight kids.

- 10 people, eight kids, wow!

- And even smaller if you go down.

- Really? - Smaller houses than that.

- And obviously, many of the sponge divers

didn't return.

- If you look back in 50 years of work,

you can see 800 deaths in the island.

Imagine you coming here and you saw only black women.

- Women wearing black. - Wearing black, yes.

- Because they-- - Had lost their.

- They were mourning for their husbands or their brothers,

or their-- - It's a sad story.

- Yeah, yeah.

It's very, very sad.

That's an old house.

- Yeah, derelict.

- During the Italian occupation

in the early 1900s, and towards the end of World War II,

the sponge-diving industry basically closed down.

As a result, homes like this were abandoned, and today

remain as a reminder of the property that once was.

In more recent times, a disease has wiped out sponges

across much of the Mediterranean.

Putting a further nail in the coffin for the trade.

So, Samos, how long have you been doing this for?

- 22 years.

- 22 years? - Yes.

- And what do you actually doing

right now with the sponge?

- Trimming it, so makes it as round as possible.

- So tell me, that sponge there,

the one that I'm looking at there--

- This one?

- How long would that take

to grow underwater?

- Depends.

10, 15 years?

- 10, 15 years? - Yeah.

- Why have they been so popular over the last

two thousand years, these sponges?

What is it about the sponge?

- First of all, it's soft, it's hypoallergenic,

it can hold ten times its weight in water,

and people found many uses for it during the ages.

- I hear the Romans

wiped their bottoms with these things, as well.

- Yes, that's correct. - Really?

- Yeah.

- And they also filled it with liquid

and carried it, so that they could drink from it, as well.

- Yes. - Yeah.

Maybe not the same sponge, but yeah.

Wow.

This is one of the last remaining sponge factories

on the island.

The methods they use are much the same

as they were 100 years ago.

However, the market for them is nowhere near

what it once was.

Nowadays, synthetic products have replaced

the natural sponge, and what's being processed here today

is more for the souvenir trade.

You could imagine there once being

dozens of factories like this,

with hundreds of people busily clipping away

at piles of sponges.

The town would of been a hive of activity.

If the nearby captain's homes were anything

to go by, with elaborate design and large scale,

the wealth sponges provided this island must

of been immense.

Some of the fenestrations, they're beautiful.

- Look at the ironwork up there.

- Yes, it's beautiful, isn't it?

- It's on-hand.

Everything is on-hand. - Yes.

So, you can see there was a lot of money spent here.

They were making money.

The captains were making money, the sponge divers

were making money, the dealers were making money.

- Sponge divers--

- Weren't actually making that much money.

- Yes.

- They were being abused, the poor buggers.

The poor buggers.

- Many of the houses we've seen already

are left abandoned, and I'm gonna show you now

one that's been restored.

- Well, I think I've just worked out which one that is.

- Yes.

- Sponge-diver, he's still a captain now,

and he's still alive, and here he started.

- And he's living here?

- He's living here.

- Wow, it's impressive.

I look at this and I see successful adaptive reuse

of architecture.

A hundred year old architecture

being retained, being used for the community,

and it works.

And it looks absolutely magnificent.

Neoclassic architecture.

- Yes, it's beautiful.

- It's absolutely impressive and it's good to see

a lot of this happening here in Kalymnos.

I love it.

There's a boom and bust cycle to most trades.

In the case of sponges, the reason for the decline

was threefold.

It started with the arrival of synthetic options.

Then came the war, and finally a disease

decimated sponges throughout the region.

The result has seen Kalymnos needing

to redefine itself.

Thankfully, tourism seems to have filled the void.

But they've maintained that close bond

with the sponge diving past.

Kalymnos is actually quite a small island

by way of size, for the Greek islands.

I think it's number 26.

110 square kilometers.

But when you look at Pothia, the city of Pothia,

it's massive, and there is no other island

of the Kalymnos size that has a city

of this sort of magnitude.

And what is it so?

This stuff.

The locals call it Kalymnian gold.

It's a sponge.

It's a sponge that built this city to the size

that it is, in the last 130 years.

Just check out the scale.

It's amazing.

Throughout the summer months, Pothia is

a busy tourist hub.

People come from around the world.

Being so close to Turkey, naturally,

many come across from Turkish ports.

It's not only a day tripper's location,

but a regular spot for yachties and those looking

for an extended stay in a place that has

all the comforts of a large settlement,

yet somehow remains peaceful.

To most, the sponge diving history probably isn't

on the top of their list for things to do

or learn about while they're here.

The majority of people visit Kalymnos to relax

on a beach.

But, do yourself a favor and visit the sponge museum.

Inside, there's all sorts of great artifacts,

from the long history of sponge diving.

It's not far from the port area,

just off the main road.

And if you're lucky like me, Giorgos,

who works for the local council,

might be available to give you a quick tour.

His knowledge and passion for the subject

is incredible, and as it turns out,

he's a Greek-Australian too.

What sort of depths did they dive to

with free-diving, like they did?

- So, we are speaking about depths

of about 12, 20, 25 meters.

- Wow.

- It has been told that Kalymnian sponge divers

can hold their breath for three, four,

even five minutes underwater.

- Wow.

What I think is beautiful is this little bit of artwork.

It shows everything.

It shows the free divers and it shows

that skafandro suit, the diving suit,

that came next.

Do you have one of those?

- Actually, we do.

We have an authentic one, so let's go next door

and we will see the skafandro.

- Oh, excellent! - Okay.

- With this suit, the skafandro,

they actually managed to find

a way for the sponge diver to remain

much, much longer in the water.

- And deeper, obviously, as well.

- And deeper, of course.

- Yes, yes.

- Which meant more sponges, which meant more profit.

The problem was that the sponge divers had not

the slightest idea about

the decompression rules.

They couldn't understand the connection between

the diving suit and the problems

that these divers had.

Of course it took them a while to really understand

what was going on.

Almost half of the sponge divers returning

were hit by the bends. - Right.

Every year in April, just after Easter,

the sponge fleets would leave the ports of Pothia.

The crew would wave goodbye to their families,

with the women standing at the port,

adorned in white scarves.

Once the boats disappeared

over the horizon, they would change

the white ones for black.

For the next six months, they'd anxiously await

the safe return of their loved ones.

Come October, the boats would return,

having traveled as far south as North Africa,

and to all corners of the Mediterranean.

If the bells tolled, it was a sign

of a safe journey.

Silence would mean only one thing.

This dramatic past, with its countless tales

of lives lost at sea, has embedded the story

of the sponge diver deep within the fabric

of Kalymnian society.

Beyond sponges, the divers also came across

other things on the sea floor.

This includes shipwrecks and ancient artifacts,

some of which are housed in a small museum

behind the port.

There are also items unearthed by archeologists,

things that were found in wealthy estates

or uncovered during construction.

The exhibition gives you a glimpse of what life

was like on the island two millennia ago,

and there's one artifact that's particularly fascinating.

A trip to this island, you can't miss coming

to the archeological museum to see

The Lady of Kalymnos.

She was discovered in 1995 in between

the sea of Pserimos and Kalymnos.

She's dated back about second century B.C.,

and the poor girl, she's sat in the water

for two thousand years.

Saltwater.

But look at the detail that she's kept.

Her overcoat and her undergarment,

the different textures, the folds,

the creases, this is absolutely sensational.

And I'm not an art-lover.

I can just sit here and imagine what she

would of looked like without two thousand years

of saltwater attacking her.

The detail would of been tremendous.

So, come and just visualize.

As the day warmed up, we decided to turn over the engines

and head around the island to check out some of the beaches

away from the town.

There are loads of places for a swim,

and with the Kalymnians having such an affinity

with the water, there's no wonder they spend their days

bathing in the warm sea.

The plan was to stop off at a few of the local hotspots

along the east coast, and make our way down

to a tavern I'd been told had to visit.

A lot of the best swimming locations are only accessible

by boat, or require a decent hiking from the road.

This means they're often empty.

First stop was Besondre Beach.

Not bad.

But it was a tad exposed, and copping

the worst of a breeze.

So from there, we moved a little further

along to coast to Byonisos Beach.

Now, this is a little more like it.

These little coves hidden

beneath the cliffs are always awesome.

It seems as though I wasn't the only one

that appreciated the serenity.

Eventually we arrived at the town of Amborios,

at the northern end of the island.

With so many people enjoying the water,

it was hard to believe that it's apparently

the most remote village on Kalymnos.

Actually, it makes perfect sense

why there's a bit of a crowd here.

The bay is relatively sheltered,

so yachts can easily anchor in smooth water.

Plus, it's a stunning spot,

with the ruins of a small fort overlooking

the pebbled beach.

But I wasn't here for a swim.

I'd actually come here to eat a special dish

from Artistico restaurant, their famed stifado.

It's essentially a stew with meat and onions

in a red wine sauce.

Apparently, it's so good that you have to order

in advance, to make sure that they don't

sell out before you arrive.

What's more, if you ask nicely enough,

the couple that runs it will sing you a song.

Yorgus and Irimi are a beautiful couple,

that have probably been married longer

than I've been alive.

Their open affection towards each other was like that

of newlyweds.

In all honesty, the stifado was incredible,

as was the serenading,

but it was seeing these two

and their love for each other that really

made the night for me.

We're in the seaside town of Vlychadia.

It's about four or five kilometers west

of Pothia, just around the corner.

And we're just about to meet a few fellows,

actually, over there waiting for us.

And they're gonna put us in a diving suit

that's about 120 years old.

It's a suit that the sponge divers used

that many years ago.

And many of them passed in it, as well.

So, I'm a little bit nervous,

and I do suffer from claustrophobia, so let's see

how I go.

Anyway we'd better get a move on.

Shoot.

I just saw them pull the helmet out.

The nervous anticipation has been growing all day.

By the time I was in the hot seat, all I wanted to do

was get the whole thing over and done with.

So the plan is we're just gonna go in the water,

and just cover my head.

Going in like two meters deep of water.

Having a bit of a walk across,

and coming straight back out,

just so that I can feel what it was like

for these divers back then.

And obviously, I'm not going to the depths

that they used to go to, so I won't get

that sensation, but I mean, just putting the stuff on

and being in the water is enough, I think.

In the helmet is a valve, because it's only

constant pressure.

There's no other valve to determine how much pressure,

or how much air comes in.

So, there's a valve.

So, if there's too much air coming in I can release it

by doing this, and hitting this valve,

and what happens is the air comes out.

So, that way, my suit doesn't fill

in my flight to the surface.

We want to avoid that.

The same time, if I need more air I just need

to give them a signal, to give me more air,

by doing that.

Less air, do that.

Get me out, use that.

- Oh yeah. - And the other.

- That's it. - Okay.

Now you can stand up.

Okay, I want you to stay like this.

- My anxiety about this whole diving experience

was only going up and up.

Despite all the reassuring words from the guys,

I was thinking, what the heck as I doing here?

Why did I say yes to this?

Adding to the stress was the process

of putting the suit on.

It's really involved.

Taking about an hour or so.

And the whole time, it's hot and sweaty.

The one thought that kept me going was knowing

that for many before me, this was done out of necessity.

Other than the heat and the pressure caused

by the tight fittings, the rubber sections that were hard

up against skin tore whole sections of my hair out.

I know it sounds like a minor complaint, but all these

little things added up, only increasing my nervousness.

I can't believe these guys did this like twice a day

for the rest of their lives.

It's almost like I'm a bride on her wedding day,

getting dressed.

It's the same sort of thing.

You got all these people around you,

doing nothing, you're just sitting there

taking it all.

Nervous before the final action happens.

And when it happens, big deal.

Bugger, it's heavy.

Very claustrophobic.

Here it goes.

I tell you what.

This is bloody worrying, man.

I'm claustrophobic, I'm nervous, I'm scared.

Too many expletives to use on camera.

Putting the suit on was challenge enough,

but walking on the sea floor was even harder.

It was like having an incredibly sore neck,

and only being able to see things by turning

my whole body.

Man, this is exciting!

The pressure from the suit and heavy weight was magnified

by the compression of the water.

Like having a massive hangover, and hanging by your feet

from the ceiling.

Plus, you can only see what's directly

in front of you, with no peripheral vision at all.

Man, it's unbelievable.

I cannot get over this.

It's unbelievable!

The icing on the cake was one thought

that constantly went through my head.

This suit was banned because so many people

died or were paralyzed from wearing it.

It's scary stuff.

It makes you appreciate what sponge divers went through.

This is unbelievable.

Unbelievable, man, I just can't get over this.

It is just unbelievable.

What they must have gone through is just,

they've got courage.

I can see them hitting the valve.

Just hit the valve.

Well, what an experience.

It's been fantastic.

I loved it, I loved it.

- Welcome back.

- Good to be back, guys, yeah.

I think I was under there for like,

four or five minutes.

These guys were down there for like two or three hours.

Unbelievable.

And now we're down 70, 80 meters.

These guys, they were supermen.

They were supermen.

And I'm an experienced diver, and I found it difficult.

This was one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences.

And what I mean by that is there's no way

I'd go through that again.

Meeting me this morning was Pantelis.

He was a sponge diver that was struck down

with the bends, otherwise known

as decompression sickness.

He's 61 years of age, but at 42

had an accident while diving,

leaving him paralyzed.

To get around, he uses a Greek version

of a mobility scooter, a quad bike.

Looking at him, you could think that there's

nothing wrong, but in reality he's not

as strong, fit, and mobile as he once was.

Despite all that, he still heads out to sea

every day on his boat and goes diving.

Amazing, this guy's amazing.

This guy is an inspiration.

Most would have thrown in the towel,

but Pantelis did the opposite.

He fought.

He worked hard to regain as much mobility as he could,

and went back to work doing what he loved,

and making a living to support his family.

Diving is in his genes, and seawater flows

through his veins.

It's the way of the Kalymnian sponge diver.

They're a tough bunch, but their passion for the job

and desire to support their families

keeps them in the water, risking their lives

on a daily basis.

The tragedies of sponge diving had been recorded

into history in various ways.

Poems, songs, stories, and documentaries all capture

the essence of the trials and tribulations they faced.

Here, the tale of the sponge diver afflicted

with the bends is told through a dance

called Michanikos, or Mechanical in English.

It was choreographed in 1952 by Theophilos Klonaris,

and is performed by Kalymnians as a means

to theatrically share their history and culture.

And what's happening now?

What does this signify here?

- This signifies the core of the dance.

You see that there is a paralyzed sponge diver,

because there were so many of them.

The whole town was full of wheelchairs,

and men walking around with walking sticks, at one time.

And as you can see they could hardly drag their feet

and stand up by themselves.

It was a tragedy for every family

to have such people.

There were several in many families.

But, this spirit, this zest for life,

this wonderful joy de vivre sponge divers

used to have in them wouldn't let them rest,

and whenever he heard the music, he would want

to get up and dance himself.

But it was much too difficult.

So if you had good friends like these ones,

they would realize, they would sort of,

be sensitive enough to realize

how painful it was for him to not be able to dance,

and they would help him out.

But it wasn't all that easy, and I think that the dance

reflects all that pain, but the zest for life,

and I want to go on living, and I won't accept it.

There you are.

See, the dance goes on afterwards, and at the end

he throws his stick away.

Damn it, I won't have this anymore.

And he jumps out with all this passion

for being alive, this passion for wanting

to live like everybody else used to,

and he used to before he got the bends.

That's the tragedy, because you could felt all this.

- And this is a dance that's,

it's about remembering these men, isn't it?

- Oh, 100%.

- It's about the children who died remembering what

their fathers, their grandfathers went through to ensure

that they had a good life.

- That's why, I think, he depicts this thing with such,

I mean, look at this.

It's so dramatic.

He depicts this with this understanding that I want you

to know that we know your pain,

and you won't surrender, you won't give up,

and the generations after you will remember

how brave you were, how courageous you were, absolutely.

Dances, organized.

- Three guys. - There, you see.

- There is the passion.

- There you are, passion for life.

- For me, watching this performance

was quite confronting.

It created mixed emotions, from sadness and empathy,

to joy in seeing the resilience of the diver.

It made me think of Pantelis, who I'd met earlier.

This was his story, told in the most dramatic of ways.

It's a narrative that runs

through Kalymnian society, and thanks to this dance

the history of the sponge divers

and their sacrifice will be passed down

through the generations.

No doubt it will instill pride in Kalymnian youth,

here and abroad, about their heritage.

If you were to follow the day boats around Kalymnos,

you'd eventually find your way to a small inlet that

leads to the tiny port of Lathy.

Every day, throughout the summer, there are tourist boats

coming and going, covered in happy travelers.

They usually arrive in waves, either side of lunch,

and spend their time checking out the town,

and sitting on the beach.

It's a magic place to stop for a swim and spend

an evening at a tavern.

It's also a great spot to do a little exploring.

Mind you, at the heart of summer, the heat might

kick you in the water.

The town of Lathy is like a glacial glen,

but it's actually alluvial plains,

in that beautiful valley behind me,

that's supported by the rainwater

of those massive mountains.

It's actually been in habitation since well before antiquity

and continually since then, and this town

is actually quite a beautiful,

quaint little town surrounded by this magnificent fjord.

Where we're going now is this very special cave,

and I really wanna take you through and tell you

the story of what's happened here

over the last thousand years.

By me, Ani. - Hum.

- The coastline around Kalymnos is very rugged.

In most places, the mountains run right to the sea.

The rocky hillsides are constantly pounded

by the waves, wind, and rain,

eroding them to form all sorts of features

like tiny alcoves, cliffs, and caves.

This is crazy stuff.

The camera doesn't really do justice

to how steep and exposed the trail was.

It was quite a precarious position to be in,

particularly for me, who's not exactly

a mountain goat.

Mind you, I was supposed to be rock climbing

in a couple of days.

It's pretty crazy stuff coming up here.

I've never done anything like this in my life,

and there's a good chance when I get back down there,

after going in there, there's a good chance

that I'mma beat the shit out of my producer.

But that's okay.

Next time I see her, I'll be in the cave,

like this, shaking.

Bye.

Get me out of here.

Get me the fuck outta here.

Over the last three years of filming My Greek Odyssey,

I've done everything the producers,

researchers, and directors have asked,

but you have to draw a line at some point,

and for me it's when I start thinking I'm gonna die.

The climb to the top was outright dangerous,

and should only be tackled by people

with a bit of experience in mountaineering,

like the three crew that went to the top to film this.

From 1912 to 1943, Kalymnos was occupied

by the Italians, as were many islands

in the Dodecanese.

Their plan was to develop an Italian culture

throughout their empire, and as part of that,

they didn't permit the teaching of the Greek language.

So, to combat this, locals would find

hidden places like this cave where they could

conduct classes to educate the young in Greek.

Regardless, Italian spread across the islands,

and many of the older Kalymnians

still speak both languages.

It wasn't as though the cave was first discovered

and put to use in the 1900s.

Throughout the centuries it would of been a safe haven

for others.

People seeking shelter from storms,

or hiding from invading pirates,

would of come up the cliff face

and found refuge inside.

During our brief visit to the cave,

we actually came across some fragments of pottery.

These discarded remains looked to be

of ancient origins.

No doubt, if an archeologist spent some time here,

they'd unearth all sorts of amazing things that would

paint a picture of who used

this hidden alcove throughout history.

- Too much?

- Look at that one.

- This is black.

- Looks old.

- This is black.

- It's all over the place here.

- We're careful not to break anything,

and place the fragments back where we found them.

Hopefully, the next time I'm in Kalymnos,

I'll be able to learn about what they

eventually found inside.

There could be all sorts of relics that may well

reshape the story of the island.

As the day draws to an end,

Vathy becomes a very different place.

It transforms form a busy tourist spot

to a sleepy locals-only town that harks back

to times gone by.

The visitors that fill the beach board their boats

and head back to their accomodation, and in the space

of an hour or so it becomes peaceful again.

The setting sun creates an orange glow,

and the cool temperature is ideal for an evening walk

around the port.

I got the feeling that the locals breathe a sigh of relief

in the afternoon, when their sleepy slice of paradise

returns to normal.

Mind you, like most small ports and towns

in the islands, they rely on the tourist trade,

so it's a careful balance that maybe they're getting

just about right.

The western coast of Kalymnos faces

the tiny island of Telendos.

It's lined with beaches,

covered with deck chairs and umbrellas.

Tearing above are the granite cliffs that makes this island

such a popular place for rock climbers.

This combination of beaches and adventure attracts

a young, chic tourist crowd, and as a result there are

plenty of trendy bars, cafes, and taverns

around the area.

While here, I figured the only way to get

a true feeling for what Kalymnos is all about

is to try some rock climbing.

I mean, when I say the place has great beaches,

I've at least swam in a few of them.

If I tell you the food is awesome,

it's because I've eaten it.

At least, that's how the producers sold it to me.

If I'm going to do something that I consider crazy,

then I'm gonna get the best person to guide me.

So, I enlisted the hope of Loukas Dourdourekas.

When I hopped up to meet him, he was hanging

upside-down inside a cave.

Apart from scaring the crap out of me,

it also made me really confident,

or at least a bit less terrified.

Loukas, how long have you been doing this for?

- About 23 years.

- 23 Years.

You've been climbing 23 years.

- Yeah, yeah.

- And you've climbed in competitions.

You are Greece's champion.

- Yeah, yeah, I'm also the Greek champion, yes.

- So I've got the right guy I'm going up with anyway,

which is good.

I'm going up with the ex-Greek champion.

- We tie it in a figure-eight, okay?

- Okay.

- Now, for climbing,

we need at least two person for climbing.

You cannot go alone.

So, one person is the climber, one is the belayer.

The belayer is the bottom.

Okay, and we use one belaying device,

it's like this one.

One of this.

And this one works like the seatbelt on the car.

When you put the rope slowly, it will come.

But when you pull up.

- How many kilos are you?

- I'm now 68. - 68?

- And you?

- So if I fall, you're gonna go up.

You know that, okay?

- No, because we have elasticity.

- Okay, yeah, sure, sure, sure.

You're right.

- Any time that you want to stop,

or you will fall, just, you hanging

in the same place, you have not falled.

- Okay. - Okay.

- Alright. - Alright.

There you are, are you ready?

- That's it, that's the instructions?

You're not gonna tell me how to climb?

- No, you can find out on the way.

- I'll find out on the way, okay.

- Come on, trust your shoes, alright?

- I think I just heard someone fall.

Where do you go from here?

- You're on the correct way.

Nice.

- This is certainly a young person's game.

But even in my youth, I think I would of struggled.

The thing keeping me going was the camera pointing at me.

When you get to this point and you wanna

have a rest, it's important that you

pull out your energy bar.

In this case I've got my Ginyeko bar.

This is considered a beginner's climb,

and as you can probably tell by my puffing,

I found it quite a bit of a challenge.

It's easy to see why Loukas is so fit.

It must take a lot of strength,

flexibility, and aerobic fitness to be able

to do this on a daily basis.

And the rock faces he's taking on are way harder.

Bit of cracked rock there, but don't worry.

The further I got up, the more I was motivated

to make it to the top.

I enjoyed being challenged, and having the end

in sight gave it some urgency.

By this point, there were no nerves at all.

They fade away as you concentrate at the task at hand.

You become oblivious of the height you once feared,

and you're absorbed in the moment,

completely focused on where to put

your hands and feet next.

I'm done!

- Woo! - Nice!

- The feeling of accomplishment you get

from completing a climb is what drives people

to do it, and to continue to push their limits

to do more and more challenging ascents.

For me, well, I might just hang up

the climbing shoes and retire.

As fun as it was, I'm more an ocean guy

than a mountain type.

So, just finished in Kalymnos.

Just over there.

And 600 meters, 800 meters, something like that,

across here is Telendos.

And what a beautiful little island.

Really quiet, and there is a ferry that runs

every 30 minutes from seven in the morning 'till midnight,

and the boys tell me if you wanna get here

at three o'clock in the morning,

they'll be here for you.

But what's wonderful is that we climbed

those mountains today.

It was absolutely magnificent.

I feel bad that I've left Kalymnos because the people

there are so wonderful, but tomorrow morning

we're doing a dive just along here,

because in 554 A.D. there was a great earthquake.

These two islands were actually joined, and I dunno

what happened to the land, but it went down.

And there's about ten meters to 30 meters

of land down there, and there's some sort

of old city in here.

I dunno if we'll get to see it,

but we'll see what happens.

My time in Kalymnos was like a good movie,

a film that makes you laugh, cry, smile, and think.

There were times when I was physically challenged,

and moments I found myself emotionally exhausted.

And in between there was plenty of calm.

It's a complete package, one that you can explore

from the bottom of the sea to the tops of the mountains.

I met lots of wonderful people, and discovered

a rich culture, matched by an equally fascinating history.

I've taken a lot away from my time here,

but I now look forward to the days ahead,

as a new story unfolds.

In the next episode of My Greek Odyssey, I'm gonna show you

all the sights and sounds of this tiny island

known as Telendos.

It's only eight square kilometers in size,

but just about every inch of it is worth exploring.

From there, I'm headed north to Leros,

a much larger developed island just a few miles from Turkey.

It's famed for it's Italian art architecture,

and the contrast between the bigger towns

that are often busy with tourists,

and the tiny ports where little has changed in centuries.

Beyond the beautiful scenery and historic settlements,

there's incredible stories from World War II,

and the role it played in the battle

for the Mediterranean.

It's one of the lesser known islands

for the holidaying crowd, but after you see

how much it has to offer, I have a feeling you'll be

putting Leros onto your list.