All language subtitles for Aerial Greece Series 1 Part 2 The South 1080p

[narrator] southern greece,

Birthplace of the western
world as we know it today.

Home to an ancient civilization

That influenced everything
from the languages of europe

To philosophy, politics, art,
architecture, and even sports.

A land where fearless
spartan warriors

Challenged the might of tyrants.

And a temple where
a mystic oracle

Delivered the word of the
gods to hopeful pilgrims.

But southern greece
has more to celebrate

Than ancient history.

Because the glories of the past

Are mirrored in the
wonders of the present.

One of the world's longest
suspension bridges,

Built to withstand
earthquakes and typhoons,

Whose foundations move with
the very earth beneath them.

An extraordinary
architectural legacy

That still baffles engineers

After two and a
half thousand years.

Where a race, run to
commemorate an ancient battle,

Inspired the most
popular of all sports.

And two legendary
stadiums would inspire

The greatest athletic
spectacle in the world,

The olympic games.

In one of the world's
oldest cities,

A unique ceremonial event.

Here, mythology
informs the everyday.

Like the legendary
daughters of zeus,

Modern day water nymphs dance
in perfect synchronicity.

And the spirit of icarus lives
on beneath the single wing

Of a daredevil champion.

From the street artist
whose work inspires a city

And challenges the
dominion of the powerful.

To the dark secret
of an idyllic island

Where a hollywood movie
brought a horrific war crime

To the attention of the world.

This is southern greece, like
you've never seen it before.

[upbeat music]

The story of western
civilization begins in greece

And it was here in the south

Where the first chapter
of that story was written.

Around the size of new jersey,

The peloponnese peninsula

Connects to southern
mainland greece

By a narrow land bridge
called the isthmus of corinth.

3,000 years ago,

Before the disconnected city
states of greece were unified,

This was the stronghold
of mycenaean civilization.

Here in the northeast
of the peninsula,

Stands the best known
monument from that time.

The ancient citadel of mycenae.

This is the lion gate
excavated in the 19th century,

Portal to a city that was
once home to 30,000 people.

Around 1150 bc, mycenae was
burned by invading pirates

Known as the sea peoples.

But an even greater society
would emerge from the ashes.

Here in the peloponnese, the
divided greek city-states

Would reform into one
coherent cultural entity.

What brought them together

Was an event still famed
throughout the world.

A symbol of unity
through competition.

The olympic games.

And in 776 bc, this
is where it all began.

The sanctuary of
zeus at olympia,

Site of the first olympiad,

A sporting event that would
come to define greek culture.

The ancient greeks
believed sport and religion

Were closely aligned and often
held games at sacred sites.

The extensive ruins, which
include athletic training areas,

A great stadium,
and a great temple

Containing one of the seven
wonders of the ancient world;

The statue of zeus.

Standing 41 feet tall,

Adorned with gold,
ivory, and jewels,

It once occupied half the
width of the temple aisle,

But is now sadly
lost to the ages.

From the 8th century bc
to the 4th century ad,

The games were held
here at olympia

With spectators
ranged on the slopes,

All their traditional
differences, even wars,

Temporarily set aside.

Athletes competed nude,
a tradition that started

When one runner shed his
clothes to run more freely.

Woman were banned, but
not because of nudity.

The sanctuary of zeus
was sacred to men.

Woman had their
own sacred places.

These are the ruins
of the temple of hera,

The wife of zeus,

Goddess of woman,
childbirth, and fertility.

The temple was destroyed by an
earthquake in the 4th century

And partially reconstructed
in modern times.

In ancient times,
the temple contained

A magnificent gold
and marble alter

Displaying wreaths awarded
to the olympic champions.

This is where the modern
olympic torch is lit,

Ignited by sunlight reflected
in a parabolic mirror.

In 2008, the flame traveled

A record breaking
85,000 miles

To the summer games
in beijing china.

But before the
flame leaves greece,

The torch bearer
carries it to one final,

Time-honored
ceremonial location.

This is the great
marble horseshoe

Of the panathenaic
stadium in athens.

Built in the 4th century bc,
this is where the capital

Hosted its own athletic
games for 800 years.

When christianity arrived
in the 4th century ad,

All such events
fell into decline

Because of their link to zeus.

It would be 16 centuries

Before the olympics
returned to greece,

But when they did in 1896,
this is where they took place.

Women weren't allowed to compete

At those first modern games.

But times have changed,

And like a host of female
olympians before her,

Maria polizou is no
stranger to firsts.

In 1996 at the summer
games in atlanta, georgia,

She was the first
female greek athlete

To run the woman's marathon.

Maria began running
competitively at the age of 17.

By her calculations,
she has clocked up

Over 170,000 miles since,

The equivalent of six
laps of the globe.

Her motto, "nothing
is impossible".

[crowd cheering]

Thousands of well cushioned
feet pound the streets of athens

On the final stage
of a legendary race.

This is the city's
annual marathon,

Not just a sporting event,
but also a commemoration

Of one of the most historic
events in greek history.

In 490 bc, an athenian
army of 10,000 men

Defeated the mighty
persian invasion forces

Of king darius at marathon,
26 miles east of athens,

Saving the capital from
almost certain destruction.

The greek triumph would change
the course of human history,

Preserving a cherished ideal

That athenians called
"democratia" or

Rule of the people

This blur of iron and glass
represents pheidippides,

An athenian soldier who ran
non-stop from marathon to athens

Bringing news of the victory

And giving the modern
event its name.

Today the marathon is one of
the most popular of all sports.

The u.S. Alone hosts
1,100 races every year,

Along with thousands
of events worldwide,

From the north pole to
the great wall of china.

All following in the footsteps
of an athenian legend.

Athens is one of the
world's oldest cities,

Continuously inhabited
for over 5,000 years.

In greek mythology, the goddess
athena became its protector,

Giving the city her name.

In gratitude, the people built
this temple in her honor,

An enduring symbol
of ancient greece.

Visible from almost every
part of the capital,

The ancient citadel
of the acropolis

Was built by the
bronze age myceneans.

It's the most impressive
surviving monumental complex

In the world and its
centerpiece is the parthenon,

A temple dedicated to athena,
goddess of wisdom and warfare.

When it was built in
the 5th century bc,

The athenian empire was at
the height of its power.

Even now, undergoing restoration
work after 2,500 years,

It remains a masterpiece of
architecture and engineering.

The huge doric columns that
once supported the roof

Are over 6 feet in diameter
and 34 feet high.

The interior is about
half the size

Of an american
football field.

The apparently straight
lines of the structure

Are actually optical
illusions curved and tapered

With mathematical
precision to look that way.

Restoration of the parthenon
and the citadel around it

Began in 1975, an ongoing
project to preserve the majesty

Of this extraordinary
ancient architecture.

Athens is a city where
the glories of the past

Aren't just kept alive,
but fiercely defended.

Every Sunday at 11 a.M.,

Crowds gather at
syntagma square in athens

To watch a unique
ceremonial event.

Don't be distracted by
the colorful headgear,

Pleated kilts, and foot tassels.

These elaborately
dressed soldiers

Are presidential guard

The evzones, an elite
unit of the greek army.

Here at the tomb of
the unknown soldier,

In the shadow of the parliament,

They perform one
of the most precise

And unusual military
displays in the world.

The changing of the guard.

The distinctive evzone uniform

Dates back to the battle dress
worn by mountain fighters

In the greek war of independence
almost two centuries ago.

And this precisely
coordinated ceremony

Is imbued with
historical significance.

The black tassel on
the toe of the shoe

Conceals a kicking
blade for close combat

With the enemies
of greek liberty.

The kilt has 400 pleats,
one for each year

Of the turkish occupation from
the 15th to the 19th century.

The red hat symbolizes the
blood of those fallen in battle.

Switching positions
every 15 minutes,

The guardsmen punctuate
their signature March

By striking the ground
with their feet,

Letting dead heroes
know that the evzones

Are always on duty,
guarding their honor.

Their fortitude is legendary.

In 2001, when a protestor
threw a molotov cocktail

And set a wooden
guardhouse on fire,

The evzone on duty
refused to move

Until ordered to do
so by his officer.

Political statements
are everywhere

On the streets of athens.

Graffiti, from the greek word
"graphi" meaning "to write",

Has been a feature of
the city's buildings

Since ancient times

When slogans were
carved into stone walls.

Greek artist ino
started his career

As a graffiti
artist 20 years ago.

Like the subject
he's working on now,

He wears a mask, creating
large scale figurative murals

Like this recent piece
called, "mind control."

His distinctive work on the
streets of athens and elsewhere

Has evolved from the
lettering and abstract designs

To stylized fragmented forms
in photorealistic grayscale

With touches of light blue.

Here at the port of
piraeus near athens,

Ino spent several
days working at height

On this piece called, "lost."

The blue vortex represents
lingering memories

Of the global financial crisis,

A trauma still etched in the
consciousness of greek púo

In a city whose walls
have held politics

To account for
thousands of years,

Street art embodies the
very spirit of democracy.

For ino, political
and social injustice

Is what art is meant to depict.

A defiant ideology integrated

With the architecture of greece.

Symbolism and
unexpected connections

Are everywhere in greek culture.

Just as art and
politics intertwine

On the streets of athens, today,

Ancient myth and
athleticism come together

In the rooftop pool of
a city center hotel.

These are the naiads, a group
of

Led by their founder
konstantina galiotou.

Each one is a former member
of the greek national team.

They take their name from the
water nymphs of mythology,

Female spirits who,
by their grace,

Protected the streams and
rivers of ancient greece.

The naiads were the greatest
of the water nymphs,

Said to be the daughters
of zeus himself.

A fitting name for
this six-woman team,

All professional swimmers
at the top of their game.

The picturesque
harbor of pasalimani,

7 miles southwest of athens,

Has several impressive
claims to fame.

In ancient times, it was
the main military base

Of the athenian fleet.

At the historic 1896
summer olympics,

These waters hosted
the swimming events.

But for rock fans,
all that pales

Compared to what happened
in the summer of 1979

When the legendary band pink
floyd came here on vacation.

Relaxing in the
marina on their yacht,

They were inspired to
write several tracks

For their seminal concept
album, "the wall."

Three years later, "the wall",

Regarded as one of the most
influential albums of all time,

Would inspire a musical
film of the same name

Directed by legendary british
filmmaker, alan parker.

Today, the marina at pasalimani

Is a showcase for
the superyachts

And luxury cruisers of
the fabulously wealthy.

The marina can accommodate
over 600 vessels

Up to 150 feet in length.

These days, the owners
are more likely to be

Tech billionaires and russian
oligarchs than rock stars.

In high season, the
combined wealth on show here

Would tend to leave
you, "comfortably numb."

This curious convoy
of vehicles crossing

The marathon dam in attica
is a miniature showcase

Of greece's contribution
to the automotive industry.

Collector alex vazaios drives
a 200cc attica cabrioletta.

One of only six ever
made, it once belonged

To the legendary greek shipping
magnate stavros niarchos.

The mini cooper driven
by andreas ilianopoulis

Is one of the world's
most influential cars.

It was the creation
of his great uncle,

Auto designer sir
alexander issigonis,

The man they called the greek
god of automobile design.

The indigenous greek car
industry never really took off,

But for patriotic
auto-enthusiasts like

Andreas and alex

Technology comes second
to style and character.

In greece, if you want power,

All you have to do
is ask the gods.

In ancient times, delphi, on
the slopes of mount parnassus

Overlooking the corinthian gulf,

Was considered the mystical
center of the world.

Like the legendary icarus,

Who met his fate when he
flew to close to the sun,

Professional paraglider
giannis georgosopoulos

Shares a lifelong obsession
with the majesty of flight.

Unlike his mythological
predecessor, however,

Giannis is careful to
keep his altitude in check

As he soars above delphi.

Since 2013, he's been a member

Of the greek national
paragliding team,

Winning a host of
international medals.

Paragliding is a potentially
dangerous sport,

But the adrenaline
rush giannis feels,

Gliding thousands of feet
above the ground,

Is part of the thrill.

It takes nerves of steel
for the paraglider

As he spins toward
the valley floor

Before leveling off and gliding
majestically out of danger.

If only icarus had
thought of that.

[dramatic music]

The temple of apollo at delphi

Was once the most sacred
site in all of greece.

This was where kings
and commoners alike

Came to receive
prophesies of the future,

Direct from the gods.

Here, a sacred priestess
known as the oracle of delphi

Was believed to have the
power to predict the future.

For more than a thousand years,

People from across the
mediterranean flocked here

Seeking the gods'
guidance on everything

From personal affairs to
international politics.

They got their answers,
but it turns out,

The oracle may have
been under the influence

Of something other than gods.

The temple is located on
a geological fault line

That emits gases including the
powerful intoxicant ethylene.

Experts now believe the
divine visions of the oracle

Were actually caused by
psychedelic delirium.

Greece's location above
numerous tectonic fault lines

Has made the country's
engineers especially adept

At dealing with
unpredictable shifts

Of the earth beneath their feet.

And not just the earth.

The rio-antirrio bridge,
designed by santiago calatrava,

Crosses the gulf of corinth,

Connecting the northern
peloponnese to mainland greece.

At 1.8 miles, it's
the world's longest

Fully suspended
cable-stay bridge.

Tectonic stress in this region
actually expands the gulf

By 1.2 inches a year.

To counter this, the piers are
not buried into the seabed,

But rest on a specially
constructed gravel layer,

So they can move laterally
with the expanding gulf.

It's an engineering feat
that enables the bridge

To absorb the energy
of an earthquake.

By replacing a journey once
possible only by ferry,

The bridge has dramatically
improved access

To the northern peloponnese.

Functionality and form
are all well and good,

But, this being greece, what
really counts is beauty.

As calatrava's fellow designer
daniel leibeskind once said,

"architecture is not based
on concrete and steel

"and the elements of the
soil, it's based on wonder."

At night, this masterpiece
of modern engineering

Takes on a dreamlike quality
with its orange illuminations

Reflected in the
waters of the gulf

And its majestic pylons
bathed in blue light.

Almost 10,000 vehicles a
day traverse the bridge,

But by night, some locals are
known to make the crossing,

Just for the inner peace

This extraordinary
structure seems to bring.

In the soul of
greek architecture,

Form is more important
than function.

Looking for all the world
like an interstellar craft,

This is villa ypsilon,
a futuristic residence

Embedded into a hill near the
fishing village of messenia

In the southwest peloponnese.

Surrounded by olive groves,
this luxurious summer home

Was designed by this man,
architect theo sarantoglou lalis

And prefabricated off site.

The green roof takes the
form of the greek letter y,

Or ypsilon, which gives
the villa its name.

A luxurious open plan
interior with three bedrooms

And three courtyards links
seamlessly to the rooftop

Where theo can enjoy
spectacular panoramic views.

This house embodies modern
greek ingenuity and,

In another part of
the peloponnese,

That same ingenuity appears
on an even greater scale.

The peloponnese is a
peninsula, not an island.

Technically though it's
both and this is why.

Beneath the busy highways,
multimillion-dollar boats

Glide serenely through
the corinth canal.

Most of their owners
are blissfully unaware

Of its turbulent 2,000
year-long construction history.

The narrow land bridge
of the isthmus of corinth

Connects the peloponnese
to mainland greece.

In 67 ad, the infamous
roman emperor nero

Had 6,000 slaves complete
nearly half a mile of canal

Before he committed
suicide the following year.

In the mid 1800s, several
attempts were made

To resume the work,

All of which ended in
failure and financial ruin,

Giving rise to the belief

That the landscape
itself was cursed.

In 1893, the canal
was finally completed

Bisecting the isthmus,

Joining the gulf of
corinth to the aegean sea,

Effectively turning the
peloponnese into an island.

Four miles long, banked
by walls rising 170 feet,

It's an engineering marvel,
20 centuries in the making.

But even after it opened,

The old curse still
appeared to be in effect.

Seismic activity caused the
soft limestone rock of the walls

To collapse, leading
to long closures.

At the end of world war ii,
the retreating german army

Blocked the waterway with
thousands of tons of debris.

The canal's maximum
width of 80 feet

Makes it too narrow for
most ocean-going ships.

Some mid-sized vessels
can just squeeze through,

Saving their pilots
a 420-mile detour

Around the peloponnese.

Today, having
survived earthquakes,

War, and a mythical curse,

The corinth canal
operates 24 hours a day,

Except on tuesdays when it
closes between 6 a.M. And 6 p.M.

For routine maintenance.

Strictly speaking, this waterway
means that the peloponnese

Is entirely detached
from mainland greece.

And that physical
separation resonates

With the peninsula's
fierce historical autonomy.

Near the modern
peloponnesian town of sparti

Lie the ruins of what was once

The most powerful city-state
of ancient greece.

In the words of gerard
butler as leonidas

In the 2007 action film
"300", "this is sparta."

Admittedly, there's
not much to see.

And that's because the spartans,

The dominant military
power of greece

From the 7th to
the 4th century bc,

Were warriors, not builders.

As the ancient greek historian
thucydides once said,

"if the population of sparta
suddenly deserted the city

"and then strangers arrived,
they would not believe

"this was the mightiest
city in all of greece."

The legacy of sparta was
built on countless battles.

But one stands out
above all the rest.

Here on the east coast
of the balkan peninsula,

A monument marks the site
of the greatest last stand

Of the ancient world, the
battle of thermopylae in 480 bc.

This statue depicts the
spartan king leonidas

Who along with 300 soldiers

Held off the enormous
persian army of king xerxes

For three days at
a mountain pass

Known as thermopylai
or hot gates.

Today the ancient pass lies
beneath 66 feet of soil,

But the battle still looms
large in world history,

Celebrated in art, literature,
and on the big screen,

Most notably by
zack snyder's epic film, "300."

Though eventually defeated,

Leonidas and his men would
inspire their fellow greeks

To rise up against
the persian invasion,

A fight they would
ultimately win 10 years later

At the battle of marathon.

This is the eastern
peloponnesian island of hydra,

Population 3,000.

Well, most of the time.

Every year this
otherwise quiet place

Fills with cultural tourists.

They're here to visit the
galleries, spot the celebrities,

And bask in hydra's fashionable
contemporary art scene.

The only vehicles allowed
on hydra are garbage trucks,

So water taxis are the only
way to reach the beaches

And restaurants in
remote villages.

Long before it was a home
for wealthy collectors

And part of the
summer art scene,

Hydra was a refuge for
artists and intellectuals.

In the 1960s, canadian
singer leonard cohen

Bought a house here,
which he shared

With his girlfriend and
muse, marianne ihlen.

While living on the island,
cohen wrote two novels

And one of his best known
songs, "bird on the wire."

It's not big or yellow,
but it is a taxi.

This is the neso, operated by
sea captain manos loudaros,

One of the last original
hydra water taxis.

Today, he's collecting
tourists from a remote church

On one of hydra's small islands.

Manos describes his taxi
as a venetian gondola.

It's much faster and
more maneuverable

Than the modern boats,
it's ideal for taking guests

To the hidden coves, villages,

And small islands
of hydra's coast.

After years as a captain on
cargo and passenger ships,

Manos has operated
his own water taxi

Here on hydra since 2014.

Guest safety is guaranteed
as manos is a former graduate

Of the first navel
academy in greece,

Located right here in
the center of hydra.

Founded in 1749,

The academy has already
produced 2,800 captains.

Even before they graduate, the
cadets are so well trained,

They regularly assist the crews
of massive container ships.

Have you ever wondered
what it would be like

To walk in the
footsteps of a god?

And not just any god,
the king of gods.

Well, you've come
to the right place.

The terrain of the peloponnese
changes dramatically

As you travel inland.

Here, the white sands
and coastal cliffs

Give way to majestic
tree-covered peaks

And deep ravines.

Today, professional
trekker stratos agiassotis

And his work colleagues

Are establishing the route
of a new tourist trail

Through the river gorges
of his native peloponnese.

Brought together by a shared
passion for the environment,

These trekkers avoid
the beaten track,

Wearing helmets to protect
against falling rocks.

It's a growing trend
in this part of greece,

Finding unexpected paths
through the wilderness

To enjoy the untamed
beauty of nature.

Right now, they're following
the valley of the river neda

As it flows toward
the ionian sea

From its source at mount lykaion
in the western peloponnese.

In greek mythology, it was here
that the young zeus grew up,

Hidden from his
murderous father cronus

By the water nymph neda.

In time, zeus would
become king of the gods,

But he would never
forget the debt he owed

To his beloved nursemaid.

And so, according to legend,

He named the river in her honor.

But there are places in greece

Whose waters preserve memories
of a very different kind.

Off the coast of laconia,
in the southern peloponnese,

Lie the submerged
remains of a city

Thought to have been inhabited

Since the bronze age,
around 2800 bc.

Pavlopetri has been described
as an underwater pompei,

A city frozen in time.

In 1967, british
archeologists found evidence

Of a highly advanced
civilization,

Uncovering insights into
an astonishing lost world.

More recently, pavlopetri
has been the subject

Of new research, using
robots and 3d mapping

To reveal a layout

That has not only survived
centuries of erosion,

But resembles the
blueprint of a modern city.

So far at least 15 large
buildings have been identified,

Some are two story houses
with large courtyards,

Upstairs bedrooms
with views of the sea,

And flushing toilets.

Pavlopetri was a port city

With trading links
across the mediterranean.

It thrived here for 2,000 years,

During a time that saw the
birth of western civilization

And the mythical trojan
war of homer's odyssey.

Around 1000 bc, a series of
three powerful earthquakes

Shifted the bedrock on
which pavlopetri was built,

Plunging the whole
city beneath the sea.

Today, it is a
remarkable insight

Into the very foundation
of our own way of life.

To the west of the peloponnese,

Cephalonia is the largest
of the seven ionian islands,

Known collectively
as the heptanese.

It's an island of
stunning beauty,

But it's situated atop a
major tectonic fault line

And seismic activity
results in dozens

Of minor tremors every year.

Majestic peaks rise hundreds
of feet above the sea,

Sweeping down to the
island's many bays

And white sandy beaches.

But cephalonia has also been
shaped by human history.

On the west coast,
overlooking asos,

The venetians built a fort
in the late 16th century

To protect the town from attack
by opportunistic pirates.

Many of the modern
buildings here are designed

To withstand seismic shock, a
lesson town planners learned

In the aftermath of a
catastrophic earthquake in 1953.

It's a constant reminder of
the unpredictability of life

Lived above the ever
moving tectonic plates

Of the ionian sea.

Cephalonia remains an
especially popular destination

For italian tourists,

Drawn here not just for
this idyllic landscape

And the breathtaking
blue waters,

But for an all together
different reason.

They come to remember the
victims of a massacre.

During the second world war,

The ionian islands were
occupied by italian forces.

In 1943, around 12,000 soldiers

Of the italian acqui division

Were stationed
here on cephalonia.

But when Italy changed
sides in the war,

The garrison found itself pitted

Against its former
german allies.

Running short of ammunition,

Realizing defeat was inevitable,

The italian commanders
negotiated a surrender.

But the germans exacted
a terrible revenge,

Ordering the mass execution

Of 5,000 unarmed italian
soldiers, in cold blood.

Lost in the fog of war,

The atrocity remained
unknown to the wider world.

Until 2001, when the movie,
"captain corelli's mandolin",

Once more brought the
atrocity to light.

The film starring nicolas
cage and penelope cruz,

Was shot entirely on
location here on the island.

The heartrending scene featuring
the cephalonia massacre

Was filmed here at the
beautiful ruined village

Of old vlachata.

Only one man was ever
brought to justice.

In October 2013, 90-year-old

German wehrmacht
corporal alfred stork

Was finally convicted
for his role

In the mass execution and
sentenced to life imprisonment.

Nestled in a valley in
the northern peloponnese

Lies the sleepy
hamlet of kalavrita.

At first glance it looks like

Any other greek
mountain village.

Except for the fact that
this is the final destination

Of a remarkable journey.

A trip on the
odontotos rack railway

Is a memorable experience
for any commuter,

But it's not for
the faint of heart.

Millions of tons of rock

Appear to be hanging
above the line,

Impossibly suspended, waiting
to crush the carriages below.

The train inches slowly

Through clearings gouged
from the mountain.

At times, it seems there's
barely enough room to pass.

Passing among the highest
peaks of the peloponnese,

The odontotos railway is
an engineering marvel.

It travels along a conduit

That seems to have been formed
by mother nature herself.

The track begins in the
coastal town of diakopto

And runs uphill for 14 miles,

Following the natural contours
of the vouraikos gorge

As it passes through a landscape
of breathtaking beauty.

The train takes an hour to
reach the terminus at kalavrita,

2,460 feet above sea level.

Construction of the
line began in 1889.

Despite the enormous
technical challenge,

It was judged to
be a better option

Than building a road
through the same terrain.

The first obstacle faced by
engineers was the limited space.

There was only enough
room for a single track

And it had to be
extremely confined.

At just 2 1/2 feet wide,

It's the narrowest gauge
railway in the world.

Another challenge was
the steep gradient.

In order to prevent
the wheels of the train

From slipping on
the steep climb,

The engineers built a
special cogged track

Running down the
middle of the line.

A toothed wheel beneath the
locomotive locks into this track

Providing stability and
grip for the steep ascent.

Today, this extraordinary
line blends seamlessly

Into its natural surroundings

Thanks to plans drawn up
by greek railway engineers

Over 130 years ago.

It remains a magnificent
expression of form and function,

An imaginative
practical solution

That enhances the very landscape
into which it was carved.

A fitting symbol for the
ingenuity, resilience,

And glorious creative
spirit of southern greece.