All language subtitles for m.g.o.s06e04.1080p.hdtv.h264-cbfm_track3_[eng]

(THEME MUSIC)

Well, I can't believe
we're already into series six,

and this year we're travelling
to the central Cycladics,

the most popular islands in Greece.

And if we're lucky,
we'll see some of these beasts

that have been hibernating
for the winter.

These guys, they can't get
into the nooks and crannies

that we can get to.

So, Mia Zoi's going to take us
right into those lovely islands

and we'll see the famous one,
Mykonos,

but also the tiny ones
that you know nothing about.

I'm really looking forward to this.

I'm about to jump out of my skin.

PETER VOICEOVER:
In this episode of My Greek Odyssey,

I'm visiting a very special island

that few outside
the archaeological community

get to step foot on.

From there,
I'm headed to Schinoussa,

delving into its food culture,

which means spending some time
in the kitchen with Kyriako.

After that, we're headed westward
to the remote island of Irakleia.

In the last episode,

I spent my time exploring
the two islands of Koufonisia.

They're a pair
of contrasting land masses.

One, Pano Koufonisi,

has experienced rapid development
over the last decade

that has seen it transform

into being a relatively
busy destination,

though it's still a bit of a secret
to those outside of Greece.

Across from there is Kato Koufonisi,

which is the complete opposite
and essentially uninhabited,

save for a few herders
and people that camp on the island.

I spent my time
both above and below the water,

seeing stunning sites
that are often missed by travellers

who prefer to stay in town
or sit by the busier beaches.

Mind you, I had plenty of time
enjoying the sand,

sun and warm water too,

just not in the same way
as most people.

Having spent several days exploring,

it was time to move
to somewhere new.

Only 5km across from Pano Koufonisi
is a massive island called Keros.

Looking south from the port,
you can see this imposing landmass,

but I was headed
to its tiny neighbour of Daskalio.

As inviting as these
two islands look,

tourists aren't allowed to visit,

not even for a swim
at one of the pretty beaches.

The reason most people
can't visit this island

is because it's protected
by the archaeological efforate.

However, I was fortunate enough
to be able to meet

with the head archaeologist
of the site,

Dr Michael Boyd,

from the Department of Archaeology
at Cambridge University.

He's the co-director
of excavations here

and passionate about the more than
5,000 years of history

they're slowly unearthing.

Oh, pretty loose here, mate.

Yeah, yeah. Just watch your feet.

I got to watch where I step

because it's all good stuff.

There's good stuff everywhere.

We think that almost
all of the island

was completely built up.

So, you're stepping over walls here.

Everywhere you look, it's...

Yeah, wow.

..just full of stuff.

What are you trying to establish
out of this dig here at Daskalio?

Well, there is a lot of questions
about what's really going on here,

what is this site about.

You know, when you start excavating
at a prehistoric site,

usually,
it's some kind of settlement,

or else it's a cemetery...

Right.

..and it's quite unusual
for things to be,

you know, set apart
from those simple categories.

But here, we don't really have
a cemetery,

we don't really have a settlement
in the normal frame of things.

I mean, for example,

just look at all the pottery
that's on the ground...

Yep.

..its-its all imported.

They don't make their own pottery.

Yeah, I just saw some here.

Yeah, that's a-that's
a nice big piece, yeah.

Yeah.

I mean, it's all over the place.

Yeah.

That's from a nice big, you know,
storage jar or something like that.

We can tell,
by looking at the pottery,

that these little inclusions
that you see here,

the way it fires and so on,

we can tell
which island it comes from.

So, the pottery mostly
comes from Naxos,

it comes from Amorgos,
it comes from Ios

and it comes
from other Cycladic islands.

It doesn't come from Keros.

They're not making
their own pottery.

They're bringing all the stone here,
they're bringing the pottery here,

they're bringing the obsidian here.

From different islands?

Turns out
they're bringing everything here.

So, here we are, we've got

people coming
from all different islands,

bringing pottery,
bringing marble.

Bringing figurines here as well?

That's right,
the figurines as well.

Although, the figurines
are part of the story

over on the other side there.

Right.

But yeah,
certainly bringing the figurines.

The figurines
come from other islands as well.

So, everything is imported.

Shall we carry on going up?

Let's keep going.

There's so much depth
to this important site

that we could have dedicated
an entire episode to it.

Everywhere you look,

there's something
of prominence to see,

so, we're forced to focus

on just a few of the key places
of interest.

So, in Keros, the excavations,
which began in the 1960s,

uncovered all this amazing evidence
for really unusual artefacts,

these marble Cycladic figurines.

And at first people thought
it must be kind of a cemetery,

but that really wasn't the case.

The excavations,
particularly of 2006 to 2008,

discovered that it's actually
the remains of a very strange,

unusual practice
which involves the breakage

of these...the deliberate breakage
of these figurines.

Now, these figurines are,

you know, some of them
are quite small,

some of them are very big.

You've probably seen
the very big ones in the museums.

Yeah.

But the thing is,
the story starts not here

but on the other islands
where these people were living,

where they had their villages,
where they were farming,

where they were fishing

and where they were making
and using these figurines.

It must be that at some point
in their lifecycle,

they decide, "OK, this figurine,
we're going to break it now."

Maybe when a family member dies,
I mean, who knows?

That's just speculation.

And then they would choose one piece
from each of these objects,

one bit of the figurine, the feet,
for example, or the head.

And those pieces would be selected
to be brought on a journey to Keros.

And these people are all coming
from different islands

at the same time?

That's the thing,
we think that they were doing that.

So, they were coordinating
these actions.

So, what we have is evidence
in the pottery, for example.

We know where the pottery
comes from,

as we were just saying.

We've evidence that these materials

are being brought
from all different islands,

so, what we have
is this pan-Cycladic gathering

which takes place, who knows,
at some set time interval.

Who knows when it takes place,

when the moon rises
in the right place.

And, Michael, you're getting it
from this jigsaw puzzle?

Yeah, well...

This-this...which looks like
a rubbish dump?

Yeah.

Well, it's-it even more looks like
it over there,

but, um, we're understanding now

that the people were coming together
in these huge gatherings.

So, you have to reflect from,
"What does that mean?"

Because in the pre-modern world,

for people to have the knowledge

and the ability to interact
with each other,

to come together at a specific time
to do this specific thing,

it tells us that they're creating

their own sense
of a regional identity

which comes
from the sharing of information.

So, it's the sharing of information

which is really
the key-the key new factor.

What's-what's really new here

is that we have this kind of
sharing of information

over a large area.

The technology to do that comes
from the-the boats

that they're using to move around.

And they're creating here,
in this island,

which previously seems
to have been uninhabited,

they've chosen
an uninhabited island to create

this...what seems
to be a pan-Cycladic sanctuary.

Wow.

The islands of Keros and Daskalio

haven't been inhabited
for centuries.

And yet, in their heyday,

these two small land masses

were believed to be the most
densely packed settlements

in the Cyclades.

The evidence is clear
when you wander around them.

You don't have to be
an archaeologist

to find historic items
amongst the rocks.

Wherever you walk,
there are pottery shards

up and down
the multitude of terraces

that were once workshops.

We know people came here
with offerings of marble figurines

and they would leave
with metal souvenirs

that had been fashioned
on the island,

items like spearheads and daggers
have been found amongst the ruins.

It's taken over 50 years

for archaeologists
to discover these facts,

and it'll probably take another 50

to uncover the reason
for these rituals.

So, in effect, Dr Michael
is somewhat of a caretaker

whose tenure here will no doubt
lead to many more discoveries.

But one can guess

that the next generation
of archaeologists

will continue to rewrite
the history books.

(THEME MUSIC)

Such is my fascination with
history,

that I could climb up and down
the mountains of Keros and Daskalio

looking for fragments
of ancient relics for days on end.

And leaving the pristine waters
of Koufonisia,

is not an easy decision to make,

but we had to move on,

heading southwest to another island
in this beautiful archipelago

of the Lesser Cyclades.

Schinoussa,
once the source of timber for

the Monastery of Hozoviotissa
on Amorgos,

now considered probably one
of the best safe havens

for the pleasure craft
in all of the Mikres Kyklades,

the Lesser Cyclades.

9sqkm, with only 180 people,

but what I love about this place
is the community.

There are billionaires
that spend their summer here

on their beautiful
aircraft carriers.

And you can be at the beach,
or at Nikolas Cafe,

and sitting next to a billionaire
that's talking to a council worker,

talking to a tourist.

You wouldn't know who's who.

It's just an awesome little island.

It's not for everybody,
but I love it.

The main port, which is basically
the only one on the island,

also has its own beach,

complete with turquoise waters
and a couple of little taverns.

It's not what you'd call
a working harbour,

so, things are quiet and clean.

If you manage to find your way here,

one of the best spots to eat
is Nikolas of Schinoussa.

It's a very famous
seafood restaurant,

popular amongst captains of the sea.

They serve the type of fare
that you expect at a restaurant

in Santorini or Athens.

Yet, here we are, practically
in the middle of nowhere.

Schinoussa is a very sleepy island,

and you want see any shops

that your average tourist
wants to visit.

In fact, you won't find
many stores at all.

I can't recall seeing
a pharmacy on the island,

let alone a gift shop.

There's also very little
overnight accommodation,

and as a result, you'll very rarely
come across a tourist.

That's what I love
about Schinoussa,

you don't have hoards of people
on the streets

and there are very few of them
at the beautiful beaches.

The island, although only 9sqkm,

is reasonably well-cultivated,

beautiful rolling hills
coming down to the beach.

It's just a wonder to look at.
It's beautiful.

People come here,
and you might be on the beach,

there might be just four people
or five people on the beach

because there's 20 beaches
all the way around here.

I think this is a nudist beach.

And sandy beaches too, sandy.

This is actually my favourite toy,

because on a hot day,
I can come out on my own

and feel that breeze
and just jump in the water.

I love Mia Zoi,
but she's a hotel room for us.

It's just...

I better be careful here,

there seems to be
some sort of platform.

But you can see Chora
in the background.

I think that's somebody's
swimming pool.

One thing that you'll notice

when you're driving
around Schinoussa,

or even on a tender or swimming,

is these beautiful rolling hills

that are cultivated
with the split pea.

The yellow split pea
that Schinoussa is famous for.

Originally from Amorgos,
they brought the seed here

and they've been cultivating it
ever since.

It makes the best fava.

Hopefully Kyriako
will make some for us later,

and we're gonna go
to Helen's favourite restaurant

and try it there as well.

But there's a wall that you can see,
in a second,

just there, and then you go
from cultivated property

to affluently cultivated property.

And I think
this is whole...this whole peninsula

is basically
Papa Demitrios' property,

and he's a top five
shipping magnate.

I think, he owns about 100 ships.

I think that's some sort of theatre

that he's produced for himself
next to his own church.

And we'll go around the peninsula
so, you can see his house.

So, we're coming around
to the main frontage

of Papa Demitrios' property.

It was that whole peninsula
coming around here

and it goes further back in.

The building you can see
in the front

is actually just his beach house.

The house is further back.

And all these little boats
and things that are there,

it's all his.

This guy's uber, uber, uber wealthy.

And normally,
his big boat's parked here,

at least one of them.

I think he's got six

and they've all got captains
and crews.

I think his kids and grandkids
are definitely having a good time.

I've always wondered
why these shipping magnates

own three, four, five or sometimes
more super yachts.

I'm told it's because
it's almost an unwritten social rule

amongst the wealthy Greeks

that you never sell
your father's boat.

It's almost an historic memento
that you must keep for life

and pass on to the next generation.

Anyway, there's lots
of these extremely

wealthy fellows
living on this island,

and you can see why.

It's small, inaccessible,
has little or no tourist facilities,

and as a consequence,
is quite isolated from prying eyes.

(THEME MUSIC)

Fava is a mainstay
of the Greek diet.

Despite the name,
it's not made with fava beans,

but from dry yellow split peas.

And in Greece,
there are a few islands

that are famous for them.

Santorini, Amorgos and Schinoussa.

Most mainland Greeks
have their favourite

amongst one of these three.

Personally,
I can't tell the difference.

Schinoussa has rolling hills
with large expanses of arable land.

And usually, the magnificent climate

provides ample sunshine
and rain for bumper crops.

Unfortunately,
there's been more of that sunshine

and very little rain
in recent times.

Consequently,
this year's harvest has been poor.

However, Manolis and his wife,
Maria,

who produce the majority
of split pea on the island,

still soldier on year after year.

The peas are quite healthy,

being very high in dietary fibre
and protein and low in fat.

In Greece, we most often use them
to make a dip called fava,

but also cook a hearty soup
from them.

The famed fava dip
is similar to houmous,

and later this episode,

Kyriako is going to show you
how it's made.

But for now, it's all about
how these little peas are grown

and what goes on after harvesting.

For something that seems so simple,

there's a bit of a process to go
from the paddock to the pantry.

Nowadays, it's all mechanised.

But only a few decades ago,

and still on some of the more
remote islands,

this was all done by hand.

It was an arduous
but necessary task,

as the peas were something
the islanders

could store and eat in winter

when other produce
was unavailable.

As any farmer will tell you,

it's quite rewarding to see
your produce at harvest time.

You spend so much time,
energy and money

sowing the seeds
and watching them grow,

that when the time comes to harvest,
there's a sense of accomplishment.

However, when things turn sour

and you're faced with drought
or a natural disaster

that destroys your crop,
it can be devastating.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

Yeah.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

Ah right, I can see.
There we go.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

So, that's the split pea,
but because there's been no rain...

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

Hold on.

Hold on.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

Nah, it's alright.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

Unfortunately,
there's been no rain,

and as a result the fava
hasn't grown,

the split pea hasn't grown.

It's half the size it should be.

Who can have it?
Sharif can have it all.

There you go.
You're eating it, aren't you?

You want some here?

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

Nothing.

Nothing this year, so the horses

and all the animals
are getting it all.

And this is all fava?

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

So, March and April,
we need rain,

and after that
we don't care anymore?

Now, the horse is eating
the camera man at the moment.

He's licking the camera man.

Sharif, you can't do that.

Here you are.
You can't lick the camera man, OK?

Alright?

You're a good...

It's a good boy.

(LAUGHS)

Yeah.

So, we need rain in March
or April, otherwise...

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

That's it there.
Have a look at this.

Have a look at this.

Here it is here.

The pea is inside.

The split pea is inside that.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

Here we go again.
No, it's alright.

It's alright. Come here.

Come here, mate.

He won't leave you alone.

(LAUGHS)
(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

So, there's the split pea there?

(LAUGHS)

Oh, he's alright, Maria.

It's OK.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

You know what's gonna happen here?

It's not gonna rain and Sharif

won't let us show the split pea,
that's life.

What do we do?

There's no split peas.

No fava?

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

That's life.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

Yeah, yeah.

Listen, Sharif, control, buddy.

(LAUGHS)

Sharif, come here.
Come here, mate.

Come here. Come here, buddy.

Come here, come here.

Come here, come here, eh?

There you go.

There you go. There you go.

No, not the lens.

Not the lens.

You can kiss the camera man.
Suck him.

Yeah, that's it,
you can suck him up,

but not the lens.

That's good. Huh, Sharif?
Eh?

Alright? Not the lens.

That's it.

Yeah, that's it.

Suck his elbow.

No, that's alright.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER).

He needs this.

Go and suck his elbow.

Go and suck his elbow.
Suck his elbow.

Have a lick.

Have a lick of the camera
man's elbow.

That's it. That's it.
You could bite him.

No, don't bite me.

Don't bite him.

No, don't bite him.

Yeah, you want an elbow, take mine.
There.

You don't want mine?

Yeah, you can have mine.

You can have mine.

That's it. No, don't bite my elbow.

Don't bite my elbow. Hey.

Hey.

Hey, you're licking him
but you're biting me, eh?

Anyway.

Alright.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

(LAUGHTER)

I think it's done here.

I think we've got enough here, mate.

I think we got enough.

As disappointing as things
might be for this year's harvest,

at least Sharif managed
to put a smile on everyone's faces.

It's amazing to think that

Manolis can still find the energy
to have a laugh.

It's that ability to move on,
despite the challenges,

that make him suited
to being a farmer.

No two years are ever the same.

And if you dwell on the hard times,

you won't survive
in this profession.

I think we could all do
with a bit of that mindset

and be thankful
for what we do have,

and not fret for what we don't.

(THEME MUSIC)

After learning
about the cultivation of split peas,

the next step was getting Kyriako
to show us how to make fava.

And on Mia Zoi,

this was always gonna
be controversial.

Well, we're in Schinoussa
so, we have to make the yellow gold,

the yellow Schinoussan gold,
which is split pea fava.

So, let's do it, Kyriako.

How do we make split pea fava?

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

An onion and some garlic, OK.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

Roughly cut there.

I suppose the important thing

you should remember
about split pea fava

is it's not the only way
to make fava.

Fava's made with any sort of legume,
in the ancient way.

Today they all make it
with the split pea.

Other than the split peas,
there's only a few other ingredients

and you can also put
some of your own flare into it.

Onion, olive oil, lemon juice,
garlic, salt, pepper

and maybe a couple of herbs
are generally what's used,

but that's open to debate
depending on who you talk to,

especially if it's Captain Yanni.

We've got Captain here
at the moment

because there's a little bit of
issue going on at the moment

about how you make fava,

because super chef here adds
a few little bits and pieces

that maybe not everybody also adds,

because sometimes
the split pea that you get,

not like the beautiful
Katsouni split pea

that you get in Amorgos
or Schinoussa,

isn't sweet.

So, what this...

Kyriako adds a little bit
of carrot sometimes,

and Yanni just does not like that

because that's not the formal way
of doing things.

Look at him, massive arguments.

Massive arguments
for the last 24 hours.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

I saw you get upset, mate.

I saw you get upset.

You think Kyriako doesn't get upset,
but when he's told by Captain

that he doesn't know
what he's doing, it's a big deal.

Oh, it's smelling good.

It's smelling good.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

The carrot isn't in there yet,
so, it's OK, Captain.

It's alright.
Carrot isn't in there yet.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

We don't darken it, OK.

We're gonna bring
that over here, aren't we?

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

You want to put it in there?
(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

Fantastic.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

So, it's four times
the amount of water

than you have in fava.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

Yeah, and let's get
the other one over here.

Come on.
(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

Come on. We've learnt.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

We're ready to go.
Look at this.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)
We'll use that for the carrot.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

(LAUGHS)

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

OK, the bay leaf comes out.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

So, the beamer...

OK, whatever you want to call it.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

OK, a bit more olive oil. OK.

100ml of olive oil.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

A bit of lemon, yeah.
Lemon juice?

This is all on our website,
MyGreekOdyssey.com,

so, you don't have to follow
the recipe that much, right?

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

A bit of salt.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

Yeah, and we'll try it
with the salt.

We can put some salt later
if we need to.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

It's got to be freshly
ground pepper.

It can't be any pepper,
it's got to be freshly ground, OK.

I heard that.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

The thyme is at the end, OK.
Let's go.

Let's bang that baby.

Oh, look at that.

(MACHINE WHIRRS)

This could be a dip,
put your bread in it.

It could be a main meal.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

A bit of thyme.

Just throw a bit of thyme in there.

But if it's gonna only be a dip,
that's when you add the carrot,

just to sweeten it up.

That's...

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

Of course, that's right.

Not many people have got
the best split pea in the world.

If you're going to get split pea
off the rack at the supermarket,

it might not be as sweet
as you'd like it to be,

it might not be as fresh
as you'd like it to be,

so, add a little bit of carrot,
you know?

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

OK.
(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

We've got to wait a bit. OK.

So, it'll thicken up over time.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

When is that ready to eat, Kyriako?

Can we eat it now?

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

Put it...and we'll eat it
in half an hour.

We'll let it cool down a bit?

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

Of course, of course. Of course.

Of course, I understand that.

Alright, well,
let's get it cooled down a bit.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)
We'll try some in a second.

The cooling part of the process
allows it to thicken,

which also enhances the flavour.

Half an hour is plenty of time.

But then when it comes to serving,

it's a good idea to let it return
somewhere close to room temperature.

With the first batch in the fridge,

Kyriako went about
making the carrot version.

All the while, Captain
Yanni watched on in despair.

OK, let's try
for the traditional one,

which is the Captain version
and it's correct version, right?

Beautiful.

Beautiful.

Beautiful.

Oh, I love...

It's so nutritious as well.

So, much protein,
there's manganese in there,

all sorts of stuff
in there that's...

Manganese? I don't know.
(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

Oh, I've got to put
a bit of onion on as well,

a bit of caramelised onion.

Look at Captain looking at me
with me caramelised onion on that.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

It's got a bit of saffron in it,
has it?

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)
Right. OK.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

(LAUGHS)

You know I like sweet things.
(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

You know, I can't lose.

You can't lose with this one,
mate, you know?

Sorry, Captain, this is fantastic.

But you know, Captain, that I like
sweet things, so, it's not fair.

They're both good.

Are you going to try?

Are you going to try?
Of course, I'm going to try.

Of course, he's going to try.
Come on.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

Come on, Captain, it's alright.

The truth. I want the truth.

What do you think? You like it?

Yeah, different.
Different? OK.

This cannot be as a main course.

This is also as a main course.
OK.

Yeah, this is sweet.
This is like a dip.

Yeah, yeah.

Just for little bit.

But it's good.

They're both good.
Good.

Bravo, Kyriako.
Thank you, Captain.

Let's just keep going here.

This is good.

And I'm attacking
the non-traditional one.

I love the non-traditional one.

Come on. Come on, Captain.

There it is, fava prepared
a couple of different ways.

I supposed you can liken
it to wine selection,

there's a nice dry white

that you may drink
with your main meal,

or a sweet aperitif that you enjoy
with hors d'oeuvres.

Either way, I like them both.

(THEME MUSIC)

The man you're about to meet,
Dimitris Papadakis,

is Cretan by origin.

He came to Schinoussa
on a summer vacation

and met a local girl called
Evdokia.

They fell in love, got married,
had three children

and created
this beautiful restaurant, Deli.

It sits above
the main village of Chora,

and my wife ranks it
as her favourite restaurants

in the entire Aegean.

And you can see
the love in your food,

because, you know,
it's not just your food,

your wine list is very extensive.

Only Greek wines.

But it's still extensive,
but your beers are from everywhere.

Yes.
You have beers from everywhere.

You have some of the best produce
from all of the Cyclades.

Yes, we try to.

And you engineer your food

so, you're a designer
of food as well.

We try to expose local recipes,

but in general recipes
of the small Cyclades islands.

In general of Cyclades.

For example, we had take
very old recipe from a cheese pie

that we have here in Schinoussa,

with muscat and cinnamon
we are going to taste also.

Yes. I know it already.
Yes?

And we put a little bit
of local ingredients

as we make a marmalade,

a marmalade like a chutney.

Also, we find recipes from Naxos,
from other islands

and we put it here just to...

Not to help,
to show off to the people

that we have also cuisine.

Yes.

Also, the small Cyclades islands,

in the small islands
we have cuisine.

We have traditional recipes.
You have good cuisines.

I mean, you have billionaire
shipping magnates that come here.

Yes.

You have sailing people
that come here.

You have people
from all over the world.

All over the world, yes.
All over the world.

I remember when I first came here,
I was sitting here,

talking to a couple
of German sailors

and they said
they rerouted their boat

to come to Schinoussa for you.

Yes, OK.
Yeah.

Yes.

This is also the reason
that helps us to continue.

Yes.

OK, because it's...OK,
it's a very nice work.

I love to do it, but you need the...

I don't know, sometimes 16, 18 hours

working from 10:00 in the morning

until 3:00 in the night.

And going on, going on,
every day, every day,

three, four months no stop.

But when I see also too, their eyes,
that they are pleased,

this is my, you know...

This is your remuneration?

This is your...
Yes.

This is my feedback I can take. OK.
And you're payment, literally.

Yes. Yes.
I can see that.

Because to say one big truth

that happened to the restaurant,

you cannot be rich
from a restaurant, never.

Nah, yeah.

Never to be rich, but OK,
if you love the work,

you have a nice level of life
but you cannot be rich.

So, the payment that you have,

it's more the relations
with the people,

the thousand thanks
that you take from them.

"Oh, what a nice food.

"Oh, what a nice food,"
this is our payment.

Yeah. And it's a wonderful thing.

Yes, of course. Of course.
It's a wonderful thing.

This keep you-keep you,
you know, powered.

My purpose is that the food
is the same for everyone

that's coming here.

Yes.
OK.

I'm looking forward
to this gastronomic orgy

that's about to happen.

It's been a few years
since I've been here.

I don't know what else to say,

I'm just looking forward
to this so much.

Basically it's with green rocket,

local dried figs, local sesame.

We boil balsamic vinegar
with honey and we put the sauce,

a very nice olive oil.

We mix it a little bit
and now you enjoy it.

If you come to Deli,

don't expect the normal
Greek taverna meal.

It's not the standard,
simple dining experience

that your average island
restaurant offers.

This is for the more
discerning traveller

whose priority
is to have a wonderful

gastronomic escapade full of depth.

Slice of local aubergine.

They have been sauteed a little bit,

and we finished them in the oven
with fresh tomato sauce,

just basil and capers.

It is fantastic.
OK.

Now, I'm going to prepare
the goat meat with pasta.

See you. OK.
The goat, awesome.

I'm coming.

Every dish has
multiple layers of flavours

that evolve as you consume
each mouthful.

There's an intricacy
to the preparation

that you don't find
in a lot of restaurants.

But most importantly,
there's Dimitris' passion.

And with the pasta, it's fantastic.

Yes.
What is that cheese though?

Mostly, we use Graviera
from Naxos.

It's very nice.
Naxos?

It's very, very...

It's oily cheese and going very,
very well, make a balance with meat.

I think it's very good.
Wow.

Yamas!
Yamas.

Fantastic.

Yamas!

OK.

There was an orgy in there today.

This husband and wife duo
have a shared passion

that has seen them not only create

a long-standing establishment
that's well-known across Greece,

but they've also raised the bar
for Mediterranean cuisine.

Their food fits
the beautiful location

and is well worth travelling for.

Speaking of travelling,

there are few people
that have seen more of Greece

than my crew and I.

But one person
who likely knows the place

better than any other
is the man I was about to meet.

He's been a Greek captain
for over three decades,

having been a sailor on everything
from small boats to cargo ships.

Now, nearing retirement,
he's the captain of a super yacht.

If there's anything you want to know
about the Greek islands,

he's the guy to ask.

That is, if you can manage
to get a few minutes of his time.

These guys are constantly working.

So, when was the last time
you had a summer holiday?

31 years.

31 years?

This is a captain's life, Yanni.
Summer holidays.

Yanni, when did you have
your last holiday?

I was lucky,
I had it 2013 actually.

Yeah, so, eight years ago?

Yeah, eight years ago.
See, captain's life is hard.

You just say
you're with your family now,

first time summer
for 31 years.

Yes, first time with my wife
in summer.

Tell me, 31 years as a captain,

you must know
the Greek islands well.

Which is...
Not only, but...

Which is your favourite
Greek islands.

All of the islands are beautiful...
All of the islands?

..are beautiful, but it's difficult,

you know, difficult to say
one island, very difficult.

Depends what you want to do to.

Yes, that's what I say too.

What do you want to do?

If you want to have night party,

go to Mykonos or Santorini,
go to Paros.

Even if you go to Paros,
you can find very beautiful places,

spots very quiet.

For me, personally,
if I go holidays I want to be calm,

relaxing, with friends,
bringing one beer

or one ouzo, enough, at night.

And where is that?

Where is that, Captain?
You can find it here.

Here in Schinoussa?

In Schinoussa, it's quite place.

Very quiet place.
Yeah, very quiet.

In Irakleia, also.

You can go to Milos.

Milos?
Beautiful place.

And there are many different islands
in the Aegean Sea

with different culture
in each island,

different archaeological interest.

Yes, yes. Of course.

Different food.
Yeah.

You know,
Greece is a mix of cultures.

It's a mix.
It is a mix of cultures, isn't it?

And a lot of history.

A lot. A lot. A lot.
Yeah.

Captain Yanni,
(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

Cheers.

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

(LANGUAGE UNKNOWN TO CAPTIONER)

Our time on Schinoussa
was brought to an end

over a long lunch
that was full of laughs,

and plenty of questions from me

about some of the secret spots
Captain Yanni

had visited over the years.

It was a fitting way
to slowly wind down

in this idyllic little paradise.

Tomorrow, we were headed to Irakleia.

(THEME MUSIC)

Irakleia is one of those islands

that few tourists
have ever heard of.

In fact, very few Greeks
are even aware of its existence.

This could easily make you
assume that

it's isolated in the middle
of nowhere, but it's not.

It's actually quite accessible
and close to Mykonos,

Paros and Naxos.

Irakleia is the largest
of the Lesser Cyclades,

yet it's less than
18sqkm, in size.

There's just a few hundred people
calling it home,

almost all of them
living in either the port town

of Agios Georgios or Panagia
in the middle of the island.

For its size, there's quite a bit
of tourism development here,

with much of the restored houses
being holiday homes

or accommodation for visitors.

But you don't come here
for the modern stuff,

it's the history
that excites me the most.

Just east of the port
of Agios Georgios

is this place they call the castro,
or the castle.

But it's a settlement
that people have been living in

since prehistoric times,

all the way up to 1930.

Behind me, you can see
two different types of stone.

You see the grey Hellenistic,
3rd, 4th century BC,

big stones, and then you see

lots of other stones
which are different types,

but they are from Byzantine
and medieval times.

I'm betting, that grey stone
is stone that's come from Naxos

because there's no other
stone here like it.

What's amazing about
this place is that

they've developed it over time

and there's different houses
all over the place.

But it's so sad to see it empty now,

because it overlooks
that beautiful bay

and beach of Livadi.

Now, they should really
restore this bay

because it's a wonderful spot.

It commands this view of Naxos
and Schinoussa,

and that beautiful,

blue-turquoise water
and that sandy beach,

it's just divine, you know?

I could live up here.

You can see why the fortress
was built here.

There are views across the sea

and a safe anchorage
at the beach below.

The setting is rugged,
yet beautiful.

The perfect spot to sit
and rest for a while.

Johann, you're a music producer,
and a bloody good one.

Thank you.

You were raised
in the fast life,

what are you doing
on a tiny little island like

Irakleia,
in the middle of nowhere?

Living the real life,
slow living...

Yeah?

..connected with the nature,

with the weather, with all senses
are opening, you know?

Can you still produce music
while you're here?

You can even produce better music
while you're here.

Yeah, wow.

You have a clean mind, you know?

Yeah.
You have a clean mind.

You're not...

If you're not too much
into social media

and following up what is going on,

the trend in music business,
you're totally...

You're not connected
with all of this

you've experienced this so far.

So, you have a clean slate,
basically, here?

Yeah.
And yeah, I like that.

I can, sort of, understand
why poets and writers

and song writers
come to places like this.

Like Cohen in Hydra.

Cohen in Hydra.
Yeah.

Because there are plenty of,
actually, European.

There's Swedes, Italians, Swiss.

There's lots of different people
on this island.

That's true.

And there's two main villages

and a third that was dilapidated
and gone,

and people are now buying houses
in the third village.

Exactly. Exactly.
So, it is.

Something's happening here,
you can...

It's moving, it's coming.

But it has to be in the right way.
Slowly.

Because we have seen it
in other islands,

I don't want
to mention names, but...

Yeah.

You mean Koufonisi?

I don't know.

Even closer.
Even closer?

OK, righto.
You don't know...

We don't need private beaches.

We don't need big villas
and private properties.

We want to be free, you know?
Yeah.

I want to be able to walk

the island like I'm doing
since I'm a small child,

to still do it by myself and my kids
and my grandchildren,

totally free.

It's a free wild island
and it should be free and wild.

Yeah.

That wildness is something
that seems to keep you here?

Of course, we are free.

Yeah, you're free.

That purity.

Thank you.
Well, listen.

I might experience some of that
purity by going for a swim.

How's the water here, is it good?

No, it's awful.

He doesn't want you to come.

Thank you, man.
Thank you very much.

Thank you.
Thank you, thank you.

What I love about My Greek Odyssey
is that I get to sit on a beach

and listen to all sorts
of people's stories, like Johann.

They give me a different perspective
on how to live,

while also providing
a locals-only insight

into life in these special places.

One tip he gave me was to head
to the opposite side of the island,

to a beach known as Paralia Alimias.

It's in the southwest corner
and has its own secret

that you just have to check out.

World War II
saw the Allies place spotters

on islands like this, at Irakleia.

450m high, on Mount Papas,
they'd watch the sea lanes.

Not much got through
when these guys risked their lives.

What we're about to see
is some of the carnage that occurred

as a result of their brave work.

Just off the beach,
and in the middle of this image,

is a dark patch of seagrass
with a channel running to the left.

Near to this is a lighter shade,

which is actually the wreckage

of a World War II
German float plane.

The plane was shot down
in September 1943,

but only discovered in 1982,

when a fishing boat's nets got
caught up in it.

They dragged it to shallow water

so, it wouldn't cause
the fishermen problems again.

Nowadays, it's a marine habitat.

And while it slowly erodes away,

provides a valuable reminder
of the past.

A great thing about this wreck

is that you don't need scuba gear
to explore it.

The water is shallow
and clear enough

that with just a snorkel and mask,

you can enjoy some time
floating around

and peering
at the decaying remnants.

Join me in the next episode
as I continue my time on Irakleia,

before upping anchor
and heading across to Paros.

I'll be spending several days there,

delving into what makes it

one of the most popular
islands in Greece,

let alone the Cyclades.

It might be best known
for its scenery and white marble,

but in reality,
there's a whole host of reasons

that Paros is such
an awesome destination.

Captioned by Ai-Media
ai-media.tv