All language subtitles for m.g.o.s06e05.1080p.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 Cyclades,

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 gonna 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:
This episode of My Greek Odyssey

continues my time
on the Island of Iraklia,

and I've only got a day to cover
everything I want to see.

From there,
we're cruising across to Paros,

a much more well-known
and busy tourist destination.

I'll be exploring the history
and landmarks of the island

from ancient ruins
to the famed white marble

as well as some of Mother Nature's
wonders that make Paros so unique.

Last episode saw me
arriving on Iraklia,

which for most of you out there
is an island

you've probably never heard of.

It's a destination

where you can be
a stone's throw

from the busier
holiday spots,

yet feel like

you're in the
middle of nowhere.

Iraklia is the largest island
in the Lesser Cycladic group.

Some consider it the most beautiful.

The geography basically follows
the mountain ranges

between Ios and Naxos.

And just looking at it,
there isn't a part of it

that you can't not like.

The port faces north,
the prevailing winds,

as a result,
seafarers don't come here.

There are more discerning tourists.

There's eight hiking trails.

No pharmacies, no bank,
no garbage tip.

They actually take their
garbage off the island to Naxos.

There's nothing here,
but there's a lot here.

The population
of the island is small,

however,
it is a modern developed feel,

perhaps
it's because everything is so clean

and the houses are so vibrant.

Outside of the pretty beaches,
the hiking is fantastic

and there are some really
interesting ruins

that are well worth checking out.

The beaches are quiet
with clear water and soft sand.

Plus, if you're into
your war history,

there's an awesome plane wreck
at Palia Alimius Beach,

which you can easily snorkel
or dive on.

Having spent some time
in the water already,

it was time for another hike,
and joining me was Fanis.

He's immensely intelligent

with a wealth of knowledge
about the island.

So, Fanis,
what keeps you here?

The peacefulness of the island.

Yeah.

I lived in Athens for some years,
but I found that

this type of life
was not suitable for me.

Too stressful?

Too stressful,

and I always wanted
to live in Iraklia,

to a peaceful place.

I thought that money
isn't everything.

Yeah.

Here you can have
quality in your life.

Right.

When I first met Fanis,

I thought our planets
just weren't aligned.

You see,
Fanis is an incredibly smart guy

with a few more terabytes
in his cranium

than I have in mine,

and that disparity
can create some awkwardness.

There was a purpose
to everything he said and did.

No small talk or banter,
just the facts about

where we were
and what we were doing.

He's a lot like the many engineers
I've dealt with over the years.

However, behind that clinical facade
is a man with great passion

for his island home.

I soon took a shine to him

and learned about
his desire to escape

the stresses of the modern world,
yet still live a life of purpose

that adds value to his community.

So, Fanis,
you're a mechanical engineer,

your brother's
a mechanical engineer,

your father's a mathematician,
your grandfather's a mathematician?

Yes.

This is, as we say,

the (SPEAKS GREEK)
or something like that.

You're in a
very relaxed environment.

How does an engineering mind
cope with what you're doing here?

University mainly opens your mind.
Yeah.

Then you are free
to do anything you want.

And what we wanted
was to come back here

in the island
and stay here permanently.

And now I work
in the hotel industry.

The trails are well-marked
and easy to follow,

easy in the sense of navigation,

but not so easy when it comes
to the physical effort involved.

Maybe we'll see some of them today.

This is unusually green for Iraklia.

Yes, and as you can see,

the trees here are much bigger
than the other places.

Probably there must be
some underground water

because of the shape of the land.

But in general,

Iraklia is quite green compared
to the other islands.

There you can see

the nearby small Cyclades,
that's Schinoussa.

Behind Schinoussa on the left
you can see Koufonisi.

Right.
On the north there is Naxos.

Right.

Now, let's move because we are near
our final destination.

Fantastic.

Fanis moved with an intensity
and purpose that often left me

feeling like I was chasing him.

To him, this amazing scenery
is just another regular day.

For me, it was too amazing
not to slow down

and just take in this
majestic scenery.

So, I occasionally
asked Fanis to wait up a little

while I caught up.

Maybe it's just that
he's full of youthful exuberance

or perhaps
I'm getting a bit slower as I age.

Fanis, I understand there's almost
174 different bird species

here on the island.

Some coming from
as far as Madagascar.

Yes, this island
is ideal for the birds

because it only has a few people

and it has a lot of cliffs

with places for the birds
to have their nests.

And here we have
some famous falcons,

like the Eleonora's falcons

who migrate here from Madagascar
and stay here during summer.

They have their nests
in some small islands

in the south west of Iraklia.

Right.

Also, the island's famous
for the vultures

who have their nests
near the place we're going now.

Right.
And also for a couple of Eagles.

Eagles as well?

Eagles as well.
Yeah.

Everyone
has a different personality.

I can tell you that most of the time

dealing with engineers
is hard enough,

but trying to get eye contact
from Fanis was near impossible.

Somehow in the back of my mind,
I knew that his high power brain

was probably struggling
to deal with my craniums,

much smaller capacity.

Fanis,
are all the eight hiking trails

as well manicured and as beautiful
as this on the island?

Yeah, I would say even better.

All of our hiking trails
are very well-preserved.

Look at the bits down there.
The colours are amazing.

Yes, pretty cool. Wow.

The height here is almost 150m.

Wow.

Now, you understand why the vultures
want to stay at this region.

Yeah.
They have this magnificent view.

Wow.

And actually
that's one vulture there,

if you can see it.

Oh, yeah. Just over there.

It's huge. 2.40cm.

Wing span.
Exactly.

Look at it go.

It exploits the hotter currents

in order to take some height
without moving its wings.

It doesn't want to spend
too much energy

because it's very rare for it
to find some food to eat.

Let's say once every month.

And what's it eating?

Mostly dead goats.
They do not hunt.

The goats that live free
on the mountains.

That is such a beautiful site
within a beautiful area.

I mean,
I'm happy just to sit here now

for a while before we go back.

Good idea.

We should stay a while
and enjoy the view.

Yeah.

It took a while,
but Fanis finally warmed up

to me and cracked a smile.

How couldn't you after
a wonderful walk like that

with such a magnificent view
at the end?

This was to be
my final few hours on Iraklia

and I couldn't think of a better way
to spend them.

In the brief time
I was on the island,

I'd come to understand
a little of what life

is like for locals.

It's a sleepy place,
ideal for the independent traveller

that doesn't need
an exciting night life

and shopping strips.

Here you need to find
your own entertainment,

which is in stark contrast
to my next destination, Paros.

(THEME MUSIC)

We left Iraklia

where the sea was calm

and the wind was minimal,

but rounding the corner
in our journey to the Northwest,

we were confronted
with the seasonal winds

that this part of the Cyclades
is known for.

It made for a bumpy ride
that wreaked havoc,

not only on the boat,
but the film crew too.

The change in weather
was similar to the contrast

between the two locations.

I had left one of the smallest
and quietest islands in Greece

and was about to lay anchor
at one of the largest

and most densely populated.

We're all used to seeing those

beautiful photos
of the Greek islands

with that still,
reflective blue turquoise water.

And you think, wow,
but it's not always like that.

In the Cyclades,
we got something called the Meltemi,

which is a wind that comes
from the north

and this happens occasionally,
and for the last three or four days

it's been like that in the Cyclades
and I've been shaking around.

I've got a bit of a headache,
to be honest with you.

But the good thing about
the Cycladic islands

is they're small
and you can take your boat

and go around the corner
or you can just drive

to the other side of the island
and it's flat.

That's what the captain's
doing right now,

'cause we're here in Paros
and the Meltemi's hitting hard.

Paros, what a beautiful island.

And in antiquity
in the 7th, 8th century,

it was at its peak.

Known for its beautiful,
white, soft, sculptable marble

that they use on these
wonderful sculptures.

Venus de Milo,
the Nike of Samothrace,

lots and lots of stuff.

Anyway.

Today, those sculptures are gone,
the marble's in quarries

that are no longer used
and all we're left with

is this beautiful
Cycladic architecture

and some wonderful beaches
with 13,500 people on this island,

and it's visited
yearly by millions of people.

I personally am looking forward
to walking through Paros,

having a swim
and hopefully out of the wind.

With the wind
howling along the coast,

we decided to start
our exploration of Paros

in the heart of the island.

But first,
here's a little bit more about

what you can expect when you visit.

The main port
and capital is Parikia.

This is the commercial
and cultural centre of the island

and where all the ferries
come and go.

The other major settlement
is Naousa,

which feels more like
a modern fishing village.

Both have their charms
and attract tourists

from all four corners of the globe.

A drive between the two locations
gives you a feel

for just how big the island is.

The farmland makes it seem as though

you're in a remote
corner of the Aegean,

but arriving at the port,
you quickly discover

that it's a thriving destination

with constant movement
of holiday makers

coming and going.

The buzz of Parikia harbour
is constant.

Every day
there are ferries arriving,

loading and unloading tourists
like sheep.

It's an island that might have
a very transient population,

but at the core there's a community
of passionate locals

that maintain a semblance

of the unique culture
that Paros has.

To get my bearings,

I made my way east of the island
to the monastery of Agios Antonios.

Perched high on a hill,

it provides beautiful views
across Paros and the sea.

However,
as pretty as the setting is,

it's the historic significance
that really drew me there.

It's a place where
behind the present day peace

and serenity lies a terrible past,

with events that
devastated the island

for generations.

We're on one of the highest points
of the island.

This is Kefalos, and behind me
is the monastery of Agios Antonios.

It's here where the last days
of the Venetian rule

were played out.

In 1537,
the Ottoman Admiral Barbarossa

invaded the island.

Up here the islanders gathered,
they fought them off

as much as they could,
but some 6,000 were

either slaughtered
or taken prisoner.

Only one man escaped to Venice.

He wasn't born here

and he was only here
for a short time.

He had absolutely no attachment
to this place

other than his aristocratic lineage.

Bernardo Sobrado,
the Venetian overlord, he lived.

The islanders...

need I say more.

This echoes an all too common
and unfair theme

that has occurred
throughout history.

Those with power and wealth
often escape the horrors of war

using their political connections
and fortune

as a means by which to avoid
the suffering

that the poor or common folk
are subjected to.

In this case, the Barron was spared

while countless islanders
were killed or enslaved,

leaving Paros largely deserted
for many years.

In the centuries
since the Ottoman invasion

and decimation
of the people of Paros,

the island has seen
other dramatic periods

that have tested the populace.

Most recently
there was the Nazi occupation

of the Second World War,

but in the last 60 years or so,

there has been
somewhat of a rebirth,

led largely by the tourism boom.

With the arrival
of large numbers of visitors

came money and industry,

which meant the island could prosper
and support more people.

Today, it's a thriving destination,
full of energy and rich in culture.

It would seem that
perhaps the trials

of the past have shaped a people
of great resolve

and motivation to succeed.

Paros is now a modern,
developed and flourishing island.

It's a place that welcomes outsiders
with open arms

and embraces all cultures
into the community.

Many that visit end up as locals,
and those that only come once,

leave with fond memories
of an island that has it all.

For me, I'm very open about
my preference for the smaller,

quieter destinations.

Towns like this
with their alleys and shops

are popular for most tourists

and also a welcome change for me
from the peaceful islands.

But when in the crowds,

I find myself longing
for the serenity

of somewhere off the beaten path.

One thing I really appreciate
about islands like this

is that when visiting them,
you can pack a lot more

into a short amount of time.

Travellers can get a taste
for the full gamut

of what Greece has to offer.

I've been walking the streets
and I've just seen

something I've never seen before.

I've got to go in and try it.
I'm just so hungry, you know.

Hello.
How are you?

Not too bad. That looks fantastic.

Can you make me one of those?

Of course.

That's way too much.

Some almonds or biscuit?

OK. I'll have the sugar-free.

And I think
you like very much the Ferrero.

No, I'll have the sugar-free.
Give me the sugar-free.

(LAUGHS)

Can you take this?

I opted for what I thought
was the healthiest option.

Watching it being prepared,
I don't think the word healthy

has ever been uttered in this shop.

But I convinced myself that

leaving without trying it
was just too unfair

to the My Greek Odyssey viewers.

(LAUGHS)

So, you're ready.

Thanks.
So, enjoy it.

Thank you, Tatiana. Thank you.

You're welcome.

I think I'm gonna be sharing
this with the cameraman,

the sound lady,
the producer, the director,

and possibly everybody outside.

Would you like mastika?

No? OK.

You have to try something
very special and very tasty.

Very tasty.

This is for you.

This is for the cameraman.

Wow, that's tsoureki.
It's called tsoureki.

Yes. It's tsoureki.
It's Greek tsoureki with mastika.

You don't try?

No, I'm having this.
What are you talking about?

How much can I have?

Only this.
No. There's enough in here.

OK, I eat it.

I haven't even got down
to the sugar-coated cone yet.

I'm gonna take a bite out of it.

I can't even take a bite out of it.

Trying to attack this thing.

Do it again.

Yeah. Wow.

Look,
I'm trying to break it up here,

but it's just too hard.

Here we go. Here we go. Here we go.
Here we go. Here we go.

Good. It's good.

(THEME MUSIC)

To continue the story about
the Venetian period of Paros.

I made my way back to Parikia
and met with Avgi,

a local archaeologist.

Our walk took us
through the quaint village,

which had been built in and around
the ruins of the old castle.

We call it a castle,
but don't think of a castle

like you would find in Central
or Northern Europe.

What we mean by castle here

is practically a neighbourhood

where the upper aristocracy
would live

and where the people would find
refuge in times of danger.

Created by the Venetians
who arrived here in 1206,

but built this tower in 1260.

It was Marco Sanudo from Naxos
who came and built this tower

and instead of pulling out new stone
to build this castle,

they just demolished the temples.

Basically the Temple of Athena
that was on the Acropolis of Paros.

And then they took also material
from the Temple of Demeter.

These are the drums from the columns
of the Temple of Athena.

And they raised this tower,
which was originally 90m high,

from where the sentinel
that was standing in that

round little building
that comes from the Tholos,

another ancient building of
Paros, could watch the sea

and warn the inhabitants
and warn the Venetians

that the enemy was coming.

When we say the castle here,
we mean a neighbourhood

which is protected
by the outer walls of the houses.

They form a kind of onset,
which is what in a normal castle

would be the ramparts of a castle.

You see this type of construction
throughout the Cyclades.

Islands like Serifos, Sifnos,
and even Folegandros,

have similar features
where the Venetians reused materials

for their buildings.

And then in the centuries
that followed,

homes were built in and amongst,

around and on top of the remnants
of the fortresses.

Even to this day,
people live in the small houses

amidst the narrow alleys
of these historic places.

It's quite unique.
And to be honest, a bit romantic.

Avgi, I can see houses
on top of these walls.

Well, this is like
the inner circle

of the so-called castle
with the houses

of, let us say,
the high aristocracy.

And you see
the huge blocks of marble

that have been used.

You see the lintel from the gate
of the temple of Athena

and the side of it.

And from the size of these blocks,
you can imagine,

you can guess the size of this gate
and the size of the temple.

Of the temple of Athena? Yes.
Yes.

Because to me, that's the big thing.
Look at the size of that.

That's huge.

But this wall basically goes
all the way around the whole...

Yes. It is like a circle.
And then there's the outer circle.

And there were two gates
leading in and out of the castle,

which would close at night
or when there was an attack

of the pirates
or of the Ottoman Turks

that eventually conquered
the island of Paros

in 1536 under the leadership
of that terrible famous pirate.

Barbarossa.
Barbarossa, yes.

The destruction
of temples and sacred sites

for the purposes of erasing history

and stamping your authority
on a conquered land

is something that has gone on
through the ages.

It's a tragic outcome of war

that has seen the loss
of countless important monuments,

art, temples,
and other items of cultural

or historic value.

But sometimes new powers

add to the aesthetic
of the lands they seize,

integrating
their religion and beliefs

into those
of the people they conquer.

When St Helen,

the mother of the Emperor
Constantine the Great,

set out for Jerusalem
to find the Holy Cross,

she had to stop in Paros
for a few days.

While she stayed here,
she came here

where there was a small chapel,
just a small chapel,

not the big church you see today.

And she prayed to the Holy Virgin
for guidance and help

since she did want
to get to Jerusalem

and find the Holy Cross.

Well, eventually
she was able to leave

and to go to Jerusalem
where she did find the Holy Cross.

And that's where the chapel
of the Holy Sepulchre is right now.

And she had made the promise
to the Holy Virgin

that if she found the cross,

she would come back here

and build a big church
in her honour.

So, she did go back
to Constantinople,

but there she died.

And her son, Constantine,

he decided
to fulfil his mother's promises.

So, he sent architects, money,
workers from Constantinople

to build this church,
which is an imperial church.

Two centuries later,
another emperor, Justinian,

will take an interest
in this church.

And after building
a Hagia Sophia in Constantinople,

he will send his architect here.

And he will send the necessary money

and material
to change the original roof,

wooden roof of the church,
because this was a basilica

with a wooden roof
initially in the 4th century.

But Justinian wanted
absolutely to change this roof

with a beautiful stone dome.

The model for this dome
is the dome of Hagia Sophia,

which was the first dome church
in the world.

So, this church is connected
to two of the greatest emperors

of the Byzantine Empire.

I understand the oldest baptistery
is also here as well.

Yes.
Can we have a look at that?

Sure.
follow me.

It's amazing to think that
this building exists

because of a promise.

And not only is it still standing
in pristine condition,

but remains
in use for its original purpose.

It would be filled with water.
There are steps.

So, the person to be baptised
would go in from this side,

which is the west,
and would come out

through the water
towards the other side,

which is the east.

And I see
there's also some frescoes.

These are original frescoes?
They are.

But you have to imagine
that the baptistery

was covered in fresco paintings.

You couldn't see the stones
like you see them nowadays.

And there were mosaics on the floor.

Wow.

So, it was really
a very, very splendid monument

with light coming through,
because this is what baptism did.

It enlightened people.

Yeah. Very nice.

An interesting story is that
it was built

on top of an ancient temple site.

And stones from that shrine
have been recycled

and used in the walls
of the baptistery.

If you didn't do your research
or come here with a guide,

you'd be none the wiser
and miss these subtle details

that add so much depth
to the story of the place.

There's a calmness to the setting
that befits its significance.

And regardless
of your stance on religion,

it's hard not to be moved
when standing here.

(THEME MUSIC)

Just 4kms east of the main port,

you'll find these
old, dilapidated buildings

from the 19th century.

It's here where
French mining companies

exploited the local stone
in the 1800s.

Long before them, it was the Romans,
but hidden away

beneath the open quarries

are deep cave-like intrusions
into the earth.

They're the remnants
of the first miners here,

the ancient Greeks, 2,500 years ago.

These are the origins
of the famed white marble of Paros.

We're in the centre of the island,
Marathi.

And there's this massive opening
down there.

It looks like it's some,
sort of, speleologist's wet dream.

But no, it's not a cave.

This in fact is an ancient quarry.

And what you see in front of you
doesn't look like any good stone.

I mean, take it off the wall
and it's brown stuff,

but that's just the weathering.

Turn it around and it's marble.

Marble from Paros is considered

some of the best marble
in the world.

And in antiquity
it was the best sculpturing marble

in the world
and ends up looking like this.

And that is a shaft that goes
deep into the earth.

And it was unique to Paros

because no one else
quarried into the earth.

They followed the best seams.

And we're gonna go down there
and have a good look at it.

Some of the best sculptures
in the world

have come out of here.

I have to say,
coming here on your own

is not advised.

It's actually quite dangerous.

And we were granted
special permission to film it.

And behind the scenes

we had someone supervising
our safety.

So, watch this,
log it in your memory,

and then visit the museum instead.

The trajectory of this shaft
is just so steep.

The amount of work involved
in cutting

and then extracting that stone,

that marble would've been huge.

And you'd think,
why didn't they just

quarry from the surface?

Well, they did.

They did quarry from the surface,
but the quality of the stone,

the marble on the surface
was nowhere near

what they were pulling out
of this vein.

And it became known as
the lychnites Parian marble.

Lychnites means lamp in Greek.

Now, there's two meanings there.

One is that they
would cut the marble

using lamps for the light.

And the other one is that the marble

that comes out of here allows light
to go through

to about 7cms, they say.

And that's like three or four times
more than any other marble.

So, much so that they used
this marble for the tiles

on the Parthenon at the Acropolis.

It's a soft

and easily worked marble.

They used
this for the Venus de Milo,

which is in the Louvre,
for the Nike,

the Nike in the Louvre.

The problem here was

that this shaft
was so small in size,

they couldn't pull out big slabs,

so they couldn't use it
for major construction.

All they could use it
for was statues and figurines.

And in many cases
it would be two pieces.

One piece just it wasn't the size.

And in other instances,
they'd only use the good,

good Parian marble
for the head only.

Anyway, that goes down forever.

And there's a couple of shafts
coming off it,

and I'm starting
to get a bit claustrophobic.

I'm gonna get out of here
'cause I actually

wanna go to the museum
and have a look at the stuff

that's been cut up
into a Nike that's there,

not the Nike of Samothrace,
but it's a different statue.

So, let's go and check it out
and get out of here.

Very few people are aware
of how famous this quarry

should actually be.

Other than the Venus de Milo
and Nike

that are in the Louvre,
there was Napoleon's tomb,

the treasure
in the Temple of Athena at Delphi,

the Temple of Apollo,
as well as the Temple of Solomon,

all quarried out of Parian marble.

And to think that
these amazing works

have their origins
from these two mine shafts.

Another thing to consider

is that the marble
was quarried by hand.

Even today with the use
of machines and explosives,

it's hard, dangerous work.

Go back a couple of thousand years

and you can imagine
the physical toil

required to chisel the stone away
and then cart it

hundreds of kilometres
across land and sea

for sculptors to then
weave their magic.

But it was a labour of love
as much as one of pure grit.

A lot of people come to a museum
like this one

and like to admire the art,
but in many instances,

there's a story behind the statue
or the piece of artwork.

In this instance,
we have the Nike of Paros,

and she was commissioned
specifically to sit in the square

to celebrate the victory of Paros
against Athens in 480 BC.

She was found in 1885,

armless, headless, and wingless.

But when you have
a close look at it,

beneath that 2,500-year-old patina
that you have there,

you can see the different layers
of clothing,

maybe two or three
different layers of clothing.

And that's come out
because of the wonderful artistry

and the sculpting of that beautiful,
beautiful Paros marble.

The lychnites marble.

Now, let's just check it out.
I've got a piece here.

Is it the same one?
Yes, you bet it is.

Look, it's the same one,
same marble,

and I'll put that back
in the quarry as well.

I don't like taking
anything with me.

Look at that.
We went to the right quarry.

There's a powerful presence
to these statues.

Even today when they're weathered
and incomplete,

they hold so much history

and are a testament
to the artistry of the ancients.

There are stone quarries
across the Mediterranean

and the white marble that
comes from Paros is easily on par,

if not finer than any of the best
you'll find on our planet.

A measure of its quality
is the fact that

it was used
in so many prominent buildings

and works of art,
not only in ancient history,

but throughout the centuries.

It's quite moving to be able to see
these wonderful statues up close,

but even more so to be able to say,
"I've been to the very place

"from which the raw materials
were sourced."

Next for me was to see first hand

how it goes from a simple white slab
to a work of art.

And for that,
I needed to meet a local artisan.

(THEME MUSIC)

Having seen the place

from which the raw Parian marble
is quarried.

The next step in my education

on this beautiful material

was to see

how it's painstakingly
worked

into pieces of art.

An expert
on the subject is Aristides,

who thankfully gave me
a few hours of his time

and a couple of ouzos along the way.

Paros's wealth in ancient times,
was marble, wasn't it?

Yes.

Marble made
Paros great

because Parian marble
was unique.

Let me give you an example.

Even in Old Testament

somewhere says that King David

was watching the Temple of Solomon

and he was proud
because it was so great.

He used gold, silver,
and a lot of Parian marble.

It says in the Old Testament.

Is that right?
It is, Old Testament.

Aristides,
you are using the same tools

as they used in ancient times.

Exactly. Exactly the same tools.

And it's really great to know that

in all those centuries,

the tools of sculpture remain
exactly the same.

Wow.

And how do you know
this is Parian lychnites marble?

There are very, very...

special things.

Qualities?

Yes. And secret.

For example,
Parian marble is very, very famous

because it's very transparent.

Right.

The transparency
of Parian marble is unique.

Even if you compare it
with Carrara marble.

The most transparent marble
of recent time.

Parian marble is extremely,
extremely better.

How much more transparent
than say Carrara marble?

Let me compare it
with Thassos marble,

the Athenian marble
and Carrara's marble.

OK.

Athenian marble
usually goes up to 2, 2.5cms.

Right.

Carrara's marble
sometimes goes to 5.

Right.

I have found Parian marble
more than 35cms.

The light going through?

Yes. Did you put the light?

I thought it's about 7cms.

But it's...

You read
many, many different things.

Yes. Yes.

I can even now put a light here
and you see it like that.

So, this piece that
you're working on at the moment,

how long has it taken you?

It depends.
Yeah.

Because you cannot really use it
as common element.

Right.

But as an entity,

you have to be sure
what you are doing.

Yeah.
So, when you have inspiration...

You work on it?
Yeah.

When you don't, you don't?
Yeah.

You are patient
to start again and again.

So, especially this part,

I hope to finish it this year,

but four years I'm working on it.

Wow. I see.

You'd be going off and on this one.

This is one of your longest, right?
Yeah. Yeah.

What happens if you make a mistake?
What do you do?

You throw it.

One little mistake, it's gone?

You throw it.

Can you show me
some of your finished pieces?

Oh, yes, of course. Come.

Let's put that aside
and we'll go and have a look

at some of your finished pieces.

Aristides places immense purpose
into his sculptures.

Each piece is an expression
of not only what the stone inspires,

but his life experiences as well.

Inspiration comes from nature,
the people he meets, poetry,

every facet of his life.

The challenge then
is to clearly express

his vision through the stone.

As much as you can.

Even if you can't shape your life
the way you want,

at least try as much as you can,
not to degrade it.

By too much contact with the world,
by too much activity and talk.

Do not degrade it
by dragging it along,

taking it around there, exposing it

for so often to say
the daily silliness

of social relations and parties

until it comes to seem a boring,
hang on.

Constantine P Cavafy.

He's a poet.

He's a poet
at the middle of 20th century.

Greek from Alexandria of Egypt.

A valuable life lesson
I took away from this is that

wasting your life partying
and looking for pleasure

leaves no legacy,
adding no value to those around you.

You need a greater purpose,

something of meaning
to dedicate your time to.

As a memento
of this special experience,

I just had to buy a piece
to take home with me.

Alex, the show's director
bought himself something too,

so that in the years to come,
when we visit each other's homes,

we will see these
beautiful hand crafted sculptures

hanging on the wall
and can reminisce about

our time on Paros with Aristides.

(THEME MUSIC)

One thing
you're guaranteed of in Paros

is a lot of
sandy beaches

and they're on the north,

south, east, and west coast.

So, it doesn't matter

whether it's the prevailing Meltemi,

the northerly wind,
or any other wind for that matter,

you can find not just one beach,
but a number of beaches

to enjoy
the beautiful Mediterranean,

the Aegean waters,
like they are here.

And I reckon
the best time is the morning,

like these ladies here,
come in early in the morning,

you've got the place to yourself.

It's flat
and it's absolutely awesome.

I just wanna jump in the water.

Swimming is always on the agenda.

Whenever I'm in Greece,

a morning and afternoon dip
are mandatory,

but as inviting as the water was,
I had a beauty treatment to get to.

Now, it's not exactly
what you're thinking.

I wasn't headed to a salon
for a facial and pedicure.

Instead, I was going to experience
Mother Nature's spa

at a beach just a short walk away.

You know
you've come to the right place

when you see people standing around
in the sun covered in mud.

I came across it the day before
when I was out for a walk

and met George
and his family scratching away

at the rocks
and lathering themselves up.

He's an American of Greek heritage
and regularly comes to Paros

to see his relatives.

George, when did you discover
this clay deposit

and this process of...

It's a cheap spa, isn't it?
It's a cheap spa.

Yes. Yes.

If I lived in Paros,
I'd come here once a week.

Yeah.
Look at my skin.

That's from yesterday, is it?

Yes.
Oh, wow.

Well, hopefully my skin
will feel like that after today,

but I've got lots of hair on mine.

You got no hair, mate.

Every time I come,

my cousins tell me another
beach to come to.

"Oh, you got to see this."

So, they give me
a list of ten beaches.

Right.

So, Mary-Beth actually
found this one and made us come.

And my friend, Tim,
who's with us for my birthday

wanted to see it so.

Sixth time here.
This is my first time at this beach.

So, this Kalogeros beach,
which means monk in Greek.

So, I don't know what the...

Oh, mate, not yet, mate.

I got to take the shirt off.
I've got to take the hat off.

I can't get the hat dirty, right,

'cause I've got to use it
for like months.

I'm gonna get started.
You get started.

Look at this gear. It's fantastic.
Look at that.

I'm mixing it up
with a hammer there.

That's taking me like
10 or 15 minutes.

Where's Jerry with his bucket?

He was good...
Natural mud bath.

Yeah, yeah beautiful.

Jerry's gone collecting
some other colour

from somewhere else.

Well, there's red
clay over there and then green.

I've got a feeling this
is very similar to bentonite

and bentonite is a product
that they use

in the construction industry,
but they also use it

pharmaceutically and to do exactly
what you're doing at the moment.

Here we go. Yeah, thanks, mate.
Thanks.

I've been working on, like,
this much for half an hour

and you've got a whole bucket full
in 15 minutes.

Alright. Alright, let's mix that up.

I reckon I can start.

I reckon we can start mudding up,
buddy.

Let's mud up.
Let's mud up. OK.

Alright,
we're gonna take the hat off.

You can pay hundreds of dollars
for a treatment like this,

or come here
and do it yourself for free.

Come to think of it.

This is way better because you meet

great people during the process.

Ready?

(LAUGHS)

The birthday boy. The birthday boy.

Is that right?
Oh, yes. Oh, yeah.

You're 40 today, aren't you, mate?
40?

35.
35.

You're getting younger
every 15 minutes.

Oops, sorry.
Get out of here.

Getting lathered up
by a bunch of Americans.

A word of warning.

If you're hairy like me,

rubbing the mud
in is like exfoliating,

so, it can get a tad uncomfortable,

but the pain is worth enduring
for that wonderful baby soft skin

you end up with.

You've got to be all in with this,
from your head to your toes.

Different colour?
Yeah.

Looks great on the calves.
Right here?

Jerry,
I don't think there's a better way

to celebrate your birthday
than being on your

Patrico Island, as we say.

Say it again?

With good...
with your Patrico Island.

Patrico.

Which is Paros,
which is your Patrico Island,

with good friends and new friends.

Mudded up with a glass of champagne.

Thank you, Mary-Beth.

Oh, we got two bottles?

We got six bottles, mate.

One for each. Here you go.

Oh, here we go.

Evharisto.
Para kalo.

Next.

Happy birthday, mate.
Happy 50th birthday.

Yamas.
Yamas. Yamas. Yamas. Yamas.

Yeah, yeah.

New friends.

Oh, man.

That's good.

Travelling is as much about
the people you meet

as it is about the places you see.

I love unexpected encounters
like this.

One minute
you're having an afternoon walk.

Then the next,
you've made some new friends

and are covering each other in mud.

What I liked most about this lot
was their bond as a family.

They were talking,
laughing and having a great time.

Totally unfazed by
what those passing

by might have thought about them
sitting around covered in mud.

In fact, anyone that was curious
was welcomed into the fold,

just like I was.

Are you feeling it already?

Are you feeling the mud,
the clay tightening up your skin?

Yes.
As it dries up.

Yeah.
Yeah.

Jerry,
you've got a good dentist, mate.

Your teeth are shining.
They're shining. You too, George.

It must be the mud.
It's the mud.

With the mud removed,

I felt rejuvenated

and ready for a couple more days
exploring the island.

In the next episode,
my time on Paros continues

as I check out the coastal scenery
and interior of the island.

As well as meeting
a couple of locals

bringing some modern flare

to the island's millennia
old art scene.

Plus Kyriako is cooking up
an amazing cake

before we up anchor

and head across to nearby,
Antiparos.

Captioned by Ai-Media
ai-media.tv