Original subtitles

(upbeat music)

Series four of My Greek Odyssey

sees us traveling through the Southern islands

of the Dodecanese,

from Kos to Symian roads

all the way down to Kastellorizo,

it's a region of Greece with significant influence

from Asia Minor,

and landscapes quite unlike

other parts of the Mediterranean.

The history is as dramatic as the scenery

and of course the cuisine is unforgettable.

There's the cliche beaches and wonderful people,

plus unique cultural elements

that give each destination its own personality.

In this episode

I'm making my way to Halki,

it's another one of those beautiful islands

that most people have never heard of,

it's a place of contrast.

From Halki, I'm then heading to Karpathos

where I'll be experiencing its unique culture

in more ways than one.

(piano music)

Last episode,

I had a great time rediscovering

my favorite uninhabited island, Alimnia.

As I finished my trip at top its mountain,

I could see Halki in the distance,

only four nautical miles to the Southwest

and unlike Alimnia, Halki has a small population.

It's a short ferry ride and a quaint diversion

from the big island of Rhodes,

so it gets a fair share of day trippers.

It's apparently the smallest inhabited island

in the Dodecanese.

And first impression is

that there's not going to be much to see,

but being small doesn't mean Halki is lacking in any way,

it just has enough going on

to keep you entertained for a few days

and without the noise or development.

We've just arrived at the tiny island of Halki,

28 square kilometers,

this is the only remaining settlement.

Now, Halki is a little sister of Symi

you can tell by the neoclassic architecture.

They're also sponge fishermen,

they actually have a little bit of a fight

over the little tiny prawns that the Symians call their own

but it's got the bluest water of any harbor in Greece

that I know of

and you can swim here,

it's awesome, so let's go out and check it out.

(soft music)

You can walk the port town in under an hour

and you'll have seen almost everything,

but that's not the Halki way,

things move very slowly here.

If you embrace local pace of life in an hour,

you've barely had enough time to drink a coffee.

It's an island where you got to your regular cafe

and sit around a backgammon board for a few hours,

talking politics or sport.

You can sip on a single hot drink the whole time

and the restaurant owner won't ask you to move on.

In Greece, backgammon is called Tavli,

it's hugely popular throughout the country

and people could spend an entire day at the Kafe Neo

laughing, arguing, debating,

and drinking coffee or ouzo in the process.

A game can be quite serious business,

I've heard talk of rivalries that have spanned decades.

It's a fantastic game for bringing people

of all ages together

for such a relaxed and slow environment,

they roll the dice and make their next move

using complex mathematical solutions at an amazing pace.

One solitary port town, in the late 18 hundreds

Halki had a population of just on 2000

but it's been dwindling ever since,

down to about three or 400 in winter today

and only 30 or 40 children at school.

I can kind of understand,

it's a one town island and a small port town at that.

The result is a tiny population

and the illusion that no one's working,

although don't let the sleepiness fool you.

Grab a seat at a tavern

and there's someone setting your table,

and another ready to take your order.

The thing to remember is that most businesses here

are owner-operated, that means the locals work long days.

It reminds me of my crew,

hardworking, always ready to spring into action.

(Peter speaking Greek)

Everybody needs a break.

In the 18th and 19th century

Halki went from agriculture in the mountains

to harvesting the seabed,

much like Symi

they discovered sponge diving and they were experts,

but it only lasted for about 50 to 70 years.

When the Italians came in 1912

and basically stopped the sponge diving

because of the dangers,

the Halkians had nothing to do,

so what did they do?

They just emigrated to all parts of the globe,

principally America and Tarpon Springs,

where they've done extremely well since.

Many of them have come back as part of the diaspora

and they've reinvested in Halki

and you can see these beautiful houses have been rebuilt.

They've put money into this beautiful town hall

which was once the boys school,

the town clock,

and Halki now survives on the tourism

of principally, those Americans.

(upbeat music)

The architecture reflects the prosperity

of the islanders at the time.

There was plenty of money being made

during the sponge diving years.

Then after a period of decline,

wealth is now returning to Halki,

thanks to families bringing some of their hard-earned money

back with them from America and other foreign lands,

where they sought refuge and new beginnings

a generation or two ago.

The restoration works have breathed a new lease of life

into the place,

and growing tourism numbers helps bolster the economy.

Halki gets its fair share

of passing yachties and cruise boats

looking for a quiet port to spend a few nights.

But the majority of travels are day trippers

visiting from Rhodes,

using the island for some wrist bite from the crowds.

It's not exactly a major destination for holiday makers,

not yet anyway,

that's part of the charm.

You can get away from the masses

and experience a slice of the true Greece

but let me give you the bad news,

there's only one hotel on this island, and you know,

I pledged that I would never advertise

any restaurant or any hotel,

but then there's only one hotel on the island, Aretanassa,

and it's pretty cool

I like it, look at the spot,

you can't beat it can you, it's awesome.

There're actually a few other places to stay in town,

but they're really just bed and breakfast type setups.

This hotel is built in what was previously a sponge factory,

boats could pull up in front and unload

straight into the warehouse.

I'm having my water and I'm just relaxing,

couldn't be better, could it?

Cheers.

Wow.

(upbeat music)

Most people that come here

come for the day and swimming in Barrio or Pondamos,

but you must come for a drive into the mountains.

I've never seen anything like it.

Just check it out.

It's so rugged

and what's amazing is that at one stage

they used to grow barley and lentils here,

and it grew twice as fast as any other island around here.

It's just so dramatic.

The island looks very dry and arid,

you wouldn't think crops could grow so well here,

but at one stage there was a thick layer of topsoil

that must've contained mineral rich nutrients.

(guitar music)

The interior of Halki is barren with a rocky landscape.

The result of Byzantine's

over-harvesting their primeval forest for timber

and creating farmlands.

When farming on hillsides and mountains

was no longer viable

the inland villages disappeared

as people saw more appealing seaside life.

The impressive medieval castle of St. John,

in the town of Chorio below

both sit on ancient ruins of fourth century BC,

both abandoned.

Now just like the agriculture,

the local Islanders found sponged diving

and moved down to Nimporio,

the last town of the whole island.

(guitar music)

Built by the Knights of St. John in the 15th century,

the fortress makes for a nice

but challenging walk from the port.

It's the most significant archeological site on the island

with remnants spanning Greece's history

from the Hellenistic period right through

to the late 18 hundreds.

Today the medieval and Byzantine towns

are almost unrecognizable

except for one or two homes that have been restored,

more for sentimental reasons then actual need,

they seem to be hanging onto the hillside,

like a story coming to a slow end.

(guitar music)

Walking through this old town

you can't help but be consumed with the spirit of the past.

I can just feel what it was like 800 years ago, this town,

a thousand people that whole hillside full of topsoil

and what you're seeing today is an exoskeleton of the past.

Unfortunately,

the topsoil has washed away,

the town abandoned,

it's basically the end.

This will never be occupied again.

I love the many and varied sites

that we come across in our travels.

There are places that are practically lost,

that from a distance,

are hidden in the panorama,

going unnoticed by the passing traveler,

but get up close and you're confronted

by historical artworks

etched into the mountainsides.

Chorio here on Halki,

is one of those concealed gems.

10,000 years ago

this would have been a beautiful tree covered Highland.

Walk through today and you bear witness

to three civilizations that have shaped the rocky mountain

into a habitable landscape.

I dream of what it was like for these people,

living and working on the same mountain their entire life,

much of the community would never have left the village,

let alone stepped off the island,

how lucky are we today?

Or are we?

Maybe the simple life is better.

The fortress paints a lonely picture,

it's a symbol of both the human ability

to create amazing things but also of a more prosperous time.

It stands Sentinel looking across the sea

where once pirates and merchant ships passed by.

Today it's yachts and ferries that frequent these waters

and the only people that walk within the castle walls

are a handful of tourists and archeologists.

Empires rise and fall

sometimes in less than a century,

their impact can be felt for several generations more,

but the slow influence of mother nature

is far more powerful and long lasting.

She has the strength and patience

to shift the world over millennia.

She can erode a castle into dust,

turn a once fertile landscape into a wasteland

and build entire mountain ranges.

Take this scene for example.

Yeah, it might be a place for hunters to shoot partridge,

but in Hellenistic times

this was a thriving agricultural area.

As the climate has become hotter and drier,

and the topsoil blown into the sea,

it's no longer a place where crops can grow,

barely a handful of trees cling to life

and now the terraced hillsides

where lentils and other grains could be sown,

have become pebble fields

unable to sustain a crop.

It's now a moonscape dotted with the occasional ruin.

Don't get me wrong

there's a certain beauty to it,

but it's also somewhat imposing

even for the resident goats,

life would be tough.

Herding is one of the few things that's still possible

in the countryside.

Only a handful of people have managed

to cling to this old way of life.

Most have either left the island areas

and move down to the sea,

or said farewell to the island altogether

and found new lives in other parts of the country,

or the world for that matter.

The Halki of today is very different from that of the past,

the one constant is the stunning scenery.

Most Greek islands are a keen to

the lazy traveler that sleeps in,

doesn't get to the beach until 11 o'clock.

Halki has a different breed of visitor,

they're regulars,

they know it well,

they know everybody here

and they're up early in the morning like me,

crazy, here at the beach,

reading a book,

enjoying the sun.

I've only been in Halki for two days

and already I feel like I know everybody.

It's just so intimate.

Awesome place.

On a stroll along the beach,

I bumped into a group from the UK,

three couples that meet here every year,

sometimes twice a year.

They all met on the island in 2003

and the annual pilgrimage is a highlight.

Thanks, Yanni.

I came back a little later to have a chat to Bob and Joan,

who were open to sharing their experience.

We come here twice a year.

Yeah.

End of May, first thing is in June.

Yeah.

And we just had one week now

and we got another two weeks to go.

Right.

We've done that since 2003.

But, so why do you keep coming back to Halki?

What is it about Halki that your like?

Because we love it.

Yeah.

As simple as that, The people.

We love the Greek people anyway.

Yeah. The people.

Yeah.

But you can get the same at the islands, Joan.

Why do you guys come here?

We've done that before we discovered Halki.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Many, many times. Island hoping.

Island hoping and get some...

What is different about this island

to all the other islands you think

that makes you keep coming back here.

I don't know but it does.

Yeah.

It just draws you in.

How long have you been together?

Me and Bob?

Yeah.

Next year it's 50. 50 years.

50 years?

Next year.

Next year.

This time next year.

So should we meet in Halki next year

for your anniversary?

Yes, yes we'll be here. Yeah.

You're going to have a party. Am I invited?

Of course you are. (Joan laughing)

All right.

It's a love story of both a happily married couple

and an island.

Maybe the secret to their success

is regular holidays to Greece.

It's an honor to meet people like Bob and Joan

and their friends, their at the zenith of their lives.

Having worked hard to now enjoy beautiful moments on Halki.

It's definitely the kind of volume

that you can quickly become attached to.

(Peter laughing)

Simple things like the quiet little beach their on

become places where you meet like-minded people,

which strengthen the bond you form with the location.

As they say, a destination is only as good

as the connections you experience while there.

The scenery might be awesome and the food delicious,

but there's nothing better than having a laugh,

enjoying great conversations

and sharing memories with others.

(upbeat music)

The tiny island of Halki was a pleasant stopover,

but unlike Bob and Joan who have been coming here

for weeks at a time, twice a year for 15 years,

once I've seen everything,

I find it hard to sit around.

For me two days was enough

so it was time to up anchor and hit Southwest,

24 nautical miles to the island of Saria,

just above and almost touching Karpathos.

In all likelihood, you've probably never heard of it,

it's not exactly a tourist Mecca.

Not because it doesn't have great things to offer,

but there's no where to spend the night

unless of course you're happy to share a cave with a goat.

Saria and Karpathos are very different

to their Northern neighbors in almost every way.

It becomes most apparent

when you first approach the island group.

They're just so steep and rugged

with only ancient ruins

to indicate there was once a settlement here.

As a consequence of the geography,

remoteness and lack of people,

it's a haven for wildlife.

There's an abundance of fish

and many different breeds of bird

that are preyed on by local Eagles and Falcons.

So if you're an ornithologist you'd love the place.

It's a spectacular setting with a pebble beach,

crystal clear water and a mountainous interior,

according to a census a decade or so ago,

they say it has 45 inhabitants on the island,

but something tells me they were counting goats

because it sure looks like it hasn't had human population

living here for years.

Right now it looks busy,

but that's just because we arrived exactly

when a couple of tour groups stopped over,

come early in the morning or late in the afternoon

and you'll have it all to yourself

unless Roger, who you're about to meet,

is off searching for his birds or out fishing.

So Roger, Saria, Karpathos,

they're in the middle of nowhere

islands that if you mentioned the name

most people wouldn't know where they were

or what they are.

What brings an academic like you to here?

Fish and fishing.

Really?

20 odd years ago,

25 years ago,

I gave up work and came fishing.

It's a lot of fun.

Yeah.

And I ate a lot of fish.

I made some good friends.

Right.

And in those days, and even to a certain extent today,

this is a subsistence community.

They catch fish,

they chase goats,

they gather wild vegetables, fruit, subsistence, life,

hunters, and gatherers.

Like many of the archeological sites across Greece,

there's still a lot of work to be done

to fully understand what was once here,

but passionate academics like Roger,

are hoping to piece the story together.

We're coming now towards the so-called Syrian village,

or the pirates village.

It's a thousand years old.

Some people still live here occasionally,

but before we go there

let me show you something quite interesting.

The feet of these columns by themselves, nothing much,

but they used to be the temple around here somewhere

to Poseidon, to the sea.

I think it was further south

and these are clearly,

these were part of the columns in front of the temple

and we find them all over the island in the north

and there must be at least 200 feet of these,

which had maybe 10 columns.

Right.

And I think they were in a place called, Stano.

Right.

Which is a little bit further south from there.

It's a very wild area for the sea

and that's when you want God to look after you,

the God of the sea to take care of you.

Then you would go to there. That's awesome.

Ah, wow. Well let's keep going and have a look at this.

Okay.

This conical building that you know.

Strange.

I've Never seen anything like,

I don't think there's anything in the Mediterranean like it.

I think Minorca has something similar.

In Greece

just about any way you step you'll find something historic,

a simple hike or trip to the beach

can turn into a walk through time,

where you discover fascinating relics from the past.

It's a place that's unrivaled

in its volume of ancient sites.

So now we come and have a look at one of these houses,

probably the one in the best condition, nicely built,

nice stones, round conical roof,

it's been here for about a thousand years.

You can see the entrance now,

the little arch where they would go in.

Roger, I've read that this is from Saracen parts

and you say Syrian, I mean what's the difference?

Is there a different?

I don't know

It's different words are used in different places.

Right.

You will find stories about pirates, Saracens,

in the south of Italy, for example.

Right.

And the same as here,

but what we know is that there were pirates in this area

until really the beginning of the 19th century,

20th century, beginning of the 20th century,

there were still pirates around here.

And I'm also told that there's a possibly,

it's sort of seventh, eighth and ninth century as well.

It certainly is, that's for sure.

Yeah. Okay.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

The origin is not so sure,

but the age and the purpose is sure.

It's a solid building for someone to live here

and do some farming.

If you visit any part of Greece,

I suggest that before you leave your hotel room

and head out for the day,

do a little bit of research about where you're heading.

I can almost guarantee you'll find something

that would change your understanding

of that pretty beach or simple walk

you originally planned.

These buildings have got kamares,

which is like a Greek form of construction.

Yeah.

It's a round roof,

you find (erudus) in Crete.

Yeah.

And here.

And people lived in them 50 years ago.

Wow.

50 Years ago?

Yes.

Maybe 30, 40 years ago.

Yes.

Wow.

And occasionally today.

You can see why the people here don't have sheepdogs.

No. (Peter laughing)

Sheepdogs would break their legs.

Yeah.

So they'd run after the sheep themselves.

Is that right?

They have great long poles.

Three meters long.

Yeah.

And they'd povo up and down the mountains.

Wow.

They're still in good condition, mate.

Yep.

These guys were good builders.

Yeah.

Greeks are all good builders, mate.

Yeah.

Stonemasons.

Yeah.

There's a bit of conjecture as to who built these,

when they were created and what their purpose was.

Yes, in more recent times,

they may well have been shelters for herders,

but they're too well-constructed

to have been used just for that purpose

or to have been built by pirates.

These were made by highly skilled craftsmen

and designed to last.

Similarly, those conical buildings nearby

have some mystery about them.

Grain stores, places of worship, shelters,

the mind wanders.

The interior of the island has another abandoned settlement,

one that was built a little later in history.

To get to it we had to head back down to the beach

and hike through the gorge that provides passage

into the heart of Saria.

It's a track that's both

challenging and spectacular

and if you didn't do your research,

you'd never know it was there.

Wow, Roger.

(Peter laughing)

Special, hey.

It is.

So we're now going up, what's called the Falange,

the valley up to a place called, Argos.

The valley is partly caused by a river,

but also there's stories about there

being a earthquake splitting the mountain.

I liked the first one, mate.

(Roger laughing)

Yeah.

Well sometimes we do get earthquakes here.

Right.

Roger, you're like one of my lecturers

you making me work hard, mate.

(Roger laughing)

Well, you should.

So Roger, what's the story with all these caves?

Well,

their natural, but

in the old days when the Minoans were around

and they were here, they would bury their dead in caves,

along for along Falange, along valleys like this.

Right.

And so it could be that they buried their dead here

and this is Minoan.

So have they found any bones there?

I don't think anyone's looked.

(Peter laughing)

What, maybe we should go and have a look.

(Roger laughing)

They'll probably find our bones there.

Yeah.

(Roger laughing)

And I think I can hear some Ravens.

Did you hear some birds?

Yeah, I did.

I think they're Ravens.

Ah, there's a nice guy goat.

Goat.

Hey.

Now that breeze is awesome.

It's wonderful.

Hey.

Yep.

Just what we need.

Perfect.

It's coming.

Now that's a good looking goat.

Yes.

(Roger laughing)

You've been alone too long, hey.

(Peter and Roger laughing)

Being a mountainous country,

Greece has gorges everywhere.

A few years ago,

I had the pleasure of walking through

the largest canyon in Europe,

the 16 kilometers Samarian gorge in Crete.

I've also seen several other amazing landscapes

similar in form,

but each with unique stories and attributes.

And while this is nowhere near

the size of the Samerian gorge,

the experience was right up there.

Being surrounded by sheer rock faces,

walking through the cool shaded interior

gave me a sense of calm.

It was still and peaceful, and the terrain force you

to concentrate on every step.

It meant I was in the moment,

not distracted by thoughts of work

or the normal daily stresses.

The one distraction was the occasional

pearl of wisdom from Roger,

it was a welcome interruption at that.

His knowledge of the area is incredible,

from the wildlife to the history,

there was little he didn't know about Saria.

If you do visit the island,

I can't recommend this hike highly enough.

It might be daunting when you're standing

at the beautiful Palladia beach

at the head of the trial,

but trust me,

the rewards along the way and at the end in particular

are well worth the effort.

Now we're coming into the village of our Argos,

which is pretty much deserted these days.

It was abandoned last 50 years ago.

People come here from time to time for a festival,

or when they're collecting the honey.

Each house is still owned by a family.

Right.

They come here.

They're very attached to them.

People would come here on a Saturday night from Diafani

in the south

for parties

and dancing.

Wow. I mean I look at this.

Roger, it's amazing.

These buildings, they look so well built.

The quality is really good.

It makes me think,

going back to what we looked at before,

that maybe there were no Saracen parts,

Syrian parts,

possibly they were just good builders

and they were developing different styles.

It could be.

And a thousand years ago,

it's a simple technique, but a very good technique.

Yeah.

The edges,

the corners of the walls are done perfectly.

They understood how to build these people.

Yeah.

You know,

population's getting bigger and bigger in this world

and there's places is like this.

And It's still empty.

Yeah, empty.

And it's beautiful and nostalgic.

Yeah.

And got emotions attached to them.

Yeah.

And they write many songs about this place.

Yeah.

The sediment once belonged

to the people of Olympos

and Diafani village on Karpathos.

People from poor families

that didn't have land close to their homes

came here to grow crops, produce flour, and herd goats.

It was used until the 1980s,

but today it's a ghost town.

(soft rock music)

Saria is the little Northern sister

of the much bigger island of Karpathos,

and that's where we're headed next.

But before leaving,

I wanted to show you how close these two islands are.

They're not quite a stone throw apart,

more a javelin throw.

(soft rock music)

There wouldn't be two islands of this magnitude

as close together as Saria and Karpathos.

Between that stare over there and the one behind me,

it's about a hundred meters

and there's about a two or three north current

between us here,

and it's only about three meters deep.

But up until recently,

they used to ferry cattle

from one island to the other island

at different parts of the season,

how did they get them across?

They tie them behind row boats and they'd swim across.

Now seems a bit cruel,

but it worked they don't do it anymore

because the stairs are dilapidated

and they'd probably come up with better ways.

Anyway, all this swimming and talking about

knots and winds and things moving around

is making me hungry.

(Peter speaking Greece with Yanni)

Awesome though.

Now look at it.

Amazing.

I can just see the cattle coming across there.

The rugged coastline gives you the impression that the

people who lived here and worked the land,

must've been a tough breed.

There's little about the island

that makes you think that it would have been easy

to build a simple life from the land.

It's dry and arid and there's almost no flat ground.

I can understand why

there is no longer a town on Saria.

Life is much easier on the larger neighboring islands.

That said, it is beautiful.

(soft rock music)

Heading south from Saria is the port of Diafani,

on the island of Karpathos.

I always get excited coming to an island for the first time,

especially ones that are this remote

and where customs haven't changed in centuries.

I'm told there's a village on the island,

still caught in a time warp,

considered one of Greece's most traditional.

Karpathos, the island even the Greeks forgot.

captain Yanni hasn't even been here.

We got into this beautiful port of Diafani last night

and had dinner at The Dolphin.

And Kaliopi served us a salad from her garden

and fish from the sea, just in front of us.

Karpathos is considered the wildest island

in all the Dodecanese,

and the people are just so hospitable.

I'm looking forward to continuing my journey

through Karpathos, it looks absolutely magnificent.

How rugged is that.

Until recently, Diafani was the only safe port

allowing access to this part of the island.

It's an ideal place to base yourself

as it has everything the adventurous traveler needs.

At just on 300 square kilometers,

Karpathos is the second largest island

in the Dodecanese behind Rhodes,

and on it there's a town I'd been reading about for years,

and I was keen to see it.

Many people think that you've seen one Greek village,

you've seen them all, and I've proven them wrong many times

again and again, but here in Olympos, case in point,

there is no village like this anywhere in Greece,

they still dress, eat, and work the land

the same way they have for hundreds of years.

My blood vessels are ready to burst

I'm just so excited to see it.

Built in the seventh century to seek refuge from pirates,

it's well worth coming to Karpathos

just to see this village alone.

Resembling white and ochre colored Lego blocks,

beautifully stacked yet without symmetry

the houses straddle the limestone mountain.

One side overlooks the valleys and planes

that form the town's bread bowl.

While the other,

built after the pirate raids,

is perched on the edge of a 300 meter cliff

overlooking the adjacent sea.

Olympos, or Olympus, lies in such a remote position

that has only been fully accessible in recent decades.

This isolation has preserved the culture and traditions.

And walking through that town today

is as it would have been centuries ago.

(Peter speaking Greek)

The dress code here is unique,

all made by hand. (Peter speaking Greek)

If you ask anyone from within the village,

they'll tell you it's an Olympos thing,

not a broader Karpathos type of regalia.

This is special only to them

and has been so for as long as anyone here can remember.

(Peter speaking Greek with a woman)

You made this?

Yes.

My handwork.

This is traditional dress of...

Yes, traditional.

Of Karpathos.

From Olympos, not from Karpathos.

Oh, from Olympos.

Yes. Right, right, okay.

Okay, fair enough.

Everything is handmade by the locals.

They spend their days toiling away at their needlework.

Creating clothes, napkins, pillowcases,

cushion covers, curtains and souvenirs.

It's their main source of income

and the place is famous for it.

They're also well-known for their tenacious

hold on their culture.

It's the reliance on sustainability

and the passion for their heritage

that has enabled the people of Olympos

to maintain their identity and strong community bonds.

This in turn has provided adequate revenue

for their town to thrive despite being quite remote.

(Peter speaking Greek with an Yanni)

Fantastic.

In the old days,

these were everyday boots worn in the fields

to keep the mud and dust off.

Nowadays, they're mainly for special occasions.

(Peter speaking Greek with an Yanni)

35 years.

(Peter speaking Greek with an Yanni)

How old are you?

(Yanni speaking Greek)

Yanni is a master craftsman.

He's been doing this since he was a boy,

helping his father between completing his homework.

He continues this legacy

putting to use the skills he was taught

to make everything imaginable

belts, handbags, backpacks, sandals, and of course, boots

are all painstakingly created using local materials.

I couldn't help but be in awe of this man's passion.

As I watched him work,

he explained the process of making a pair of boots

and it was mesmerizing.

I asked Helen to model the traditional headdress.

She likes her privacy

and I'm sure she didn't realize

I'd use this personal iPhone footage on the show,

but I couldn't possibly leave it out.

Boy, am I going to cop it now.

So Marina, what are we making here?

The makarounes.

Makarounes?

Yes.

It's a typical food from Olympos, from Karpathos.

Geez, you do that quickly,

that's fantastic.

And you make these every day?

Yes.

And they're that small.

It some's more, some's big

it depends.

And do you put anything else?

Wow, that's quick.

And you...

It's flour and water.

Yeah.

And on the top we put the cheese

and the fried onion with butter.

Oh, fantastic.

Now they've been nice enough to give me some okra bamyas.

Bamyas.

Cause' I'm hungry.

Do you make these here?

Yeah.

Hm-mm. And their beautiful

And we plant (indistinct) everyday.

Yeah, and these are yours?

Yes, my parents.

(Peter speaking Greek)

My parents.

Your parents actually pick these?

Yes.

For me.

They picked them for me.

Thank you very much.

So how many of these will you make in one day?

Many.

Many, many, many.

Yeah?

Yes.

You don't count?

Wow.

I mean you're quick. Yes, I have to.

Oh, you have to be.

Otherwise the people they no eat.

Yeah. That's right.

I love what you're wearing.

This is the traditional costume, isn't it?

Yes.

Your mother wore that, your grandmother wore it?

Yes every,

all the family.

The whole family. Everybody wears them here?

Everybody.

All the families, they have the traditional dress.

It's magnificent.

And do you make that yourself?

Yes.

You made it yourself?

My mother.

Your mother.

I don't know exactly how they make it.

Oh, you got to learn how to make it?

I can do this.

Yeah.

I make it.

Yeah.

But the black one, my mother.

Yeah.

she knows.

So you got to learn how to make it,

your mother's gonna teach you, right?

Yes.

You can consider this to be

the signature dish of Olympos.

It's essentially a fast food meal.

It's hard to believe that this simple recipe

isn't in other parts of the world,

there's nothing excessive or overly complicated about it,

but the flavors are sensational.

(soft guitar music)

Now this is flour, water, then you got the cheese.

Cheese and fried onion on the top with the Butter.

Wow, these are fantastic.

Right.

Amazing.

Amazing, amazing.

(Marina laughing)

And they only make them here.

No where else in the world.

No.

No where else in the world, yeah.

You better eat cause' I'm going to eat the whole thing.

(piano music)

One thing that was beginning to bug me

was where were all the man?

Down every lane and in every shop

the local men were significantly outnumbered by the women.

It seemed like the females were doing all the work.

This place has a lot of catching up to do.

Anyway, a walk on the Western side of the town is a must.

It's a bit of a rabbit warren of stairs and narrow walkways,

but you really can't get lost,

even if you did,

you'd likely end up stumbling across a hidden gem anyway.

Unbelievable.

(soft guitar music)

Mm.

What better way to finish a day all in Olympos than up here

looking at the view.

Awesome.

If I had to visualize a comparison

then for me Olympos would be a little

like (fearing Sandra) was years ago,

before mainstream tourism.

I hope Olympos doesn't change

because it's the people like Yanni and Marina

that give this nostalgic old town its character,

without that personal touch

you'd lose the heart and soul of the place,

and that would be tragic.

(soft guitar music)

From the old town to the beaches,

there's quite a bit to see on Karpathos.

An early start source head north

along the east coast to Apella beach,

in the center of the island.

It made for a beautiful anchorage

and a great place for a swim.

So while Helen was taking a dip, I went for a hike.

Just a short walk from Apella beach

is the 13th century church of St. Lucas,

Osios Loukas.

Just up here.

You need one of these.

Now I didn't come to this church

for its ecclesiastical significance,

but more of the striking paintings that grace its chamber.

There are many other churches in the region

with similar artwork,

but its proximity to the beach makes it ideal

for combining a walk and tour into one.

Wow.

You see, 800 years old

and some of this stuff

looks like it's been painted yesterday.

Just check it out,

it's amazing.

And it's,

there's icons.

There's frescoes out everywhere on the wall,

but what's amazing when you first come in

is you see an icon of St. George

and it's supposed to be here for St. Luke,

but I'm not an ardent christian

so I don't understand.

I looked down there

and there's also the oil and the, of course,

the kantilia is lit, so it's frequented a fair bit.

But even to the extent that you can see little guys there,

amazing.

Let's have a look through here.

So we're going into a cave.

This thing here, looks like it's made of marble.

Wow.

It could have been some sort of vestibule

for the priest.

Now there was artwork on the walls here

cause' you can see the lines, but it's long gone.

You know, I'd say the majority of this is survived

400 years of Ottoman rule,

let alone 800 years of humidity

and people walking in and out,

but they take care of it.

And you know,

we see a lot of this and I think it's important

for people to leave it as it is

cause' I mean, the worst thing is graffiti,

it's tantamount to murder here in Greece.

You'd be in jail forever.

What an experience and so accessible.

St. Luke, protector of doctors, pupils and artists.

And I'll tell you, you're right, it's survived.

It's being protected.

Landmarks like this are typically roped off

or locked away from prying eyes

so if you do come here,

leave it as your found it and don't touch.

Those of us that are lucky enough to see this art

have a profound responsibility

to ensure it stays that way for future generations.

I'd like to think that someday my son, Irinaios,

might come back here with his children

and they too could experience this magnificent side.

Traveling around Mia Zoi way has its perks,

but there's no better way to see Karpathos

than with a car.

It's a big island.

And the recently built

coastal roads are in excellent condition.

They make for a pleasant road trip

where you're likely to pass very few other cars.

There is no better evidence than what we see now

of the fact that Karpathos truly is a wild island,

and it's freshly wild because 30 or 40 years ago,

these weren't roads, they were goat tracks.

20 years ago they weren't even sealed

and it's fresh and you can come here,

you go to a church or you go to a beach

they're Virgin,

they're untouched.

It's a fantastic place.

You can see it in the rock falls.

There are rocks on the arch on the road

that have just fallen over.

It's just a magnificent island.

The winding road provided stunning views

around every corner.

As we drove back to Apella

to catch up with the crew and my family,

I couldn't help but comment to the cameraman

about how this remotest island had so much to offer.

So far, we've spent a handful of days

getting a taste Karpathos,

and with just a couple more to go,

I knew there would be plenty left to be explored.

Making the most of the remaining light,

I enjoyed the afternoon bathing in the warm water

and basking in the sun.

It's easy to spend an entire day floating around

and sitting on a deck chair with a frappe in hand

and putting the whole process on repeat,

that's how the majority of people experience Greek islands.

But I challenge you to dig a little deeper,

spend some time doing a bit of research,

And unearth the true culture and history

of wherever you visit,

it'll give you an entirely new perspective on things.

In the next step episode,

My Odyssey continues.

As I finish up my time on Karpathos,

before we make our way Southwest to Kasos,

it's the Southernmost island in the Aegean Sea,

and like many other parts of Greece

has seen a rise and fall in prosperity.

It's also a place with a dramatic history,

which includes a massacre at the hands of the Ottomans.

This tumultuous past has shaped the people

and culture of the island,

which I'm excited to learn more about.

To see more of My Greek Odyssey,

head to our website at mygreekoddessy.com.

There you'll find plenty to keep you entertained,

including Kyriako's awesome recipes.

(upbeat music)