Original subtitles

(upbeat music)

Series four of My Greek Odyssey sees us traveling

through the Southern islands of the Dodecanese

from Kos, to Symi, and Rhodes,

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 cliched beaches and wonderful people,

plus unique cultural elements

that give each destination its own personality.

In the last episode, I started my time on Karpathos.

I'd never been to this huge island,

so naturally, I was keen to see as much as I could.

This episode picks up where I left off

with a couple more days to explore the place

before heading south

to another island I'd never visited; Kasos.

(calm music)

Sunrise is one of my favorite times the day.

In Greece, I'm usually the only one up and about,

so I get the beaches to myself.

It's also the time of day I like to get some exercise done,

and in this case, I swapped the morning run

and body weights for a paddle.

I love my kayak, and I love kayaking in Greece,

because this is the way, it's like walking.

Walking is really how you see a town or a city.

Kayaking is how you see the coast.

This is so much fun and so relaxing,

and in the morning like this,

I don't think there's anything better.

Problem is you're on your own,

and I don't have a double one of these

so I can put Helen on the back.

(calm music)

Just look at this.

It's fantastic.

(calm music)

The landscape takes on a different personality

when you view it under your own steam.

You see more detail in the world around you.

(calm music)

Now we're so lucky.

I think our saint, Zoe, is with us because

Karpathos is known for its rugged weather,

and it's always pretty angry around here, but today,

our beautiful saint has given us

the best possible weather you could have.

Whether it's her or nature, or whatever it is,

Buddha, you know, thanks very much.

We really appreciate it.

I might get some mindfulness in today

if I just stop talking, which is really hard for me.

(soft paddling)

Oh man, it's beautiful.

We're coming in to Kira Panaya, magnificent beach,

couple of taverns, but you know what?

You don't need a (mumbles) to enjoy this.

Hire one of these for five euros

and you'll have a great time.

It's the simple pleasures I get the most joy from,

like our time in this part of Karpathos.

The night before we had a barbecue dinner

and enjoyed some fireworks, then relocated further north.

But Helen wanted to come back and spend the day swimming

and having lunch at the tavern.

I don't blame her either,

it's the perfect spot to while away the hours.

(waves rippling)

Everyone was up early, well early for Greece,

choosing their patch of sand on the beach

and getting organized for a massive day

of doing not much at all.

You come here to relax, eat,

swim, relax, and eat some more.

It's a basic routine.

For me it was a chance to paddle around the headland

and see a little bit more of the island

before our planned departure for Kasos.

The hours pass slowly in places like this.

It's nice to wind down a little and not have the feeling

that you need to get something done or be somewhere else.

Yeah, it's a cliched thing to do in Greece,

but it's relaxation at its best.

(calm music)

This part of Karpathos

is how I see the best of the Greek Islands.

There's a beautiful aqua blue sea

with beaches where you find

just a handful of return visitors

rather than crowds of tourists.

The villages haven't seen mass tourism,

so you won't find gimmicky souvenir shops.

There are rugged natural, landscapes

that seem like they've only recently been pioneered,

and taverns that serve local produce

with grandma in the kitchen cooking.

It's about as authentic as you get.

Orthos Village, perched in the mountains

is a great example of the Greece of old.

You'd be lucky to find someone that speaks English

and there's nothing in the way of

infrastructure for holiday makers.

The people that live here have done so for generations

and little will likely change

in the next 50 years or more.

From there in the distance, you can see the Island of Kasos,

which is our next port of call.

Shrouded in cloud, there was an air of mystery about it.

But before making our way across,

we had to stop over at the main harbor of Karpathos

at the town of Pigadia.

I just did not realize how long and big Karpathos is.

It's about 10 to seven and we've been filming all day

and I'm buggered.

I'm gonna go to bed straight after this.

We're in the town of Pigadia

which is the capital of Karpathos,

and I'd say the majority

of the population in Karpathos live here,

about 7,000 of them.

But it's from here that the boats travel in the morning

to go to the beaches for the tourists

and I'd say there's a number of tourists here at the moment.

It livens up at night.

You'll find on most islands that the mornings start late

and the port areas are typically quiet.

Sometimes there's a bit of activity around midday,

but generally most people are at the beach.

Mid-afternoon the activity increases.

People start to wander into the cafes and taverns

for a coffee or some mezze and ouzo.

As the shadows begin to grow

and the temperature cools down a little, the energy builds.

The bars and restaurants become more lively

and the whole place takes on a very different personality.

This is the time of day when I start to hit the wall,

the shoot days are long

and despite the crew doing most of the work, I'm exhausted.

So while the youngsters head off

for a bit of Maneas-free time, I'm off to bed.

(calm music)

The ferries that service the Greek Islands are massive.

Apart from taking people and their vehicles around,

they also bring a lot of supplies.

Speaking of massive,

despite being a huge land mass and close to Rhodes,

Karpathos is considered quite remote.

Daily access is limited to a few ferries

and an occasional flight.

Plus, not having the mass-tourist development

of its neighbor, there's a sense of isolation about it.

This detachment from the main stream means Karpathos

doesn't have the same forces of change imposed upon it,

which makes it a few steps back towards the old Greece,

not the homogenized tourist meccas you encounter elsewhere.

Our next stop was even more isolated.

Kasos is only 60 miles from Crete,

but it might as well be a thousand miles from anywhere,

lost in the middle of the Mediterranean.

Having never been there, I had the usual excitement I get

whenever setting foot on a new island.

I might've done plenty of research about it,

as I do wherever we go,

but there's always surprises and special experiences

that no book or website can capture.

For and island where much of its population

has migrated to the US, particularly New York,

Kasos is almost unheard of.

Even many Greeks don't know about it.

(calm music)

When arriving in the main port town of Kasos,

the first thing you'll see

is this stony 1824 sign and the Greek flag,

which is very, very significant to the Kasiots.

At one stage, they had a population of 12,000 people.

They had an amazing fleet of ships,

a fleet of ships that they lent to the Greek Revolution.

As a result, the Ottoman Empire sought retribution.

They razed the towns to the ground.

They burned everything, killed almost everybody.

Those that survived fled to Egypt,

much like the Island of Psara fleeing to Syros.

Today there's only about 800 people left,

and I'm told they're really friendly

and it's a wonderful place,

so I'm looking forward to exploring Kasos.

Kasos is a long way from the mainland,

and the only way you'll find out about it

is via a chance encounter

with someone that might've visited,

and once you've seen how little there is

in the way of tourist development,

you'll understand when I say

the odds of that are pretty slim.

Initially I was underwhelmed

by the lack of activity in the port town.

Little was I to know, Kasos was all about the people,

particularly the women.

The first sign of life I came across

was a man working while two women supervised.

This is just so unlike normal Greeks,

it's a theme I continuously came across while here.

To help me understand why this was the case,

I met with Jenny, a 15 year resident of the island.

Born in Australia, repatriating the island of her parents.

When I was a little girl,

my mum and dad brought me to Greece

and brought me to Kasos,

and I said to them, well, I'd like to live here.

I didn't wanna go back to Australia.

So one fine morning, when I decided to come to Greece,

I announced that I'm definitely going to Greece for good.

They were a little bit worried,

you know, why, at the age of 30,

but I love Kasos so much.

As I was growing up,

mum and dad were actually talking about

Kasos, Kasos, Kasos, and every day

our conversations were about Kasos,

the Paniyiria, the people, the beach.

Yeah. So you've been here over a decade now,

and what keeps you here?

Why do you wanna stay in this tiny little island

where everybody knows you, knows what's going on.

There's literally, I don't know, is there freedom?

I don't know.

What keeps you here.

The freedom of being able

to come to the beach whenever you like,

and an upbringing of not being scared for my children.

Right. So you brought your two children up here.

Yes.

And you wanna keep them here

and you want to stay here?

I want to keep them here.

Of course, when they're 18,

they'll have to go and study elsewhere

because unfortunately the island doesn't have much to offer.

And with the conversations that I have with my boys,

especially my oldest,

I want him to have, well, it's up to him,

if he'll have an education where he will

continue to live here on the island.

We're lacking a lot of things on the island.

And I would prefer him,

like I would say to maybe a microbiologist,

maybe an X-ray operator.

So hopefully when he grows up, he would like to stay here.

I was quickly discovering the island's ability

to draw people from across the entire social spectrum

from young parents, raising families

away from the complexity of city life

to retired prima ballerinas,

looking for solitude and a way of giving back.

(cheerful classical music)

The last thing I expected to come across on Kasos

was a former world-class ballet dancer.

In her prime, Eliza was at the pinnacle of her profession,

famous in the dancing scene.

It's hard to imagine going from being in the limelight

to retiring to such a sleepy island.

I had a vision when I was much younger

to go to a place that's remote,

tiny and where children don't have the opportunity

to actually learn classical art like ballet

and the vision came true, which just happened.

So this is like a give back, is it?

Is sort of, because I've done a lot of my life.

I danced with classical ballet companies

all over the world globally,

and at some stage when you've done it all

you think now I have to give back.

Yeah. Well, I mean, you've been all over the world,

professional dancer, you've been in the bright lights.

You've gone from one extreme

to an absolute, other extreme.

How's it been?

Difficult, but also exciting.

Rewarding?

Of course. Sometimes extremely rewarding.

Sometimes very depressing.

Of course, there's always ups and downs in life.

There are no ups without downs.

Of course. In life.

I can see your students in there

practicing away, having a good time.

I ground them.

Yes. I mean, bringing joy to others that you do,

to people that are normally not privileged with that,

it's a wonderful thing.

You know, that they didn't know

what classical ballet was all about

when I came to the island,

they hadn't heard classical music.

This was very difficult for me to start

passing all this over to them.

They have changed so much in the past five years.

You're seeing children that you would see in London,

coming out of a ballet class,

and if you'd seen them five years ago, they were villagers,

islanders that have no idea what all this is all about.

Is there a chance

of a prima ballerina coming out of here?

There was, actually, I did have a wonderful dancer.

All my friends in London and Australia and France

ballet teachers would say, oh, she's fantastic,

what have you done?

Well, what happened?

She had to stop because she has to study now.

She's 11 going on 12, and here on the island

because they don't know

what it's like in Athens or any big capital,

they think that after 11 years old,

all you have to do is school and study.

You can't do anything.

So.

(cheerful classical music)

What an amazing woman

to start this dance school from nothing

is courageous enough,

but in a remote island with a tiny population

facing language and cultural barriers

and with an art form

that's almost alien to these people.

It's easy now to understand

how this type of determination and attitude

led her to the top of the world in ballet.

(dramatic classical music flourish)

In series three I visited the Patmos mills

to see how they worked.

Well, we took a few kilos

of that freshly ground flour for the boat

waiting for the right time and recipe,

and today was the day.

It's perfect.

I'm gonna thank you as a miller.

(mill wheel squeaking)

And this is the flour can I have a look?

Yes. Whoops. Smell it?

Look at that, look at the flour!

Strong flour.

Hang on a second, look at this, look at this.

Oh, I don't think I've smelled flour like that

since I was a little boy, and that was a long time ago.

Wow.

So we've got this wonderful flour from Patmos.

We have to use it, see what it's like

using the original organic gear, you know?

We've got, (speaks foreign language),

olives from Leros,

and we've got the buffalo cheese from Lipsi.

Lipsi.

So what are we gonna make today, Kyriakos?

We will be making an olive bread with olives and cheese,

So we're gonna do a bread that's made from olive oil,

with olives and cheese in it.

Man, I'm looking forward to it.

What do we do, what are we gonna do?

One kilo of flour.

One kilo of flour goes in there.

It looks like there's some water, some olive oil,

500 mils of water?

(speaks foreign language)

200 mils of olive oil, one spoon of sugar,

Helen's watching, and she's a bit concerned

that we're using sugar,

but Helen's not gonna eat bread,

because she's gluten free, so it doesn't matter.

What did we just put in there?

We put yeast right?

Yeast, 20 grams.

20 grams of yeast and some salt, a tablespoon of salt.

That's it?

And then we mix it all together.

It's easy. This is the first bit,

and we just use the Mixmaster thing that kneads it.

Come down and have a look at this,

this is unbelievable, have a look at that.

Can we stop it for a moment?

Yes, of course.

It's amazing. Have a look in there.

Have a look in there,

have a look at the gear in there, can you see that?

Can you see? Can you see that?

It's awesome, man.

Okay. All right, (speaks foreign language), turn it back on.

What are you doing now, Kyriakos?

We are going to kneed it and then we will let it rise.

Okay. So we're gonna knead this and once it's kneaded,

we're gonna leave it so it rises.

Wow. This is awesome, I love it.

Bread so easy to make.

(speaks foreign language)

Easy, right? Yes, of course.

But it has to rise two times.

How long does it take to raise?

I believe it will take 20 minutes

to rise the first time.

20 minutes.

(mixer motor whirring)

It was almost as noisy as a construction site.

Like a mini cement mixer.

(mixer motor whirring)

I have to admit, I found it mesmerizing

watching the machine while it kneaded the dough.

(mixer motor whirring)

It looks like it's ready

when it's starting to fight with you,

and it doesn't want to mix any more,

just going all over the place.

When it's going all over the place,

then after about 10 minutes of kneading, it's ready to go.

So what are we gonna do now, Kyriakos?

We're gonna leave it there for how long?

We'll leave it 20 minutes.

20 minutes.

We're just gonna let it sit there for 20 minutes

as it rises, okay?

That's the yeast doing its work.

(cheerful music)

Wow, look at that, isn't that fantastic, that's awesome,

now, Kyriakos?

What are we doing now?

What do we got? It's easy, isn't it?

Now we'll put the olives and cheese in

and then knead it again.

So we're putting the olives in,

the cheese has been diced into these little guys this size

and it's the buffalo cheese, aw, man, that's awesome.

But now we put in the oregano.

(speaks foreign language)

Oregano.

Fresh oregano.

Look at that. That looks fantastic.

Is that gonna be okay in there?

You reckon it's gonna go everywhere, is it?

No. (laughing)

It's okay.

(mixer motor whirring)

(speaks foreign language)

We're kneading again.

We're kneading again.

And after this, how long do we leave it?

Now, with the second knead,

it rises much faster.

In 10 minutes it will be ready.

So the second time that we leave it out,

once it's been kneaded,

it only needs to be out there for 10 minutes.

Before we put it,

(speaks foreign language)

we put it in the oven, right?

No, we leave it here.

Yeah, 10 minutes here,

but how long in the oven.

We will shape them into bread

and leave them for 10 minutes,

and then later they go into the oven to bake.

You love the way he says it,

it's like, he's in love with it.

(speaks foreign language)

"We will make bread."

You're a legend, man.

He's the best.

Look at that!

He's gonna do it by hand

because he wants to get it right, 100%.

Have I look at that, have a look at this.

Look at the color, the texture of this thing!

(speaks foreign language)

It goes in there? Yes, for 10 minutes.

Okay, in here for 10 minutes, awesome, eh?

This type of cooking requires plenty of patience,

which historically isn't my strong point.

There is a little bit of downtime

between each step in the process,

where you can have a coffee and relax or in my case,

send a few emails,

but then it's back into the kitchen for the next step.

What are we doing now?

Another 10 minutes to rise.

We've got more room, let's put that one over there.

Okay, right. 10 minutes?

So they can rise.

What? Another 10 minutes?

Sorry, Peter, but this needs patience.

It does need patience and I don't have any of that stuff.

We leave them for 10 more minutes.

10 minutes and then in the oven,

would you turn the oven on, eh?

Aw, man, look at these guys, look at these guys,

they look awesome, man.

Ooh, and hot, they're obviously hot.

You can see the cheese really hasn't melted,

it's still solid.

Whereas my mother-in-law's ones it used to melt inside.

Look at that.

It's very hot.

It's still very warm. You know what we're gonna do?

We're gonna leave it for the moment.

Look at the smoke coming out of that, smoking!

Oh, I'm gonna make a nice sandwich, and it's dripping.

You have to wait one or two moments,

as it is very, very hot, you will burn yourself.

I wanna eat it now, but I'll wait,

I'll wait, Kyriakos, you're the best.

You are the best, you know that?

Those tomatoes are local and they are very nice.

I can eat them now, can't I?

They're local.

They are so crunchy in your mouth.

This was a real test for me, but I persevered,

and in the end had the most amazing

olive and buffalo cheese bun made from Patmos flour.

A salted egg drizzled with olive oil

completed the perfect sandwich.

(upbeat, jazzy music)

(dramatic musical flourish)

I woke up earlier than normal, long before sunrise,

so I could travel to a farm in the center of the island.

The local Kasiot I was about to meet

left the most remote and sleepiest land mass in Greece

only to spend most of his life

in the busiest city in the world, one that never shuts down.

Today he's back in the serenity of Kasos,

trading the crowds and busy streets,

to be a herder on the mountain trails,

and I get the feeling he prefers the latter of the two.

(speaks foreign language)

How are you?

Are you well? Thanks to god, yes.

You're looking well.

Are we feeding the sheep now?

Yeah.

Let's go. You want a hand?

No, no, no, I've got it.

Here come the young ones.

Come here.

Just pour it into one spot

and I'll move it around with my hands.

Pour it in

That's it, very well done.

This is the life!

Beautiful sunshine?

This is the life!

Yeah, eh?

You worked hard in America

and now this is completely different.

Yeah.

Something different, yeah, you better believe it.

(coos encouragingly to sheep)

(sheep bells chiming)

Man, this is awesome!

(encourages sheep)

(sheep bells chiming)

(speaks foreign language)

(encourages sheep)

(sheep bells chiming)

Morning feed.

Everybody needs a morning feed.

You were in America in restaurants for 47 years.

48. 48 years?

48 years, yup.

And, and you're originally from Kasos,

you left when you were how old?

I left here, Kasos, when I was 16 years old.

I started as a dishwasher.

As a dishwasher!

1970. Like maybe 60 hours a week, I make a $90.

60 Hours a week as a dishwasher, 90 bucks. Wow!

Yup.

And then you worked your way up?

I work my way up, I went to the grill, after.

On the grill.

I working on the grill--

I worked on the grill too!

And after I work, I cook, I make the soup,

and after five years I bought my own business.

Me and four other partners.

So, you came back to Kasos,

you got your sheep, you got your goats.

Your life is good here.

Oh yeah.

Life was good in America too.

Good country.

You know, America is a very nice country.

When you work you make it.

Yes.

You know, you've got to work many hours to make it.

(calm music)

Nico's story is common amongst Greeks

and many Europeans of the mid-1900s

that left as boys, fleeing their farms

that could no longer compete in a world that was changing,

thanks to the industrial revolution.

Many chasing work and a new life in the big cities

had their childhood sweethearts sent over at a later date,

eventually getting married and raising families.

Nico, every morning you get up, what time?

I get up 4:30.

4:30?

4:30 in the morning, my sister calls me,

because she think I'm gonna oversleep.

And you do this until what time?

Eh, eight o'clock.

Eight o'clock. And then what do you do after that?

After that I go in and drink coffee.

We're gonna drink coffee later?

Yeah.

I look forward to it.

(calm music)

After 48 years, Nico and his wife

returned to their Homeland to rekindle past friendships

and a way of life that never left their minds.

Now living their dreams on the land of their forefathers,

doing things the way it was done for centuries before them.

Their children have gone on to live their lives in America,

where they were born and raised.

Maybe someday they'll hear the call of Kasos too.

(calm music)

Nico and his returning mates

are a dying breed that will never be replaced.

Living off the land, hunting for game,

selling their produce to local villages

and leading simple sustainable lives.

(calm music)

The empty mountain roads lead you to tiny towns,

well off the beaten track.

All around the island there are hillside villages

and small coastal enclaves

where a handful of people manage to forge a life.

It might not be the easiest way to live,

but something tells me it's very rewarding,

suiting those that choose to be off the grid.

Not many outsiders take the time to head inland

and explore the rural heart of Kasos.

Quite frankly, there aren't many outsiders

that even come to the place

let alone go wandering into the relatively unknown.

But for me, it was the best way to get a true sense

of the island's identity.

What I discovered was a community minded people

in tune with their environment

and not driven by wealth or consumption.

Life is simple and meeting people like Nico

only made me want to unearth more of the place.

The main port of Fri is sited by the old port of Bouka,

and the ancient port of Emporio, which is now a beach.

Now, when you first look at Kasos and this town,

it's not the best looking town, it's not made for tourists,

there aren't any tourists here.

Only the guys that come back from the diaspora.

There's the occasional tourist.

It's actually one of the only islands I know of

that nobody actually goes to,

but that's, what's lovely about it.

And if you go beneath that, not best-looking facade,

you'll find a friendly bunch of people,

good food, and a serene time.

(mellow folk music)

I wasn't gonna give up on Kasos.

If there's something other than the matriarchal women

and tiny villages, I was gonna find it.

I soon realized I was looking at the place like a tourist,

but Kasos isn't set up for visitors

in the traditional sense of tourism.

So you need to remove the prejudices

associated with those expectations

and see the island as a resident does.

The funny thing is, the locals were intrigued by us

and wanted to meet and find out who we were

and why we were there.

Usually it's the other way around,

with the outsiders looking in wonder at the locals.

(cheerful folk music)

The moment that gave me the clearest understanding

of the identity of Kasos, occurred late in the evening.

As night fell and the taverna I was in finished serving,

some of the customers sat with the waiter, chef, and owner.

Together they gathered as a tightly bonded group of friends,

playing music and singing.

You couldn't help but be drawn into this,

regardless of who you were

and your ability to communicate with them.

This was a family that was content with very little,

but had so much more than those in the big cities

with far greater financial wealth.

I'd finally discovered the heart and soul of Kasos.

This isn't just another Greek island.

It's a close-knit community of beautiful people

that find a joy in each other's company

that few of us will ever get to experience.

(cheerful folk music)

(dramatic musical flourish)

Rolling countryside and stunning scenery

everywhere you looked.

I could get used to this.

It felt strange driving on such great roads

without passing a single other person.

It's as though they've prepared the island

for a future that will see a boom in population or tourism,

and maybe that'll be the case.

For now, it's as far from being a busy tourism hub

as you'll find.

About a 15 minute drive from town

and a five minute walk from the car park over there,

you get to this point,

and down there is considered

one of the best beaches on the island, Avlaki,

and it's a steep descent, and I'm gonna see what it's like.

The crew are a bit seedy from last night,

they had a big night.

I went to bed early.

So, I'm making them walk all the way down.

I've said it before and I'll say it again.

When a local Greek tells you a hike is 15 minutes long

and on a walking track, don't necessarily believe them.

More often than not,

it'll turn out to be at least twice as long,

and as was the case here, there's no trail.

This was a scramble down a watercourse,

so always plan for a longer-than-expected day out.

Pack plenty of water and remember

going downhill might be difficult on rocky terrain,

but going back up after a day of swimming

is a whole lot tougher.

(calm music)

You do these things to see places few get to explore,

and experience hidden parts of an island

that only locals know about.

The effort brings more rewards

than just pretty views and a beach to yourself,

it also gives you a sense of achievement

and the anticipation of what lies ahead is always exciting.

(calm music)

15 minutes? No way. More like 45.

(calm music)

Rough track, but wow!

The Southwestern peninsula of Kasos

has two very different sides.

On one, it's settled,

with generally still water and light breezes.

On the other it's a very different story.

There isn't landfall for well over a hundred kilometers,

so the sea builds up to a force

that you would know about around the corner.

Now, seriously, Avlaki was a 15 minute drive

and not a 15 minute walk,

it was more like a 40 minute walk

through a path that I got lost on three or four times.

But it didn't matter, 'cause because all you had to do

was aim for the beach.

Yeah, it was difficult, yeah it's a pebbly beach,

but you can see for kilometers around you

and there's nobody here.

The water is pristine.

The temperature is absolutely magnificent

and there's only one thing you do when you get down here.

Take it all off.

But you can't stay for all that, I'm sorry.

(calm music)

Please understand, I'm certainly not an avid nude bather.

In fact, I'm a little self-conscious

but something came over me walked down here.

The place was calling out for me to strip off

and connect with nature in the most raw way.

Wow. What an experience. it's kind of liberating.

I could get used to this, but only at beaches

where there's not a soul around for miles.

(calm music)

You know how earlier I mentioned

being mindful of the walk back up.

Well, I certainly was, which is why I called the captain

to race around and pick us up in the tender.

Apart from feeling a little lazy,

I also wanted to check out the coast.

The locals told me I had to step foot

on a tiny island across from the mouth of the harbor.

What had excited me was that beneath my feet

on that tiny island, I'd be feeling sand,

not the pebbles you get on a lot of the beaches in Greece.

But before getting there,

I had the dramatic cliffs to take in.

(calm music)

North of Kasos and very close

is this small, uninhabited island of Armathia,

which has this beautiful, soft sand

on it's three or four beaches.

In summer, there's a little caïque

that will take you here in about 15 minutes,

and you can come and have a swim

in this beautiful turquoise water.

It's uninhabited, but at one stage

there was a hundred people living here

and there was a couple of taverns.

All gone now.

(calm music)

This amazing little spot is a great example

of why you shouldn't always believe what you read.

Nowhere in any of the numerous

"top beaches of Greece" articles I've read over the years,

has there been a mention

of this beautiful haven of Armathia.

I've seen my fair share of Greek Islands,

and I reckon I've walked on a thousand beaches,

and this place is now in my top 10,

but let's keep it to ourselves,

otherwise I might build a resort over here and ruin it.

(calm music)

I don't think I've ever felt softer sand in Greece.

The granules are so fine.

I think the next level down is flour.

It's just so soft.

You walk up here and you just collapse,

and look at this, you just collapse into it.

Amazing.

Soft sand, warm turquoise water, and nobody around.

Helen thought all her birthdays had come at once.

Whether it's through research,

the captain and I looking at maps,

or by talking to locals, it's always my mission

to find the best beaches for her to bask in.

I'm an idiot. I didn't bring my swimmers.

I might just get down to my underwear and go in for a swim.

(calm music)

The nude bathing at Avlaki must've liberated my mind.

Here I was, talking about getting my kit off again

for another swim, but do you blame me?

This place is too pretty not to go for a dip.

Anyway, there's no one around except for the film crew.

(calm music)

(dramatic musical flourish)

Even this tiny forgotten island of Kasos

has its historical ruins.

Finding them is hard enough, and thankfully for the locals,

that can point the way, but once you get there

you get on a track and thankfully this is a paved track

and it's been a while

since we've seen a paved track to ruins

and our crew are all smiles.

So we're heading up to Ellinokamara,

I think that's what they call it.

I'm looking forward to it.

This site is significant for many reasons.

It's so important that they've built this path

to provide access.

Not that anyone uses it and decades after it was discovered,

archeologists are still investigating

its origins and purpose, but being so remote

on an island in the farthest corner of Greece

has placed it on the back pages

as barely a mention of a place to visit in the Aegean.

No one comes here.

Even the locals couldn't guide us to its location.

Well, it's just really imposing

when you first walk in here and you see these massive blocks

and these smaller ones would show you

that it's been built at different times.

And now I can understand why it's called Ellinokamara

which means Greek vault.

It's basically a vault built into a cave.

It's a really impressive thing to behold.

What I love about this space that's within a cave

and partly structured at the front

is the number of civilizations

that have actually occupied the space.

The first thing you'll see is this fluted column,

which must have been part of an altar on a Byzantine church.

Then you come through here and you see

what was imposing when we first walked in,

which was these Hellenistic blocks,

this must've been some sort of 5th century BC

Hellenistic wall,

and that's recorded and confirmed by archeologists.

We then walk through

and you can see that there is a division between

two parts of the cave from which time?

Possibly Hellenistic.

And then you keep coming through to the opening

and then to the other portion of the cave,

and there is this old rock wall,

which could be Byzantine, I'm not too sure.

And you come in here

and it's still being investigated, as you can see.

But what else has been found in here and confirmed

is Minoan script, which is three and a half thousand BC,

and also some prehistoric evidence.

So we're talking about civilizations using it

as far back as prehistory, 7,000, 3,000 BC.

Hellenistic times, most definitely,

and then through the Byzantine times,

and just as recently as 1824,

when I'm told some of the locals hid here

from the Ottoman raid, though, the place was burned down

and they didn't survive.

It's just an amazing space.

Kasos had sent its fleet to help

with liberation of Greece,

and the retaliation of the Ottoman Empire

was to be expected, but no one could foresee

the brutality of the massacre that happened here.

The Egyptian fleet, along with 1,500 or more Albanian troops

landed on the relatively unfortified island.

After spending two days bombarding it with artillery,

they swept across and quickly the islanders capitulated.

500 Kasiot men were slain,

and over 2,000 women and children

sent to the slave markets in Crete and Egypt.

It was devastating.

Yet despite what occurred,

when the Greek fleet eventually arrived

and offered the survivors transport to a new home,

they refused, preferring to stay and rebuild.

It's our last day in Kasos, and I'm sad.

I'm sad because you can't really show Kasos on film.

What we've seen, I haven't really delivered to you,

and I apologize for that

because it's about the people.

These are generations of people that have stuck together,

worked together, lived together,

and it's such a small community

and you can see it in their hospitality.

They say, hello, good morning, good night.

Every time you go by them,

they're just wonderful, wonderful people.

And you only experience that when you come here.

Four days just wasn't enough.

(calm music)

There might not be any nightclubs here,

but if you like to sing, dance and play music,

you can definitely do it on Kasos,

and will likely be joined by the locals.

If you show a little interest in getting to know them,

you'll discover they're friendly people,

keen to share their stories

and some of the secrets of the island.

You don't have the everyday conveniences

like takeaway shops, cinemas,

lots of retail outlets and electronics stores,

but what you do get is something far more special.

Kasos is as raw as you get,

and with that rawness comes honesty.

Traveling down the coast of Rhodes,

we've come to the southernmost tip,

and behind me is Prasonisi, which is separated from Rhodes

with this tiny little sand isthmus,

and as you can see behind me,

there are wind surfers, kite surfers, foil surfers.

They're all lunatics because there's so much traffic there

they need some sort of air traffic control.

It's an awesome sight.

I don't think I've seen so many kite surfers in one spot.

(calm music)

No other word for it than wow!

You never hear about it,

but professional athletes and novices alike

travel to Greece from all around the world

to do extreme sports like this.

It's not just limited to Rhodes.

In Lemnos there was also wind surfing,

Kalymnos has some of the best rock climbing on the planet.

The mainland draws mountain runners, Ikaria has surfing.

There's even canyoning and cliff diving,

so don't go thinking this part of the world

is just for history buffs and sun bathers.

I might be biased, but I can tell you now,

there's something in Greece for everyone,

young, old, active or relaxed.

It's a choose your own adventure kind of place.

Me, I like a bit of everything,

so I may have to get the flight board out for a whirl.

Actually, I think I'll just spectate,

because it looks like madness out there.

In the next episode I'm exploring the Island of Rhodes.

It needs little in the way of introduction, there's no doubt

most of you have heard at least something about it.

It's one of the most visited places in Greece

with a long history that's clearly visible,

through the incredible architecture.

Rhodes is a complete contrast

to the Islands of Karpathos and Kasos,

where we'd spent the last 10 days

living in peace and tranquility.

It was time to get back into civilization

and delve into the story

of why this is such a popular tourist destination.

To see more of "My Greek Odyssey",

head to our website at mygreekodyssey.com.

There you'll find plenty to keep you entertained,

including Kyriakos' awesome recipes.

(calm music)