Original subtitles

(UPBEAT MUSIC)

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PETER MANEAS: In the first four series of My Greek Odyssey,

we visited islands of the Saronic,

the Ionian, the Dodecanese,

the Western Cycladic,

and the Northern Aegean.

In series five,

we're seeing the Southern

and central Cycladic.

Islands you've never heard of

like Levitha,

Anafi, Donoussa

and ones you know well like Santorini

and the big one, Crete.

We're going there right now.

My exploration of Crete is gonna span several weeks.

It's such a vast expanse that to do it justice,

I'm going to be combining

a circumnavigation aboard Mia Zoi

with a couple of stints to shore

to discover the island's interior.

From Chania, Hora Sfakion

and Elafonisi in the Southwest

to Agia Nikolaos

and across the North to Heraklion and Rethimno.

It's gonna be a busy, but awesome journey.

In this episode, I'll be in the West of Crete,

spending my time both above and below the water,

as I discover some of the most beautiful beaches,

ancient ruins

and tackle one of the many amazing hikes on the island.

But first, I'm gonna visit a city

I've been coming to for many years, Chania.

It's the perfect place to start my exploration of Crete.

And I can't wait to get stuck into it.

(AMBIENT MUSIC)

Crete, in popular mythology,

it is the birthplace of the god king, Zeus,

and together with the Phoenician Princess, Europa,

they gave birth to Minos

and in reality,

Minos stands for the Minoan civilisation.

The first advanced civilisation

in all of Europe began here,

5,000 years ago, right behind me.

And there's more than just history to Crete.

It is the largest island by a country mile in Greece.

3,200 square miles.

The largest populace,

six to 700,000 people.

And has more olive trees

than every other isle in Greece put together,

30 million of them.

And for me, it holds special memories,

because my (SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE), Terry,

born here in Chania,

opened my eyes to Crete as a young man.

And I'm looking forward to reliving those memories

over the next couple of weeks.

40 years as mates, wow.

Terry introduced me to my beautiful wife, Helen.

We went to university together

and jointly discovered each other's paternal islands.

Our sons were born six days apart

and we cherished the ability to be able to pass onto them,

the culture of our forefathers.

Terry has been bringing me to Chania for decades.

We've walked through the town,

swam at its beaches,

devoured the local home cooking

and visited countless tavernas.

Not to mention, spending endless hours at cafes,

listening to the colourful and tragic stories

of old diehard Cretans.

It's always a wonderful experience to share time away with friends,

especially when it's at a place so dear to you.

Other than the number of visitors, nothing much has changed.

Every time I visit, there are long lost memories

that just pop out from the dusty corners of my brain,

giving me a brief high

from those adventurous days of my youth.

I love coming here and strolling through the familiar streets.

Yeah, it's busy and fills up with tourists,

but there's plenty of charm that harks back

to times when the island was much quieter.

There's great shopping,

endless choices for places to dine

and a mix of architecture from across the centuries.

The last section of the old port is where the marina is

and it formally was the military part of the port

in Venetian times.

There's these dockyards behind me and in front of me

and they're being sustainably refurbished

and renovated

and becoming a bit hip,

but all along here are psarotavernes.

Fish taverns.

Like the rest of Crete,

Chania has a dramatic history.

However, the period of perhaps the greatest visible influence

is that of the Venetian occupation.

They first captured the island in 1252,

but after a little over a decade,

they lost it to their rivals of Genoa.

However, they returned 30-odd years later,

once again, seizing control in 1285.

They made Chania the seat of the rector,

who was the most senior administrator

for the district.

With that came significant wealth to the city.

It was the main commercial center for the island

and the region as a whole.

To support the maritime trade and protect their interests,

the Venetians expanded the port area.

Apart from the massive shipyards, they developed the fortifications,

creating the overall form of Chania that is visible today.

The Venetian walls kept the city safe

for the best part of 400 years until 1645

and the start of the Cretan War.

The Ottoman's laid siege to Chania for two months

before finally it fell.

Today, there are few reminders of the battle.

Instead, it's a peaceful multicultural setting

where influences from across the Mediterranean

are evident in the culture, food, and architecture.

One place to experience the local culinary delights

is at the Saturday farmer's market.

Now, I've just seen something that is awesome.

Press record,

because you need to remember what I'm about to tell you.

What we have here is ampelofasoulo.

It's a long string bean,

but you don't get that anywhere in the world like this.

These guys, when you cook them in a red sauce

and saute them,

they just relax like that, and they're nice and soft.

They're absolutely beautiful.

We've got (SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE) here,

the boiled greens. Not only that, my favourite, okra.

I love the okra.

And the okra only lasts two months.

These guys are about a month and a half to eight weeks.

(SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

It's just a Summer green.

In Winter, it's a chorta.

Let's keep going.

Now, I've just seen something. Yes, cheese.

I'm gonna start with cheese,

some white cheese for the keto diet.

Let's taste it and see what it's like first,

of course. It looks fresh.

Awesome.

Perfect. Yeah.

Fantastic.

The majority of what you see here is fresh and locally made.

And regardless of whether you've eaten five minutes

or five hours ago,

the aromas and the mouth-watering sites

instantly turn the brain's hunger switch

to full volume.

Now I reckon today I can get a snack for the whole crew and myself

for about ten, 15 euro.

Easy. Bought out.

Two euro.

Two euro. That was two Euro.

We're going to have major snack for ten or 15 euro.

Let's keep going.

Now, we're gonna get some tomatoes

and some olives and...

This is awesome. This is a mountain tea.

There's many types of mountain teas,

but this is a mountain tea that comes at about a 1,000m.

The best, eh?

Super. See that?

Great salesman.

Do you want a job? Do you want to work with me?

But we don't want tea today.

Another time.

He's got prickly pears and pomegranates.

ANDREAS: Yes.

He's got everything. What have we got here?

It's dried. They're dried.

Can I have one? Yes, of course.

The dried fig, and it's look at...

Oh, look at that.

Mmm. What's your name?

Andreas. Andreas.

Yes. Can I get six figs?

Sure. Six of the best.

Yes. Right,

'cause we're gonna eat them in half an hour, an hour.

Summer is fig season in Greece.

You'll find them growing everywhere.

Dried figs are nice,

but the best ones are those straight from the farm.

Look at that. Look at the juice.

Look, look, look.

I got to put everything down.

I'm having my snack now. This is wrong.

Mm.

Mm.

(AMBIENT MUSIC)

From olives and cheese, to vine ripened tomatoes

and loads of other fruits and veggies.

You can get all the essentials here as well as a few indulgences,

even snails,

and like most farmer's markets, it's best to come early.

Not only to avoid the heat,

but this place gets really busy with locals and tourists alike.

So to get your hands on the tastier stuff,

you have to be quick.

Well, it's right in the middle of the day

and it's really, really hot.

But I've got this beautiful breeze

in this part of the old port.

And I'm gonna have my little snack now.

Now, it looks like there's a lot there,

but remember, the crew's got to have some too.

Mmm.

Tomato,

cheese,

olives of course.

And then to top it off,

the sweetness of a fresh fig.

Oh.

Nothing better.

This reminds me of the days

when I used to travel like a backpacker with my wife.

We had nothing

and this is how we did it.

And we still do it this way.

It's awesome.

Pity Helen isn't here.

Sorry, babe.

I love you, but I'm thinking of you.

Mmm.

(INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC)

(INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC)

When I arrived in Crete, the sea was quite rough

and a dive I was keen for,

required calm water.

So, I decided that at the first sight

of fair weather,

we would change whatever plans we had and head out.

It took a couple of days,

but an early start and smooth seas

saw me walk aboard my beautiful Mia Zoi

for the first time this year,

and man was it a relief.

It felt like getting reacquainted with a dear friend.

After many years cruising the Greek islands,

I have countless fond memories aboard this boat.

She's almost part of the family.

Speaking of dear friends,

if you've watched other series of the show,

you'd known my chef, Kyriako,

who doubles as the first mate on our boat.

Other than preparing all the amazing meals we have,

whenever we drop anchor or arrive at port,

Kyriako is on deck, working alongside Captain Yianni.

Joining the crew today was local dive instructor, Spiros.

He's a former Greek Navy seal,

which is the only reason

why I was willing to put my life in his hands

for the cave dive we're about to do.

I'm not one for enclosed spaces, let alone underwater caves,

but his knowledge and experience

gave me confidence

or at least made me a little less terrified.

So Spiro, we've come from Chania.

We've come all the way around to this spot here.

SPIRO: Yeah. 20 miles.

20 miles. What's it called here?

Drapanos.

Now, we're gonna go in there

and this is a beautiful drawing you've done.

So, we're gonna come in through 40 metres.

About 40 metres of a channel.

Yeah. Then we'll go into the cave.

And that's the cave there?

There.

That's the cave, there.

As you see, it's a beautiful place, like a paradise.

Yeah. And underwater is about similar.

Right. So, I will show you underwater.

And the only way in and out, is underwater?

Yeah. OK.

Look after me. OK?

Yeah. Don't worry about it.

OK. Let me set the scene.

It's early in the season and the water is cold.

I haven't dived since last year

and there's only one way in and one way out.

Plus, we're in the middle of nowhere.

Adding to things is a swim through an underwater tunnel

for 40 metres before we get to a dark,

dead end cabin.

I'm happy to admit, I've never been so nervous.

As the tender slowly made its way over,

the adrenaline was pumping.

The nervous energy made me even more talkative than normal.

Entering the water,

a rush of cold filled my wet suit

and as soon as the bubbles cleared, I could see Spiros leading the way.

The heart was still pounding,

but halfway into the tunnel entrance,

the nerves were quickly being forgotten.

The fear was replaced with intrigue

as our flashlights pierced the quiet stillness,

providing brief glimpses of small fish

and strange rocky forms.

I couldn't imagine what it would've been like

for the first people to have come through this tunnel.

They probably had no idea how long it was

or what was on the other side.

It would've taken a leap of faith

and a whole lot of confidence

to don a wetsuit and take the plunge.

But fortune favours the brave

and while they probably didn't find any treasure in here,

they did discover a wonder of Mother Nature,

that few get to experience.

Another reward for the effort is an incredibly calming sensation

that comes over you when you're in such a still,

quiet and dark place.

It's a form of sensory deprivation,

similar to a flotation tank,

with the added sensation of gentle water pressure.

I became totally immersed in the moment,

focused purely on my breathing

and the narrow beam of light from my torch.

Inside the cabin, we were able to stand in the shallows

on the sandy floor

and remove our masks to get a clear view.

It was ten degrees cooler in here than outside,

and it gave us a sense of relief to be able to breathe the fresh,

cool cave air.

There were no visible openings to the exterior,

with our lights being the only things

that could cut through the inky black.

It was nature's version of a cathedral.

And I felt privileged to enjoy a private viewing

of stalagmites and stalactites

that were in many cases, millions of years old,

and in all likelihood, had only been seen

by a handful of people.

This special moment

made it worth suffering all the anxiety, fear, and nerves

I had endured earlier.

It's times like these,

that I'm thankful for the confidence instilled in me by my parents.

They made me believe in myself

and be willing to take risks and try new things.

It would be easy to sit in the comfort of Mia Zoi

or back on dry land at the beach.

But by overcoming your fears and taking on challenges,

you open yourself up to incredible experiences

and memories that shape your life.

This was one of those days that I'll be talking about

with family and friends for years to come

and apart from appreciating what my parents did for me,

I have Spiros to thank too.

Meanwhile, on the outside and not far away,

people bathing on the shore

were oblivious to what was inside and under the headland.

Only a few local divers know the location

of this wonderful miracle of nature.

And with so few people in the know,

it's just a matter of time

before we could easily lose this secret location again

for centuries.

To tell you the truth,

it's better that the cave remains hidden from the masses.

That way it's protected from the damage

that generally occurs when too many humans

start visiting these sensitive environments.

Although something tells me that the majority of folks

that visit Crete

would probably prefer to relax in the sun anyway,

which is exactly what I did the rest of the day.

(INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC)

You know the place is good

when there's a line all day long,

and they're just about to shut in ten minutes

and there's still a line

and I can see the bougatsa coming out now.

This place has been running for 100 years

and all they sell is bougatsa.

What does that say to you?

Must be pretty good.

Bougatsa is a crispy filo pie

that can be made with a sweet cheese filling,

like the Cretans prefer.

Or alternatively, an even sweeter custard filling,

like they do in the country's North.

I love them both, especially when Kyriako makes it.

(SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE).

That looks awesome.

Wow. That one's for you.

Now, let's have a go at this.

I'll tell you what I think.

Now you got to appreciate,

before I start this, I got to say,

four generations of families

have lived for 100 years

specifically on this recipe,

selling just this, bougatsa.

So, it's gotta be good.

Now that's a lot of sugar on there.

Anyway, this is the breakfast of Kings in Greece.

Absolutely awesome.

Now, you got to appreciate also

that this is bougatsa made with cheese.

That's the real bougatsa.

Oh, man.

Fantastic.

Mm. Mm.

I'm told the descendants of this family

brought the recipe back from Constantinople,

where it originated.

I know of no other establishment in the world

that sells only bougatsa and nothing else.

And I found it amazing

that people were constantly lining up,

like they have been for the last 100 years.

Crete is famous for its production of quality knives, handmade.

And one of the reasons

is because it's in their national dress.

You'll see it all the time.

And here in Chania,

we have probably the most famous knife shop

in all of Crete.

The traditional Cretan dagger is more than a weapon,

piece of costuming or everyday tool.

It's a work of art,

handmade by master craftsman

and embedded in the culture of the island.

The design has remained much the same

since the 18th century.

Paula, you are the fourth generation in the family

that has run this shop since 1912.

So, you must be a bit of an expert on knives by now.

Is that right?

Yes, of course you are right.

Now, I understand

that there is a Cretan custom with knives.

Can you explain that to me?

Yes, of course.

In the old days, long years ago,

always one Cretan men wear on the belt,

two knives.

Of course, when birth one little boy

give for her, for his, two knives.

So, at birth, they give them two knives?

Yes, of course.

Can you show me those two knives?

Yes, of course. This is the most popular.

Right. Worn as a costume.

And this is the second knife.

Right. So, he gets two knives at birth.

Yes, of course.

Why is he getting two knives at birth?

The first knife give for her, for his.

When the boy grow up,

give this little knife for his lover.

He'll give this out to his...? Yes.

..when he gets engaged? Of course.

And this knife wear the woman, inside the breast.

Yep.

And then he knows all the men this woman is engaged.

And with this knife protect herself...

Right. ..or not...

..kill with this knife, herself.

Sorry. So, let me get that straight.

She'll wear the knife here

and she'll protect herself with it

in case some other man wants anything,

but if she can't, she'll kill herself.

Yes, of course.

And that was the Cretan tradition?

Yes. Wow.

And this knife, what's this knife?

This knife, the name is, (SPEAKS FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

and gift for the little boy for good luck.

Well, I'm sorry, but I didn't buy any of those

for my son,

because I didn't think about that sort of stuff

when he was born.

Anyway. Wow.

From the showroom to the workshop,

this was an all encompassing experience

of anything to do with Cretan daggers.

It's one thing to look at these works of art

through glass cabinets,

but to see them being shaped, gave me a whole new appreciation.

I don't know why,

but I've collected knives from my travels around the world.

And in Greece, the islands of Symi and Crete

are known for their bladesmithing.

It's an art that has existed for millennia.

Since humans first learned to create weapons

for hunting and battle,

they've shaped knives from natural materials.

At first, it was stone, timber, and bone.

Then came the discovery of metals,

alloys and different heat treatments that shape more elaborate blades.

This master craftsmen Michalis,

has a long family history in the trade.

His grandfather started this business 65 years ago.

The skills were passed down to his father and then to him.

And now he will do the same for his family.

His daughter runs the shop

and I'm told his toddler grandson can be seen copying his papu

by sharpening his plastic knife while in the bathtub.

Sadly, it's a dying craft.

So, make sure you visit Michalis

to see it before it's lost to history.

The three biggest cities in Crete are Heraklion, Chania and Rethimno.

Heraklion is by far the largest

and lies to the East,

but for anyone planning to explore the Western side of the island,

Chania is the perfect place to base yourself.

You can hire a car and follow the coast

or head inland and travel through the mountains.

It's a beautiful city that hums throughout the day

with lots of tourists exploring the old town.

The Portside taverns and cafes are busy at all hours,

providing the ideal place to sit, enjoy some lunch and people watch.

Then as the sun begins to set,

the pace of life slows and the energy dissipates,

creating a peaceful setting.

Chania is full of fond memories for me,

but other parts of Crete were calling

and tomorrow we were making a move.

There's so much to see and do in Chania

that you could easily spend an entire holiday

discovering the one city.

Over the years, I've spent weeks at a time here

and I feel like I've barely scratched the surface.

Just like all the other visits I've made,

this one ends with me already thinking about

what I still need to explore.

Our busy schedule

saw us upping anchor and heading off on Mia Zoi.

Over the days ahead,

we're going to circumnavigate the island,

heading Westward along the Northern coast.

This part of Crete has some of the best

and most popular beaches in all of Greece.

And by popular, I don't necessarily mean overcrowded,

because to reach some of them, it's actually quite difficult.

There's also loads of other things to see and do.

So like always, we're in a bit of a hurry.

I'm just about to meet a fellow that's a historian,

he's a writer and he's a teacher at the University of Crete.

We're here in Imeri Gramvousa.

It's a little eyelet off Crete.

We wouldn't be able to get here if it wasn't for Captain Yianni,

there's that much under our propeller.

I don't think there's been a boat this size ever come here.

Yiannia's got, I can't say it.

Sorry. He's got something. You know what I mean.

The island is basically uninhabited.

The main occupants are goats

brought over by shepherds from the mainland,

who aegis their flocks here in summer.

I can tell you from personal experience

that the meat from here is exceptional.

My son, Irinaes, loves Kyriako's honey goat

and has gastronomic and adventure stories

seared into his brain from our time on this island.

So, Yianni, how long have you been working at the university?

The time passes. It's now four years.

Four years?

Or five years. Yeah.

Before that, what were you doing before that?

I was a teacher in the secondary education.

Oh, right. You know, in gymnasium.

In history? Yes.

Oh, wow. OK.

Tell me, Yianni, we're in the middle of nowhere.

This is the North-western Cape of Crete.

Why is there a castle there?

Look, there are three eyelets.

You know, here Gramvousa, in the Souda Bay

and in Spinalonga,

which were fortified by the Venetians.

OK. Crete was Venetian at the time.

Right.

So they had the fortress all along the coastline.

So they have the defence of their, you know, transport.

So, from the Peloponnese to Kythira,

they came here and then from here Chania

and then Heraklion.

To protect the trading routes?

Yes. Yes. Fantastic.

This is pretty steep and it's a long way up there.

I'm just wondering, this is 30 acres of castle.

They brought all that material up there.

Most of the material, like you know, the dark stone, it's from here.

It was mined here, but some other materials,

like the white stone you see in the corbel,

was brought from the Venetians.

Right, oh, the corbel up there.

OK. Right.

Yeah. That one.

Yianni, I can hear that sound in the background.

It's the F16's, a local air base. Isn't it?

Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. From Chania.

Right.

It always amazes me

when I come to these once thriving communities

that have long since been abandoned.

500 years ago, this island was a buzz

with construction and eventually a large community.

Why was it left to ruin?

Was it a lack of water?

Was it due to economic instability

and people leaving to the bigger towns of Crete?

Or perhaps it was because it's so remote.

One thing I'm sure of,

is that things won't be changing anytime soon.

The goats will continue to make this their private summer residence.

We're almost there, Yani, by the looks of it.

But you know what? I love the size of this place.

The amount of work that went into this,

you just wonder how many people they would've used to build it.

We don't know how many exactly.

It wasn't a big problem for them because work was cheap.

Yes. Yes, yes.

So, they built, you know, the Venetians,

that's the symbol, the lion.

They built simultaneously three fortresses.

Here, Spinalonga and Souda.

To protect, you know, Crete from the Turks.

Yeah.

Which were the main threat in the Eastern Mediterranean,

in this period.

They managed to protect Crete from Ottoman Turks

for many years with this fortress.

Yeah. I can tell why, mate, look at it.

Look at the size of the thing.

Mm-hm.

At its peak, there was a multitude of buildings here

with people living on top of each other.

In the century since, it has all eroded away.

All, but two structures have been lost to time.

A Christian church and a mosque,

both sit on extreme ends of the plateau,

diametrically, opposed in more ways than one.

Perhaps because of their religious significance,

they were maintained longer than other buildings.

Or was it divine intervention?

So there's been many countries that have held this fort.

Yeah. It was built by the Venetians.

Then it was blown up by lightning.

It was rebuilt.

Then it was handed over by bribe,

by the governor here to the Ottomans.

The governor went to Istanbul, then Constantinople

and then it was taken by the Greek revolutionaries,

by a ruse.

They pretended that they were Ottomans.

So and they just walked in the front gate?

Yeah. The Turks had handed over, you know, the keys,

because they could not resist after they went in.

Yeah.

Then during the Greek revolution, 1821,

the revolutionaries were gathered here

from all over Crete and they did also some piracy.

OK. A bit of piracy here.

The revolutionaries were also pirates,

because you see...

..this is the west coast, the whole west coast of Crete,

and you can control all of this.

Yes. The major trading route. Yeah.

So, that's why this is built here, for that major trading route.

But you know what gets me?

Yianni, there's Balos Beach over there

and soon there'll be a whole lot of bathers there

and they'll be looking up at here

and they won't really know the history

and the people that have died

and put their lives at stake for this.

Amazing, isn't it? Yeah.

Awesome.

Every ship that travels from the Black Sea and Asia Minor,

heading to Italy, France, and Spain,

passes within sight of this headland.

The Venetians recognised its value.

So to protect these ships, they built this imposing fortress.

Its scale is indicative

of the worth this maritime trading route held.

Huge expense and manpower

went into building the stone fortifications.

When you walk through the ruins and see the scale first-hand,

you get a real sense of just how valuable this windswept,

rocky escarpment once was.

Our next stop was just across the way on the mainland

at the famous Balos Beach.

But before heading over,

there was one more spot on Gramvousa I had to show you.

This is the remains of the Demetrius P,

a cargo ship that sank in a storm in 1968.

Built in Germany in 1921, she was sailing through Greece

when foul weather led to the crew seeking shelter

on the leeward side of the island.

The rough sea severed one of their anchors.

Soon after, the engine room flooded, forcing the crew to evacuate.

The Demetrius eventually sank where she lies today.

The wreck is now a great spot for spearfishing and snorkelling,

but as inviting as the water was,

we're headed to a couple of Helen's favourite beaches.

The first of which is one of the most

photographed stretches of sand in Greece.

Balos Beach is one of the most popular seaside beaches

in all of Crete.

Now, is it one of the best?

Well, I can't comment on that.

One thing I can say is, it's pretty good for kids,

because there's a lagoon and a beach and it's pretty shallow up there.

So it's very safe.

I'll tell you what, though.

Very blue turquoise, lovely colours, beautiful pinkie sand.

I sort of like, might jump in the water,

but I'm not going to offend you people.

Mr Cameraman, you can't take a shot of me this time,

because they don't like me in my Speedos.

I'm headed for the lagoon.

Balos is nicknamed The Blue Lagoon. For good reason.

Like I said, it's a great spot to bring the family

as there's acres of shallow warm water for the kids to play in,

while Mum and Dad bask in the sun.

The best time to visit is in June and September

when the crowds aren't overwhelming.

In peak season, it's packed and rightfully so,

but even at its busiest,

you'll be able to find a space for your towel.

Especially if you come early

before the boats arrive from Kissamos.

The huge expanse of sand looks a lot like desert dunes,

giving way to turquoise blue water.

Being surrounded by barren, rocky hills,

adds to the sense of remoteness and raw beauty.

My next stop was another beach that's very well known,

probably more so than Balos

and similarly stunning.

To be honest, it's a place that's in my top five beaches

on the planet. Not just in Greece.

If you make it to Southwest Crete,

you've got to come here to Elafonisos.

Some know it as La Fonisi or Elafonisi,

but it is pronounced Elafonisos.

It's just an awesome beach. It's easily accessible.

There's a car park a 100m away and have a look at it.

Look at the different colours.

Aquas, turquoise, light greens, dark greens.

The water's nice and shallow.

There's some deep stuff out there

and the lagoon is nice and warm for Helen.

It's just a wow beach. I love it.

If I get to Southwest Crete, I always come here.

Anyway, I'm definitely going in for a swim.

If anyone out there disagrees with me

rating this place in my top five,

then all I ask is that you visit here

early on a summer's morning when it's quiet.

Take a stroll, go for a swim

and then sit back and look at the scenery.

If you still don't think it's that good,

then if we ever cross paths, that drinks are on me.

But you'll first have to convince me of which beaches you rate higher.

Elafonisos is basically an island isthmus,

which runs east west

and the prevailing winds in winter are southerlies

and the prevailing winds in summer are northerlies.

As a result, it gets absolutely bashed

by the weather year around.

If you look down here, you can see this pink sand

and that pink sand is basically crushed shells

from all the shells around

and this fine sand is the result

of the weathering of this whole area.

Fantastic.

If you're still questioning my judgment,

then you're a tough person to impress.

Regardless, if you head down here on a sunny day

with high expectations, you won't be disappointed.

It's a spot that will amaze even the harshest of critics

which mind you, my wife Helen is.

And one of the few things that we agree on

is that this is paradise.

As hard as it was to drag myself away from Elafonisos,

I had the producer badgering me to get back to Mia Zoi.

Ahead, we had a 70km journey, east to the region of Sfakion.

It's one of the few places in the whole of Greece

to never have been fully occupied by foreign powers.

The main settlement in the region, Hora Sfakion,

is famous for being a centre of resistance

against both the Venetians and the Turks.

The natural landscapes aided the locals in their defence,

with the tearing white mountains to the north

and rocky beaches to the south.

As a result, the people have their own identity

and are known as some of the toughest people in Greece.

Well, captain Yianni's done it again.

Brought us into a spot that no boat has ever come to,

of its type, anyway.

Shallow water.

He's awesome.

We're in the south of Crete in a seaside village of Loutro,

and I'm about to see a mate of mine, Pavlo,

who owns a business here and he's travelled the world.

Then I've got to have a swim.

Got to have a swim, that sounds really bad, doesn't it?

And walk that beautiful walk along that cliff face.

It's awesome.

A lot to do and I better get cracking.

There's no road connecting Loutro to the outside world.

You can either hike along the coast,

or over the mountains or come by boat.

This isolation is part of its charm.

Such a sleepy, peaceful town,

ideal for a weekend away of swimming and hiking.

Hard to believe that this was the centre and beginning

of the war of independence for the Cretans.

The Greek War of Independence broke out in 1821.

And the revolt of the Cretans was announced here

in this tiny town.

Why?

Possibly because the region has a long history

associated with revolution and autonomy.

Another example occurred some 50 years earlier

when Daskalogiannis,

who was born in a hillside town nearby,

led a failed uprising against the Turks.

Pavlo, this is such a remote town. You can't get to it.

There's no way of getting to it

unless you come by water or walk for kilometres.

You were born and grew up here?

You're a local.

How does one live here? I mean, how do you create families?

Yeah. It's very easy.

We live in paradise here.

This paradise is not really a struggle to be here.

It's a enjoyment.

What happens in winter?

In winter people go back to the city,

but they do come back occasionally

to do a little bit of maintenance work,

because we're very close to the sea

and there's a lot of maintenance to be done.

Mostly the painting.

How many people are living here in winter?

I would say ten, 12, maybe 15.

Is that all? That's it, yeah.

Then how many people come back in summer, that live here?

Almost all of them.

Right? So what, 500?

No, we're about 80 people.

80 people? 80 people.

That serve the tourism, basically? We serve the tourism.

How many tourists can you take here?

We can come close to 1,000.

So people come here and all they do is relax and swim and what?

Is there anything else to do?

They like to do a little bit of hiking, swimming.

Right.

But mostly they come back, the same ones every year,

because they feel safe here.

Right. They love the place.

Yeah. They feel safe.

So, they go to a place, you know,

they know they're going to have a good time.

Right.

It certainly has that hidden paradise feel to it.

This little port town lies well off the beaten tourist path.

Those in the know, keep coming back for more.

When you find gems like these, you want to keep them to yourself.

So let's keep this secret between us.

Well, we've had something to eat.

We've had a swim and we're on our way

for a 5k walk along this goat trail to Hora Sfakion.

Just one last look at Loutro.

And Mia Zoi is just about to go.

She's going to meet us around there.

It's not for the fainthearted.

Oh, there's my girl.

Have a look at that.

I don't know how they're ever going to build a road to that.

So, pretty safe to say, they'll never have a crowd here.

Most people move between these tiny ports by water taxis,

ferries and sailboats.

I'm lucky enough to have Mia Zoi to meet me at the other end

in Sfakia.

So if you're planning to do the hike,

either check the ferry timetables

or be prepared to do a return trip by foot,

which mind you, would be pretty cool

if you didn't have to lug camera gear the whole way.

Just make sure you carry water, because it gets really hot

and you're exposed to the elements the entire way.

Well, we've still got a fair way to go as you can see

on this 5k trail.

But it's actually part of a longer trail.

A 10,000km E4 recognised European trail.

It starts in Spain and ends in Cyprus.

Now I'm not going to do that one.

I'll just do this little portion, I can say I've done it.

Oh, and if you get lost, if you're silly enough to get lost,

there's trail markers all the way.

I don't know how you could get lost. Just keep the water on your right.

Let me give you some context here.

If a country road is a ten

and a dangerous goat trail is one,

this is probably about a 1.2.

You see, they built this path in the '60s

and they built it by hand and everywhere you walk,

there's a chance of falling.

So I wouldn't be bringing my kids along here,

but, wow, look at this view. That's a ten.

Well worth it.

Now, have I said ten out of ten yet?

Have I said, wow?

Well to all those fans out there

that take a shot every time I say, awesome.

Awesome. Awesome. Awesome. Awesome.

Well, that's Hora Sfakion in the background

and I'm telling you now,

I'm pretty sure they didn't use satellite navigation technology

to measure this path.

Because I reckon we've done 5ks already

and it's 7ks all the way, by the looks of it.

I'll know with my Apple Watch at the end.

Man, this just keeps getting better and better.

The best walks have a reward for the effort.

Sometimes it's the views along the way.

Others, it's the place where you end up.

In this case, it was both.

Around every corner was amazing scenery

with spectacular places to stop for a swim or to rest

and absorb the raw beauty.

You know, I'm caught between instantaneous gratification

and going in for a swim,

calling Yianni and telling him to pick me up,

or finishing the walk and finishing that commitment.

Got to finish the commitment.

In the end, I just had to take a swim

in that beautiful spot.

I called Yianni and asked him to pick us up here.

As you can see, when I ask Yianni to hurry up,

he sure doesn't muck around.

In the next episode, I'm continuing my time on Crete,

starting with an education about how this massive,

mountainous landmass formed.

From there, I'll be hiking through

one of the continent's longest gorges, Samaria,

before stopping at the most Southern point of Europe

on the island of Gavdos.

Plus there's plenty more fun being had,

including some of Kyriako's amazing cooking.

Captioned by Ai-Media ai-media.tv