All language subtitles for m.g.o.s05e11.1080p.hdtv.h264-cbfm_track3_[eng]

(THEME MUSIC)

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 are 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.

This episode sees me returning
to Amorgos.

Just after I spent a couple of days
exploring some of the nearby islands,

I'm going to be visiting some of
the best local eateries,

spending plenty of time checking out
the beaches,

as well as digging a little deeper
into the island's history.

Plus, Kyriako is going to reveal
his famous paximadia recipe.

From there, I'm headed west to Ios
to begin telling the story

of an island that's known as a party
place, but has so much more to offer.

Amorgos is one of those islands where
you arrive

expecting one thing and then discover
something completely different.

I came with the idea that this was
going to be a little bit touristy

and that a short stay would be ample
to see all that there was to offer.

But after spending several days here,

I was quick to discover there's
a depth to this island

that you only unearth when taking
time to embrace the locals,

and their slower way of life.

Fascinating things start to emerge
and you come to learn that Amorgos

is one of those places where you have
to put in a smaller amount of effort,

but you get so much more back.

There's little of the superficial
glitz and glamour

you find on more famous
Greek islands.

This is an authentic raw
and beautiful place

where the arid mountain landscapes
and stunning rocky coastline

are complemented by the softness
of the people.

The terrain might be harsh,
but the owners are far from it,

which is a large part of the reason
why

we were always coming back
to spend more time here.

When we first got into the port of
Katapola here in Amorgos,

we were a little bit underwhelmed
by the look.

But we'd heard so much about
the island from so many people.

Now that kept me going forward.

And you need to be provocative
when you come to Amorgos.

You just can't sit there
and let it come to you.

You've got to go to it,
like where we are right now.

This is the beach of Levrossos.

It is absolutely beautiful, but right
next to it

is the beach of Paralia.

And guess what?

The port is just over there, Aegiali.

Can you believe that people
are swimming metres from the port?

I think I'm going to join them.

It looks so green down there.

You may be aware that captain
Ioannis and Kyriakos

like to test the souvlaki and gyros
on every island that we go to.

There wouldn't be many places
in the country

where these two haven't tasted
Greece's most famous fast food.

You could consider them the foremost
experts on where the best gyros

and souvlaki are anywhere,
be it the mainland, or the islands.

So of course there was a local eatery
they had to show me.

Not just because the food is amazing,

but mainly due to its rather
unique location.

This wasn't your usual port side
taverna or restaurant.

You'll see what I mean in a moment.

I think we left...
I like it, Iannis.

The souvlaki's got to be good.

You know what, the thing I find
about souvlaki

is the hungrier you are,
the better it is.

The better it is.
That is true.

We're starved.
Mind you, we ate earlier.

So I don't know, we're hungry.

You get on the boat
and you're always hungry.

I don't know what it is.

What should we be paying
for the souvlaki?

How much?

Two euros?

Two and a half.
Yeah

Two and a half.
2.50.

If it's any more than that,
it's too much.

It's floating. So if it's floating,
you might have to pay more.

That's right. It's not Mykonos,

Mykonos is four and a half,
five euros.

I must go slowly.
Do not shake the souvlaki.

Of course. We don't want to shake
the souvlaki, so going very slow.

We're going to go in very slow.

Eating souvlaki with Kyriako
and Captain Ioannis

can be an involved process that
includes frequent shots

of the local raki.

Now, despite the fact that I've got
strong Greek genes,

I'm just not conditioned for the
consumption of this rocket fuel.

It would be rude for me not to
embrace the hospitality.

I just wish they were slower drinkers
or preferred something

that didn't enter your body like
the after burners of a jet fighter.

(FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

It's not just the food or even
the unique location.

What makes this so good,

is the simplicity of sharing a meal
with two of your dearest friends.

We're lost for words.

Historically, Amorgos has been
referenced by botanists

for its unusually abundant
and potent herbs.

And the man you're about to meet,
Vangelis,

is arguably the island's
leading herbalist.

He's a passionate holistic healer.

And today I was helping him pick some
hypericum,

which to me looked like a weed,

but to Vangelis,
it's one of nature's treasures,

To begin with, it's good
to greet the plants.

Talk to the plant a little bit,
explain to the plant

because the plant understands,
as we said before,

that this is for good reason.

Many people are going
to be healed by it.

Some people will be fed
by it.

Some people will be hit
like this.

Therefore the plant
yields better.

Otherwise, if we come with
hostile intention,

the plant gets that
and it retracts the juices.

How much of this do we have to pick
to distill it

to its final quantity
of medicinal value?

Well, as we pick it now,
we don't need so much.

The yield in oil infusion,
it's let's say about 10%.

So we need 10 parts of this
to 90 parts of oil.

That's, that's okay, you're getting
a good quantity.

What is the hypericum good for?

It has two main qualities.

So it's good for any damage
in the skin.

It's a wide spectrum healer for the
skin for cuts, burns, dermatitis,

and so on, you name it.

But it can also heal internally.

So we use it for
gastrointestinal ulcers

and all the spectrum
of inflammations.

Because you see it has the healing
power of the sun.

In Europe and in the States and in
other parts of the world,

it's more well known for its
antidepressant properties.

We call it a mood enhancer.

Fantastic.
It sounds like it does everything.

Exactly.
Yes.

I probably need a couple of litres
of it.

And as far as we are concerned,

the reason why it's such a good
regulator for the nervous system,

like let's say for depression,

it's because it attracts the light
energy of the sun.

So it gives back the light,

that's why it's very good
for depression.

For example, called SAD:
Season Affected Disorder.

It gives back the light.

Vangelis, I'm not the best
herb picker,

I've got to get up because my back's
killing me.

So let's move on
to the next one, eh?

Yes.

Let's go.
Let's keep going.

Oh, you're doing very well.

I think I'm doing okay.
Let's go to this one over here.

They're just roaming free here,
right?

Yes.

We're in their territory.
Hello, mate.

How you going?

How are you?

The horses are welcome to roam the
fields because they only eat grass.

Whereas the goats consumed Vangelis'
precious herbs.

So to him, they're pests.

But it's those herbs that make
the goat meat taste so good.

Just before we are going
back to the lab,

I want to show you
a very important herb,

which we have in great populations.

All this peninsula is full of this
beautiful herb here.

What's it called?

This is Artemisia,
in Latin.

In the local language,
it is called absinthium,

Absinthium. OK. Well do you want to
start,

I want to just check it out on
Google, I love Google.

It's used in absinthe as well as...

but it says here that it's poisonous.

Well, potentially everything can be
poisonous in the wrong dose.

The Greek word for medicine,
it's pharmaco, pharmacy.

And the Greek word for poison
is pharmaci.

And what's this used for?

It's a mind altering drug.

So it's a mind altering drug.

We call it psychotropic, which means
that it leads you towards the soul.

It's in the category of
the entheogenic plants,

the plants of the goat,
in a way.

Maybe we shouldn't be cutting this.

But it's also very useful for
health.

Ethno botanically, it means how
the local people are using plants.

They have been using this for
diabetes,

this is a very bitter plant.

It's one of the 10 most bitter
plants in the world.

That's why it can be toxic
in big quantity.

So it's a stimulant.

It has also been used
for allergies.

This is the plant that they make
the liquor absinthe.

Where literally people
and the artists,

they used to get high
in the middle ages.

So after, it was forbidden,
so this needs extra respect.

OK. All right.
I'm not going to smell it.

I'm just going to let it go.

I'm going to work today.

Let's keep going, mate.

We're going to get back to the lab.

Vangelis loves herb collecting
so much

that he had to teach me about every
single plant we walked past,

but we were on a tight schedule.

So I had to keep him on task.

It also meant that while he was
getting set up in his lab,

I used that spare moment
to look around.

Being a hot day,
few people were about,

but it didn't take away
from the beauty of the place.

The narrow streets
and countless stairs

are typical of these hillside
villages.

They're built in a piecemeal fashion.

And it would seem that town planners
weren't around in times gone by.

But that's what makes these places
so charming.

There's personality to the setting

and none of the uniformity
that you'd find in a city.

So what do we have here, Vangelis?

Here, we have a distillation
arrangement.

This is an ancient,
classical way of obtaining

basic extracts from the herbs.

So here we put the herbs
in this basket, right?

And with this method, we can take it
in and out and down.

So we put the herbs and we lower
this into the tank.

Once we put the herbs in the tank,

we fill it with water because this
is distillation by boiling.

We need the steam.

So as it boils, this steam
comes out this way,

it goes through this compartment,
this is the cooler.

Once this steam is condensed,
it becomes liquid again.

So we obtain eventually, as you can
see two liquids, oil and water.

The essential oil of the herb
and the flower water.

And they separate naturally,
as you see,

because the oil is lighter
than water.

The yield is fairly good.

With 100ml of oil for every 10 kilos
of rosemary,

plus an additional 10 litres
of flower water.

Naturally the oil is quite expensive,

but its potency means you use only
the tiniest amounts to get results.

The knowledge of this process has
been passed down to Vangelis

through generations.

Though, over the years,
he's modernised things

to increase the efficiency.

It's still very hands-on
from the harvest

right through to the bottling.

So I noticed you've got
a number of herbs here.

I see bottles all over the place.

Tell me Vangelis, how many herbs
does Amorgos have?

So according to an official
botanical database,

we have on the island about 600
species on the island,

which is really a lot.

Considering that it is
a small place.

It is rocky and a dry
like a Cycladic island.

So this, in fact it's a sign of
biodiversity,

which is a sign of good health.
This is a healthy place.

It is a healthy island.

Of the 600, you don't collect all
600, do you and exploit them?

No, we concentrate on the plants

that we have great populations of.

When we deal with the wild
crafted plants.

So we have worked here in the lab
with about 20, 25 herbs.

We have extracted from 20, 25 herbs
and we are satisfied with it so far.

Well there you go, so far.

Tell me, is there any herb
that is endemic only to Amorgos?

Oh yes.

We have a number of endemic herbs,
one of the most popular

and loveliest one, Helichrysum.
It means golden sun.

This is the one that
only grows here.

It grows in fact, on the south,
very close to the cliffs

of the monastery.

And it is not gold, it is silver,

and the Latin name of this plant,
of course

it's Helichrysum amorginum.

I always see Helen using these
natural alternatives

as preventative maintenance
before having to rely on

traditional medicines and antibiotics
only as a last resort.

And some of those organic remedies
have become

part of our family's routine.

This is an olive oil infusion of
hypericum.

Can I put it on?
Yes.

How much?
Put on your finger.

Yeah, and that's it?

That's the way.

Thank you, mate.

It is a wide spectrum healer
for any kind of skin damage.

Well, let's see how good
this stuff is.

I'm going to watch it
for the next few days.

And if it's no good...
how long will it take?

You can get your money back.

My father lived a century
using the principles

of the Mediterranean diet
and being constantly active.

He avoided processed foods and what
you would call a weed,

he would boil, eat, and then drink
the water when it cooled.

Vangelis' practices are similar to
those of my father

and it was heartwarming to see.

One of the most popular things
we do is

spend time in the kitchen
with Kyriakos.

We get lots of emails about his
recipes,

especially the one you're about to
see.

Today we're going to make
what I think is my favourite

because my mother used to make them
all the time - paximadia -

and we're going to make
Kytherian paximadia.

The difference between
the Kytherian paximadia

and the other paximadia
is olive oil.

We put olive oil in
the Kytherian paximadia.

Is that right?

The hard flour right?

It's got a little bit more gluten,
a bit more protein,

but it's hard flour specifically for
bread and pitas and yeast,

sugar of course and salt,
lots of sugar and salt.

OK.
What are we going to do?

So the paximadia is this hard biscuit
that we use on the plate

when we're having a little snack of
olives or tomatoes and/or,

and what I love about the paximadia
that is important to me

is I love to dip it in the coffee,
in the Greek coffee, it's the best.

Olive oil.

Extra virgin olive oil.

At one stage, we did this just
with hands, no machine.

Now we've got the machine, that's why
we're a little bit, you know that.

Maybe we should start doing it
with our hands.

We should start with doing it
with our hands.

This process went on
for about 10 minutes

with constant adjustments of speed

and adding more flour to get
the right consistency.

It's mesmerising to watch.

OK, we're ready.

The dough has got to be moist.

And depending on the conditions of
the flour, if it's dry, the humidity,

you might need to add a little bit
more flour,

take out a little bit of flour, add
a bit more water, add a bit of oil.

You'll know by just looking at
the consistency of the dough.

You can see the dough there.

He's going to knead
that dough now.

I'll give you the bowl.
Thank you very much.

And that's it.

And now we let that sit
for 20 minutes

and we come back in 20 minutes
and it'll have risen a little bit.

There are two risings of the dough,
this is the first.

It's a simple recipe, but one
that can take up most of the day.

As a boy, I can remember my mother
making paximadia every few months.

And there would be some theatre
about the process.

My sisters, and I would help,
turning it into a real family affair.

He's kneading it and now he's going
to cut it into two.

because you're going to make two
loaves now. Right?

Two loaves that he'll
cut the biscuits up from.

The helper, I'm the helper.

He then kneads one...

..into a little loaf

that he will cut the biscuits on
from later.

Of course, listen,
I understand that.

Listen, we've done pre-planning here,
we know what's going on, okay.

It's important to get the rolls to
the right size.

They'll rise a little while sitting
for 20 minutes.

So make sure they're about
20 percent smaller

than you want your paximadia to be
when slicing them up.

That's it, 20 minutes time,
it'll be ready.

So we cut them up, and each one of
those, basically a paximadia,

a biscuit.

And in a minute, we're going to stick
some sesame seed on them as well.

With the sesame seed, it just adds
that little bit of value.

Oh!

Moisten the surface with a light
spray of water

before sprinkling the sesame seeds
on top.

In Kythera, we don't add the seeds.

Wow, this is fantastic.

Now what happens now?

We give it a bit more water
and we leave it how long?

Five minutes?

So it raises a bit.

And then we stick it in the oven
for how long?

20 minutes.
20 minutes, and they're done.

The next phase is 20 minutes in the
oven after five minutes out here.

And then there's another phase
and he won't tell me

what it is until it happens.

OK, 25 minutes and it all happens.

Five hours.

I won't tell you about that yet,
in a minute. OK.

Kyriako knows how impatient I am.

So normally he cooks this recipe
when I'm out for the day.

So it's been 15, 20 minutes.

We're on like the third stage
of this process.

I forgot how long it takes.

Oh, they look fantastic,
what are we going to do?

We're going to break them
apart now.

So we slowly break them apart.

Oh yeah.

Can I have that one?

No, I want this one.

This reminds me of the days
with my mother

because I used to take one of these
before it was finally made,

which is in five hours time, and
start eating them straight away.

Because it's like bread now.

Doughy bread.

Oh yeah.

You keep going.
Don't worry about it.

No help right now.

No, I shouldn't be eating this
because it's carbs

and I'm on a carb-free diet.
But I can't help it.

It's so good.

Now what happens is Kyriako is
putting these out separately now

and then it goes into the oven
for five hours,

five hours at what temperature?

The actual recipe
and the instructions,

I'm not giving it to you,

but you'll get them on the website
mygreekoddesy.com.

A lot easier that way.

Don't burn yourself, OK.

Kyriako, your wife's
going to kill me.

Five hours, we're back.

Poor old Kyriako, he does well
to manage my intensity.

Always the gentleman, even when his
hands are getting burned.

But the end result was something that
despite its simplicity

holds so many special memories
for me.

Here we are, after five hours
in the oven, here is the paximadia.

Nice and hard, look at that.

Now you're supposed to have
a paximadia

with an olive and some cheese,
is that right, Kyriako?

But I like dunking them,
with the cheese.

The best!

The Kytherian paximadia,
or any paximadia for that matter,

it's part of the morning diet.

You ask someone what they're having
for breakfast -

coffee and a paximadia.

Yeah, they're pretty good.

These are savoury paximadia.

You can also make a sweet version

that is much better for coffee
dunking and more my preference.

I spend a lot of time on the boat,
moving from island to island

and exploring the coastlines
of these amazing places,

from the seaward side.

But whenever I get behind the wheel
and drive around the coastal roads

or across the heart of the bigger
land masses,

I always really enjoy it.

The majority of the time, there
aren't many people on the roads.

Most tourists stay put at their
favourite beach or town

and don't head off the beaten path.

Road trips give me a chance to head
to spots that either the boat can't

or it's too much of an inconvenience
to visit with Mia Zoi,

sometimes it's more efficient to get
behind the wheel

and embrace my inner tour guide.

It also gives Captain and Kyriako
a break.

The film crew on the other hand,
well they're stuck with me.

First stop was Agios Pavlos beach.

It's in the Agialis area,
towards the north of Amorgos

and has a pebbled shore
with crystal clear water.

Directly off the coast is the
uninhabited island of Nikouria,

which you can reach via the small
transfer boat

that goes back and forth
from Agios Pavlos.

You'll notice that there aren't any
deck chairs

and umbrellas covering this beach.

It's one for those that like to get
away from the crowds

and have some peace.

So while the rocky shore
isn't as idyllic

as you'd find in other places,
it's a worthy trade for the serenity.

Way down the southern end of Amorgos
is Kalotaritissa Beach.

The shelter bay is popular
with yachties

and for those that do like a deck
chair and some shade,

this is the place for you.

The sandy shore is much kinder
on the feet.

Plus there's a small cafe.

With those luxuries comes a few more
people, but it's far from crowded.

I've driven halfway across the island
to an uninhabited village

with one little taverna
run by one little old lady.

But there's something special
about this taverna.

And I'm really looking forward to it
because I'm starved.

This place wasn't easy to find,

but I'm told that the food makes
the tricky drive

and time it takes to get here,
well worth the effort.

It's a scenic road trip regardless.

Sofia has a wood fired oven.

And I could tell you, I smelt the
wood fired oven from over there.

Man, we got chickpeas in there.

(INHALES)

She's like the mama.

No, one's better than mama.

That's goat in lemon sauce
with potatoes.

Oh my god.

I might just...what I'm going to do
is stock up today

and eat for three days.

So I'll give Kyriako a break,
you know.

And there's a tray of something
coming out now.

Ooh, oh, it's a different smell.

It's a different aroma.

It's goat in a youvetsi, which is an
orzo pasta and it just looks good.

We're going to have everything.

Going to follow her in, just to make
sure she speeds it up, you know.

Got to help.

Let me get that.

Don't know if there is enough
olive oil on there.

Now this is what I call a feast.

You may think I'm going to eat this
all on my own.

But the simple fact is, we have a big
crew behind those cameras

and with the magic of TV, this feast
will be swept up in no time.

Look at the goat.
The goat looks...oh!

Sofia makes it sound so simple.

The hard work is done
in the preparation,

and then knowing
when to move things around.

Decades of experience have made it
second nature.

I only wish Kyriako was here to try
this stuff, he'd love it.

I've never tasted youvetsi
like that in my life.

I'm sorry I'm speaking with my mouth
full, but it's so good.

She's so good.

And I haven't even gotten to
the salad and the chorta yet.

She's so good.

The crew and I, we absolutely
decimated the food.

It was fantastic.

It's got to be in the top 10 taverns
I've had in Greece without a doubt.

Kyria Sofia was, she was like a mum.

She looked after us.

We were fed well.

It just was unbelievable.

And only 78 Euro for five people.

Can you believe that?

There she is.

Fresh eggs from her chickens.

I'm coming back for sure.
Don't worry about that.

Fresh eggs, I got fresh eggs!

The locals told me
what a good place this was,

but it far exceeded my expectations.

It's simple gastronomic moments
like these

that remain embedded in my memory.

Years later, I'll be able to vividly
recall the tastes,

colours and aromas of Sofia's
special place in Amorgos.

Sadly, she occupies the last
functioning building

in the abandoned village
of Asfondylitis,

however it's definitely worth
walking off lunch

with a stroll through the empty town.

There you'll find graffiti chiselled
in the stone

by a young boy called Michalis,

who lived here in the late 19th
and early 20th centuries.

He was paralysed and spent his days
watching the villagers

going about their business,
carving what he saw.

There are dates, images of
celebrations

and some of the more mundane things
that occurred.

Each being a record of daily life.

Asfondylitis is a decaying example of
rural life in the past.

The unique, drystone architecture is
slowly succumbing to the elements,

but it's still clear that this was
once a thriving settlement.

Having spent the best part of a week
on Amorgos and the nearby islands,

I came to discover a place quite
unlike what I expected.

It's an island where the arid
landscape and remote location

have forged a people that are
enduring, but incredibly kind.

There's a facade of toughness,
but beneath,

there's an endearing kindness
that only comes to the fore

if you take the time to slow down,

operate at the local pace of life
and open yourself up

to the generosity of the people.

For me, there were plenty of moments
that reminded me

of coming to Greece as a child.

Back then, it was a much quieter
place.

And my time on the islands was all
about being with family and friends

and feeling part of a loving
community.

It was a shame to be moving on,
but the Odyssey has to continue.

And my next stop was a couple of
hours cruising to the west,

to the island of Ios.

Arriving at port was a bit of a shock
to the system,

we'd left a quiet and remote island,

and now arrived at a destination
full of life.

For centuries, Ios has been a magnet
for eccentric people,

pirates hiding in the first
millennium to the 1960s and '70s,

when the hippies from Matala
came here.

In the '80s and '90s,
there used to be the beach bums

that would camp on the beach and just
throw parties and fill the bars.

And there'd be alcohol flowing
everywhere.

Today, it's a little bit quieter.

There's a bit of that, but I don't
know, let's go and check it out.

Ios is one of the more popular Greek
islands,

particularly for the young
travellers.

It was once a well known party place

with a nightlife that saw bars and
clubs come to life every evening.

The attraction was the beauty
of the landscape,

particularly the beaches,
where those that had a big one

the night before, went to recover.

That has changed over the last decade
or so.

And you'll soon discover that Ios
has something for everyone.

Above the port, perched on a hill
is Chora.

It faces the sea, providing views of
the beaches that stretch either side.

One of those stretches of sand was my
first stop, to meet with a local,

Peter, who first visited this spot
when there was nothing there.

There was no road access
and only a bunch of hippies

that left Matala in Crete
to find a new beach oasis.

You can consider him to be a modern
day hippie,

that's built up a number of
businesses

that all revolve around his love of
the beach.

Pete, 43 years you've been here
on Ios.

Yeah, it's a long time, isn't it?

Mate.
That's a long time.

You must have almost gone straight
out of school.

And I'm still breathing.

Yeah!
Pretty much.

I was 19 when I actually came to
Greece for the first time.

You ended up settling on Ios.

Why did you settle on Ios?

Well, the next year, I decided
I would like to come back

to the islands and maybe get a job.

I wasn't too sure
what I was going to do.

I just wanted to escape from England
and Ios just felt like an island,

one of those islands
I'd actually visited.

It had a young vibe and I thought
I'd be able to get a job.

It was as simple as that.

You said you had to escape
from England.

There was a big family business that
you left behind, you're next in line.

You could have run one of the best
businesses in England,

lived almost like a billionaire,

but you chose the open air
and sea of Ios.

Yeah.

Well, I kind of...
you just answered it.

You answered the question.

I mean, get out of the rat race
of England.

I mean, all my friends, they're
either accountants or doctors.

They went on to university.

I discovered windsurfing
and I became a bit of a beach bum.

I just love the sea,
I love windsurfing.

I still do. I'm 62 now,
and I'm still windsurfing.

I'm crazy.
I'm fanatical about it.

So when you first came here
43 years ago,

did you envisage that you were going
to start a business here

and do what you're doing?
No, absolutely not.

It was sort of...
I kind of followed my path.

I really was into windsurfing.

And that was what drove me.

I just saw an opportunity
to just start

a really good windsurfing place,
and I put all my energy into that.

And you did well.
And just followed my passion.

Well, it's worked out okay.

So, this is a beautiful sandy beach

and I understand there's
a lot of them

and there's a beautiful coastline.

There's a couple of spots
you want to take me to,

can we go and have a look at them?
Yeah, let's go and have a look.

Done, let's go.
All right, come on.

After his first visit to Ios
as a teenager,

Peter could have easily gone back
to the UK

and settled into a substantial
family business.

That meant he really didn't have to
work that hard at all,

but he chose to come back here with
just the shirt on his back.

And in fact, on his first night,
he slept on the beach.

For most of us, that's a difficult
notion to grasp.

The easy option generally
seems the best,

but he chose the more
challenging path.

A journey that was in line
with his passion.

He found a way to carve a fantastic
living, doing what he loved.

In the end, Pete's dare to dream
was a godsend

and the best decision of his life.

Sometimes you just have to follow
your heart.

So, Pete, there's not many islands
in Greece

that have this many sandy beaches.

Yep. 36 beaches on Ios.

And you've got a wide variety to
choose from.

You can go to one beach, your beach,
where you are.

Millapota, yeah.

And there's lots of people.

Or come to here, to Pikro Nera.

Pikri Nero.

Pikri Nero, alright.
Bitter water.

Yeah, bitter water,
and there's nobody.

So, you got a lot of choice.
Yeah.

I mean, basically you'll always
find beaches,

beautiful beaches on Ios
with nobody on them.

Yeah.

It's just such a wonderful spot,
you know.

Sometimes you meet people
that have a way

of impacting your life's journey,
more than others.

In this case, Pete gave strength to
the idea

that it's possible to buck the trend
and find happiness

and success chasing a dream.

I've always taken a conservative
approach to my working life.

And perhaps it's time I started to
think more freely.

Then again, I suppose I am.

The architecture of Chora
is typical of the Cyclads,

with cubic white houses
and narrow laneways.

Churches, windmills, and ruins
paint a picture of a town

brimming with history.

To learn more about
the island's past,

I enlisted the help of Giorgos,

a retired lieutenant of the Greek
special forces.

Gee, Giorgos,
there's windmills everywhere.

That's true.

We are in the windmill area.

There used to be in the old days,
14 windmills.

And although they're closed
right now,

we have QR codes all over the
windmills and in other monuments,

in the churches.

So you can scan it with your mobile,

you get all the information
without even getting inside.

We don't even need a guide.

Exactly. What do you think
about this, huh?

That's awesome, mate.

Let's see some other monuments.

For the small size of Chora, there
seems to be a lot of churches.

I mean, every Greek island has a few,
but here they're everywhere.

There is a church here
that is said to be the place

where one of history's greatest
thinkers was buried.

It's still being debated today.

Giorgos, I understand there's
something significant

about this church.

Yes, this humble church
is very important

to the history of the island.

According to the inscription
or the legend,

the Dutch archaeologist,
(INDISTINCT)

made excavation here in 1775.

And he discovered two marble blocks
on the right side of the door.

One of them was writing
that here lies Homer,

and so he realised that Homer was
buried on the island,

which is very important.

Yeah, very important.
OK.

Apart from this, this temple
is very important, why?

Because it sits on the ancient ruins
of the Apollo temple.

So there are many fragments of this
temple inside, and probably outside.

You can see it there, the marbles.

OK, so this is very significant.

These are all Hellenistic?
Exactly.

And many, many resolution
were discovered

during the excavation,
which started in 1908 here.

OK, so it's one of the most
important temples of the island.

The temple below.
Yes.

Not only outside, but also
the inside.

It hides a treasure.
Not to discover all of it, okay.

And apart from this, personally,
it's one of my favourites

because the doorbell was a gift from
my grandfather to the church

to make my grandmother better.

Is that right, that bell up there?
That's true.

And my grandfather is 95
and no one disputes what he says.

That's right!

OK, let's go.

So Pete, right now we're approaching
the ancient wall of the island.

It was made in approximately
fifth century BC.

And after in the 14th century AC,
Marco Krispos, Venetian

who conquered Ios, he made
the fortification ever stronger

based on these walls.

On these walls.

Sixth century to 14th century.
They've been there that long?

They've been that long.

And he made this fortification
even stronger

because we had pirates back then.

We'll keep going,
there's a lot to see.

Behind his small stature was a man
brimming with strength and energy.

And the rate of knots we were moving
at, felt like I was on a mission.

We walked through the old parts of
town via the maze of streets

to a spot that afforded great views
across Chora and the distant sea.

The only thing matching Giorgos'
vigour

was his knowledge of the island.

He shared it with a passion
only a local could possess.

Bringing to life the centuries old
past of Ios.

That said, keeping up was as much a
workout as it was a history lesson.

Normally I'm the one pushing
the pace.

Giorgos, it's very easy
to get lost in there.

Very easy.

The city has many alleys.

So, and it was built like this
in order to

confuse the pirates
in case of attack.

And also here, you see all the
houses are very close to each other,

and they were making like a strong
wall here.

Oh, like a strong wall.

Strong wall so when the pirates
were attacking,

they were defending and also
the defenders could climb

from one top to the other and defend
the city better, that's the idea.

And from here, I can see why they
built the town because you're away.

You can see where the pirates are,
they can't see you.

Exactly, this is the most important
thing.

And apart from this, the city
is hidden to the port.

You cannot view it clearly
from the port.

Only the top churches
can be seen from the port.

So the city was hidden,
and if it was in danger,

you could see it first.

And this is like the highest spot,
you can see Santorini from here.

Over there, you can see,
what's that over there?

Sikinos and Folegandros.

Sikinos and Folegandros.

This is one of the highest points
in the city.

We can get even higher.

And when the weather
is crystal clear,

you can even have a look at Crete.

Let's go up then.

Giorgos, I see one, two, three, four,
five, six churches.

These people were either scared
or very religious.

Scared because of the pirate,
but also very religious.

The law says that we have more than
360 churches on the island.

Wow, 360.

360. Not only in Chora,
but mostly outside the village,

in the countryside.

Let's go up hill and we have a clear
view and I'll show you.

Just a few more metres to the top.

Just a few more metres.
We should run it, you know.

We should run it like special forces.

Tomorrow, for PT.

So where do you live, Giorgos?

I live down at the port,
where I recently moved

but I grew up in a small house
next to Christos church.

I grew up over there
in a two bedroom house

with my grandmother
and my grandfather.

Fantastic.
Awesome, man.

I really enjoy.
Thank you very much, mate.

Nice to share things with you.

Hey, you've got a powerful, powerful,
special forces...

Join me next time

as I continue unearthing the sights,
sounds, and flavours of Ios.

From the most ancient of ruins
to the modern day cuisine,

I'm leaving no stone unturned,

as I delve deeper into the cultural
fabric of this fascinating island.

From there we'll be steering Mia Zoi
southwest to nearby Sikinos.

It's a secluded spot yet to be
discovered by tourists.

These are the destinations

that get me
the most excited,

because it's like visiting
the Greece I knew,

when I was just a boy.

Captioned by Ai-Media
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