Original subtitles

(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 ai-media.tv