Original subtitles

- My travels around Greece as part of this odyssey

have taken me from the heart of the nation, Athens,

and throughout several of the major island groups.

We've cruised around the coast of the Peloponnese

and traveled amongst the Ionian Islands.

Then we made our way across to the Northern Aegean

before spending times exploring the hidden gems

of the Western Cycladic and, man, was it beautiful.

This series, seas are steering Mia Zoi further eastward

and into the Dodecanese.

In this episode, I'm covering every inch

of the tiny island of Telendos.

It's only 600 meters from Kalymnos,

but has a personality all of its own

with great hiking and fantastic dive site.

From there I'm heading to Leros

which is a more lively island

with cliched windmills, whitewashed houses,

and a stunning port.

The dramatic history of Leros spans centuries.

We're so blessed to have the combination

of Mia Zoi and Captain Yami.

Two reasons, Mia Zoi has shallow draft, 2.4 meters

from waterline down to the bottom of the propeller.

And Captain Yami is a gun.

He knows these waters perfectly

so we can get to spaces that no one else gets to.

A boat this size here in Telendos, they've never seen it

in a spot like this because it's so shallow here.

There is only sort of that much space, 200 millimeters,

between the bottom of the propeller and the sea bed.

And it's not that there's 200 millimeters,

if there's a wave, propeller goes up and down

and up and down and could hit the bottom,

but Yami, he's got no problem,

he's really, really happy with it.

I'm blessed to have him and I'm blessed to have Mia Zoi.

Not many people live on Telendos,

in fact, there's only a few families here.

However, during the summer months,

it gets an injection of life

thanks to the tourists that come across

from Kalymnos for the day to escape the noise

of the big island.

Apart from wanting to see this quaint little gem,

my main reason for ducking over

was to understand a historical point of contention

between historians and some locals.

The heart of Telendos is in this quaint seaside village.

It's quiet, it's clean, it's got absolutely everything,

but not too much.

I feel like I'm in some other place

in some other part of the world.

It's beautiful.

With only a few small ferries servicing the island,

you know it's not gonna fill up too quickly.

In fact, the ferries are more like small fishing boats.

They can only take a handful of people at any one time.

Now, Telendos is a wonderful place to come and stay,

but you don't need to.

You can be living in Kalymnos

and catch the little ferry

that comes across every half an hour,

day and night comes back and forth.

Come across here, spend a day at the beach,

have a swim, looks pretty awesome.

Might to have a swim myself.

It's really good to let go.

After a long and lazy lunch,

it's nice to sit on the beach for a bit,

have a swim and then take a stroll along the waterfront.

Too much eating and not enough exercise

is one of the challenges when you're holed in Greece.

It's easy to just spend your days relaxing

and overindulging in the beautiful food,

but with so much to see in Telendos

and very little time to do it,

I didn't allow myself the luxury of a nap on a deck chair.

A walk around Telendos doesn't take that long.

It's only about eight square kilometers in size,

with a short paved section

and then trails that lead to some Byzantine ruins,

remains of churches, and rocky alcoves along the coastline.

The crumbling remnants of the century's old buildings

paint a picture of a once thriving island.

Archeologists have established that part of the earthquake

in the middle of the sixth century,

there was an established Christian culture here.

When they left, it was mostly uninhabited for some time,

probably because it was so small and arid

and the neighboring island of Kalymnos

had a much larger settlement.

Apart from the history, the more active individuals

can also climb the mountain that dominates

the heart of the island, but I think I'll leave that

for another day.

I left my harness and climbing shoes back in Kalymnos.

I think this is the end of the road

because beyond the camera is a nudist beach

and we're not gonna go there.

If you're watching this, Helen,

rest assured I didn't visit the nudist beach,

I'd never subject viewers to seeing my naked body.

But, the producer felt obliged to check it out,

saying something about having

to tell the complete story of the island.

I think he just wanted an excuse to get his kit off

and work on his tan.

But, in complete seriousness,

nude bathing is actually illegal

in most parts of the country,

you might be surprised here

that not everything goes in Greece.

Only if a beach is dedicated to nude bathing

can you indulge in your naturist habits.

Here there's a lifeguard that'll give you a sunbed

and an umbrella for seven euros,

but there are no taverns or kiosks,

so you'll have to pack your own supplies.

Inland is the domineering peak of Mount Telendos,

it rises 450 meters above sea level

and as is usually the case in Greece,

there's a church at the top.

It's been built on the ruins

of the medieval fortress of Saint Constantine.

The castle once housed 5,000 people

who would take shelter there during attacks.

It provided views across the sea

so inhabitants could easily spot invaders.

It seems odd to have such a large castle

on a tiny island, but when you consider

it was built at a time when Kalymnos and Telendos were one,

it makes sense.

Now, the popular train of thought here

in Telendos and Kalymnos that at one stage

these two islands were one

is that in 500 A.D. there was an earthquake

and they were separated.

Now, when you look at the geological structure

of this whole bay, it's about 50 meters deep

in the middle and it's a couple a meters deep here

and you can see what everybody believes

is a sunken city right through here.

But, when you have a good look,

it only goes out about 10 meters

and that's probably because the water level

has risen by about two and a half meters,

much like it has right through the Aegean.

So, it's more likely to be some sort

of geological upshift that's happened over many thousands

of years and I'm not saying that

because I have no idea what I'm talking about,

I read this bloke,

he's my go to for the majority of my research,

Nigel McGilchrist, and he believes exactly

what I've just said.

So, maybe this 500 A.D. stuff isn't true,

well, maybe you're wrong too, Nigel, who knows.

The only real way to find out what happened here

is to see it for myself

and that means one thing,

it's time to pop on the dive gear and get wet.

I'll take any excuse to jump in the beautiful water here

and thankfully I found an experienced dive team

to take me under.

Kalymnians are known for a history

of producing wonderful divers

and we have two of them here today.

And I'll tell you what, Bradley Cooper, Jason Stratham,

they look awesome don't they?

These boys are gonna take us for a dive this morning

in between the straits of Kalymnos and Telendos

and tell me, what are we gonna see there above all?

- There's a real nice route with canyons

and big rocks. - Big rocks and canyons.

I'm actually looking forward to that

because they told me that there was

a seismic event in 500 B.C. and that's

how it separated. - That's truth.

- I don't believe it, I don't believe it.

I think it was more a geological phenomena

that happened over a period of time.

We're gonna find out today.

And we're gonna go down with these strong,

young Kalymnian divers.

They make me look really bad, anyway,

(speaking foreign language), let's go!

Let's go, let's go, let's go.

- After you. - After you!

I'm certainly no expert on archeology or geology

and sometimes in my excitement I tend

to mix up my B.C.'s and A.D.'s.

So, what I meant to say earlier was 500 A.D..

Now, let's get back to the script.

With the site we're about to visit,

the popular thought is that

a massive earthquake occurred here somewhere

around 550 A.D., it split Telendos from Kalymnos,

sinking a city that sat between what's now

the two separate islands.

The alternative theory is

that it was more than just an earthquake

and, in fact, a combination of volcanic

and other geological phenomenon occurring

over an extended period.

Whatever it was, it resulted in the formation

of incredible underwater structures

that are home to all sorts of marine life.

Pablo and Nihale have been diving on this site for decades

and in that time, they haven't come across

a sunken city, but they have seen some remarkable creations

of mother nature.

These rock formations are like underwater canyons,

rising from the depths creating an eerie atmosphere.

They make you feel tiny and somewhat fragile in comparison.

It also gives you the sense of swimming

through submerged towers.

Perhaps this is what early divers were referring

to as the submerged city.

I didn't end up proving or disproving either theory,

however, the dive was mind blowing.

It was one of those experiences

where you go into it expecting one thing,

but come across something completely different,

yet just as exciting.

To finish a fantastic day, we sat back

and took in the spectacular sunset.

Like pretty beaches, there's no shortage of them

in this part of the world.

We then spent our final evening

in the tranquil port of Telendos debating history

and throwing around our own wild theories

about what happened here all those centuries ago.

As the final ferry made its way across to Kalymnos,

we called an end to the discussion

because the following day we had an early start

for the short transit to Leros.

I was keen to get there early

and make the most of the perfect weather.

It may have only been about a 20 kilometer cruise

between the two ports, but the contrast between

the two islands couldn't have been greater.

I'd left a tiny dock with a village that matched

and here I arrived at a massive open harbor

and a bustling town.

Leros is not your typical Dodecanese island

where tourists come to in their droves.

In fact, very few tourists come here at all

and that's what I like about it.

But, what's important about Leros

is this huge bay, it's harbor, this natural deep-water port

that is unique to all of the Aegean

and the Italians, early last century,

used it as their eastern most naval base.

As a result, they built this beautiful,

rationalist architecture right through the town

and I love the modern history of Leros.

I love Lakki and I'm looking forward to checking it out.

During the Italo-Turkish War of 1911,

the Dodecanese Islands were ceded to the Italians.

Leros is central in that region

and because it has a deep-water harbor,

the Italians chose it to become the eastern most base

of their empire.

The protected waters of Lakki made it ideal

so they built a city that could house

their 4,000 strong garrison.

That meant schools for the soldier's children,

a theater for the officers,

and all the associated infrastructure

that goes with a large naval base.

They intended on being here for centuries.

Little did they know, 30 years later, they'd lose it.

To teach me more about the subject,

I met Dimitris, a local counsel historian.

When we say classic, it's art nouveau, it's--

- It's a building of 30s and it looks like--

- It coulda been built yesterday.

- Exactly. - Yeah.

- Exactly. - The architecture here,

it's unique to the eastern Mediterranean.

I don't think I've seen it anywhere else.

It's something you might see in the plains south of Rome.

- True. - Where is this come from?

- Okay, if we think of things from the beginning,

everything started in 1912.

Italians capture 12 violence,

they establish another base here

and they expand by building this beautiful city.

They chose this island for two reasons.

First, was because it was in the center of the Dodecanese

and the second reason was the natural port.

Actually, what you see here, it's unique in the island.

This town is unique.

The rest is Greek.

- So, this is the only part of the island that has

that Italian architecture. - Definitely, definitely.

- Well, the Italians wanted the port,

they didn't wanna go anywhere else,

they were just happy here is suppose.

- Yeah, yeah, yeah. - I'd like to have

a look through the building,

can we go and have a look. - Let's go, let's go.

- In a testament to the quality of the design

and construction of the school,

it's still being used for it's original purpose

all these years later.

The same goes for the theater

and several other buildings in town.

The architecture is timeless

and because the Italians intended on being here

for a century or more, they built things that would last.

The interiors also have a style about them

that will likely never date.

They're functional, pleasant to the eye,

and devoid of any unnecessary adornments.

This playground looks like it hasn't changed in 80 years.

The buildings look the same.

In fact, I think it's a wonderful little playground.

They've got even their own little castle to look at.

- You know, this tower house,

how many attacks survived by the pirates.

So, when locals were coming here, okay,

the landscape was completely different.

They were having their lands, their harvest,

and pirates they were hiding themselves

and they were attacking them to steal

whatever they could.

So, the only place to survive was to close themselves

inside of this tower house.

They were boiling hot oil to drop to them

and they were, at the same time,

sending smoke signals to inform the rest

of the islanders that pirates are attacking

this particular part of the island.

Because, you see the castle is really, really far.

- Okay, - So, a lot of battles

actually took place around this house.

- In contrast to the crumbling ruins of the castle,

the local Greek community has taken

to the 1930s rationalist architecture

and they're slowly restoring

and readapting these lovely old buildings.

It's as though they're accepting of their past,

embracing the Italian influence instead of trying

to erase it from history.

Just across the port of Lakki is the naval base.

Now, what's special about this naval base

is that in the last 100 years,

it's changed hands so many times.

First it was the British naval base,

then it was the Italian naval base,

then it was a German naval base,

then it became the British naval base again

until it became the Greek naval base

which it is right now.

So, let's go and check it out.

In modern times, Leros was made famous

by a battle fought here in 1943, late in World War II.

The importance of the island and the naval combat

that occurred here,

is summed up by Winston Churchill's description

that Leros is the mulcher of the Aegean.

Those who had control of the island

had command of the air and sea in the whole region.

Only days after the Italians changed alliances

from the Germans to the British,

the Nazis began a campaign to retake the island.

Supported by limited British forces,

the Italians dug in for battle.

After 50 days of bombardment

and finally a land invasion,

several ships were sunk and hundreds of lives were lost.

It became known as the battle of Leros

and is regarded as the last major defeat

of the British Army during the war.

Incidentally, it was one of the final victories

for the Nazis.

So that they sunk three ships on that first day.

- Exactly.

The bombing continued till the 11th of November.

It was everything was damaged here.

- So, the whole island was getting bombed

for 50 days. - Everything.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

The barracks, workshops, depots, everything, everything.

Four days after the landing of the German troops,

Leros was-- - Taken.

- Yes. - So, there must have been

a lot of deaths.

A lot of people died here.

- A lot of people died here, that's true,

a lot of people, both British, Italians, Greeks,

and, of course, Germans.

- The original Italian base stretched halfway

around the bay with several buildings to house the troops

and other personnel, as well as all the necessary services

to support a large settlement.

Many of the structures remain today

and are evidence of the grand plans

the Italians had for the island.

- What Mussolini did was that he created infrastructure

for his troops here, permanent infrastructure.

Were barracks, depots, workshops, hospital,

the whole island was fortified, heavily fortified.

- Fighting was focused on key areas

where fortifications stood.

So, despite the ferocity of the invasion

and the huge amount of aerial bombardment

in the weeks prior,

a lot of the buildings received minimal damage.

Once the war ended and the Italians left,

these buildings were converted to schools

and a technical college,

prolonging their usefulness for many years.

Today, most of them are empty,

but hopefully, some day, they might be given

a new lease of life.

Across the island there are remnants

from the battle still visible today.

But, perhaps the most significant of them lies in the bay,

beneath 20 meters of water

and an ever increasing layer of silt.

Like a ghost, the twisted remnants

of the Greek destroyer, Queen Olga,

sitting neath darkness, they look nothing like

the grand vessel she once was.

After sustaining heavy attack

from 25 Junkers bombers on the first day of battle,

the Queen Olga sunk.

The damage was so significant that it took very little time

for her to sink, torn apart by explosions.

With her went 72 men.

Diving on a wreck like this creates a strange feeling.

I'm drawn to explore more and find myself

in awe of the scale,

but then there's a certain amount of sadness knowing

how many souls were lost when she sunk.

On dry land, the scars of war are just as visible.

The remains of the fortifications

give you a sense of just how significant the defenses were.

But, despite the batteries around the island,

their superior air power gave the Nazis the upper hand,

allowing them to cause huge losses to the Allies

and subsequently create a supply chain

to support their ground invasion.

In all, during the Battle of Leros,

there were over 900 Allied casualties and 520 German losses.

To learn more about Leros and its military history,

I made my way to the nearby museum.

It's housed underground and contains fantastic exhibitions.

Only a few hundred meters from the port

is the military museum.

I've been here before

and I've been looking forward to coming back.

Obviously, the military museum.

The museum is in a tunnel.

There are many tunnels here aren't there?

- Yes, this is one of the thousand tunnels

that we have on our island.

- And why so many tunnels?

- The truth is that the whole island

is an experiment.

Lakki was an experiment about the war.

All tunnels, all fortification in our tops

of the mountains, it was an experience

about the science of the war.

- This is what the Italians wanted.

- Yes. - This was a model

for future war, - Exactly.

- building cities.

Unbelievable. - A center of everything

to be prepared for the war,

to hide their weapons,

to hide themselves.

- And did they use the tunnels for hiding weapons?

- Yes, they use it.

This area, Merikia that is our museum

and the north part actually of the island,

Xirokambos and Merikia, it was only for Army.

So, a hundred of tunnels around the area

to hide their weapons, arms, cells, bombs, everything.

So, that's why, if you go around to our mountains

to explore more about history of Leros,

you will find a lot of types of bombs, of cells,

everything because it was a big, big, big deposit of war.

- So, it's real treasure hunt when you're going through it.

- Yes, yes, yes. - Well, let's see more.

- Yes, let's go.

- The museum creates a stark and somewhat confronting image

of how things were.

It showcases the machines of war

and in some instances, puts a human element to it.

And there are a lot of artifacts here, a lot.

- Yes. - How did they get collected?

- Donations. - Yeah?

- The people, when this tunnel opened,

people, they were happy to bring their things

because when they were a child

they go around to the tops of the mountains

and collect things. - Well.

- So, when this tunnel opened, all the waitings

with their exhibits, helmets, books,

arms, what they really found around the mountains.

- It's hard to believe

that in the years after the war,

as a child growing up here,

your out-of-school fun was looking

for unexploded bombs and discarded weapons.

And for those that lived through the horrors of the war,

there were lifelong scars.

Almost every Greek family has been touched

by it in some way.

I know that when I was growing up in Australia,

most of the kids I grew up with

had parents that fled Greece because of it.

So, what do we have here?

- It's a bomb trailer.

They use it to move the cells and bombs around the tunnels.

- That's how much was happening here.

They had trolleys, they had all this equipment,

this ancillary equipment to move everything around.

It's amazing.

So, I think if you wanna come to Leros,

come to Lakki and come here first

because you'll get a good education on Leros.

More than just the Battle of Leros.

All about how Lakki was built.

It has been fantastic, thank you very much.

- You're welcome. - Now, is that a real bomb?

- Yes!

And you can see inside. - Wow.

- Awesome, how it was a real bomb.

- The views from the mountains around Lakki are spectacular.

I'd have to say that this is one

of the most picturesque harbors in the Aegean.

The mountains also hide many secrets,

making them a great place to explore.

One person who takes advantage of the trails up here

to do a little searching is a local emmet called Marcos.

He was born in America and moved here with his wife

to settle on his family island.

Nowadays, he works in IT for the mayor's office,

but his free time is spent in the hills discovering

the island's past.

He's particularly interested in the fortifications

as there's little information about them,

yet they're so domineering and significant a feature.

All he has to go by are a few photos

and the word of those who lived through the war,

but he's managed to learn a huge amount

and piece together a lot a history.

- This concrete structure

was used as a acoustic tool

to amplify the sound of the airplanes coming.

Sort of a radar before radars.

- So, radar was what?

Early 40's was it? - Yeah, around there maybe.

- And when did the Italians build this?

- Somewhere around 30s.

- Oh, okay, so how did it work, man?

I mean, where are they listening from?

- So, how this works is there was a soldier inside

this opening area here where he would walk

up and down inside this area.

So, depending on where he would hear a sound,

like say if he was somewhere here and he would listen

to a sound, he would know that there is something coming

from this area here.

If he is more down and hears a sound somewhere here,

he knows that something's come from here.

Why this opening is down low

is because they're interested

in listening what's coming from above,

from the air, from the airplanes.

So, they get the sound that reflects

from the sky down into this opening.

If he was at this height,

all he would hear is the sound coming from the battery.

- So, this was the radar before the radar,

really, wasn't it? - Yeah.

Later on when actual radar started appearing during the 40s,

this became obsolete because airplanes started

to come a lot faster and by the time they were listening

to the airplanes, the airplanes were already here.

- So, the soldiers caught the general direction

of where this plane is coming from.

What does he do with this information?

- So, since he has a basic idea

of where the airplane is coming from,

then he gives this information to the command center

and the command center with another instrument

that's here located in this installation, the aerophono,

they were able to pinpoint with more accuracy

where the airplane actually was.

- Can we have a look at that stuff?

- Yeah, let's go see it. - Come on, let's go.

Marcos might be an amateur historian,

but his wealth of knowledge

and passion for the subject are fantastic.

He had a way of creating a vivid picture

of what was once here and how things operated.

What I found incredible is the scale

of what the Italians had built.

Not just up here, but across and beneath the island.

Yet, despite the money and huge amounts

of resources thrown at this military experiment,

they were unable to keep up with advances in aviation,

so the parabolic acoustic mirror we just saw,

as well as the aerophono we are about to see,

became obsolete by the time the war arrived.

- What this was, it was an instrument

with a cone shaped nose where they were pointing

to the sky and trying to listen to the sound

of the airplane that was coming

and they were able to calculate with more accuracy

what type of airplane it was from the sound

and also the distance and the altitude of the airplane.

- You don't have to be a military enthusiast

to walk or drive around Leros

and appreciate the huge amount of fortifications,

naval buildings, bunkers, and tunnels,

scattered across the island.

The scale of it, for a seemingly small land mass

at the bottom of the Aegean is immense,

yet despite it all, as history has taught us,

when a better-equipped, more motivated,

and highly trained force arrives,

immobile fortifications will generally be conquered.

Heading to the southern tip of Leros,

Marcos took me to a very different remnant of the war.

- During the German occupation we had a German soldier

that was here, his name was Otto Meister,

and he was an artist and he started

to make these interesting drawings all over the place.

Well, you see here in this area which is the kitchen,

we see a drawing of a chef

with his helpers preparing a soup

and he has the recipe for the soup there.

- He was obviously a very busy guy.

- Yeah, course.

A lot of things to do.

- Man, I think the goats like it here as well,

must be a bit of a sanctuary for him.

- Yeah, we do have a lot a goats inside here too.

They find shelter in here. - Wow.

Look at them, they're all looking at us.

Hey guys, how we going?

The frescos adorn many of the former barracks walls.

They were probably done by more than one hand.

Italian soldiers, or political prisoners,

who found themselves confined within these rooms

are also believed to have contributed,

whether out of boredom or wanting to leave their mark,

the art has managed to survive.

The art ranges from social or political commentary

that depicted their daily lives,

to more elaborate works like this copy

of Dutch artist, Peter Bruegel's the "Peasant Wedding."

And another of his masterpieces, the "Peasant Dance."

The works are a reminder of the human side of war.

They show that soldiers are more than killing machines,

but artists, musicians, chefs, and just every day people

with hobbies and passions.

Prior to restoration works being carried out

on the building, there were many more pieces of art

about the place, unfortunately they were destroyed

and the barracks left to become a shelter for goats.

It's a stark contrast to what many

of these rooms were once used for.

Besides being sleeping quarters, dining halls,

and other domestic spaces, they're also cells

that amongst other captives or criminals,

held political prisoners.

Looking at it now, Leros is a peaceful haven,

but just like the rest of Greece,

it's had its fair share of war and political turmoil.

These events have shaped the culture and people

of the island, but also left some damage.

The time is 1967 and there's a lot of civil unrest in Greece

and Georgios Papadopoulos there is a coup d'etat

and the military take over the government of Greece

up until 1974.

As a result, many rioters, poets, musicians,

any extremist, any visionaries,

were exiled to islands like this in Leros.

How they recorded their coming years

murals, writing, poets, songs.

Here, something really special happened.

Three artists, political prisoners,

decided to rebuild this beautiful church

of Ayia Kioura and fashion it

in their own take on Byzantine art, a modernist way,

by using political prisoners and locals as models

for the frescos that you see up here.

But, this is not a story about this church and the Hunda.

This is a story about the edge of society

and the view of these extremists in our society,

their vision and being able to document it

in our governments of today

and in governments that they weren't able to do it,

this is what occurred, their exile,

but they got their way, they got to document it

and it's been kept and the state has protected this church.

For centuries, the Greek Orthodox church

has portrayed their icons in the Byzantine style.

Strict tradition has maintained this practice

and anyone that deviated from it was committing blasphemy.

However, in exile, these artists were able

to express their creativity.

They didn't do it to cause trouble or offense,

but to simply put their thoughts and emotions

onto the walls of the church they rebuilt.

It is visionary and a way to make a statement

about progress and inclusion,

rather than conservatism and exclusion,

that is often the way of politics and religion.

Having spent a few days exploring the harbor of Lakki

and it's Italian built town,

I started to fall in love with the place.

In terms of the architecture

and surrounding mountain scenery,

it's quite different from most of Greece.

The expansive anchorage and rationalist buildings

from the early 1900s, create a unique setting

that at times makes you think you're far from

the Dodecanese and that recent wartime history

adds plenty of drama to the town story.

But, now it was time to up anchor and make a move.

There was plenty more to see and do on Leros

and we had to spend some time in what I call

the Greek part of the island.

This is about as cliched a Greek port as you'll come across

with fishing boats, windmills, and a fort,

but as I'll show you, it has its own unique personality too.

From the southwest part of the island,

we've traveled half way up the east coast

to this beautiful, seaside fishing village of Pandeli.

Gone is the Italian architecture and we're back

to the Greek island white.

Up there we have our 11th century castle

and a dozen or so windmills.

It's just such a beautiful spot

and this is really the fabric of the Greek islands.

You can hear the kids playing in the background,

families are having fun, it's just an awesome place.

The people of Pandeli are known for their hospitality.

They're a friendly bunch and love welcoming

the summer tourist to their town.

They've managed to create the perfect balance

between the old-world charm of a fishing village

and the more modern needs of the whole dang crowd.

On the one hand, you've got the seaside taverns and cafes

with a more local feel,

then there's the lively bars for nighttime drinks.

Along the waterfront you've got the colorful fishing boats,

bobbing up and down, covered in nets.

But parked right next to them

are modern cruisers and yachts.

I personally love a morning walk in these types of ports.

It's always interesting to watch the fishermen

coming and going.

Some of them loading the night's catch

while others are preparing to head out for the day.

Completing this mixing pot, there's the beaches.

You can sit beneath an umbrella

or alongside friends and family,

sipping on a cold drink while the kids play

or find a quiet corner away from the crowds

to read a book and get some peace.

It's a coming together of worlds in a gorgeous setting

and I'm excited to show you why many visitors

come to Leros for weeks at a time

and never leave this idyllic little spot.

So, this is the Church of Saint Isidor.

He was traveling along and there was a heavy storm

and he said, "Wherever I find a harbor, a safe harbor,

"I'm gonna stop and I'm gonna build my church there."

And he built it here.

He actually didn't build it here,

he built it around the back there

and that's the first church.

This is the second church.

Little is known about the original temple that stood here.

The submerged ancient foundations are all that remain.

Today, the church is a symbol of the island

and hosts weddings and services on important dates.

To me, the role Isodoros Leros plays is to inspire people.

It's not the grandest building,

but the location is hard to beat

and its simplicity is what makes it so special.

If head to Saint Minas Beach on a Sunday,

there's a cult-like phenomenon that goes on.

It's a perfect example of how something

can touch an island's history

and then form a life of it's own,

becoming part of its cultural identity.

Giorgos, what is it about Vespas on this island?

Why is there a Vespaholics club?

What is the story.

- When the first Italians came to Leros,

the officers used to ride Vespas.

So, the natives, was very common for ride.

The main reason that I ride a Vespa motorcycle,

has a history behind.

The design is, the first Vespa that was produced

for the Italian Army, it's very aerodynamic,

most of it is made of metal.

- It's able Italians,

they know how to design things don't they?

- Yeah. - Nick, you started

the Vespaholics club, is that right?

- Yeah. - How many people

in the club now? - 100 I think.

- 100. - But, there are more

than 500 Vespas on the island.

Friends get together, they talk about our Vespas.

- At these bridge clubs. - Yes, they mostly own Vespas.

We have Vespa parties here.

We play wrecking ball music, garage music,

and we drink beers and talk about our Vespas,

how we build them. - That sounds like

real fun, mate.

It really does. - Yeah.

- Well, I feel like joining the Vespaholics club

and having a few drinks with ya.

Can I do that? - Yeah, sure.

- Let's do it mate.

Let's go and do it, eh?

All right, let's go.

This town really is a place of contrast,

that somehow meld perfectly.

Here you've got the Italian influence from the mid-900s,

now manifesting itself with the youth of the island.

They've created a bonding unlike any other.

Giorgos and his band of Vesparites

have an unmistakable sense of freedom and zest for life

that's highly contagious.

It certainly rubbed off on me

and for a little while there, I felt 30 years younger.

Mind you, that still makes me the oldest blokey.

Dimitris, it's a long way up to the castle, mate.

- It is, but it's a beautiful long way.

- Yeah, it's a beautiful long way.

Thank you for getting electric bikes,

I really appreciate it.

Next time no baskets mate. - Okay, okay.

- I don't need a basket.

Let's go, eh? - Let's go.

- Here we go, oh shoot.

Man, this is so easy. - It is.

- You know, riding a bike is a great way

of seeing the Greek islands. - Definitely.

- You see everything. - Not only you see,

you smell. - You smell,

that's exactly right, - You smell.

- you smell it.

- You smell the thyme. - But, when you smell things

like Vista Berma that's coming up.

- Oh. - A bit of a worry, right?

- Yeah, yeah.

- You get up to this point and you realize

how valuable it is to ride a bike up here.

The fresh air, the view, a little bit of exercise,

you just can't beat it, the smells.

- The thyme, the oregano here. - Yeah, it's awesome man.

And Leros has a lot of bike tracks

and a lot of bikers, a lot of people ride bikes here.

- True, true.

True.

- As fun as it was hanging out

with the Vespa club yesterday evening,

this is a bit more to my liking.

The pace is much slower, allowing you the time

to really take in the scenery and absorb your surrounds.

We're not exaggerating when we mention the smells too.

The hillsides are covered in flowers and herbs

and with every gust of refreshing sea breeze,

comes a waft of amazing bouquets.

- See here the castle. - Awesome.

Thankfully we had a mild morning to be out riding bikes.

In the heart of summer, you wouldn't wanna be heading

up here too late in the day.

The exposed mountainside with its granite faces

would bake in the heat.

I was also grateful for the little bit

of assistance provided by the e-bike.

After spending a few weeks with Kiyako's cooking,

I'd put on a few extra kilos,

so a bit of help getting up to the castle was appreciated.

- Okay, here we are. - Fantastic, man,

thank you very much. - You're welcome.

- Thanks Dimitris, I really appreciate that.

That was an awesome ride, mate.

Come on in here, buddy, thanks.

- Okay.

See you later. - See ya buddy.

- Okay, bye. - Bye, my friend.

Got my hat and off.

I did the hard work of getting the bike up the hill,

now one of the crew got to do the fun part

and take it down with Dimitris.

Now, you gotta be careful along here

because there's bits of this wall

where there is a hundred meter drop right under ya.

Whoa!

That's heavy.

Now, you're almost always guaranteed

the most spectacular view on an island

if you go to the castle.

And this Castle of Pandeli does not let you down

because from here, you can see every bit of the island

and primarily and most importantly,

the three main villages here.

It's just a spectacular view.

And this castle, she's a beauty.

It actually sits on an old acropolis

and it was rebuilt many, many times,

but the big one that you see here

was done in 1395 by the Knights of Saint John.

It was subsequently bombed in the Battle of Leros

and they've actually repaired it ever since.

But, coming up here is awesome

whether you walk, you jog, or you ride your bike up,

it's fantastic and I've actually got a meeting now

with some other guys that'll give me

a pretty rough ride going back down.

So, I'll see you soon.

If it's not a castle occupying the best spot for views,

it'll be a church.

It's not terribly often you'll find towns perched

on tops of hills,

because generally the people need to be close

to the port which is where it's cooler

and the supplies come and go.

But, at times of conflict,

they'll flee to hilltop fort for safety.

Speaking of safety,

I was about to completely throw mine out the window,

or should I say, off the cliff edge.

I was meeting up with Nicholas and his mates

who formed a bike club,

not of the motorized variety like the Vespa guys,

but mountain bikes.

These guys are soldiers based on the island

and in their free time they hit the trails.

Such is their passion for it,

they regularly plan outings to build more tracks

to open up other parts of the island.

The popularity of the sport is on the rise,

but after you see how much I struggled

on the hard core trail they took me on

maybe there won't be a line to sign up.

All jokes aside, I did eventually find my feet.

Once I got a bit more confident,

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

They took me to parts of Leros

I would've never otherwise seen

and like the rock climbing I did in Kalymnos,

made me push my limits just that little bit further.

Oh, shit!

Where are they taking me?

I'm just not going down there buddy.

The camera really did make it look far less steep

than it actually was

and it wasn't just sheer,

the massive rocks added to the difficulty too.

So, we headed to something a bit tamer,

more in line with my skill level.

Mind you, it had a few challenges also.

In the next episode, I'll leave the hills of Leros

and make my way across the island group of Micronesia.

It's a brief visit to what they call

the Polynesia of the Mediterranean

before heading to the island of Leipsoi.

There I'm getting hands on as I learn all about

the life of the locals,

from the farming practices to the food they eat.

I also meet a team of researchers working

to protect the area's marine habitats,

before finding out what the life of a great soldier is like

in such a remote part of the country.

But, before that, I had a quick drink

with my new friends to bid Leros farewell.