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- My travels around Greece
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as part of this Odyssey
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have taken me from the
heart of the nation, Athens,
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and throughout several of
the major island groups.
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We've cruised around the
coast of the Peloponnese
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and traveled amongst the Ionian Islands.
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Then we made our way across
to the Northern Aegean
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before spending time exploring
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the hidden gems of the Western Cyclades,
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and man, was it beautiful!
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This series sees us steering
Mia Zoi further eastward
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and into the Dodecanese.
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This episode brings the series to an end
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as we travel to a place
that holds special memories
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for both Helen and I.
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It's one of the first
islands we visited together
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when we were young and seeking adventure.
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I dragged her up mountains,
we crawled through tunnels
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and lived like backpackers.
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But it was an incredible time
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and those memories have kept
us coming back again and again.
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The island I'm talking of is Samos.
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Now Samos is one of the islands
outside of the Dodecanese
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that I'm including in this series.
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It's actually in the Northern Aegean,
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right on the edge of Asia Minor.
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One mile to the east is Turkey,
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so you can understand
why this has always been
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a strategic piece of land to occupy.
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One reason I'm so fond of Samos
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is because of its colorful history
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from ancient times to the modern era.
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However, there's one
personality in particular
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that fascinates me and
that's the tyrant ruler
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from the 6th century BC, Polycrates.
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I have to admit something.
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If I ever had a man crush, it was for him.
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Not for his despotism,
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but his vision and engineering exploits.
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The ancient Greek world
worshiped a litany of gods,
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and at the top of that hierarchy
was Zeus, the god king,
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and his wife and sister for that matter,
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Hera, the queen god.
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Zeus had problems controlling only one god
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and that was Hera.
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Where have we heard that before, Helen?
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Hera made her base here in Samos.
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We're in Pythagoreio, the
ancient town of Samos,
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and it's here, in the 6th century,
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when Samos was at its height.
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Pilgrims would come
from all over the world
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to worship Hera in her temple,
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and Polycrates made this city, this island
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the peak island of all of Greece.
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He built a beautiful mall
that went out for 500 meters
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and it was 60 feet deep for his 120 ships
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and his 200 bowmen, his
archers that protected
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this beautiful town of Pythagoreio.
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I loved him, I love Polycrates.
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I've been following him for two decades.
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He's my favorite ruler,
he's my favorite leader.
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Yes, he was a tyrant but, you
know, we've got tyrants today
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and in a thousand years time, they'll say,
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"He was a conqueror"
and "He was a great guy"
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just like we say about Polycrates.
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I love this island.
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I've come back here two or three times
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and I look forward to seeing
it again with you guys.
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If Pythagoreio sounds
familiar, it's because the town
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is named after the mathematician
and philosopher Pythagoras.
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We all learnt about his
theorem in high school.
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A squared plus B squared equals C squared.
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But there was so much more
that he gave humanity.
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He was a brilliant
philosopher and teacher,
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connecting music with mathematics,
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researching his observations
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and turning them into principles
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that allowed us to better
understand the world.
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There's not a person on the planet
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that hasn't been touched by his work.
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Of similar ilk was Polycrates.
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His exploits may not have
spread across the earth
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but they were incredible
in their own right.
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During his reign, Samos was at its prime.
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He fortified the island at a scale
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that had never been seen before.
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He developed engineering
and technological expertise
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that enabled Samos to become
the superpower of the region.
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He constructed a deep water
mall that was 400 meters long
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to protect his fleet.
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He dug an aqueduct over
a kilometer in length
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to supply drinking water to his people,
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and to keep his troops
and the populace safe,
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he made kilometers of massive stone walls
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that still exist today.
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As a newlywed, I convinced my wife Helen
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to climb this mountain
through thistle and brush
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just to see these walls,
the walls of Polycrates.
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She didn't whinge once.
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Three decades later,
they've created fire trails
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and I came up by four wheel drive.
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But there's a special
reason for coming up here.
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These walls are almost
6.4 kilometers long.
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Look how wide they are.
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It was a mammoth effort
around 530 BC, 6th century,
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for Polycrates to build these walls
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and create the empire that he had created,
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and this is just a
symbol of what Samos was,
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the height of Samos.
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And I love it,
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and I could come up here
again and again and again.
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The thick walls were built with limestone,
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quarried on the island
and then put into place
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using mostly slave labor.
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It's said that there was
once a moat in front of it
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dug by Milesians and Lisevians
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that Polycrates captured during a battle.
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The story of his exploits and
much of the history of Samos
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were penned by the historian Herodotus.
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He writes in detail
about Polycrates' life.
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However, the telling of his demise
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is somewhat less thorough.
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In essence, Polycrates was deceived
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by a Persian or governor, Oroetus,
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and assassinated on a visit to Magnesia.
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Herodotus describes it
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as an "unfitting end
for a glorious ruler".
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As a break from all the history lessons,
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I took a walk on the
northwest of the island
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and it was one of those
hikes that you never forget.
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Giorgos, what's unique about this forest?
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- In this forest, you can
find a lot of endemic flowers
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and herbs and also you
can find a lot of animals,
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special animals like jackals, chameleons
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and that is the unique thing.
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- Wow, Jackals?
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- Yeah.
- Awesome!
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The island really does have everything.
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I've never heard of jackals
and chameleons being here.
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It just goes to show you
that you never stop learning.
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However, the chances of
seeing one are pretty slim
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as they're cunning little critters.
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This is a massive green canopy.
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You must get a bit of rain here.
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- Yeah, during the winter, it rains a lot.
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For example, this January and December,
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we had almost a record
in the rainfall in Samos,
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around one meter.
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- One meter of rain in two months?
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- Yeah, almost every day, hard rain.
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- Well, that's why you've
got the waterfalls here.
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- Yeah, of course.
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- So there's three waterfalls
here in Potami, right?
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- There are three waterfalls
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and to see the waters, you have to swim
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to go inside the water.
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- Well, I brought my
swimmers with me, mate.
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- Perfect.
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- Most people don't realize
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that a lot of the larger Greek islands
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have quite diverse ecosystems.
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There's much more to them
than beaches and olive groves.
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The interiors of many of them
are filled with rainforests,
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waterfalls and wildlife.
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The best thing is often
it's easily accessible too.
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I love these walks, Giorgos,
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because they're good for people like me
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that don't wanna go on
long walks, you know?
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15 minutes and then we're there.
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Awesome, I love it.
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- It's perfect for all
of the people, yeah.
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- The bubbling water and shady canopy
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made this part of Samos
much cooler than the coast.
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It had a calmness about it and
despite being so beautiful,
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it seemed as though no
one else knew it existed.
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We didn't see a single soul
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the whole time we were out there.
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- Here we are, Panayotis.
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In this place, we have to get wet now.
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- Aw man, and what, there's
three waterfalls up there?
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- Yeah, three waterfalls
here and we'll go to see.
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- Let's go!
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Better start stripping off here.
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We might have only been a kilometer
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from the 25 degree Celsius beach water,
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but this mountain stream
was significantly colder.
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After a hike, it was quite invigorating
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but came as a bit of a shock.
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Discoveries like these are why
I keep coming back to Samos
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and the Greek islands in general.
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There's always something new
and exciting to be found.
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All you need is a little
bit of local knowledge
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and an adventurous attitude,
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and in this case, some bathers,
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and you never know what
you might discover.
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The water was refreshing
in more ways than one.
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It gave me a burst of youthful energy,
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taking me back a couple of decades
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to when I first traversed
this countryside with Helen.
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I might have aged a little
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and now find it more of a challenge
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to scale the mountain trails,
but I'm still young at heart.
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Coffee time.
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- Man, tricky scale.
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The perfect way to
finish a hike and a swim
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is with a nice cup of Greek coffee.
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It's pretty cool that there's a tavern
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right next to the waterfall.
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The only downside is to get to it,
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you have to scale a rickety old staircase
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out of the gorge.
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Aw, the creaks, I can
hear all these creaks.
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For an island that had
one of the best engineers,
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I'm not too sure if they
carried the genes right through.
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Man, it's dangerous.
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Can't even plan, no steps the same.
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This looks like it's ready to collapse.
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All I can say is, if
Polycrates was here today,
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this thing would be made from
marble and six feet wide.
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Ah, man.
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I'm pretty sure they used
that on an Indiana Jones set.
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It's that bad.
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Cafe, cafe!
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- Yes, well I know.
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00:11:06,796 --> 00:11:07,629
- Ah!
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What a great reward for the effort.
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In the middle of nowhere,
there's this awesome little spot
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with mountain views and fantastic coffee.
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Of course, we had to celebrate
it with an Ouzo as well.
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It's a taverna too, it
makes lunch and dinner.
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00:11:21,533 --> 00:11:24,597
- Yeah, it makes lunch,
dinner here, yeah, yeah.
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And a lot of people, they
visit during the day.
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- Kostas and Manolis that
own the place, they built it.
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- Kostas, he built everything here
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and also Kostas was the person
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that created the first bridges
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and give the access to
the water first time.
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- Was that right?
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00:11:41,050 --> 00:11:43,070
- During the '90s.
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- Is that right?
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So they built those accesses through.
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A lot of vision, it works for 'em.
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Yeah, I think it's an awesome place.
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00:11:49,880 --> 00:11:52,370
I mean it's beautiful, but I
never wanna stay here for long.
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00:11:52,370 --> 00:11:53,300
If there's a bit of an earthquake,
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it looks like it's been put together very,
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not the best way, mate, you know?
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But, I tell you, I've had
a good time today, Giorgos.
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00:12:00,790 --> 00:12:02,426
I really appreciate it.
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00:12:05,610 --> 00:12:07,090
For as long as I can remember,
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00:12:07,090 --> 00:12:08,810
this place has always looked like
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it's just been through a cyclone.
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00:12:10,620 --> 00:12:13,610
And as rickety and
precarious as it all appears,
254
00:12:13,610 --> 00:12:15,770
the stairs and buildings stand firm.
255
00:12:15,770 --> 00:12:18,230
Well, maybe not firm, but let's just say
256
00:12:18,230 --> 00:12:19,848
they're still here.
257
00:12:24,030 --> 00:12:27,280
As you'd have noticed,
Samos is green and hilly.
258
00:12:27,280 --> 00:12:28,710
This is Mount Kerkis,
259
00:12:28,710 --> 00:12:30,890
the second largest mountain in the Aegean.
260
00:12:30,890 --> 00:12:33,290
It's here that Pythagoras
had his secret school
261
00:12:33,290 --> 00:12:34,680
far from the establishment,
262
00:12:34,680 --> 00:12:36,573
hidden in one of the many caves.
263
00:12:37,430 --> 00:12:39,510
Follow the red marks.
264
00:12:39,510 --> 00:12:43,517
Now I didn't realize
Pythagoras was an acrobat.
265
00:12:49,100 --> 00:12:49,933
Well!
266
00:12:53,950 --> 00:12:55,420
The trail is well marked
267
00:12:55,420 --> 00:12:57,400
but it's not so easy getting up here,
268
00:12:57,400 --> 00:12:59,690
especially when you're
lugging a ton of camera gear
269
00:12:59,690 --> 00:13:01,940
that's required for a
production of this scale.
270
00:13:01,940 --> 00:13:04,830
It's a good thing I've got
such a fit and healthy team.
271
00:13:04,830 --> 00:13:06,780
I'd have lent a hand and
carried some of the equipment
272
00:13:06,780 --> 00:13:09,493
but, well, well, I have no excuse.
273
00:13:13,860 --> 00:13:15,683
Ah, I made it!
274
00:13:16,650 --> 00:13:18,730
Four kilometers from Kambos
275
00:13:18,730 --> 00:13:21,690
up into Kerkis mountain, and here I am.
276
00:13:21,690 --> 00:13:23,040
I've been waiting for this.
277
00:13:33,380 --> 00:13:38,240
Pythagoras, thinker,
philosopher, mathematician.
278
00:13:38,240 --> 00:13:40,250
Way ahead of his time.
279
00:13:40,250 --> 00:13:42,740
Not accepted by the autocracy.
280
00:13:42,740 --> 00:13:45,500
He had to flee persecution of Polycrates
281
00:13:45,500 --> 00:13:47,750
in this cave, one of 50,
282
00:13:47,750 --> 00:13:49,060
but the only one that was dry
283
00:13:49,060 --> 00:13:51,450
because it was ventilated from two sides.
284
00:13:51,450 --> 00:13:54,700
I can just see him sitting
here with his students,
285
00:13:54,700 --> 00:13:56,810
teaching them that advanced geometry
286
00:13:56,810 --> 00:13:59,270
that had never been heard of.
287
00:13:59,270 --> 00:14:02,940
But this was it, this was
his last moment in Greece.
288
00:14:02,940 --> 00:14:06,260
He left here and he
fled to southern Italy.
289
00:14:06,260 --> 00:14:07,810
The Greeks never saw him again.
290
00:14:24,040 --> 00:14:26,200
This was a powerful moment for me.
291
00:14:26,200 --> 00:14:27,930
I stood in the cave silent,
292
00:14:27,930 --> 00:14:30,890
knowing that one of the greatest
minds to have ever lived
293
00:14:30,890 --> 00:14:33,070
would have once been in this very place,
294
00:14:33,070 --> 00:14:34,790
sharing his words of wisdom.
295
00:14:34,790 --> 00:14:36,970
And although Pythagoras
was forced to leave Greece
296
00:14:36,970 --> 00:14:39,200
some two and a half thousand years ago,
297
00:14:39,200 --> 00:14:41,147
I felt like it happened yesterday.
298
00:14:41,147 --> 00:14:43,280
I don't know how to describe the sensation
299
00:14:43,280 --> 00:14:46,630
but let's just say, it was
although I had just lost a mentor
300
00:14:46,630 --> 00:14:48,340
that I never got to meet.
301
00:14:48,340 --> 00:14:51,500
Few people have had as much
impact on history as Pythagoras
302
00:14:51,500 --> 00:14:53,770
and his influence will
continue well into the future
303
00:14:53,770 --> 00:14:55,013
for centuries to come.
304
00:15:23,080 --> 00:15:25,750
Heading to the port on the
main street of Logothetis,
305
00:15:25,750 --> 00:15:28,490
take a right a couple of streets
before you hit the water,
306
00:15:28,490 --> 00:15:31,570
follow the sounds of the bouzouki
echoing down the walkway,
307
00:15:31,570 --> 00:15:32,403
and you'll eventually come across
308
00:15:32,403 --> 00:15:35,005
one of Samos' special personalities.
309
00:15:38,315 --> 00:15:41,830
When I think of Greece or
anyone thinks of Greece,
310
00:15:41,830 --> 00:15:43,617
the first words that come to mind are
311
00:15:43,617 --> 00:15:47,324
"Acropolis", "Greek
islands" and "bouzouki".
312
00:15:47,324 --> 00:15:52,003
Why is the bouzouki such an
important instrument in Greece?
313
00:15:52,970 --> 00:15:54,970
- It's not only that it is important,
314
00:15:54,970 --> 00:15:57,210
it is a beautiful instrument, okay?
315
00:15:57,210 --> 00:15:59,300
The sound of it is bright, it's beautiful
316
00:15:59,300 --> 00:16:03,910
and we are very proud of
it for one reason also,
317
00:16:03,910 --> 00:16:06,363
because we created this instrument
318
00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:10,173
and we gave to the West western music.
319
00:16:11,640 --> 00:16:12,580
- I did not know that.
320
00:16:12,580 --> 00:16:14,140
- Mhm.
321
00:16:14,140 --> 00:16:17,070
We are the carriers of the ancient dias,
322
00:16:17,070 --> 00:16:19,970
not the Turks and the
others, they are East.
323
00:16:19,970 --> 00:16:21,410
- Yeah.
324
00:16:21,410 --> 00:16:24,090
- They kept the early vision in music
325
00:16:24,090 --> 00:16:28,160
or the later unsymbric
music with quarter of tones.
326
00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:31,410
We made it, semitone,
tone, semitone, tone.
327
00:16:31,410 --> 00:16:34,510
And we put all this knowledge that we had,
328
00:16:34,510 --> 00:16:37,750
all these thousands of years,
we gave it to the West.
329
00:16:37,750 --> 00:16:38,940
- Wow.
330
00:16:38,940 --> 00:16:39,773
- This is
the most important part
331
00:16:39,773 --> 00:16:40,980
about the bouzouki.
332
00:16:40,980 --> 00:16:44,740
I'm playing professionally 46 years.
333
00:16:44,740 --> 00:16:46,230
- 46 years!
334
00:16:46,230 --> 00:16:49,300
- I bought the
bouzouki when I was 24 years old.
335
00:16:49,300 --> 00:16:50,700
- And you haven't stopped playing?
336
00:16:50,700 --> 00:16:51,533
- No.
337
00:16:51,533 --> 00:16:53,357
- Do you play every day?
338
00:16:53,357 --> 00:16:54,190
- You have to.
339
00:16:54,190 --> 00:16:59,190
- So you make the instruments.
340
00:16:59,290 --> 00:17:01,133
You design the instruments as well.
341
00:17:02,230 --> 00:17:03,619
You write songs.
342
00:17:04,452 --> 00:17:05,673
You write music.
343
00:17:06,590 --> 00:17:09,466
You've been playing the
bouzouki, you teach the bouzouki.
344
00:17:09,466 --> 00:17:11,132
What is there left to do?
345
00:17:11,132 --> 00:17:12,480
You have everything there, haven't you?
346
00:17:12,480 --> 00:17:14,720
- No, I have to keep going.
347
00:17:14,720 --> 00:17:15,553
- Yeah?
348
00:17:15,553 --> 00:17:17,337
- Yeah, I have to still create.
349
00:17:17,337 --> 00:17:20,500
- Yeah, will you be playing the
bouzouki forever until you--
350
00:17:20,500 --> 00:17:22,010
- Yes, as long as I can.
351
00:17:22,010 --> 00:17:23,327
- As long you can.
352
00:17:56,890 --> 00:17:59,700
Spending a day with this
craftsman and passionate musician
353
00:17:59,700 --> 00:18:02,910
was beyond entertaining,
it was inspirational.
354
00:18:02,910 --> 00:18:05,520
Not just for me but my son Irenaeus too.
355
00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:07,990
He was so fascinated by
Yiannis and his music
356
00:18:07,990 --> 00:18:10,630
that he stayed behind and
started to learn how to play.
357
00:18:10,630 --> 00:18:13,580
Once back in Australia, he
remained in contact with him
358
00:18:13,580 --> 00:18:15,960
and now has a weekly lesson over Skype.
359
00:18:15,960 --> 00:18:18,730
Yiannis has brought Greek
music into my son's life
360
00:18:18,730 --> 00:18:19,840
and I can't thank him enough
361
00:18:19,840 --> 00:18:21,990
for this cultural enlightenment.
362
00:18:21,990 --> 00:18:23,380
This is yet another experience
363
00:18:23,380 --> 00:18:25,550
that reinforces my belief that travel,
364
00:18:25,550 --> 00:18:27,740
especially to places
connected with your heritage,
365
00:18:27,740 --> 00:18:29,720
is a wonderfully powerful thing.
366
00:18:29,720 --> 00:18:31,730
It brings a sense of place in the world.
367
00:18:31,730 --> 00:18:33,490
It opens your eyes to the past,
368
00:18:33,490 --> 00:18:36,760
which in turn helps you
feel at home in the present.
369
00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:45,130
Knowledge gathered by hands-on experience
370
00:18:45,130 --> 00:18:47,276
is the best form of education.
371
00:18:47,276 --> 00:18:48,310
It not only goes for things
372
00:18:48,310 --> 00:18:50,560
like the arts or practical skills
373
00:18:50,560 --> 00:18:52,870
but history and philosophy too.
374
00:18:52,870 --> 00:18:54,680
Take this next place I went to,
375
00:18:54,680 --> 00:18:56,640
it was seeing these ruins in the flesh
376
00:18:56,640 --> 00:18:59,550
that motivated me to dig
deeper into their origins.
377
00:18:59,550 --> 00:19:00,580
I discovered that this site
378
00:19:00,580 --> 00:19:02,940
was dedicated to Zeus' wife, Hera.
379
00:19:02,940 --> 00:19:05,220
She was a goddess of marriage and birth.
380
00:19:05,220 --> 00:19:07,280
It's called the Heraion of Samos
381
00:19:07,280 --> 00:19:09,170
and the historian
Herodotus claimed it to be
382
00:19:09,170 --> 00:19:12,080
the largest of the known
temples of Ancient Greece.
383
00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:13,940
It was built in various stages,
384
00:19:13,940 --> 00:19:15,850
starting in the 8th century BC,
385
00:19:15,850 --> 00:19:19,020
culminating 300 years later
when Samos was at its peak.
386
00:19:19,020 --> 00:19:20,460
Little remains of it today
387
00:19:20,460 --> 00:19:22,490
but you do get a sense of the grand temple
388
00:19:22,490 --> 00:19:25,700
that once stood on the
now crumbling foundations.
389
00:19:25,700 --> 00:19:28,030
- First of all, this
pillar always existed.
390
00:19:28,030 --> 00:19:30,510
It's been here for the past
two and a half thousand years
391
00:19:30,510 --> 00:19:32,850
so we always knew how big it was,
392
00:19:32,850 --> 00:19:34,830
but just so you can understand it,
393
00:19:34,830 --> 00:19:37,350
this was like an eight story building.
394
00:19:37,350 --> 00:19:39,800
- Wow.
- It was 25 meters tall.
395
00:19:39,800 --> 00:19:42,830
- So it was a massive
structure for its time.
396
00:19:42,830 --> 00:19:43,690
- So what inspired you,
397
00:19:43,690 --> 00:19:45,343
why did you wanna dig here, what is it?
398
00:19:45,343 --> 00:19:47,690
- This is one of the oldest sanctuaries
399
00:19:47,690 --> 00:19:49,240
that we have throughout
the whole of Greece.
400
00:19:49,240 --> 00:19:51,670
So, it might not look as
overwhelming as the Pantheon,
401
00:19:51,670 --> 00:19:53,960
but this is where everything starts.
402
00:19:53,960 --> 00:19:55,500
So this is where religion starts
403
00:19:55,500 --> 00:19:57,160
between the East and the West.
404
00:19:57,160 --> 00:19:59,220
And the first people that came here,
405
00:19:59,220 --> 00:20:00,980
came here 5,000 years ago.
406
00:20:00,980 --> 00:20:02,900
- 5000 years ago.
407
00:20:02,900 --> 00:20:03,990
Wow.
408
00:20:09,700 --> 00:20:12,530
This was a third of the great
engineering fates on Samos
409
00:20:12,530 --> 00:20:14,220
that Herodotus write of.
410
00:20:14,220 --> 00:20:17,210
In many ways it symbolizes
the prosperity of the island.
411
00:20:17,210 --> 00:20:18,930
No other great honor possess something
412
00:20:18,930 --> 00:20:20,930
of such grandeur and opulence.
413
00:20:20,930 --> 00:20:23,000
It was statement of power and wealth
414
00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:24,497
for both Samos and Polycrates.
415
00:20:24,497 --> 00:20:25,809
- For those people the temple
416
00:20:25,809 --> 00:20:28,150
was just not the center of religion,
417
00:20:28,150 --> 00:20:29,850
it was a way to attract people.
418
00:20:29,850 --> 00:20:31,070
You know, you have the biggest temple,
419
00:20:31,070 --> 00:20:32,160
more people would come.
420
00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:35,100
But the center of religion
was always outside,
421
00:20:35,100 --> 00:20:36,520
where they would sacrifice.
422
00:20:36,520 --> 00:20:39,280
Sacrificing was everything
for these civilizations.
423
00:20:39,280 --> 00:20:41,900
- That's all religious
stuff, for me, big deal.
424
00:20:41,900 --> 00:20:43,170
What I love is the engineering.
425
00:20:43,170 --> 00:20:44,100
- Yes.
- I mean these guys
426
00:20:44,100 --> 00:20:46,940
were building an eight
story building at the time,
427
00:20:46,940 --> 00:20:49,400
and sure, yet engineers,
local Samos engineers,
428
00:20:49,400 --> 00:20:50,650
but it was Polycrates, wasn't it?
429
00:20:50,650 --> 00:20:52,220
He was the one that created this,
430
00:20:52,220 --> 00:20:54,855
he's the one that created
all these engineerings.
431
00:20:54,855 --> 00:20:56,130
Why are you laughing?
432
00:20:56,130 --> 00:20:57,809
- You're seriously
obsessed with Polycrates.
433
00:20:57,809 --> 00:20:58,642
- Yeah.
- Polycrates was a tyrant,
434
00:20:58,642 --> 00:21:00,560
it was a political system.
435
00:21:00,560 --> 00:21:02,900
He could be good, he could be
bad, he was very ambitious.
436
00:21:02,900 --> 00:21:04,850
- Yeah, but if it wasn't for
him, it wouldn't happen, right?
437
00:21:04,850 --> 00:21:08,890
- He had very good engineers.
438
00:21:08,890 --> 00:21:10,707
This was the engineer
Rhoikos and Theodoros
439
00:21:10,707 --> 00:21:13,210
and the other one that
he brought was Eupalinos.
440
00:21:13,210 --> 00:21:15,590
But this, you're right.
441
00:21:15,590 --> 00:21:17,010
He wanted to build
442
00:21:17,010 --> 00:21:19,070
the biggest temple the
Greeks have ever seen
443
00:21:19,070 --> 00:21:19,903
and that's exactly why.
444
00:21:19,903 --> 00:21:20,953
- So he had a--
445
00:21:20,953 --> 00:21:22,919
He had a bit of
a phallic problem, right?
446
00:21:22,919 --> 00:21:23,752
- Yeah he had a phallic problem
447
00:21:23,752 --> 00:21:26,250
- Most tyrants and leaders,
we know some today,
448
00:21:26,250 --> 00:21:27,530
that are a bit like that as well.
449
00:21:27,530 --> 00:21:29,344
What makes this even more important
450
00:21:29,344 --> 00:21:30,877
is that unlike the port or aqueduct
451
00:21:30,877 --> 00:21:34,160
that were build for militaristic purposes,
452
00:21:34,160 --> 00:21:37,220
or a fortress that might have
existed to protect the masses.
453
00:21:37,220 --> 00:21:39,710
This was a sanctuary
dedicated to a mythical God,
454
00:21:39,710 --> 00:21:42,220
this many was given even
greater consideration
455
00:21:42,220 --> 00:21:44,820
and became the most important
project on the island.
456
00:21:47,270 --> 00:21:49,097
If you ever find your wife here,
457
00:21:49,097 --> 00:21:51,840
I implore you to just stand
on one of the column basis,
458
00:21:51,840 --> 00:21:55,250
and try to conceptualize the
scale of what was built here.
459
00:21:55,250 --> 00:21:56,100
I can tell you now,
460
00:21:56,100 --> 00:21:58,400
there's nothing like it
anywhere in the world.
461
00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:19,610
Behind the port is a mountain range
462
00:22:19,610 --> 00:22:21,260
that dominates landscape.
463
00:22:21,260 --> 00:22:23,840
It's here that my favorite
site on Samos lies,
464
00:22:23,840 --> 00:22:25,530
the Tunnel of Eupalinos.
465
00:22:25,530 --> 00:22:28,230
It's a feat of engineering that
was well ahead of its time,
466
00:22:28,230 --> 00:22:29,967
it still amazes me to this day.
467
00:22:33,417 --> 00:22:34,680
- You know, I'm super excited.
468
00:22:34,680 --> 00:22:35,568
- I know you are.
469
00:22:35,568 --> 00:22:37,780
- Super, super excited.
470
00:22:37,780 --> 00:22:40,163
I'm gonna walk in first,
that's how much I'm excited.
471
00:22:44,736 --> 00:22:45,960
Irene it is a bit tight.
472
00:22:45,960 --> 00:22:46,793
- I know.
473
00:22:46,793 --> 00:22:47,626
- I thought men made
474
00:22:47,626 --> 00:22:49,170
for people of my size.
- It's made for people
475
00:22:49,170 --> 00:22:50,210
like my size.
476
00:22:52,450 --> 00:22:53,283
- I'm in.
477
00:22:53,283 --> 00:22:54,560
This is tight.
478
00:22:54,560 --> 00:22:57,020
Yeah, it's a little tight here,
479
00:22:57,020 --> 00:22:58,870
not the best for the claustrophobic.
480
00:22:58,870 --> 00:23:00,060
The conditions down here,
481
00:23:00,060 --> 00:23:02,250
weren't as claustrophobic
as you might think.
482
00:23:02,250 --> 00:23:05,030
Yeah, it was cool, and a
tunnel well ventilated,
483
00:23:05,030 --> 00:23:07,150
plus having a fantastic guide and Irene,
484
00:23:07,150 --> 00:23:08,850
man, I spent the whole time talking
485
00:23:08,850 --> 00:23:11,850
and learning about how that
were built and their purpose.
486
00:23:11,850 --> 00:23:14,770
I can handle it from my
passion for engineering.
487
00:23:14,770 --> 00:23:16,600
- And also a shaft up here.
488
00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:17,433
- Yeah.
489
00:23:17,433 --> 00:23:18,490
- Which has some light.
490
00:23:18,490 --> 00:23:19,323
- Right, okay.
491
00:23:25,317 --> 00:23:28,336
So Irene, this is the actual
aqueduct down here, isn't it?
492
00:23:28,336 --> 00:23:29,826
- Yes, yes.
493
00:23:29,826 --> 00:23:32,617
- And this was basically the service tab.
494
00:23:32,617 --> 00:23:33,450
- The service tab.
495
00:23:33,450 --> 00:23:34,650
- So this is what they looked down there
496
00:23:34,650 --> 00:23:35,820
and the water ran down there.
497
00:23:35,820 --> 00:23:37,780
So many, many years ago
498
00:23:37,780 --> 00:23:38,703
that water would be running down there.
499
00:23:38,703 --> 00:23:40,403
- Mm-hmm, in the terracotta pipe.
500
00:23:40,403 --> 00:23:42,216
- Wow.
- So, literally, two tunnels.
501
00:23:42,216 --> 00:23:43,049
- Two tunnels?
502
00:23:43,049 --> 00:23:44,890
- Yeah, one on top one of the other.
503
00:23:44,890 --> 00:23:46,719
- Wow, they were way ahead
of their time, weren't they?
504
00:23:46,719 --> 00:23:48,718
- They were.
- We should keep moving yeah?
505
00:23:48,718 --> 00:23:50,400
It's a kilometer of this yeah?
- Mm-hmm.
506
00:24:08,670 --> 00:24:10,830
There was no machines back then, right?
507
00:24:10,830 --> 00:24:12,600
So, this was all done
508
00:24:12,600 --> 00:24:14,040
by hand.
- Handmade.
509
00:24:14,040 --> 00:24:14,970
Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.
510
00:24:14,970 --> 00:24:16,420
- What was the labor story?
511
00:24:16,420 --> 00:24:20,050
- 4,000 war prisoners
from the island of Naxos
512
00:24:20,050 --> 00:24:22,270
did all the digging in here,
513
00:24:22,270 --> 00:24:26,740
and their reward was that
whoever come out alive,
514
00:24:26,740 --> 00:24:28,620
would go back to Naxos as a free person.
515
00:24:28,620 --> 00:24:32,640
So from the 4,000 only
350 came out of life,
516
00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:34,320
according to Herodotus.
517
00:24:34,320 --> 00:24:35,850
- Wow.
- Yeah.
518
00:24:35,850 --> 00:24:36,683
- Only 350.
519
00:24:36,683 --> 00:24:39,950
- A lot of people were lost
for the water of this city.
520
00:24:39,950 --> 00:24:42,690
- And how long was this tunnel useful?
521
00:24:42,690 --> 00:24:45,110
- This was used for over 1,000 years.
522
00:24:45,110 --> 00:24:46,450
It was an active tunnel
523
00:24:46,450 --> 00:24:49,900
that gave water to the
city for about 1,000 years.
524
00:24:49,900 --> 00:24:50,733
- Unbelievable.
525
00:25:06,947 --> 00:25:07,780
Ah.
526
00:25:09,380 --> 00:25:12,223
This is the bit I love.
527
00:25:15,500 --> 00:25:16,333
Irene.
528
00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:20,180
Not only was it difficult
to build the tunnel,
529
00:25:20,180 --> 00:25:23,951
all that labor, but it's
coming in two sections.
530
00:25:23,951 --> 00:25:24,784
- Both sides.
531
00:25:24,784 --> 00:25:25,729
- What's the story, what's the story?
532
00:25:25,729 --> 00:25:29,050
- Okay so, we don't exactly know why
533
00:25:29,050 --> 00:25:31,110
maybe to make work quicker,
534
00:25:31,110 --> 00:25:32,840
they started digging on both sides
535
00:25:32,840 --> 00:25:34,330
and they actually met in the middle.
536
00:25:34,330 --> 00:25:37,890
This is the junction point,
half a meter of distance,
537
00:25:37,890 --> 00:25:39,960
they originally fell off seven meters,
538
00:25:39,960 --> 00:25:41,910
but they realized their mistake,
539
00:25:41,910 --> 00:25:43,760
and they managed to save it.
540
00:25:43,760 --> 00:25:46,860
And this is the point where both tunnels--
541
00:25:46,860 --> 00:25:48,402
- But that, literally at one angles.
542
00:25:48,402 --> 00:25:49,257
- Yes.
543
00:25:49,257 --> 00:25:50,815
- And they didn't have
surveying instruments
544
00:25:50,815 --> 00:25:51,648
that we have today.
545
00:25:51,648 --> 00:25:53,237
No theodolites, none of that.
546
00:25:53,237 --> 00:25:55,090
- No, they had a triangle.
547
00:25:55,090 --> 00:25:56,070
- Yeah.
548
00:25:56,070 --> 00:25:58,510
That was, what we believe that they used.
549
00:25:58,510 --> 00:26:00,277
The three sturdy points.
550
00:26:00,277 --> 00:26:01,110
- Yeah.
551
00:26:01,110 --> 00:26:01,943
- That's pretty much it.
552
00:26:01,943 --> 00:26:03,660
- And what's the moral of the story?
553
00:26:03,660 --> 00:26:04,687
Use Greek builders.
554
00:26:05,520 --> 00:26:06,488
Let's get going.
555
00:26:12,653 --> 00:26:14,730
The Romans were known of
their advanced engineering
556
00:26:14,730 --> 00:26:16,410
and construction techniques.
557
00:26:16,410 --> 00:26:18,490
From roads and bridges to aqueducts,
558
00:26:18,490 --> 00:26:20,860
they certainly achieve remarkable feats.
559
00:26:20,860 --> 00:26:23,400
But this town was built,
well before the Roman period,
560
00:26:23,400 --> 00:26:24,450
and was one of the first,
561
00:26:24,450 --> 00:26:26,950
if not the first subterranean aqueducts
562
00:26:26,950 --> 00:26:30,300
of this scale to be built
from opposite sides.
563
00:26:30,300 --> 00:26:35,030
The sad thing is over 3,500
people died in its creation.
564
00:26:35,030 --> 00:26:37,380
I guess one positive
from all that sacrifice
565
00:26:37,380 --> 00:26:39,080
is the legacy that it left.
566
00:26:39,080 --> 00:26:40,250
Thousands of years later,
567
00:26:40,250 --> 00:26:42,550
people still walk through
the place in wonder.
568
00:26:52,029 --> 00:26:54,470
Samos is the ninth
largest island in Greece,
569
00:26:54,470 --> 00:26:57,130
about 490 square kilometers in size.
570
00:26:57,130 --> 00:26:58,950
So there's plenty to be explored.
571
00:26:58,950 --> 00:27:01,570
Coincidentally, it's also
the ninth most populous,
572
00:27:01,570 --> 00:27:04,200
with close to 34,000
people calling it home.
573
00:27:04,200 --> 00:27:05,660
Apart from the great climate,
574
00:27:05,660 --> 00:27:07,930
it's also one of the
sunniest places in Europe,
575
00:27:07,930 --> 00:27:10,520
so you can understand why
it's so popular for tourists,
576
00:27:10,520 --> 00:27:12,623
you're almost guaranteed perfect weather.
577
00:27:16,270 --> 00:27:18,570
Through the interior, you
have mountains, planes
578
00:27:18,570 --> 00:27:20,100
and plenty of vineyards.
579
00:27:20,100 --> 00:27:22,810
Musket it's a grape of choice,
but there's also olives,
580
00:27:22,810 --> 00:27:24,940
honey and almonds, amongst other things
581
00:27:24,940 --> 00:27:26,820
that are produced on the farms.
582
00:27:26,820 --> 00:27:28,660
Along the coast of countless beaches,
583
00:27:28,660 --> 00:27:30,760
which provide a bit of
respite from the heat
584
00:27:30,760 --> 00:27:32,240
it also gave poor Helen a break
585
00:27:32,240 --> 00:27:34,300
from all the history lessons I was giving.
586
00:27:34,300 --> 00:27:36,840
Apart from taking the family
along to all the sites I visit,
587
00:27:36,840 --> 00:27:38,160
they also have to listen to me
588
00:27:38,160 --> 00:27:40,850
spouting all my facts and
figures during breakfast,
589
00:27:40,850 --> 00:27:42,150
lunch and dinner.
590
00:27:42,150 --> 00:27:43,870
So a visit to the main town of Vathy
591
00:27:43,870 --> 00:27:47,163
with a few swim stops along
the way, was a welcome relief.
592
00:27:51,330 --> 00:27:53,270
Being one of the major
towns on the island,
593
00:27:53,270 --> 00:27:54,453
Vathy is a hub for tourists.
594
00:27:54,453 --> 00:27:57,480
This is where you generally
first arrive on Samos,
595
00:27:57,480 --> 00:27:58,313
and to be honest,
596
00:27:58,313 --> 00:28:00,690
you don't have to spread
the wings too far from here.
597
00:28:00,690 --> 00:28:02,540
There's plenty enough
to keep you entertained
598
00:28:02,540 --> 00:28:06,510
with quiet beaches,
restaurants, cafes and museums,
599
00:28:06,510 --> 00:28:08,220
you could easily base yourself in town
600
00:28:08,220 --> 00:28:09,300
and enjoy the convenience
601
00:28:09,300 --> 00:28:11,060
of having everything at your doorstep
602
00:28:11,060 --> 00:28:12,840
and hire a car or get a water taxi
603
00:28:12,840 --> 00:28:14,640
to explore more of the island.
604
00:28:14,640 --> 00:28:15,930
One thing to keep in mind
605
00:28:15,930 --> 00:28:17,470
is that it's a sprawling development,
606
00:28:17,470 --> 00:28:19,210
that rise up the hillsides.
607
00:28:19,210 --> 00:28:20,800
So with all that sunny weather they have,
608
00:28:20,800 --> 00:28:22,800
it can make walking
around town during summer,
609
00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:24,510
a bit of a challenge.
610
00:28:24,510 --> 00:28:27,300
A side trip to Vathy is well worth it.
611
00:28:27,300 --> 00:28:29,650
If only to see the archeological museum
612
00:28:29,650 --> 00:28:30,540
and some of the votives
613
00:28:30,540 --> 00:28:33,537
that lined the sacred
way, one in particular.
614
00:28:43,730 --> 00:28:45,580
Wealthy pilgrims from across Greece
615
00:28:45,580 --> 00:28:47,550
would come to the Sanctuary of Hera,
616
00:28:47,550 --> 00:28:50,820
bringing with them
handcrafted marble offerings.
617
00:28:50,820 --> 00:28:51,770
If they were lucky,
618
00:28:51,770 --> 00:28:54,220
it would be placed as a
votive on the sacred way.
619
00:28:55,157 --> 00:28:58,007
The most popular offering was
a statue known as a Kouros.
620
00:29:00,020 --> 00:29:01,240
Most have been lost in time
621
00:29:01,240 --> 00:29:04,430
or destroyed by the ruling
powers that have come and gone.
622
00:29:04,430 --> 00:29:06,500
Herodith is one of the
largest of its kind,
623
00:29:06,500 --> 00:29:07,603
hast at the museum.
624
00:29:19,830 --> 00:29:24,830
This fella is the tallest
freestanding Kuros from antiquity.
625
00:29:25,010 --> 00:29:26,990
And you can tell he's a
votive for an offering,
626
00:29:26,990 --> 00:29:28,810
because on his left thigh
627
00:29:28,810 --> 00:29:31,130
you can see an inscription from the family
628
00:29:31,130 --> 00:29:33,380
that offered him to the
God, to the God Hera.
629
00:29:34,361 --> 00:29:36,110
And this Kouros, he's my favorite.
630
00:29:36,110 --> 00:29:37,720
Not because he's the tallest,
631
00:29:37,720 --> 00:29:40,640
because if you look closely, he's smiling.
632
00:29:40,640 --> 00:29:43,700
And you look at this Kouros
and the more you look at it,
633
00:29:43,700 --> 00:29:45,630
the more detail you can see
634
00:29:45,630 --> 00:29:47,750
from the meniscus of his knee
635
00:29:47,750 --> 00:29:50,420
right through to the buttocks
and the shape of the buttocks
636
00:29:50,420 --> 00:29:52,270
with the veins of the marble.
637
00:29:52,270 --> 00:29:54,300
Now, what is a Kouros you say?
638
00:29:54,300 --> 00:29:57,380
Kouros means young boy in Greek,
639
00:29:57,380 --> 00:29:59,540
the young boy of noble descent,
640
00:29:59,540 --> 00:30:01,770
and the Kouros was an
offering to the gods.
641
00:30:01,770 --> 00:30:03,980
You'll see them all over Greece.
642
00:30:03,980 --> 00:30:06,603
This is specifically from antiquity.
643
00:30:08,300 --> 00:30:10,485
I just love looking at it.
644
00:30:16,443 --> 00:30:18,240
Standing next to this tarring figure,
645
00:30:18,240 --> 00:30:20,180
you get an appreciation
for the scale of work
646
00:30:20,180 --> 00:30:21,490
that went into making it.
647
00:30:21,490 --> 00:30:23,510
Not only carving all the details,
648
00:30:23,510 --> 00:30:25,970
but also coring of the
right block of marble,
649
00:30:25,970 --> 00:30:28,560
and the enormous exercise
of delivering the statute,
650
00:30:28,560 --> 00:30:31,270
during the various stages of production.
651
00:30:31,270 --> 00:30:33,030
It took both great engineering skills
652
00:30:33,030 --> 00:30:36,230
as well as artistic prowess to
bring such a wonder to life.
653
00:30:59,536 --> 00:31:00,369
There're some things in
life I'm willing to say
654
00:31:01,280 --> 00:31:02,700
that I'm pretty good at,
655
00:31:02,700 --> 00:31:04,170
construction for instance,
656
00:31:04,170 --> 00:31:05,620
but I'm also more than happy to admit
657
00:31:05,620 --> 00:31:08,240
that there's plenty of
stuff I'm just hopeless at,
658
00:31:08,240 --> 00:31:10,850
like choosing a good wine from a bad one.
659
00:31:10,850 --> 00:31:12,890
I know what I like, it's just that often
660
00:31:12,890 --> 00:31:14,040
what I think is awesome
661
00:31:14,040 --> 00:31:16,060
doesn't right amongst the enthusiasts.
662
00:31:16,060 --> 00:31:17,730
but one thing I'm confident in saying,
663
00:31:17,730 --> 00:31:19,760
is that Greek wines hold their own.
664
00:31:19,760 --> 00:31:21,720
Mia Zoi is stocked with the stuff,
665
00:31:21,720 --> 00:31:23,023
and all my guests love it.
666
00:31:24,160 --> 00:31:26,660
Centrally into the
North part of the island
667
00:31:26,660 --> 00:31:28,840
is this beautiful town of Vourliotes.
668
00:31:29,690 --> 00:31:31,090
And surrounded by vineyards,
669
00:31:31,090 --> 00:31:32,750
I'm about to meet someone
670
00:31:32,750 --> 00:31:34,920
that's gonna tell me why these vineyards
671
00:31:34,920 --> 00:31:36,870
have two unique qualities
672
00:31:36,870 --> 00:31:39,710
that you won't find anywhere else.
673
00:31:39,710 --> 00:31:41,360
I'm really looking forward to it.
674
00:31:45,610 --> 00:31:49,230
In ancient times, Greece was
fame for its fantastic wine,
675
00:31:49,230 --> 00:31:50,970
but through much of the 20th century,
676
00:31:50,970 --> 00:31:52,750
it became the opposite.
677
00:31:52,750 --> 00:31:54,300
However the last couple of decades
678
00:31:54,300 --> 00:31:56,130
I've seen a resurgence in its quality,
679
00:31:56,130 --> 00:31:58,730
and therefore popularity
to international buyers.
680
00:31:58,730 --> 00:32:00,710
Nowadays, you'll find an
award winning Greek wine
681
00:32:00,710 --> 00:32:03,250
in some of the top
restaurants around the world
682
00:32:03,250 --> 00:32:04,610
and in my cupboard at home.
683
00:32:04,610 --> 00:32:05,560
The best thing is,
684
00:32:05,560 --> 00:32:08,110
not only does every owner
produce it's own varieties,
685
00:32:08,110 --> 00:32:10,130
but it's also generally inexpensive.
686
00:32:10,130 --> 00:32:11,530
So when you spent a couple of euros
687
00:32:11,530 --> 00:32:13,120
on a glass of red at a tavern,
688
00:32:13,120 --> 00:32:14,880
you're usually supporting
the local growers.
689
00:32:14,880 --> 00:32:17,770
You can be sure you'll be
drinking something pretty good.
690
00:32:17,770 --> 00:32:20,420
To help broaden my
understanding of Samean wine,
691
00:32:20,420 --> 00:32:21,640
I met with Huity,
692
00:32:21,640 --> 00:32:23,890
the Heritage Director
of The House of Metaxa.
693
00:32:26,790 --> 00:32:27,816
- And you see over there
694
00:32:27,816 --> 00:32:29,514
that there is the bezouglas
that we discussed.
695
00:32:29,514 --> 00:32:30,410
- Up there, yeah.
696
00:32:30,410 --> 00:32:31,810
- These are quite old,
697
00:32:31,810 --> 00:32:34,850
they could be even five to 600 years old,
698
00:32:34,850 --> 00:32:37,344
but the vines here are relatively young,
699
00:32:37,344 --> 00:32:39,183
they're, I think--
- I can see the grapes here.
700
00:32:39,183 --> 00:32:40,700
- Yes, they're young, they're young.
701
00:32:40,700 --> 00:32:44,220
- How many vineyards are
there here, in Samos?
702
00:32:44,220 --> 00:32:46,240
- Let's say how many farmers,
703
00:32:46,240 --> 00:32:48,270
or vine growers are in Samos.
704
00:32:48,270 --> 00:32:50,470
There's not a single person in Samos,
705
00:32:50,470 --> 00:32:53,470
or a single family who
doesn't own a vineyard,
706
00:32:53,470 --> 00:32:56,480
so it's quite rare that you meet a Samian
707
00:32:56,480 --> 00:32:57,610
and does have nothing,
708
00:32:57,610 --> 00:32:59,580
I don't have a property,
I don't have a vineyard.
709
00:32:59,580 --> 00:33:02,190
So it goes from generations you inherit,
710
00:33:02,190 --> 00:33:04,810
your vineyard from your
grandfather, great grandfather,
711
00:33:04,810 --> 00:33:06,000
all the way to your father.
712
00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:09,280
And for the locals is
also a sign of pride,
713
00:33:09,280 --> 00:33:11,720
and it links to their tradition,
714
00:33:11,720 --> 00:33:12,870
to the heritage of the family,
715
00:33:12,870 --> 00:33:15,930
so they will keep the
vineyard at any cost.
716
00:33:15,930 --> 00:33:17,520
- How many farmers are living?
717
00:33:17,520 --> 00:33:21,130
- Let's say today, part of
the cooperative of Samos,
718
00:33:21,130 --> 00:33:23,920
there must be around 3,500 people.
719
00:33:23,920 --> 00:33:25,730
- And it's a cooperative,
they all work together?
720
00:33:25,730 --> 00:33:28,990
- They all, well, the reason
why the cooperative was founded
721
00:33:28,990 --> 00:33:31,220
is because back in the days,
722
00:33:31,220 --> 00:33:33,550
and the cooperative was founded in 1934.
723
00:33:33,550 --> 00:33:35,300
Back in the days, the European merchants
724
00:33:35,300 --> 00:33:36,560
would come on the island
725
00:33:36,560 --> 00:33:41,410
and buy from every
farmer, every wine grower,
726
00:33:41,410 --> 00:33:44,960
and the wine growers at the
point decided to come together
727
00:33:44,960 --> 00:33:47,680
in order to be able to
negotiate better prices.
728
00:33:47,680 --> 00:33:49,700
At the same time, by
forming the cooperative
729
00:33:49,700 --> 00:33:51,000
what they managed to do
730
00:33:51,000 --> 00:33:56,000
is to protect the quality of
the grape and thus of the wine,
731
00:33:57,080 --> 00:33:58,380
improve it through time
732
00:33:58,380 --> 00:34:00,840
and be able of course to make
733
00:34:00,840 --> 00:34:02,520
a little bit of profit out of it.
734
00:34:02,520 --> 00:34:03,840
- What is it that keeps them all together
735
00:34:03,840 --> 00:34:05,210
for the last 80 years?
736
00:34:05,210 --> 00:34:08,216
- You cannot have a vineyard in Samos
737
00:34:08,216 --> 00:34:11,180
and work it on your
own, because cultivation
738
00:34:11,180 --> 00:34:13,210
and everything that's
linked to the cultivation
739
00:34:13,210 --> 00:34:15,460
of the mosque has to be done by hand,
740
00:34:15,460 --> 00:34:18,140
you see how it is, you
cannot have a pickup truck,
741
00:34:18,140 --> 00:34:21,360
you cannot have anything
that's it's machine,
742
00:34:21,360 --> 00:34:22,560
let's say equipment.
743
00:34:22,560 --> 00:34:26,060
So what happens is that you
need to be part of a community
744
00:34:26,060 --> 00:34:28,670
and the people will work with the family,
745
00:34:28,670 --> 00:34:29,880
with their friends and that's something
746
00:34:29,880 --> 00:34:32,270
that you see a lot during harvesting,
747
00:34:32,270 --> 00:34:35,050
because harvesting needs to happen quickly
748
00:34:35,050 --> 00:34:38,550
within a day or two, and it's
impossible for one person,
749
00:34:38,550 --> 00:34:41,130
one farmer to do it on his or her own,
750
00:34:41,130 --> 00:34:43,560
so they need to rely to
their family and friends,
751
00:34:43,560 --> 00:34:47,622
and what the Samian
says, during harvesting,
752
00:34:47,622 --> 00:34:50,780
everyone on the island
works for their harvesting,
753
00:34:50,780 --> 00:34:54,140
and so people from the age
of five to the age of 85
754
00:34:54,140 --> 00:34:56,490
will come here, will come
through their own vineyards,
755
00:34:56,490 --> 00:34:58,620
harvest and then the next
day when they're done,
756
00:34:58,620 --> 00:35:02,500
they will go to the
neighbor, to the friend,
757
00:35:02,500 --> 00:35:04,340
to the family member and help them out.
758
00:35:04,340 --> 00:35:05,730
So that's how--
759
00:35:05,730 --> 00:35:07,169
- I think it's awesome.
760
00:35:07,169 --> 00:35:08,740
I think it's awesome.
- Yeah it's really awesome.
761
00:35:08,740 --> 00:35:12,130
- Yes, 3,000 families that
have got a sustainable future
762
00:35:12,130 --> 00:35:16,470
for a long, long time, and
each one works on their own,
763
00:35:16,470 --> 00:35:19,470
and they're still part of a major brand,
764
00:35:19,470 --> 00:35:22,099
at the end of the day or major brands.
765
00:35:24,050 --> 00:35:27,960
It's so impressive that a
cooperative of 3,500 families
766
00:35:27,960 --> 00:35:30,510
can all work together
in such a united way.
767
00:35:30,510 --> 00:35:33,500
I love the fact that all
pitching and harvest time,
768
00:35:33,500 --> 00:35:36,560
helping each other to get the
crop ready for production.
769
00:35:36,560 --> 00:35:37,593
It's a case of understanding
770
00:35:37,593 --> 00:35:39,260
that the sum of all their efforts
771
00:35:39,260 --> 00:35:42,540
far outweighs what an individual
can achieve in isolation.
772
00:35:42,540 --> 00:35:45,040
It's something you rarely
see in this day and age.
773
00:35:45,930 --> 00:35:47,600
- I'll share a story with you.
774
00:35:47,600 --> 00:35:51,980
It's, Metaxa is a brand
that's worth international
775
00:35:51,980 --> 00:35:54,210
and you will find it
everywhere in the world,
776
00:35:54,210 --> 00:35:56,520
and I have had people from
the islands telling me
777
00:35:56,520 --> 00:36:00,130
how proud they feel when
they go in an airport,
778
00:36:00,130 --> 00:36:02,850
let's say Frankfurt or
Melbourne or Sydney,
779
00:36:02,850 --> 00:36:05,090
and they will find a bottle of Metaxa
780
00:36:05,090 --> 00:36:06,874
and they know--
- They are a part of it.
781
00:36:06,874 --> 00:36:08,814
That part of their homeland is there,
782
00:36:08,814 --> 00:36:11,233
sitting on the shelf in a duty free shop
783
00:36:11,233 --> 00:36:13,720
in Sydney or Melbourne, that's amazing
784
00:36:13,720 --> 00:36:15,220
and, you know, it gives me the goosebumps.
785
00:36:15,220 --> 00:36:17,327
- Me too, me too!
- It gives me the goosebumps.
786
00:36:17,327 --> 00:36:19,080
- You know, so much time I
wanna go and taste it now.
787
00:36:19,080 --> 00:36:20,810
Can we go and taste it?
- Yes, of course.
788
00:36:20,810 --> 00:36:21,850
- Let's go.
- Let's go.
789
00:36:21,850 --> 00:36:22,683
- Thank you.
790
00:36:26,370 --> 00:36:28,880
There's no big business
or corporate structure,
791
00:36:28,880 --> 00:36:32,100
driving a commercial wine
making machine here on Samos.
792
00:36:32,100 --> 00:36:35,040
It's all about sustainable
community based viticulture
793
00:36:35,040 --> 00:36:37,400
where the end result
is a high quality drop.
794
00:36:37,400 --> 00:36:40,490
well known in Greece and
exported around the world.
795
00:36:40,490 --> 00:36:42,580
Other than wine, they also use the grapes
796
00:36:42,580 --> 00:36:44,240
in the making of Metaxa.
797
00:36:44,240 --> 00:36:47,160
It's a sweet, amber spirit,
a little bit like brandy.
798
00:36:47,160 --> 00:36:49,700
It's been made in Greece,
since the late 1800s.
799
00:36:49,700 --> 00:36:51,550
It's a perfect after dinner beverage,
800
00:36:51,550 --> 00:36:53,050
so I might just have to
grab a couple of bottles
801
00:36:53,050 --> 00:36:55,683
to put them alongside the wine
collection back on the bay.
802
00:36:55,683 --> 00:36:57,733
But first, I need to learn more about it.
803
00:37:21,894 --> 00:37:22,980
Consta, hi.
804
00:37:22,980 --> 00:37:26,740
I knew that Samos was was
famous for its sweet wines,
805
00:37:26,740 --> 00:37:29,260
but I didn't know Metaxa came from here,
806
00:37:29,260 --> 00:37:31,550
and how long has it been here for?
807
00:37:31,550 --> 00:37:35,130
- Yes, actually, Metaxa
is not coming from here,
808
00:37:35,130 --> 00:37:38,587
but is based on a Samos sweet wine.
809
00:37:38,587 --> 00:37:39,420
- Oh, right.
810
00:37:39,420 --> 00:37:41,470
- From the beginning, the story of Metaxa
811
00:37:41,470 --> 00:37:46,470
is strongly related to a Samos sweet wine.
812
00:37:46,830 --> 00:37:49,440
- Do they get grapes from Samos,
nowhere else in the world?
813
00:37:49,440 --> 00:37:54,397
- No, yet for that kind of
the wine for a sweet wine,
814
00:37:55,330 --> 00:37:57,950
we get the grapes from Samos.
815
00:37:57,950 --> 00:38:02,950
But apart from apart
for Samos, Muscat wine
816
00:38:03,310 --> 00:38:05,280
we're using distillates as well.
817
00:38:05,280 --> 00:38:06,113
- Right, okay.
818
00:38:06,113 --> 00:38:07,220
- Wine distillates.
819
00:38:07,220 --> 00:38:10,280
Those distillates are
coming from other places.
820
00:38:10,280 --> 00:38:13,930
- Okay so, in 131 years
they've only been five masters.
821
00:38:13,930 --> 00:38:14,763
- Exactly.
822
00:38:14,763 --> 00:38:16,250
- How long have you been a master for?
823
00:38:16,250 --> 00:38:19,114
- I have been for 26 years.
824
00:38:19,114 --> 00:38:19,947
- 26 years.
825
00:38:19,947 --> 00:38:20,780
- 26 years of course.
826
00:38:20,780 --> 00:38:22,090
- So what about the next master?
827
00:38:22,090 --> 00:38:23,460
Are you preparing the next master?
828
00:38:23,460 --> 00:38:27,600
- Yes, we have found
the next Metaxa master.
829
00:38:27,600 --> 00:38:29,370
Of course, I'm training him,
830
00:38:29,370 --> 00:38:33,160
because we need to train him
for a long, fourty years.
831
00:38:33,160 --> 00:38:34,270
- Yes.
832
00:38:34,270 --> 00:38:36,710
- To be sure, for their ability,
833
00:38:36,710 --> 00:38:40,690
for the future of Metaxa, of course.
834
00:38:40,690 --> 00:38:42,200
- And so, you're a master,
835
00:38:42,200 --> 00:38:44,296
that means you hold the secret recipe.
836
00:38:44,296 --> 00:38:45,129
- Yeah.
837
00:38:45,129 --> 00:38:45,962
- Nobody else has it?
838
00:38:45,962 --> 00:38:47,300
- Nobody else.
839
00:38:47,300 --> 00:38:48,430
Of course I'm trying
840
00:38:48,430 --> 00:38:52,291
to have everything written
for safety reasons.
841
00:38:52,291 --> 00:38:53,160
- Right.
842
00:38:53,160 --> 00:38:56,652
- But I decided, don't
live for the recipe.
843
00:38:56,652 --> 00:38:58,235
- Well.
844
00:38:58,235 --> 00:39:01,090
Metaxa is a blend of brandy,
musket and botanicals.
845
00:39:01,090 --> 00:39:02,890
It's aged in oak barrels.
846
00:39:02,890 --> 00:39:04,700
The number of years to spend in a cask
847
00:39:04,700 --> 00:39:06,880
determines how many starts it gets.
848
00:39:06,880 --> 00:39:10,110
It's usually sold as
three, five or seven stars,
849
00:39:10,110 --> 00:39:12,660
but Costantinos has
created a 12 star version.
850
00:39:12,660 --> 00:39:17,328
- So, you see, first of all
the color is dark amber.
851
00:39:17,328 --> 00:39:19,610
- Much darker than the five star.
852
00:39:19,610 --> 00:39:21,576
- Yes, yes because of the aging,
853
00:39:21,576 --> 00:39:22,409
because
854
00:39:25,700 --> 00:39:27,466
you feel in the nose,
855
00:39:27,466 --> 00:39:32,380
you feel a lot of dried fruits.
856
00:39:32,380 --> 00:39:33,213
- Yes.
857
00:39:33,213 --> 00:39:35,180
- Mature fruit, but dried
fruits like dried fig,
858
00:39:36,494 --> 00:39:40,810
dried prune, black raisin, chocolate.
859
00:39:40,810 --> 00:39:41,643
- Wow.
860
00:39:43,450 --> 00:39:46,100
- Spices, a lot of sweet spices,
861
00:39:46,100 --> 00:39:47,830
and the orange peel at the end.
862
00:39:47,830 --> 00:39:49,270
- Yeah, that's very different
863
00:39:49,270 --> 00:39:51,240
than four star and sevens
star, very different.
864
00:39:51,240 --> 00:39:53,110
It's like a different alcohol, isn't it?
865
00:39:53,110 --> 00:39:53,943
- Yeah.
866
00:39:53,943 --> 00:39:58,373
- So how many bottles of
Metaxa are produced yearly?
867
00:39:59,396 --> 00:40:00,229
- 11 millions.
868
00:40:00,229 --> 00:40:01,080
- 11 million.
869
00:40:01,080 --> 00:40:01,913
- Yeah.
- Wow.
870
00:40:01,913 --> 00:40:03,660
Well,
871
00:40:08,090 --> 00:40:09,820
- This is awesome,
you've done a great job.
872
00:40:09,820 --> 00:40:10,653
Bravos, bravo.
873
00:40:10,653 --> 00:40:12,210
- Thank you.
874
00:40:12,210 --> 00:40:13,320
- That's why you're the master.
875
00:40:13,320 --> 00:40:14,451
- Yeah.
876
00:40:14,451 --> 00:40:15,284
That's my job.
877
00:40:15,284 --> 00:40:16,117
- That's your job.
878
00:40:18,060 --> 00:40:21,750
In nearly 1980, at the time
when Metaxa was taking off,
879
00:40:21,750 --> 00:40:22,990
there were other trades on the island
880
00:40:22,990 --> 00:40:24,560
that were flourishing too.
881
00:40:24,560 --> 00:40:26,120
In the town of Karlovasi
882
00:40:26,120 --> 00:40:27,650
existed a thriving tannery
883
00:40:27,650 --> 00:40:29,610
and tobacco manufacturing industry.
884
00:40:29,610 --> 00:40:31,360
It meant the population boomed
885
00:40:31,360 --> 00:40:33,800
with plenty of work and
wealth to be shared.
886
00:40:33,800 --> 00:40:36,250
It's evident in the remains
of the huge factories
887
00:40:36,250 --> 00:40:39,160
and mere classical mansions
that were built at the time.
888
00:40:39,160 --> 00:40:40,630
When those industries collapsed,
889
00:40:40,630 --> 00:40:42,560
shortly after the end of World War Two,
890
00:40:42,560 --> 00:40:44,510
the town was largely abandoned.
891
00:40:44,510 --> 00:40:46,830
But in recent years,
it's been reinvigorated,
892
00:40:46,830 --> 00:40:49,603
thanks to the University of
the Aegean being placed here.
893
00:40:51,060 --> 00:40:53,110
I walked through the old part of Karlovasi
894
00:40:53,110 --> 00:40:54,250
and along the bay,
895
00:40:54,250 --> 00:40:57,390
takes you past numerous
grand houses and churches.
896
00:40:57,390 --> 00:41:00,390
You'll also find the tannery
and folklore museums,
897
00:41:00,390 --> 00:41:02,200
as well as the Venetian castle.
898
00:41:02,200 --> 00:41:04,350
Plus, just a short trip from town
899
00:41:04,350 --> 00:41:06,380
takes you to The Waterfalls of Potami
900
00:41:06,380 --> 00:41:08,650
and some sensational beaches.
901
00:41:08,650 --> 00:41:10,010
It's a popular part of the island
902
00:41:10,010 --> 00:41:11,600
for those that love architecture,
903
00:41:11,600 --> 00:41:12,910
as well as young people
904
00:41:12,910 --> 00:41:15,220
who are now bringing
some life back into it.
905
00:41:15,220 --> 00:41:17,300
They bring with them
energy and creativity,
906
00:41:17,300 --> 00:41:19,910
which is reflected in the bar
and cafe foreign cafe scenes.
907
00:41:19,910 --> 00:41:23,220
As well as the street art
that adorns many of the walls.
908
00:41:23,220 --> 00:41:25,690
One week just wasn't enough.
909
00:41:25,690 --> 00:41:28,420
We're here on our last
night in Charavgi Bay,
910
00:41:28,420 --> 00:41:30,513
which in English means Dawn Bay.
911
00:41:31,620 --> 00:41:33,000
We learned so much here.
912
00:41:33,000 --> 00:41:34,870
We learned about Hera, the god Queen.
913
00:41:34,870 --> 00:41:37,290
We learned about Polycrates, the tyrant.
914
00:41:37,290 --> 00:41:38,980
We learned about Pythagoras,
915
00:41:38,980 --> 00:41:41,160
the mathematician and visionary.
916
00:41:41,160 --> 00:41:43,700
We walked through forests to waterfalls.
917
00:41:43,700 --> 00:41:46,420
We ate extremely well,
and we sat on beaches
918
00:41:46,420 --> 00:41:49,640
and (speaking in foreign
language) as the Greek say
919
00:41:49,640 --> 00:41:52,720
lying on those beautiful
beaches here in Samos
920
00:41:52,720 --> 00:41:55,290
and I look forward tomorrow to waking up
921
00:41:55,290 --> 00:41:58,749
to this wonderful sunrise
here in Charavgi Bay.
922
00:42:06,130 --> 00:42:08,190
This was actually the end
of our summer in Greece
923
00:42:08,190 --> 00:42:09,540
filming the series.
924
00:42:09,540 --> 00:42:11,830
In a few days, I was due home.
925
00:42:11,830 --> 00:42:12,930
In the last few weeks,
926
00:42:12,930 --> 00:42:14,970
we traveled through several spectacular
927
00:42:14,970 --> 00:42:16,760
and culturally rich islands,
928
00:42:16,760 --> 00:42:19,680
but it was only now when things
finally slowed down a little
929
00:42:19,680 --> 00:42:21,680
that I had a real chance
to look back at everything
930
00:42:21,680 --> 00:42:24,790
and fully appreciate what
we had seen and done.
931
00:42:24,790 --> 00:42:26,310
It was an incredible time,
932
00:42:26,310 --> 00:42:28,387
where I learnt, laughed, make new friends,
933
00:42:28,387 --> 00:42:30,170
connected with old ones
934
00:42:30,170 --> 00:42:33,320
and enjoyed numerous
fabulous meals along the way.
935
00:42:33,320 --> 00:42:35,690
The sun was setting on
this leg of the journey
936
00:42:35,690 --> 00:42:38,670
at one final day before
boarding my flight home.
937
00:42:38,670 --> 00:42:40,290
I was gonna make the most of it.
938
00:42:40,290 --> 00:42:41,410
So with that in mind,
939
00:42:41,410 --> 00:42:44,300
we made our way across the
tiny island of Samiopoula.
940
00:42:44,300 --> 00:42:46,223
for one last women paradise.
941
00:42:49,130 --> 00:42:50,800
In the next series I returned
942
00:42:50,800 --> 00:42:54,250
to complete my time in the
Dodecanese, starting in Kos.
943
00:42:54,250 --> 00:42:55,280
From there, I'll be traveling
944
00:42:55,280 --> 00:42:57,230
throughout the southern
islands of the group,
945
00:42:57,230 --> 00:43:00,800
including Tilos, Symi, Karpathos, Kasos
946
00:43:00,800 --> 00:43:03,690
and all the way down to Kastellorizo.
947
00:43:03,690 --> 00:43:07,060
As you'll discover the region
is as diverse as it is fun,
948
00:43:07,060 --> 00:43:09,810
with great characters, fantastic cuisine,
949
00:43:09,810 --> 00:43:12,500
and even better history,
there's beautiful scenery
950
00:43:12,500 --> 00:43:13,890
and gorgeous beaches.
951
00:43:13,890 --> 00:43:16,570
And what's more, being so close to Turkey,
952
00:43:16,570 --> 00:43:19,120
it has plenty of
influence from Asia Minor.
953
00:43:19,120 --> 00:43:21,830
Each destination has its
own unique attributes.
954
00:43:21,830 --> 00:43:24,290
But there's one thing I think
they all have in common,
955
00:43:24,290 --> 00:43:26,470
and that's some of the best sun rises
956
00:43:26,470 --> 00:43:29,337
and sun sets you'll find
anywhere on the planet.
73729
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