All language subtitles for m.g.o.s06e08.1080p.hdtv.h264-cbfm_track3_[eng]

(THEME MUSIC)

Well, I can't believe
we're already into series six

and this year
we're travelling

to the Central Cycladic,

the most popular islands
in Greece.

And if we're lucky,

we'll see
some of these beasts

that have been
high hibernating for the winter.

These guys, they can't
get into the nooks and crannies

that we can get to,
so Mia Zoi is going to take us

right into those lovely islands.

We'll see the famous one, Mykonos,

but also the tiny ones
that you know nothing about.

I'm really looking forward to this.

I'm about to jump out of my skin.

PETER VOICEOVER: In this episode,

I'm going to show you
a side of Mykonos

that most visitors never see,

from the mines that brought
the island so much wealth

to the hidden stories of local life

that helped to retain
the island's culture.

I'm also headed
to the ancient island of Delos

to walk amongst spectacular ruins,

and Kyriako is cooking
a sweet biscuit that takes me back

to being in the kitchen
with my mother.

There's one thing that
everyone thinks

of when you mention Mykonos,
and that's party time.

The island is famed for
its nightlife

and loved by so many people
from all over the world

because you can spend your days
living a glamorous life,

swimming at gorgeous beaches,

lounging around seaside bars
with a cocktail,

and then dance the night away.

But there's a whole other side
to the place

that adds so much more depth to it.

If you're a morning person like me,

you'll be up and about

while the party goers
are sound asleep,

recovering from their big night-out.

So, that means you get to see
some of the peaceful,

more traditional aspects
of the island.

Yes, Mykonos is cosmopolitan

and it seems to have lost
its authenticity as a Greek island.

There's this image
that really isn't a Greek island,

but people love it.

So, I come here early in the morning
at the old port

and come to places like this,

the Gialos Bakoya,
which is a cafe that locals come to.

When you see them behind me,
they can't stop talking.

One over the other.
There's no conversation.

It's just dialogue on dialogue.

I don't think they're listening
to each other,

frankly, but the good thing
about it is

they come early in the morning

because they want to avoid
the tourists,

and then as soon
as the tourists come,

they disappear.

You will not see them.

There's a significantly
deep layer of glitz and glamour

that has covered this island,
smothering it of almost

all its Greek traditions
and authenticity.

However, if you dig beneath
the coating of tourist traps

and superficial clutter,
you find elements

where locals have managed to
accommodate the modern development,

yet keep some traditions alive.

One of those is the making of louza,

which are cold cuts,
unique to Mykonos.

Hey, Nico.

It's been a long time, mate.

How are you?
At least two years.

At least two years.
Yeah.

Mate, I'm here for your louza.

Can I try the louza
before I buy some?

Because Kyriako
has asked for something.

He wants to...
Of course.

..serve the guests with it.

He knows you can only get
it in Mykonos.

Have a taste.
Awesome stuff.

Oh, look at that.

You can only get
this in the Mykonos.

And you guys make it?

Yeah.

Wow. Wow.

Can you tell me
how do you make this anyway?

I'd love to know.

That's a piece of pork sirloin.

We put it in salt.
We wash the salt away.

And after that,
we put the spices.

We let it in the dry age
for at least 15 days.

Now, because
it's a controlled environment,

and the old times,

we used to have it in the sand
for about one month.

Yeah.
But now...

Fantastic.
..we do it faster.

Well, buddy, can I take
2kg of it, please?

Get it for me, man.

Right away.

This is a third-generation business.

People have been coming here
to this shop

to get louza for ages,
and I'm one of them.

So, it's like prosciutto,
but it tastes better.

Sorry, Italians.

It's so good.

No-one's watching.
I'll have a bit more.

Nico spends his days here
at Madoupas Meats

serving customers and helping

to make some
of the three tonnes of louza

that they churn out every year.

He's the third generation
of his family to do so.

Adding to the long history that
Mykonos has with this delicacy.

It's made throughout the Cyclades

with subtle variations
everywhere you go.

But the stuff that comes from here
is probably my favourite.

I've tried for years to get them

to reveal the special mix of herbs
they use,

but it remains
a tightly held secret.

The techniques they use have changed
little over the years.

It's a hands-on process

and automation couldn't produce

the same quality
and richness of flavour

that the human touch can.

It came about through
the need to preserve meat

for the winter months
long before refrigeration existed.

Similar methods are used
all around the world,

but what makes this so unique

is that special blend of herbs
and spices and of course,

Nico's personal touch.

When it's hanging in the cool room
for drying,

it might not look the best,

but in a few weeks from now
when it's served up,

it sure tastes great.

A little bit of salad and some bread

and you've got the perfect
afternoon snack.

Assuming you can hold out that long.

I can eat this stuff
any time of the day.

Thank you. Thank you very much.
Thank you.

Thank you, buddy.
Bye-bye.

Bye.

As the sleeping tourists

start to emerge
from their post party slumber,

the streets and beaches
begin to come alive.

First to appear are usually
the older travellers.

They're typically earlier to bed

and head to the seaside
for a morning dip

and some sun before it gets too hot.

By late morning,
you have the younger crowd

still in a haze and keen to find
a spot to work on their tan.

By that time, I'm usually back
from my morning exercise.

I've had breakfast
and I'm ready to do some exploring.

In this instance,

you would see me heading
to the other side of the island

away from the crowds
and into the darkness.

(THEME MUSIC)

Over the years,

I've seen almost all of Mykonos,

and I can't help

but liken it to a James Bond movie.

On one side,

there's the glitz and glamour
of the jet set,

and then here on the other,
you'll find an abandoned mine

that could be the cover

for a fictional terrorist
organisation like SPECTRE.

Fortunately,
it's not quite so dramatic.

The reality is that
this barren wasteland

and the dilapidated buildings

are a remnant of a time
when in the mid-20th century,

thousands of years of seafaring
trade became obsolete.

As Mykonos began deriving its wealth

from the exploitation
of a very rare mineral,

a mining boom that lasted around
40 years totally transformed

not only the landscape

but the fortunes
of many of the people of the island.

Tasos, after World War II
and the Civil War

and we're talking early '50s,

Greece generally
was in a very poor state.

Mykonos, even worse.

I understand this mine
significantly changed that.

Yes, because it came

at the right time where the people

that were immigrating
to other places

since the place couldn't feed them.

So, when they came here,

they must have employed
a lot of the islanders?

About 300 the maximum.

And then there was...
250 to 300 maximum.

And there was
other people

that gained in value
from this as well?

Sure.

All people around
leasing the land,

making contracts,
little contracts,

the grocery stores.

All the community around here
was benefit.

So, how long did this
mine last for?

How long was it
exploited for?

It was started in 1955
and finished it in 1986.

About 30 years.

And by that time,

the island was getting a bit
of tourism coming in.

Sure. We had
the tourist development.

And the tourist development
was absorbing every activity,

let's say, for the people
who are living here.

At the end, when the mines finished,

it was easy for most of the people
to go to tourist business,

and most of them they did.

And so, we're talking about a period

that has basically turbocharged
the economy and helped Mykonos,

and Mykonos is probably

one of the wealthiest islands
in Greece now.

Yes, it is today.
It is today.

What was Mykonos like
when you first came here

as a young mining engineer?

What was Mykonos like?

It was a very beautiful
island downtown.

It was very impressive mining
operation for me

as a young engineer

because it was
everything underground,

deep mine, ship loading.

It was very interesting as a job.

And I enjoyed, let's say,
from the beginning, my job.

So, what we see behind us,
it's not the mine.

It's actually
the tailings, isn't it?

Yeah.

It's the result of the process
of the mining,

which we're taking
from underground.

Right.

This is the waste material
we throw away.

The mineral we take
is from underground,

from drifts or tunnels.

Well, I'd love to go
and have a look at the drift.

Come on, let's go
and have a look at the drift.

It's a mine basically, is a drift.
Yes.

The 1950s saw
the exploitation of minerals

on not only Mykonos
but several Greek islands.

The unfortunate flipside for
the wealth that was brought

is the environmental devastation.

The companies that came here
for 30 or 40 years left the islands

with these horrible scars.

Waste and tailings
weren't remediated,

and the infrastructure was abandoned
and left to ruin.

Oh, here is barite.

That's what the mineral
we're mining here.

That's the white stuff
is the barite.

And that's what we take
from underground.

Wow, that's heavy.
That's heavy.

Wow.
That's heavy too.

That's the same.
Right. OK.

So, it's the white product?
Yes.

But the rest is
just granite, right?

The rest is iron.
Right. OK.

But very light form of the iron.

And that's the entrance of the drift
where we are taking the ore outside

with the loaders, OK?

Then let's go
and have a look.

Let's go inside and have
a look on the drift.

Now, I noticed there's no shoring,

no support here
because this is all granite.

Yes. It's granite.
It's very hard.

It's very stable.
Right.

So, we don't have to shore it.

Yes.

Is the whole island granite?

Yes. The whole island is granite...
Right.

..and as a result,
all the beaches,

there are finds
from the grind...

Oh, right.
..from the granite.

And as a result of that,
there is no clay in the beach.

Right.
In the sand of the beach.

That's why they would have
so clear water.

That's why
the Mykonian beach is sandy.

Beautiful.

It took an engineer
to tell me that.

I've always wondered.

I thought they just got flushed
really well and cleaned well.

But the facts are
there's no clay in the sand.

Right, OK.
Now, how deep does this go?

How deep does this thing go?

The longest
we drove it was 2km.

2km.
Not this one.

This is about
300, 400 metres.

Is there more than one?

Yes, there used to be about
10, 15 at the time.

Right, OK.

But altogether must be
about 30, 40...

Wow. Wow.
..through the years.

The longest we drove it was 2km,
all the way through the island.

And you're following a vein
all the way through the island?

Yeah. Yeah.

And you're following a vein
basically for this white stuff?

Yeah.
Right. OK.

The ore was inside here.

Right. Oh, so, there's...
Oh, you can see it there.

And we're pulling
with the bucket of the loader.

We are pulling the ore
from there.

That's waste now
because we pulled the ore

and now the waste which fall.

Right. OK. It's very interesting.

Let's keep going.

Not that I can go
too far in

because I want to be
able to see the end...

And I don't think I can see
the end of the tunnel anymore.

I think I'm getting a little bit
claustrophobic now.

Here you can see
the way we mine.

You see all those tunnels,
small tunnels?

You see, we pulled the ore
from there.

The ore goes up above.
Up above here.

Wow.

There's a lot more,
is there, Tasos?

Yes. We can go farther in?

I think we've seen enough now,

Tasos, because I'm starting
to get a bit claustrophobic.

You might need to hold my hand
in a minute, my friend.

Because, you know...

It's OK.
It's one of those things.

I can't see.
Where's the... Is it out this way?

Yeah. This way. The way we came.

Wow. Amazing.
Yeah.

Amazing. Look at this.

Barite's primary use
is as a weighting agent

in oil and gas drilling.

There seems to be
a bit of an irony here

because this mine was worked

so that we could sustain
other mines.

That's a safe drift.

I mean, it's 40 years
now it has been open.

40 years.
Look at that shaft.

Wow.

If it wasn't for this barite mine,

Mykonos probably wouldn't be
what it is today.

The landscape may have been damaged,

but I like to look at the glass
half full as well.

Overall, the island benefitted

helping the economy through
a very difficult period.

And in the years ahead,

this land will become valuable
and get redeveloped.

They may well create
a museum on the site

and tourists will marvel
at the underground world,

much like I did.

So, perhaps someday this old mine

will once again bring some money
to Mykonos.

Tasos, that was fantastic.

I learned a lot today,
not just about the barite mine

but about the economy of Mykonos
and how this has changed it all.

Yes.
Yeah.

Well, from my side,

I feel it's my pleasure of course
to take you around.

But it's my duty to describe to you
what actually took place here.

At that time, it was very helpful
for the Mykonos society.

Yeah, thank you, mate.
Thank you very much.

Let's go for a coffee, I think...
Yes, yes.

..after that, big day.

(THEME MUSIC)

(SPEAKS GREEK)

What are we making?
Melomakarona.

Melomakarona.

Now, that's a lot of syllables,
but it's a sweet biscuit

that my mother used to make for me.

And if he makes it anywhere near
where the way my mother made,

I'll be so happy.

(SPEAKS GREEK)
Let me try this time, OK?

This is for the syrup,
and we start with a syrup.

So, we've got honey,
we've got cinnamon.

Man, we have a lot of sugar.

We have water.

And these go straight into the...

(SPEAKS GREEK)
..pot for...

Yeah, go for it.

We've also got some ground cinnamon,
some ground cloves.

My mother used to use cloves
in the actual biscuit.

We've got baking soda.
We've got baking powder.

We've got salt, semolina,
we've got more sugar.

We've got orange zest,
the peel of the orange.

We've got orange juice.
We've got cognac or brandy.

We've got sunflower oil
or corn oil and olive oil.

I don't know
how you can put them together

because that's sacrilege in Greece.

I don't want him
anywhere near the olive oil

because at the end of the day,
he stands on his own.

Anyway, we've got to put him in
and we've got a lot of flour.

And at the end,
we've got walnuts and honey

to put on top of it
at the end of the day.

We're just going to throw
that to the side.

Now, you've put that
in there.

And the reason we do the syrup first

is because we heated it up
and we want to let it cool.

So, it needs to be cool
when we put it on top of the biscuit

at the end of the day.

Go for it.
Why are you stopped?

Why are you stopped?
You should have kept going.

I don't understand.
So, he's making that.

Melomakarona
are a very special biscuit.

We're here in Mykonos
and we want to have something sweet.

Have you got them going?
You've got them going, right?

It's going going.
(SPEAKS GREEK)

What do we do next?
(SPEAKS GREEK)

(SPEAKS GREEK)

All the dry stuff in there.

All the wet stuff in there.
We're going to get going on this.

(SPEAKS GREEK)

And the soda's the only dry stuff.

Then let's do it, mate. Let's do it.

Can I do this now? Can I go?

(SPEAKS GREEK)
Can I start?

We just put it all in here.
I love these colours.

I love these colours.
It's fantastic.

No, I can't put that.
Can I put this in?

The zest?
(SPEAKS GREEK)

OK, so, we're putting the zest in.

Wow. Look at the colours.

Oh, and we've got
semolina over here.

The semolina's fan.

Look at the colours.
Look at the colours.

Can I start mixing this together?

(SPEAKS GREEK)
Is that my job?

So, this is
the body of the biscuit.

And at some stage we're going
to mix that in here, I take it.

Is that right, Kyriako?

Melomakarona.

We are in Mykonos
and we're having Melomakarona here

because there're sweet
and we need to be sweet here

because there's some
very special people here.

All the beautiful people
are in Mykonos,

and we don't fit in, do we?

Because we love
Melomakarona.

You can see that, can't you?

Now, what are we going to do?
Can we put that in there now?

You're going to mix.

You're going to take it
away from me.

(SPEAKS GREEK)
Come on, man.

Can I throw that in there?

(SPEAKS GREEK)
Alright, OK. Alright.

(SPEAKS GREEK)

It's with the hands.

That's why
you got the gloves on.

OK. Righto.
(SPEAKS GREEK)

Ready? Slowly or fast?

(SPEAKS GREEK)

So, what you're saying is

you don't want to mix it
in too hard.

You would never use
a beater for this.

(SPEAKS GREEK)

And why is that?
Why is that, Kyriako?

(SPEAKS GREEK)

So, you want it to be

nice and light.

Despite being a big strong guy,
Kyriako has a soft touch.

He really is a gentle giant.

The thing about these guys,
you don't have to melosi them.

You don't have to put the syrup
on them straight away.

You can put them away.

And when you've got guests over,
bring them out,

put the syrup on top.

They're fresh and hard.

But personally, I would
put the syrup all over them

as soon as possible
and let them sit there.

Have one or two straight away
because you can't help yourself.

And later on, maybe tomorrow,

the day after, a week's time,
they get better.

They fall from your mouth.

A week later,
they fall from your mouth

and you're picking up crumbs
from everywhere.

Now, what are we doing now?

We're forking them.
My mother used to do this there.

My mother used to do
that with a fork.

But you're doing it
different.

You're not going to listen
to my mother though.

OK.

OK.

These guys are almost ready
to go in the oven.

They're going to go in for
about 20 minutes at 170 degrees.

One of the reasons
I'm talking a little bit quickly

is because Kyriako gave me
three coffees this morning.

I'm supposed to be
having decaffeinated

and they fooled me today.

I'm just at 100 mile an hour.

You did it on purpose,
didn't you, mate?

Always doing this to me
all the time.

I love this, I love him.
I love him.

We're going to take him home.

We're just trying to find
a bag big enough.

(SPEAKS GREEK)
(SPEAKS GREEK)

Fantastic.
And we still got more.

Look at this.
(SPEAKS GREEK)

Oh, it's boiling away.
Come and have a look at this.

It's boiling away.

You can smell the sweetness
of the syrup,

and after waiting 20 minutes
for the biscuits to bake,

it's time for the final
but most important step,

soaking them in that sweet syrup.

I'm salivating right now.

Look at these beauties.
They look fantastic.

And you're going to just put them
straight in there?

Straight into the syrup?
(SPEAKS GREEK)

The syrup's cooled

and we just throw these guys in

and we just mix them
around in there,

into the syrup
when the syrup is cooled.

Oh, man, look at that.
They look fantastic.

I could actually pull one out now,
but I'm not.

I'm going to wait.

(SPEAKS GREEK)

Only a minute.
No more than that.

(SPEAKS GREEK)

If you want to do it for more,
you can do it for more.

Personally, I'd leave
a couple in there, right?

Anyway, just leave
two in there for us later, OK?

They look absolutely magnificent.

Do we put some on top?
Put some of this on top?

I'm just going to put
some on top now.

OK, so, here we are doing
this over here.

(SPEAKS GREEK)

So, I'm just in a hurry

to put the almonds on
and get the honey on.

But Kyriako's saying
you got to put the honey on first.

They've already got syrup on them,

but we got to throw
more honey on them.

These are generally
a Christmas biscuit, aren't they?

My mother had them
all year round for us

'cause we love them so much.

OK, stick the honey on them.
Let's go.

Oh, man, they look so good.

(SPEAKS GREEK)

(SPEAKS GREEK)

These guys are basically ready.

My mother would be
proud of you, mate.

These are so good.

But really, I couldn't taste
that well enough.

I need to have another one
just to make sure.

They're good, Kyriako.

(SPEAKS GREEK)

You can taste the orange

zest in them.

You can definitely taste
the sweetness of the sugar.

(LAUGHTER)

(SPEAKS GREEK)

And the aroma.

People from all over

are coming over to see
what's going on

and bumping the cameraman
because of the aroma.

It's so good.

Look, see what I mean by these guys
that they just fall apart?

Anyway, this guy.

I love you, mate.
(SPEAKS GREEK)

My mother now, I saw my mother.

(SPEAKS GREEK)

I'm putting him in the bag.

He's going in the bag

and take him to Australia.

Do yourself a favour.

Put the diet on hold for a day

and treat yourself
to some Melomakarona.

They're quick and easy to make
and taste awesome,

particularly alongside
an afternoon coffee.

(THEME MUSIC)

This is one of those islands

where I recommend you get a guide

to take you around.

It's the best way to see
more than just the icing

on the cake,
as only local knowledge

will get you to the hidden gems.

I first met Amaryllis
over a decade ago

and seeing her again brings back
some wonderful memories

of times I've had here
with Helen and my family.

I was here in the '80s

and this place really
hasn't changed much since then.

There's no huge,
tall towers of hotels.

What's the story? I mean, why?

Well, first of all,

especially the town existed before

five-star hotels ever were invented

as the oldest neighbourhood

of the island is behind
the tower roof building there,

going back at least
400 years in time.

And then from the 1700s and onwards,
the town expanded along the coast.

So, the town is very old,
but a law established in the 1930s,

which said that,
"The architecture of these islands

"must stay the same,"
literally saved Mykonos

from changing
with the development of tourism.

So, everybody has to build
the same way.

Whitewashed,
flat roofs, of course,

the shutters and the doors can be
painted any colour you want.

I think that blue and red, however,
still are the first choices.

In the old days,
they were the only choices.

Those were the colours

that they used to paint
their fishing boats and everything.

So, those are the same colours

that they painted
the shutters and their doors.

It's a good thing.

I mean, I come back here...
It keeps the character.

..it brings back memories.
It keeps the character.

And as you travel
around the island,

you can't always distinguish

that luxury summer home
from something else.

Of course, if you flew
over Mykonos,

you would see a lot more
swimming pools today

than you would have seen
in the '80s.

But definitely, that law has
literally kept this character.

For me, it's like literally flying
over a barren, rocky,

brown island covered
with white sugar cubes.

That's what Mykonos is.
Ah, yeah.

Sugar cubes couldn't be a more
fitting description for Mykonos

in more ways than one.

It truly is a sweet island.

You just don't want too much of it.

Windmills, we've seen windmills
on other islands,

but here they're pretty significant.

They're located centrally.

What is the significance
of windmills to this island?

Well, first of all,
such a barren and rocky island

had to find a way to make a living.

So, the sea wasn't enough,
but we get over 300 days of wind,

so why not take advantage of it?

So, once upon a time, these antennas
used to have canvas sails on them.

What did they do?

They imported or produced the wheat
and exported the flour.

During the Ottoman Empire,
we have so much wind,

imagine it was worth
even bringing wheat

from the Black Sea
to be grinded here

and exporting the flour.

So, it became a very important
part of the economy.

And we're seeing them
in specific areas.

Where are we seeing them?

Right on the borders

of Mykonos town,

which is the oldest part
of the island

where a lot of the locals
lived in those days

and also close to the boats.

So, the import of the wheat
and the export of the flour.

This old guy here,
he's our oldest one,

still standing
in his original condition.

This is over 400-years-old...

Wow.
..more or less.

So, I need you to imagine
a group of windmills

on this corner right
on the top of town

and another group of windmills

which we will be seeing
on the other side.

So, as we sailed
into Mykonos waterfront,

what did you see?

The little town right here crowned
with the windmills facing the north,

the most common winds of the island.

That's why they're facing this way.

And it's the windiest island
in Aegean?

Well, our nickname
is The Island of the Winds.

We're blessed with it though.

It gets very hot here
if it's not windy.

But it is one of the windier areas
of Greece for sure.

And they took advantage of the winds
and made a living from them.

I've got to say anywhere else
in Greece, maybe the world,

this windmill will be chopped down.

There'd be a development
because the view is unbelievable.

I can see
those windmills down there.

Can we go and have
a look at those...

Of course.
..because that looks like...

..it's a better spot?

That's where we're going to walk

into one of the most
famous postcards of Mykonos.

(SPEAKS GREEK)
(SPEAKS GREEK)

Let's go.

Amaryllis is much like
Mykonos, cosmopolitan.

She's well travelled
and knows how to articulate

the beauty of the moment
we are living.

She has a way of painting pictures
with her words.

Her parents are
diametrically opposed

in both country of origin
and personality.

She has a British mother
and a Mykonian father,

hence the accent.

And most of her life has been spent
in Greece

living and working in Mykonos
for much of the year.

The diversity of the locals is part
of the unique kaleidoscope

that makes Mykonos so special.

They bring different cultures
and knowledge

along with a tangible energy
that adds to the social fabric.

I find the people here

generally to be motivated
and forward thinking

with an open mind
that's endearing to outsiders.

And as far as Mykonos is concerned,

do you want to live here for
the rest of your life?

Is this something you want?

I mean, it's considered
a party island, isn't it?

Yes. But there's so much.

Look, we didn't see why
even one shop down here.

Yeah.
It's an island of contrast.

If you want, you can find the peace
and quiet, and in the winter,

it's like a village.
Yeah.

Maybe as I grow older,

I would like to go
to a quieter island,

but I see so much
of our Mykonian heritage

hidden behind the scenes,
hidden behind the spotlight

of the travel industry
still on Mykonos,

that I can't leave yet.

It's my base.

I love Mykonos,
but I love Greece as well, as well.

Definitely.

Well, let's see more of Mykonos.
Let's go then.

Just to get a feeling

of how old this town is,

behind all these shop windows

and how literally Mykonos
is an island of contrast.

You've got a shop full of clothes
on one side,

and then you've got
these family chapels,

which are nearly 1,000 of them
on the island.

And this one here specifically
goes back to the 1600s,

so, imagine how old
this whole neighbourhood is.

Wow.

Come in.

This is open all day

as some of the little
family chapels are

for anybody to come in
and light a candle.

Still a very strong tradition
in Mykonos to have family chapels.

Right.

A lot of these old ones in town

'cause some are so old,
were built for the sailors

who went out to sea
or the fishermen

because the families were worried
that their men wouldn't come back.

So, they built family chapels,
dedicated them to saints

and asked that saint to keep
the members of their family safe

and bring them back home safely.

But why do you think
we're still building them?

Because in the Greek
Orthodox church,

cremation is not accepted.

So, when somebody passes away
and is buried, after a few years,

the remains are dug up
by the undertakers.

Those boxes of remains

are placed under
the floors of their family chapels

in a way of keeping
the whole family together forever.

Am I standing on one?

Yeah. We are.

You realise that it's not only
a religious belief,

it's a connection
with your roots

and the feasts and festivals
which are held on the saints days

carry the recipes, carry the music,
and carry the dances,

which are so different
in every single corner of Greece.

So, family chapel carries
traditions, history,

recipes, music, and dance,

and the community getting together
on their special day.

The average tourists would
walk by these little chapels

totally unaware of the historical
significance they have.

They're one of the centuries

old cultural elements
of Mykonos that remains,

despite all the modernisation
happening outside these doors.

(THEME MUSIC)

This is one of the most
iconic images of the Cyclades,

and Greece for that matter.

It's Little Venice.

Late in the afternoon
when the crowds are at their peak

and the light starts to turn golden,

there's no better place
to finish your day.

I'm so glad
you brought me down here.

This is absolutely beautiful.

Well, this is one of
the landmarks of Mykonos,

one of the most beautiful sunsets
in the Cyclades.

Most people come here at this time,
you see how busy it is, right?

But not many know

that we are right in the heart
of our oldest neighbourhood,

which we talked about before.

These are the old captain's houses.

They used to anchor
their boats out here.

Take their rowing boats
to their homes

and then up a staircase

out the front door
to get into the town.

Wow.

So, what we call
Little Venice today,

because it reminded us
of Little Venice,

well, mostly our visitors.

For us, it's our
oldest neighbourhood

and our old captain's houses.

Wow.

Here's to Little Venice.
Yeah.

(SPEAKS GREEK)
(SPEAKS GREEK)

Look at that sunset.

It's amazing.

I think you realise why people want
to get down here before the sunsets.

I can see it.

And our windmills right behind me.

Our time here has come to a close,
and yes,

we didn't get a chance to show you

everything there is to experience
on Mykonos,

much like we don't get to shine
a light on all there is to see

and do on most islands.

But we showed you
what we thought was unique

to this very special place.

The things that you won't find
on other islands

that have shaped
what Mykonos is today,

most of which
you probably won't discover

without getting
a bit of local knowledge.

In our introduction to Mykonos,

I told you that it
isn't one of my favourite islands.

In actual fact,
to be totally honest,

it's not even in my top ten,

but I have to admit
that I keep coming back

and I always have a good time here.

Maybe it's because
I'm a bit of a people watcher

and there are
all sorts of characters

from every part of our society
visiting the island.

Or perhaps it's because I have some
great memories of my time here

and I enjoy reliving them.

Then again, it can also be

because I've got
a number of friends here

and I love catching up with them.

One thing I do know

is that if you come to Mykonos
on the fringe of the tourist season

and not at the peak,
you'll have a great time.

Looking at this place objectively.

You'd have to go out of your way
not to enjoy spending a week here.

The beaches are pretty

and there's plenty of them
to choose from.

There's a wide variety of great
dining options and shopping,

from the relatively inexpensive
to the world's best brands.

A visit to Mykonos

might cost you a few more bucks
than other Greek islands,

but I'll let you be the judge
of whether it's worth it or not.

That sunset alone

has to be worth the occasional

overpriced cocktail
in Little Venice.

Bidding farewell to Mykonos,

our travels were
taking us southwest,

just a stone's throw away
to the sacred island of Delos.

It's a short cruise that would be
taking us from the 21st century

glitz and excitement,

to a place with
profound significance

in the country's ancient history.

In place of trendy young tourists,
you have a slightly older,

less glamorous type of traveller
with a passion for the old world.

Archaeologists have been
coming here for decades,

piecing together the islands past
and discovering the impact

it had across the Mediterranean.

It's a story that keeps evolving,
and with every visit,

I learn just a little bit more.

We've all heard about
the promiscuous, mischievous,

mythological god king Zeus.

Well, things weren't
any different here on Delos.

He impregnated his concubine
and mistress Leto,

and when Hera,
his wife heard about this,

wearing the pants
in the family, she said,

"You are not giving birth anywhere
on terra firma in this world."

In the last months of pregnancy,
Leto heard her unborn son say,

"Mum, give birth to me
on the floating island of Delos."

And she did just that.

She in fact gave birth to twins,
Artemis and Apollo.

Apollo being the most beautiful
Greek god the world had ever seen.

They built temples and statues
in dedication to him.

And from that time on,
Delos became extremely popular.

Pilgrims from all four corners
of the Greek world

came to visit this wonderful site

that people still visit
2,800 years later.

Delos is a complete contrast

to its bustling neighbour
of Mykonos.

It's a barren island,

devoid of greenery
and free of people.

In its prime, it was a busy centre

and no doubt would've been
a spectacular site.

The ruins you see today

would've been truly impressive
with glowing white marble,

several temples
and countless statues

decorating the landscape.

Even in a ruined state,
it still has incredible presence

and you can get a sense
of how grand it once was.

Being such a tiny, waterless island,

there really hasn't been
any development on Delos

for 2,000 years,
and we're lucky for that

because it's been able to preserve
this wonderful city

that was once 30,000 people.

And it's an absolute maze.

It's like a jigsaw puzzle.
You've got a kouros here.

You've got this part of the legs
right here

and the chest over there.

The kids will have a ball.

But I've got to tell you,
don't just bring a book on Delos,

you probably need a guide

to take you around to really explain
the poignant points

of this wonderful ancient city.

It's hard to believe,
but over 2,000 years ago,

Delos had striking similarities
to Mykonos.

It was a thriving, wealthy
and cosmopolitan island

known right across
the Mediterranean.

The influence that Delos
has had on Greek culture

has been felt across the centuries.

Its dramatic history

is a reflection of how Greece
as a country evolved

and experienced turmoil
in ancient times,

right up until the 8th century
when it was eventually abandoned.

Seeing the island now,

with its partly restored statues
and temples,

gives you a sense
of what it once was.

And yes, there's no doubting
how impressive it is,

but it also creates
a sense of sadness.

The notion that this was
simply abandoned and left to ruin

means that so much history
and beauty has been lost.

In place of pilgrims and politicians
are sheep and herders.

It seems as though there are still
some parallels to the past.

(THEME MUSIC)

Delos might be a small island,

but its influence in ancient
Greece was profound.

The city of ruins is a testament
to just how important it was,

not just in a religious sense

but for trade
and more significantly politics.

So much more happened here
than just the praise of the gods.

It was the governmental heart
of the region,

prior to being a major trade centre.

The European Union is made up
of a number of countries,

some more powerful than others,
like France and Germany.

And they chose the tiny powerless
state of Belgium,

Brussels to be exact,
to be their headquarters

much like they did
just under 3,000 years ago,

here in the Cycladic
group of islands,

when Naxos, Paros,

Euboea and other islands
got together

to choose Delos as their epicentre.

It was named the Delian League

and later on became
the Athenian League

before the Romans conquered
and they made this a tax-free haven.

It became a commercial hub.

They traded 10,000 slaves
a day here.

30,000 people lived on this island

and we've only dug up
a portion of it.

Just have a look at it.

In the 150 years
that archaeologists and historians

have been toiling here,

they're realistically only
scratched the surface.

Beneath layers of dirt that have
accumulated over the centuries

are temples, statues,
and other evidence of a world

that is vastly different
to how we live today.

Delos will continue
to reveal its secrets

for many decades to come.

And with every discovery,

a new page in the story of Greece
will be written

and others rewritten.

Those that record history in a way
that's digestible to the masses

play a very important role
in keeping that past alive.

One such person
is Nigel McGilchrist.

From the very beginning
of my travels,

his painstaking work

has been part of what has helped
educate and inspire me,

and I was blessed to be able
to meet him.

I don't know if you realise
what a fan I am of you.

20 volumes of wonderful literature
on the Greek islands.

Nobody else has done it,
and yours is the best stuff, mate.

Now, why did you start it?
What happened?

Well, you are very kind
to say that.

I mean, it's been
the work

of a lifetime
doing it

and it evolved.

I mean, I never really intended
to do anything like that.

It evolved quite naturally.
I used to teach American students.

I used to teach them in classrooms,
and I realised that there's nothing

you can really say of value
literally around Greece

without seeing the places.

And you can't understand the art
and the architecture

without seeing the reality,
the physical reality of Greece.

I remember, I mean,
I studied all this at school,

and then when you actually
come to Greece,

you have a sort of aha moment.

You suddenly began to understand

why the history works
the way it does.

The art is like it is,
the architecture is like it is

because it makes sense
in the environment of Greece.

But the point of those books
is that they're firsthand.

Yeah.
There's no second-hand material.

It's about my experiences of walking
on what I see,

what I find, and it builds.

Then once you've seen certain things
in other islands you say,

"Ah," you recognise
the same pattern somewhere else.

And you said it wasn't
supposed to be so big.

This thing took you seven years.

Basically. A bit more actually.

It was sort of nearly
a decade of my life.

Nearly a decade.

And it's of course,

you'd already done
a whole lot of work at university,

you've studied, et cetera.

So, nobody could just walk in there
and do this for ten years.

They'd have to have
a history of knowledge.

It helps. Absolutely.

But it was a wonderful ten years.

I mean, even if nobody
ever got to read the books,

it would've been,

it was wonderful for me
just to explore because the variety,

I mean, this is something
you will have realised

in making the series of programs,

the extraordinary variety
of the island.

Each island has a character
that's quite unto itself,

perfectly individual.

I say that all the time,

that each island
has its own personality,

and this is coming from the guru.

Yes.
Like human beings.

Each one meets you or greets
you in a different way,

but some of them
are a little bit off-putting,

some of them very welcoming.

But each island is very different.

You've travelled a fair bit,

so you would know
better than anyone else

that this is unique
to the Greek islands

because you go to the Bahamas
or the Virgin Islands,

they're all pretty much
the same same.

Here, it's different.

It really is.

I often think exactly
of that comparison.

The Caribbean is
a wonderful group of islands,

obviously in a similar

sort of sea in the middle
of a continent

and many things are the same.

But no, it's a completely
different thing.

Anyone that visits Greece

should get their hands
on Nigel's books.

He has a way of bringing
the islands to life,

taking you back to ancient times.

They're not only fantastic
educational resources

but detailed guides.

Within the pages,
you'll come to discover hidden gems

that only through years of research
were they able to be unearthed.

And if you do come
to this region of Greece,

don't just spend
your days on Mykonos

and the commercial islands,

take the time to visit Delos

and I can guarantee
you'll be blown away.

Walking through the expansive ruins
is like taking a step back in time.

You can spend endless hours here,
learning about the island's past

and the role it played
in shaping Greece.

It's a place not only for those
that love architecture and history

but also art and even geology.

One bit of advice though,

come early in the morning
before the crowds arrive

and when it's much cooler.

I'm visiting every inhabited
island in the country

and this place
never ceases to amaze.

In the next episode,
I'm headed to Andros,

an island with beautiful
neoclassic architecture

and a long maritime history.

There are fantastic hikes
as well as hidden beaches.

And best of all,
it's not busy with tourists.

From Andros, I head south
to the neighbouring island of Tinos,

to start
my exploration of this

lesser-known
destination.

(THEME MUSIC)

Captioned by Ai-Media
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