All language subtitles for m.g.o.s05e09.1080p.hdtv.h264-cbfm_track3_[eng]

(THEME MUSIC)

In the first four series
of My Greek Odyssey,

we visited islands of the Saronic,

the Ionian, the Dodecanese,
the Western Cycladic,

and the Northern Aegean.

In series five, we are seeing
the Southern and Central Cycladic,

islands you've never heard
of like Levitha, Anafi, Donousa,

and ones you know well
like Santorini,

and the big one, Crete.

In this episode,
I'm finishing up my time

on Santorini's neighbouring island,

Thirassia, and heading east
to the island of Anafi.

Being in the far
south-eastern corner of Greece,

it's a place
that few tourists get to.

This isn't an island you visit
if you want luxury hotels,

shopping and restaurants.

As I'll show you,
Anafi is a destination

for the type of traveller that
wants to get away from the masses

and have some downtime.

You come here to embrace
the slow pace of life

and interact with locals
that are amongst

the most welcoming people
you'll come across.

The last week or so
had been spent exploring Santorini.

As always, it didn't disappoint.

But there are a couple
of nearby islands

that are also well worth
checking out,

including where we left off
last episode, Thirassia.

It's only a quick cruise across
for the tourism Mecca of Santorini.

However, it's a world away in terms
of how developed it is

and the amount of visitors
that make the journey.

That's a huge plus for me
as I love the islands

that are a little less busy

and a bit more authentic in terms
of the experience they offer.

Like its better known neighbour,
this island has the dramatic cliffs,

white-walled houses
and stunning views,

but it also has plenty
of its own quirk and character,

as well as friendly locals.

Is anybody living here?

Nobody lives here
right now.

They left.

This is the dining room
with an oven with baking.

A dining room with an oven?

Yeah, exactly.
Yeah.

Over the centuries,
it's seen its fair share of turmoil

inflicted
by both people and nature,

but the inhabitants
have constantly adapted and evolved,

embracing what's been thrown at them
and forging ahead.

Today, they're building
more infrastructure

to entice visitors to come over,

which is something
I encourage you to do.

Thirassia won't disappoint
and gives you a taste

of what Santorini
would've been like 50 years ago.

The local math teacher, Pantelis,
came here from the city

and has never looked back.

Pantelis, you've come from Athens,
that's where you originated,

big city, and you've come

to one of the smallest islands
in Greece,

Thirassia,
and you're almost a Thirasian now.

You left your teaching job.

Why?

This is the answer.

Pretty simple answer, man.

Pretty simple answer.
But you do more than that.

You just haven't come here
for yourself,

for the beautiful blue Aegean
that Santorinian and Thirassia have.

You spend a lot of time
with your kids.

They're important to you,
teach them more than just math...

Yes. Yes.
..you teach them art.

I like this place.

I came before 15 years.
Yeah.

And I know all the children

from the very small age
until now.

And I like very much teaching
in this place...

Yeah.

..because the school
is a very small school.

Imagine that we have
only eight student in the...

Yep.
..school.

So, it's very personable?

Yes. It's personal.

There is a contact.
Yeah.

It's not like the other schools
in big cities.

Yes. Yes.
I know them.

And I am trying to teach them
a lot of things.

Not only math,
because I'm a math teacher.

I can teach them painting also
because I like painting.

And there are 24 children
in the whole school?

Yes.
And 14 teachers?

That's fantastic
for an island like this.

That is fantastic.
Yes, it is.

So, there are three
or four villages here.

Do you know everybody here?

Yes. Yes, yes.
Everybody?

So, there's nothing you do
that everybody won't know.

It's that sort of community?

It's only 250 people
in this island, so almost all.

Do you miss Athens?

Do you miss the big city?

Not at all.
Not at all?

Not at all, the opposite.

I'm going to see
my family, my mother,

my sister that live there.

I'm going for a week
and I leave in five days

because I can't stand anymore
the big city.

Yes, I'm used
to living here now...

Yeah.
..and I prefer this way of living.

And I don't know.
It's a bit weird.

You live in Thirassia most
of the winter

and you spend time
in Santorini

during the summer
and you come across

for teaching the children.

You catch the ferry
across from Santorini

to Thirassia every day...

It's close.
..for these kids?

It's close.

It's only eight minutes long,
but it's nice too

because sometimes,
I stay here also.

But usually,
I do this trip every day.

Trip every day?
Yes.

And there's a lot of people
that do that?

Yes, a lot.
Yeah.

But it's the big difference
between Santorini and Thirassia

because Santorini is the most
touristic place in Greece.

Yeah.
And Thirassia is the opposite.

Exactly the opposite, isn't it?

Exactly the opposite, yes.

Since I met you,
you've been smiling all the time.

That says a lot about where you
live and the life you are living.

I've got to thank you very much
for the time that you spent with us.

Thank you very much.
Thank you very much too.

I hope to see you again.

Yeah, you bet.
You bet you will.

I love Thirassia.

It's so beautiful, man.

Yes, it is.
Look at it.

You're looking out at Santorini,
the exact opposite.

The opposite, yeah.
Yeah, the exact opposite.

Pantelis' story isn't unique.

More and more people
are looking to escape the rat race.

It's in contrast to what's happened

on a lot of these smaller islands
in the past

where the young people
have left to seek work,

education, or more excitement
in other cities.

Perhaps it's the wisdom of age

that brings the likes
of Pantelis here.

It's only when you've seen
both sides of the coin

that you appreciate the importance
of community, serenity,

and a slower pace of life.

In keeping with the theme,
my next stop was to the east,

to the island of Anafi.

It's a remote little landmass
with a similar feel to Thirasia.

As soon as you arrive
in the peaceful port,

you know you've come to a place

that's well off
the beaten tourist path.

There's just a couple
of fishing boats, an empty beach,

and a few taverners.

I could immediately tell

that this was going
to be my kind of place.

Much like Thirassia and Santorini
for that matter,

the port has a handful
of tourist facilities

and some housing.

The main town is atop the cliffs.

From there, you can enjoy the views
and cool breezes.

Mind you, it's a bit
of a slog getting up and down.

(THEME MUSIC)

I'm very proud
of my Greek heritage.

None so more for the fact
that the ancients used

to name their islands
after some mythological journey,

which conjures up the juices
of future generations, forever.

Case in point, Anafi,
which means to make apparent.

And in the journey of Jason
and the Argonauts,

they came up
with some stormy weather

and Jason called to Apollo.

The god Apollo and said,
"Apollo, help us in this storm."

Apollo then drew this island
out of the sea.

And that gave them safe haven.

This rock behind me is Kalamos.

And Kalamos
is the second highest rock

in all of the Mediterranean
after Gibraltar.

It's 460m high.

And I'll always remember this rock
because of Jason and the Argonauts,

and I'm looking forward to climbing
from Zoodochos Pigi, the monastery,

all the way up to the church.

It's going to be a long climb,
but the first thing I'm going to do

is take the tender
and just go around

that rock and just check it out.

Look at it. It's just so powerful.

Let me give you some context here.

The largest monolith in the world

is considered to be Uluru
in Australia,

also known as Ayers Rock.

While this monster might not be

as big
in terms of total area or mass,

it's 72m higher.

And the Rock of Gibraltar
might be 6m taller,

but you can't sit at the bottom

of that rock
surrounded by the watery depths.

This rock
is just absolutely enormous.

This is a rock climber's dream,
a rock climber's wet dream.

It is just...

Kalymnos, eat your heart out.

Those rock climbers
actually come here.

I'm not too sure
if they do rock climbing here,

but I think anyone watches this,
they'll be coming out.

I don't think you can say much.
It's all there.

There's only one expletive for this
and can't use it on camera.

I mean, look at that.

That just blows me away.

There's no doubt,
this has been pushed up

out of the earth on its own.

You don't need to be a geologist
to work that one out, do you?

In 1700, French botanist,
Tournefort, described Kalamos

as the most terrifying mountain
in the world,

such was its imposing form
and exposure to the elements.

That description has stuck.

And today, some still call it
the scariest rock in Europe.

Atop sits a church,
acting as a beacon of hope

for anyone scaling the mountain.

Our plan was to head up there
in a couple of days.

But before dragging the crew
on a hike to such a daunting peak,

we first needed to learn more
about the town and its people.

Who knows,
maybe we'd never make it back down

from the rock.

What's more, I needed to spend
more time getting a bit of fitness,

hiking up and down all the stairs.

Everybody tells me that
this island is awesome.

People that have come here,

come back again,
and again, and again.

It's a bit quiet.

I can see some people waving over
to me there.

I better go over.

First people I've met on the island,
so, I better say g'day.

(SPEAKS GREEK)

After Santorini and Thirassia,

all these stairs
on these Cycladic islands,

I had to lighten up
my load as much as I could.

I took my bag off.

It's going up in the taxi
with the film crew.

I'm going to walk up
all the way to Chora.

Gee, it's wow.

Now, the path could do
with some manicuring,

but 150 people on the island.

When are they going
to get time to do all this?

Anafi is just one big bunch
of rocks.

Nothing grows here
except for thyme,

and oregano,
and all that sort of stuff.

But it's still really beautiful.

I mean, doesn't matter
where you're looking from.

See that island behind me,
it's called Pachia, "Fat."

I think I should have taken
the road with a taxi.

This path
was once the main thoroughfare.

The road up the hill
is only very recent,

and the island
was principally built

using the labour of donkeys
and mules carrying material

up and down this trail.

The limited access
meant slow progress,

which is partly why it feels like

this place is decades
behind the rest of Greece.

I can't do it to ya.

You go back,
I'll see you at the top.

It's too much. It's hot.

When we visited Anafi,
it was mid-June.

And by 10:00am,
it was already really hot.

And as you can see,
there aren't any trees for shade.

My motivation
for the effort was twofold.

Firstly, there's apparently
a couple of great cafes at the top

where I could grab a cold drink.

Plus, it meant I was getting
in some quality exercise

so, I could justify
seconds tonight at dinner,

not that I need an excuse.

Do we tell them that
you cheated and caught the taxi up?

Very rare for you.
I've never seen you do it before.

I know you're going to cut that.

After the long walk up
those stairs to Chora,

it's well worth the visit

because this just seems like
one of those

typical, quiet Cycladic villages,

and the people here
are just so accommodating.

I'm having my coffee,
having a drink of water.

It's very, very quiet.

I don't know why anyone would want
to leave Anafi,

but many of them did
in the early 1800s

when King Otto
was enlisting tradesmen

to build his palace.

And apparently,
the Anafiotes were considered

some of the best tradesmen
in Greece.

So much so that many
of them left and stayed.

There at the base of the Acropolis.

They built a little village
for themselves.

And if you go there now,
it's very Cycladic.

It's actually called Anafiotika.

So, if you can't make it to Anafi,
at least you can get to the base

of the Acropolis
and speak to some Anafiotikas.

Anafiotikas?

I don't know what they're called,
but they're good people from Anafi.

I refer to Cycladic architecture
all the time

and the most obvious elements

are the whitewashed walls,
splashes of blue in the doors,

windows and church domes,
and the cubic shape.

The houses are also quite
minimalist in design,

clustered together
with narrow alleyways,

often built into cliff faces

that are common
in this island group.

An abundance of stairs
is also a frequent theme,

as well as curved roofs.

But by far, the most endearing
thing about this part of Greece,

and the smaller islands
in particular,

is the welcoming nature
of the people.

With the slower pace of life comes
a greater appreciation for humanity.

The desire for wealth and assets
gets replaced with the need

for connection
and sharing your time with others.

Nothing encapsulated this more

than an experience I had
while walking back to Mia Zoi.

(SPEAKS GREEK)

Captain Yianni and George
broke the ice with these fishermen.

Then as I dropped by,
they invited me aboard.

Before we knew it,
Kyriako and Katerina were there too,

and it became
a mid afternoon party.

(SPEAKS GREEK)

This is what the Greek islands
are all about.

It's cliche, but the real deal.

(THEME MUSIC)

In a tiny island like this,
everyone knows their neighbours.

In fact, everyone knows everyone

and what's been going
on in their lives.

You could see it as a bad thing,

having a lack of privacy
and all that.

But as the saying goes,
it takes a village to raise a child.

And Anafi,
with its strong community spirit,

is a place where you grow up
to appreciate

your surroundings and the people
that live within them.

It extends the inviting attitudes
of the locals.

They'll even welcome
a stranger into their kitchen.

I love these.

This is the way my mother
used to make them.

You got to do it with your hands.

(SPEAKS GREEK)

Yeah, look at that.
Look at the white comes out.

Look at that.

They're in pure, virgin olive oil.

(SPEAKS GREEK)

Well, I got that wrong.
Corn oil.

Corn oil, corn oil.

I thought it was olive.
You don't do it in olive oil.

This is very heavy after.

Too heavy.

I thought
everything was cooked in olive oil.

We're here because our boat's parked
in the local port here,

and this house
is the second house on the port.

And they've invited us

over to have loukoumades
on a Sunday morning.

It's just a simple thing.

We don't know them,
we met them yesterday.

And Evie is kind enough
to make the loukoumades.

And captain came over,
Kyriako came over,

the engineer came over.

The whole
My Greek Odyssey crew came over,

and I think
there's a crowd out there

waiting for
some of Evie's loukoumades,

and they look good.

They smell fantastic.

(SPEAKS GREEK)

(SPEAKS GREEK)

That's a big call.

That's a big call.

Kyriako has been
to many Greek islands.

And he's saying that the filoxenia,
which is the Greek way

of befriending those strangers,

he's only seen on one other island
and that was Kasos.

So, that's a big call
from someone that has,

you know,
seen all of the Greek islands.

And I think
I'd have to agree with him.

Greek islanders are known
for their filoxenia.

The word literally translates
as friend to a stranger.

But these guys
are at a different level.

You're more than a friend,
you're family.

You know what I love about this?

We've just brought these
loukoumades from Gregory's house,

down to here to the local cafe.

We're going to have a coffee.
They don't care.

Gregory's mother made them.

You're going to be sitting here
having a coffee with the boys

while his two girls,
Iris and Chloe,

are sitting there on the water
with their grandfather.

They're going to be at the beach
here in the port all day long.

What a life?

(SPEAKS GREEK)

Let's go again. Come on.

Mmm.

Awesome.

What a life.

(SPEAKS GREEK)

And the honey is local honey too.

And they've been making
the honey here,

continuously for 2,500 years.

As a matter of fact,
that's what we're going to do next.

Before heading off to see the bees,

there were two platters
of loukoumades to demolish.

And in true Greek style,
we took our time,

enjoying the setting
and plenty of laughs.

Ahead, we had a big day planned

and I needed all the energy
I could get.

Anafi may not be a big island
or that well known,

but it's long been inhabited.

Most people live on the coast,
building homes on the hillsides

where they can enjoy the scenery
and cool breezes

and have easier access to the port.

Today, island life is all about
a connection with the sea.

But in centuries past,
it often made more sense

and was safer to be inland.

Threats from abroad were many,

ranging from Venetians and Ottomans
to pirates.

So, being able to see
an approaching enemy

was to your advantage.

Those that lived here
adapted to their surroundings

in order to grow crops,
collect water,

and sustain themselves.

A port provided trade,
but we're talking about an island

that's a long way
from civilisation today,

let alone a thousand years ago.

And as you can see,
Anafi is an arid landmass,

covered in dry, rocky terrain.

It's not exactly
a farmer's paradise.

The ancients built their town
in the parched hills,

terracing the land
in order to grow crops.

They also developed
their own methods for bee-keeping,

and those techniques
are still practised today.

Anafi reached its height
in the second and third century BC,

during the Hellenistic period.

And so much so that it produced
its own coinage

with a picture of Apollo on one
side and a bee on the other.

And that symbolised the growth
of making honey and bee-keeping,

and they've been doing it
ever since.

I'm just about to meet a family

that does it the ancient way,
still today.

And they've had it
in their family for generations.

Manolis is just a top guy.
You need to meet him.

I'm not ashamed to say
that I suffer from melissophobia.

In simple terms,
I'm terrified of bees.

But I love the whole process
of how honey is made.

More so, I love the taste of it.

So, this is the Ypseli, right?

Ypseli.

Yes, Ypseli.

The ancient way.

OK, hold on.

Can I have this?
There's a couple there, mate.

You're going to take the gun,
aren't you?

He's left with me without the gun.

I thought
I'm going to keep the gun.

Now, they're in there.
The bees are in there.

Yes, the bees are inside.

So, what's happening now?
Manolis, what are we looking at?

Oh, you're going
to put your hand in there?

Yes, yes.
Right.

I show you the wax.

I can hear them now.
I can hear them around me.

Let's hope.

But listen,
I'm fully dressed now.

Last couple of times I did it,
I was a little bit uncovered

and I was a bit scared, but...

Well...

You can see.
Wow, yeah. I can see.

Just smoke them up, mate.
Smoke them up.

Smoke them up.

Beautiful, right? OK.

You can see the honey inside.

Here, we don't have honey now.
A little bit, isn't it?

A little bit is the inside here.
Yeah.

You can see it.
Yeah, I can see that.

Well, no,
I don't want to touch it, mate.

It's Alright, sorry.
OK.

It's OK.
OK.

It's OK. I'll get it.

I'm happy to touch it
when it's in the jar, OK?

Alright, there's
some at the back as well.

Yes. Yeah.

Fantastic.

I want one day
to be able to kiss the bees.

You love them that much.
He loves the bees that much.

You know what Manolis said to me.
Can I tell them, Manolis?

Yes, of course.
Of course. Of course.

So, when he proposed to his wife,
he said, you know,

"Number one is my bees.

"They're my bees.
You're second."

Amazing.
I mean, he loves his wife.

There's no doubt about that,
but the bees are his life.

It was his life.
It's your father's life.

Your uncle's life.
Your grandfather's life.

Yes.
And your great-grandfather's life.

Yes.
Goes back.

He's a bee-keeper forever.

And, well, I think
that waving might have pissed

the bees off a bit, you know?

Don't wave at them.

Oh, man,
they're everywhere now.

Just don't wave at them.

I'm not going to wave.
I'm not going to wave.

You're OK?
Yeah. I'm OK.

I'm OK.
OK.

So, continue.

They can't penetrate
through this stuff, can they?

Here...
One gets inside...

Mate, what are we looking at?

Is that too much?

Yes, too much smoke.

Sorry.

(THEME MUSIC)

Manolis was totally at home
handling the bees.

Perhaps,
even a little too comfortable.

He was swinging them around
and barely using the smoker.

If it were up to me,

there would be a thick blanket
of fumes filling the air.

Because now,
we search for honey.

Right.

Wow!

Now, we have the honey.

I can see
the honey down there, mate.

Yes.
There's a lot of bees here.

I'll hold that.
Yes.

Oh, man.
There's a lot of bees here.

Yeah, you take that.
OK.

Let's go.

Bee-keeping takes patience
and a gentle hand.

I possess neither
of these attributes.

Add to that my phobia,

and you can see
why I was quick to leave the scene.

Oh, wow, that golden honey.

Look at that. Look at that.

Look at that.

Oh, look at this.

Yeah, look at this.

Oh, you taste this all the time,
so, let me try it, OK?

Yes, of course.
It's all yours.

Mate.

Well, you think after 2,000 years
of making honey continuously,

you'd think
you've got to get it right by now.

I love this, you know.

I love the honey,
but you know what I love more?

I love the fact that you do it,
your father did it,

your grandfather did it,
your grandfather did it,

your uncles here,
they're all honey people,

you know, bee-keepers.

It's a real culture, isn't it?

It's a family work.

We start to work
with the bees.

I don't know from when.

My family learn us
the bees is a child.

It's like your children?
Yes, it's like my children.

It's like your children.
Yes, yes, yes.

Well, your children make
good honey, mate.

It's some of the best honey
I've had.

I'll tell you.
It is absolutely magnificent.

Hey, thank you so much, mate.

This has been such a trip.

Thank you, buddy.
That's very sweet.

Like I said,
the honey may have tasted amazing,

but what I enjoyed most
was the story behind it.

There's a simplicity
to the life of a bee-keeper,

but one that's
intrinsically bound to nature.

You have to move
to the rhythm of the bees

and treat them with care.

In turn, they reward
your efforts with delicious honey.

It must be a gratifying vocation.

It's much like the life
of a winemaker.

It's a year round,
often lifelong passion.

The days are spent
tending to the vines,

making sure
they're watered when necessary,

pruned in the right way,
and kept free of pests.

Then there's the harvest

and knowing exactly
when to pick the grapes.

From there, it can be months
or even years

before a barrel is opened
and the end product

can be properly enjoyed.

That takes patience.

Another line of work
that requires patience,

but also comes
with a huge amount of pressure,

is being a cardiac surgeon.

The man
you're about to meet, Alkis,

spent 45 years
at the top of that profession.

Today, he lives in a place
of total contrast,

where there's little stress
other than tending to his winery.

Naturally, I wanted to know
how he found his way

to this far corner of Greece.

I think I was very lucky
to find this place.

When I was invited to come
and spend the summer here,

I didn't even know the name.

And looking backwards
and reading a little bit,

I realised that

it was notoriously famous
as a place of exile.

And so it was an exile place
for political prisoners

and also for criminals.

Yes, but you're
not a criminal?

No.
Why would you come here?

No, because I wanted a place
with no electricity.

We love that, having vacation
with my wife and my children.

Yes.

And going in places,
"primitive," let's say.

(SPEAKS GREEK)

Primitive places
with great civilisation

but not with many comforts.

Yeah.

The first time we came here,
there was no harbour.

So, we had to step
out of the ship using little boats.

And it was 4:00
in the morning, 5:00,

and we saw the rise of the sun.

The colours were magnificent.

So, we decided
this is the place and...

This, when you're getting
off the ship?

Yes, yes.
Wow.

This is the place for us.

Almost everyone
that visits the Greek islands

leaves saying
that they would love to find

their own piece of this paradise
and live there.

For most, it's a dream
that never becomes reality.

In the case of Alkis,
it was love at first sight.

Such was his passion for Anafi
that he followed through

with the aspiration,
and now, lives here.

This inspired me to do the same,
on my home island of Kythera.

But tell me something.
Yeah.

What is it about Anafi
that made you stay here

and say, "This is my place.

"I made the right decision."

What is it?

Many things.

First of all,
you have to know that

Anafi is crowded

for about 40 days every year.

But the rest of time...

Yeah, it's fantastic.

It's fantastic.

There are 300 people living here.

I know everybody
and everybody knows me.

I feel proud when they come
and they like the place.

Well, you are now
an Anafioti.

Anafioti, yes.
You're an Anafioti.

Yes.
That's fantastic.

Although my origin is Epirus.
Epirus.

Has nothing to do
with islands.

Yes.
Yes.

But you've become
a full islander in Anafi.

That's right.

So, I must say to you,

I've met a lot of people
on the island now.

They've all been
so wonderful to us.

The filoxenia that we've got.

Tomorrow night, we've got a bit
of a barbecue going on at the boat.

Will you come?
Sure.

That'd be great, mate.

Thank you.
That's a heavy shake.

Come on, come on.

Listen, don't give me
such a hard time.

Come on, mate.

Let's go and have
something to eat I think.

I struggled to pull myself
away from here.

I was having such a wonderful time,

enjoying the generosity
of Alkis and his wife.

They're incredibly kind
and gracious people,

who were happy to give a stranger

a fabulous lunch
and share their story.

I knew I was going to like Alkis
from the moment

I saw the Willys Jeep
parked out the front.

They're also big tennis fans
and we happened to arrive

at the beginning
of an important match,

so, you can imagine
what happened next.

We're going to make
one more toast.

Yeah. OK.

To Tsitsipas.

To Tsitsipas, he might win today.
Tsitsipas.

He might win today.
Today, he's winning.

He's winning. He's winning.
Winning over Djokovic.

He's winning.
Let's hope he beats Djokovic.

Nothing against Djokovic,
we love Djokovic.

Yeah. He's a lovely guy.
We love him. We love him.

But we're supporting
the Greek guy.

Very nice. That's right.

OK. Here again.
Let's go.

That's it.

I'm getting pissed.

That's very good.
OK.

(THEME MUSIC)

Calm seas and a beautiful morning
make for ideal paddling weather.

It's a fantastic way to start
the day and to see the island.

Just be careful where you look
because being so quiet,

Anafi is a naturist's heaven.

As you come out of the port
of Ios Nikolas,

you come to the first beach,

which is only
a few hundred metres over,

and it's called Klisidi.

And I can see over there
at the moment

that there is a couple of people
on there

and there's a couple of campers
in behind.

Because this island
is known for its free camping,

people just come here
and camp for free,

all over the place.

Now, why wouldn't you?

It's free
and you got the best waters

in all of Greece.

I'm going to go
and take a closer look.

Look at this water.
I can see to the bottom.

Paddling in these turquoise waters
takes my mind away

from the rat race
and all my worries.

It's also a great way
to get a workout,

because the sceneries
are distraction from the pain.

Awesome stuff. I love this.

This is Katsouni beach.

As you see,
there's a couple of campers here

having an absolute ball.

Are they happy people, oh...

Don't go too close with the camera.

They're doing full camping stuff.

You know what I mean?

Awesome. Awesome.

I better not get too close.

Man, look at that rock.

Look at the size of it.

It's just so impressive.

You know, Jason and the Argonauts,
thanks very much.

Now, wow!

Like I mentioned earlier, in Anafi,
you need to be careful paddling,

or even hiking to remote parts
of the island.

Many of the nudist beaches
aren't marked

and some people
bathe nude regardless.

I can certainly understand why,

because there are very few humans
out here.

We come to our third beach.

Our third, fourth, I don't know.

It's Flamourou.

I don't know
where they get these names

because Flamourou is not Greek.

It is Greek.
I'm being told it's Greek.

Remember,
I was born in Australia, right?

And I skipped the last two years
of Greek school...

and I'm paddling pretty hard.

Well, it looks like
I'm paddling pretty hard anyway.

This is the most popular beach,
it's called Roukounas.

Now, there's not many people here
at the moment

because it's early.

You know what the Greeks are like.

But it gets packed.

Look at this beautiful water.

Ahead was a spectacular view.

Now, as much as I would love
to show it to you,

there was a slightly less
stunning addition to the setting

composed of a group
of naked people,

enjoying the surrounds
and making the most of the sunshine.

So, instead of showing you
that landscapes up ahead,

you'll have to make due
with the wonderful view

at the opposite end of the beach.

Now, I could have stopped
into the tavern of Papadia

just around the corner,

but I might have lunch with Helen,

if I get her out of the water.

Who can blame Helen
for not wanting to leave

this gorgeous water?

It's clear, warm, and surrounded
by stunning landscapes.

The locals here on Anafi
opened their homes to us

like we were long lost friends.

So, we thought we
would return the favour

by having a barbecue
and inviting the whole town.

Long before the guests arrived,

the crew
and I started the celebrations.

You can only imagine
where things were going.

There was a long evening
ahead of us.

If you know what Greeks are like,
there would be a few drinks,

plenty of music, lots of dancing,
and even more food.

It would definitely be
an event to remember.

As the sun started to head down,

the energy in the port began
to go up.

Celebrations in the Med
never really start

until well into the night.

It's a part of the Greek DNA
that I think I missed out on,

because I'm normally one
that's early to bed.

After dark, it really came to life.

We ate, drank, sung, and danced

well into the wee hours
of the morning.

All the while, the production team
and I were contemplating

the big day
we had planned for tomorrow.

On the agenda was a hike up Kalamos,

but we weren't gonna
let that stop us

from having a great night.

Our retired cardiac surgeon, Alkis,
smoked cigars,

drank the home-made rocket fuel,

and danced like
there was no tomorrow.

He's definitely one
that lives by my motto.

Life's too short
and you only have Mia zoi, one life.

(CHEERS AND APPLAUSE)

(THEME MUSIC)

The climb to Kalamos starts here

at the monastery
of Zoodochos Pigi,

which sits above and besides
some Hellenistic ruins.

These are actually the foundations
of the Temple of Apollo.

It's got something to do with Jason
and the Argonauts obviously.

And how they mix mythology
with reality

is beyond my capability
and understanding.

Just read about it.

As you can probably hear in my voice
and see in my energy levels,

last night's party took its toll,
but it was worth it.

Kalamos has its own micro climate.

And in spring, it has clouds
covering the top of the mountain.

You can see some of them now.

But have a look at this.

Is there any more dramatic start
to a walk than this?

It is sensational.

They say that the walk
is about 90 minutes

and that you should do it
first thing in the morning

at 5:30, for the heat.

But what worries me
is that nuns said to us

that we should pray
before we go up.

Yeah, worries me a bit.

Pray before we go up,
we're only going for a walk.

I mean, what's up there?

A word of warning.

When a Greek anywhere tells you
how long a hike is,

you can normally double
their estimate.

Maybe it's their way
of making things

sound a little easier

so, you're more likely
to give it a go.

To be honest, this was maybe
an extra hour or so.

Mind you, despite filming
on the way up,

there was no stopping
to enjoy the scenery.

I think it's almost impossible
to get lost on these trails.

But what happens is you think

you're on a trail,
but in an actual fact,

this seems to be
some sort of watercourse

for the natural overland flow
of the water from the mountain

because I've been climbing up that,

but in actual fact,
this is the trail.

I know it's the trail
because there's donkey poo on it,

so, pretty obvious, isn't it?

I'm starting to think 90 minutes
might be a little short.

I think
it's a bit longer than that.

And there's this second ridge line
of the rock in the background.

And if we have to cross that ravine
and go to that ridge line,

this is going to be
like a four-hour walk

and it could be, I don't know.

It's very windy up here.

And thankfully,
my sweat saturated hat

is glued to my head.

And as I round this first peak,

I suddenly realise
that we have to cross

the ravine to go
to that second peak.

I smile, but it's sort of a bit
of a cry as well.

Good things are worth the hard work.

And what was ahead of me
was pretty special.

I was probably moaning
more than usual

because of all the tsipouro
and dancing last night.

The poor camera crew had
also lug a tonne of gear up,

so, I probably
shouldn't have been complaining.

As we get to the top,

there is a vast temperature change,
probably 15 degrees less

than it was down at sea level.

And I look at this...

I don't think

from a vista point of view,

I don't think
I've ever seen anything

as majestic as this
from every single angle.

It's just not fair
that you are not seeing

what I'm seeing right now.

I don't think I can bring it to you,
because I look at every point

and there's something different,
something special.

It is undoubtedly
the best short climb

I've ever done in Greece.

I've hiked all over Greece,

but I struggle to think of one
that's as rewarding as this.

There is a gradual reveal
of the church,

but it's not
until you're at the very end

that the entire vista opens up
before you.

It really is spectacular.

You can see the top.

As the team rounded this bit
of the track

and we could see
the cross of the church,

there was this euphoria
and this jubilation,

and there's five of us
that have to come up here.

If you come up here,
you just need two bottles of water,

but we're carrying three cameras,

a whole lot of equipment,
first aid kit.

You name it, we've got everything.

And you get up here

and there was a sense
of love amongst all of us.

It's a real accomplishment,
even though it's what?

3.5ks, it's nothing,
but, it's just so special.

There are some pictures
that the camera

just can't capture
in their truest sense.

This is one of those experiences
that's far more

than a handful
of two-dimensional images.

There's a sense of awe being here,

that can only be
appreciated first-hand.

So, you need to hop on a plane,

then into a ferry,
and walk up yourself.

Trust me when I say,

"It's well worth
all the time it takes to get here."

You know,
I find it difficult to fathom

or imagine the fear in these people
to come up at this sort of height.

Build these tracks.

Build this church.

The architecture behind this,
the engineering, the buttresses.

The fear that they must have had
to put all that work

and to risk their lives.

It's just amazing.

(INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC)

Two of the most popular islands
in Greece,

Santorini and Crete,
sit to the immediate west

and south
of this forgotten Aegean oasis.

With neighbours that have
so much to offer,

it seems like Anafi
has been overlooked by travellers.

The tourists' season here

is just 40 odd days
over July and August.

The rest of the year,

there's just a couple
of hundred residents here.

But anyone that's been here,

will tell you
that it's well worth a visit.

Not just to climb the scariest
rock in Europe

but to swim its beautiful beaches,

enjoy the fresh local food,

mix with some of the most
hospitable people in Greece,

and just slow down
for a little while.

I couldn't think of a better spot

to finish my time
on this fantastic island.

It gave me a chance
to reflect on not just my time here

but my journey as a whole.

I mean,
when you're in a setting like this,

who wouldn't stop,

take a breath
and ponder life's big questions?

In the next episode,

I'm taking you
to three very different islands,

starting with Amorgos.

It's a mountainous landmass

that has some
of the prettiest scenery in Greece.

There are also quiet villages

with an abundance
of old world charm.

Its best feature is it hasn't
become popular with tourists, yet.

I'll also be making my way
to the remote islands

of Levitha and Kinaros,

where life
for the few people living there

is a complete contrast

to that of the populous
neighbouring landmasses.

(THEME MUSIC)

Captioned by Ai-Media
ai-media.tv