0:00:04 > 0:00:07I'm embarking on a railway adventure that will take me
0:00:07 > 0:00:10to the cradle of European civilisation.
0:00:11 > 0:00:12I'll be using this,
0:00:12 > 0:00:17my Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide, dated 1913,
0:00:17 > 0:00:20which opened up an exotic world of foreign travel
0:00:20 > 0:00:22for the British tourist.
0:00:22 > 0:00:27It told travellers where to go, what to see, and how to navigate
0:00:27 > 0:00:31the thousands of miles of tracks crisscrossing the continent.
0:00:31 > 0:00:32Now, a century later,
0:00:32 > 0:00:36I'm using my copy to reveal an era of great optimism and energy,
0:00:36 > 0:00:41where technology, industry, science and the arts were flourishing.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47I want to rediscover that lost Europe that in 1913 couldn't know
0:00:47 > 0:00:52that its way of life would shortly be swept aside by the advent of war.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13On this journey, my guidebook takes me to Greece,
0:01:13 > 0:01:15the Kingdom of the Hellas.
0:01:18 > 0:01:23In 1913, modern Greece was less than a century old,
0:01:23 > 0:01:26a fledgling sea power of strategic interest
0:01:26 > 0:01:27to the great powers of Europe.
0:01:31 > 0:01:34Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Ottomans,
0:01:34 > 0:01:38Russians, Austro-Hungarians, Germans, French and British
0:01:38 > 0:01:42vied for influence and control over this new nation.
0:01:46 > 0:01:49About 80 years before this guidebook was published,
0:01:49 > 0:01:53Greeks, who for centuries had been ruled from Istanbul,
0:01:53 > 0:01:57as part of the Ottoman Empire, established an independent state.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00They did so with military help from the British who,
0:02:00 > 0:02:04in a Romantic age, admired the Ancient Greece
0:02:04 > 0:02:06of Pericles and Plato.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09Some Greeks hoped that they could have a great future
0:02:09 > 0:02:11to match their great past.
0:02:11 > 0:02:15But only if they could expand their tiny kingdom northwards
0:02:15 > 0:02:17and take in the millions of Greeks
0:02:17 > 0:02:21still stranded in the decaying Ottoman Empire.
0:02:21 > 0:02:25Bradshaw's tells me that the population of Greece is 2.7 million
0:02:25 > 0:02:30but by late 1913, it had almost doubled as Greek troops
0:02:30 > 0:02:31captured territory,
0:02:31 > 0:02:35making it one of the most auspicious 12 months in modern Greek history.
0:02:41 > 0:02:45My journey following the expansion of Greece's northern border
0:02:45 > 0:02:48starts at the port of Piraeus, from where it's a short ride
0:02:48 > 0:02:51to the Greek capital, Athens, and the Acropolis.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54I'll then head west
0:02:54 > 0:02:56to pass through the Corinth canal,
0:02:56 > 0:02:59a challenge of engineering that confounded man
0:02:59 > 0:03:02for 2,500 years,
0:03:02 > 0:03:04before I strike north to Levadia
0:03:04 > 0:03:07for a Bradshaw's recommended excursion to Delphi,
0:03:07 > 0:03:10home of the famous oracle.
0:03:11 > 0:03:14I'll continue north to the port of Volos
0:03:14 > 0:03:16and on to the mountain village of Milies.
0:03:17 > 0:03:21I'll finish my journey in the city of Thessaloniki.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28Along the way, I'll find out about the surprisingly ancient
0:03:28 > 0:03:33origins of our modern railways at the spectacular Corinth Canal.
0:03:33 > 0:03:38So this is incredible - 600 years BC, two parallel lines of stones,
0:03:38 > 0:03:43logs running between them and on top of the logs, the ships?
0:03:43 > 0:03:44Yes.
0:03:45 > 0:03:47I have a dream...of Olympic glory.
0:03:47 > 0:03:48CHEERING
0:03:49 > 0:03:52MUSIC: Chariots Of Fire Theme by Vangelis
0:03:57 > 0:04:00'And I trade the train seat for a saddle.'
0:04:00 > 0:04:04I'm having to hoof it through these beautiful olive groves.
0:04:12 > 0:04:13'I'm arriving in Greece
0:04:13 > 0:04:16'as the traveller would have just over 100 years ago.'
0:04:19 > 0:04:24In 1913, war raged to the north of here as Greece,
0:04:24 > 0:04:26and its Balkan allies,
0:04:26 > 0:04:29sought to evict the Muslim Ottomans from Europe
0:04:29 > 0:04:32and to expand their own states.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35The only half-safe way to approach was by ship,
0:04:35 > 0:04:37to Athens' port of Piraeus.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44In October 1863,
0:04:44 > 0:04:47Piraeus had been the site of a very significant moment
0:04:47 > 0:04:50in modern Greek history.
0:04:50 > 0:04:51The newly elected George I,
0:04:51 > 0:04:55brother-in-law of British King Edward VII,
0:04:55 > 0:04:57and grandfather to the current Duke of Edinburgh,
0:04:57 > 0:05:00came ashore here
0:05:00 > 0:05:02declaring himself King of the Hellenes,
0:05:02 > 0:05:06ruler not just of Greece but of all Greeks.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13Today, Piraeus is the largest passenger port in Europe.
0:05:13 > 0:05:16Up to 20 million pass through here every year.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29What a delightful railway station!
0:05:29 > 0:05:32It stands on the site of Greece's very first railway,
0:05:32 > 0:05:37opened in 1869, having been built with the help of British engineers.
0:05:37 > 0:05:42In 1904, it became the Hellenic Electric Railway Company
0:05:42 > 0:05:46and today it's been absorbed into Athens' metro system.
0:06:11 > 0:06:16According to Bradshaw's, "Athens, as it exists, is quite a modern city.
0:06:16 > 0:06:21"After centuries of degradation and neglect it was, in 1834,
0:06:21 > 0:06:24"little better than an impoverished village
0:06:24 > 0:06:26"of about 12,000 inhabitants".
0:06:28 > 0:06:32By 1913, that number had grown to 175,000.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36Today, close to four million people live here,
0:06:36 > 0:06:39around a third of the population of Greece.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45In this lively metropolis, Bradshaw's is reassuring.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48"The stranger has no difficulty in finding his way about,
0:06:48 > 0:06:52"as the Acropolis is clearly seen in view all around,
0:06:52 > 0:06:55"and serves as a landmark."
0:06:55 > 0:06:59- Hello, Haris.- Hello Michael. Welcome to the Acropolis.
0:06:59 > 0:07:01- The cradle of Western civilisation. - Exactly.
0:07:01 > 0:07:03Wonderful!
0:07:03 > 0:07:07'And it's where I'm meeting academic and poet Haris Vlavianos.'
0:07:07 > 0:07:09I don't know whether to look at the Acropolis
0:07:09 > 0:07:11or whether to look at Athens.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14It's an absolutely wonderful view from here, isn't it?
0:07:14 > 0:07:15Yeah, very impressive.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23The Parthenon, Greece's most famous ancient monument,
0:07:23 > 0:07:27was constructed in the fifth century BC by Pericles,
0:07:27 > 0:07:29during Athens' Golden Age.
0:07:32 > 0:07:37Back in 1913, it was very attractive to tourists visiting Athens
0:07:37 > 0:07:41as the home of Plato, Socrates and democracy.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47The Parthenon is an extraordinary building, I think without any
0:07:47 > 0:07:50parallel and would be recognisable to anyone, anywhere in the world.
0:07:50 > 0:07:52What's your assessment of it?
0:07:52 > 0:07:56I think that Pericles wanted to build something that would
0:07:56 > 0:07:59symbolise the extraordinary culture
0:07:59 > 0:08:02and power that Athens had at the time and he was extremely
0:08:02 > 0:08:04successful because in 2,500 years, we are standing here
0:08:04 > 0:08:07and we know that the Parthenon hasn't lost any significance,
0:08:07 > 0:08:10any of its value, for western civilisation.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12Wouldn't you say the same?
0:08:12 > 0:08:14I would. It's absolutely the heart of it all.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17But astonishingly, the ruins
0:08:17 > 0:08:21of Greece's classical pre-Christian past
0:08:21 > 0:08:24lay neglected and buried for centuries.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28Greece had 400 years of Ottoman rule, which makes Greece
0:08:28 > 0:08:32a country of the Orient. Before that, we had the Byzantine Empire,
0:08:32 > 0:08:36which stressed the identity of the Christian Orthodox.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39If you asked Greeks at the time of the Ottoman occupation
0:08:39 > 0:08:41to define themselves, they would say
0:08:41 > 0:08:44we are Christians, Orthodox, I mean, and they are Muslims.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47And in fact if you look at memoirs of people who fought in the Greek
0:08:47 > 0:08:50War of Independence they talk about this war as a kind of Jihad, it's
0:08:50 > 0:08:55we, the Orthodox Christians against the infidels, against the Muslims.
0:08:55 > 0:08:58It was only at the end of the 18th century,
0:08:58 > 0:09:00with the advent of European Romanticism,
0:09:00 > 0:09:04that Greece's classical culture was once again revered,
0:09:04 > 0:09:09by Philhellenes, or lovers of Greece, like the poet Lord Byron.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14When he arrived in Athens, he fell in love with a Greek lady.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18He wrote a few poems, the Maiden of Athens, for example.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22But Lord Byron was interested in politics
0:09:22 > 0:09:23as well as Athenian maidens.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27On March 25th 1821,
0:09:27 > 0:09:31the Greeks began their decade-long struggle for independence.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33And Byron came to join their war.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39Byron, the poet, was not just a dilettante, was he?
0:09:39 > 0:09:41He was a man who actually made a difference
0:09:41 > 0:09:43to the issue of Greek independence.
0:09:43 > 0:09:45Absolutely - he's one of the most important
0:09:45 > 0:09:49figures in this in this movement. His presence here was catalytic.
0:09:49 > 0:09:52Byron was also instrumental in bringing money to Greece.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55I mean, the first London loan was raised through his assistance.
0:09:55 > 0:09:59In 1824, the London Greek Committee
0:09:59 > 0:10:05loaned Greece around £350,000 for the War of Independence.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08Similar loans were raised from Philhellenic Committees
0:10:08 > 0:10:09across Europe.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11Despite these efforts,
0:10:11 > 0:10:16Byron didn't live to see the Greeks achieve independence.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20Just months later, in April 1824, he fell ill
0:10:20 > 0:10:22and died in the village of Missolonghi.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27To this day, this aristocratic English poet is still
0:10:27 > 0:10:29considered a Greek national hero.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32The fact he actually died here, I mean,
0:10:32 > 0:10:34it made such an impression to the whole world
0:10:34 > 0:10:37that this man, you know, comes from England
0:10:37 > 0:10:40and dies in this obscure village for this great cause.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43The Greek struggle for independence
0:10:43 > 0:10:48had become an international cause celebre, and in 1832,
0:10:48 > 0:10:52Greece was formally recognised by Britain, France and Russia.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57But the entire population of the new Greek state was smaller than
0:10:57 > 0:11:01the number of ethnic Greeks who lived under Ottoman rule.
0:11:02 > 0:11:06And so the Great Idea was born -
0:11:06 > 0:11:10a desire to bring all Greeks into the Greek state, establish a
0:11:10 > 0:11:15capital at Constantinople and relive the glories of the Byzantine Empire.
0:11:17 > 0:11:18What changes?
0:11:18 > 0:11:23Why do the Greeks take an interest in their antiquity?
0:11:23 > 0:11:26There was a lot of interest in Greece.
0:11:26 > 0:11:27Great classicists came to Greece,
0:11:27 > 0:11:31people who wanted to do excavations, they actually said to the Greeks,
0:11:31 > 0:11:34this is part of their heritage and they have to invest in it.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38And so in 1913, there's no doubt by then that the Greek government,
0:11:38 > 0:11:41the Greek people, value their antiquity?
0:11:41 > 0:11:46Absolutely. I mean, we have 80 years between 1834 and 1913
0:11:46 > 0:11:48so there was a lot of excavation work.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50The Parthenon had been restored.
0:11:50 > 0:11:53People who arrived here probably saw something more spectacular
0:11:53 > 0:11:57than we see today because you had no scaffolding and no cranes
0:11:57 > 0:11:59and not too many tourists around so they felt a sense of awe
0:11:59 > 0:12:01when they were standing here.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05- I feel it today. Shall we find some shade?- Yeah.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11Along with just a few
0:12:11 > 0:12:14of the millions of tourists who visit the Parthenon every year,
0:12:14 > 0:12:16I'm descending to explore the city.
0:12:27 > 0:12:32In 1913, Athens was still a new European capital,
0:12:32 > 0:12:34chosen after great national debate
0:12:34 > 0:12:39and proclaimed in 1834 by the first King of Greece, Otto.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44The 17-year-old second son of the king of Bavaria had been crowned
0:12:44 > 0:12:49ruler of the newly formed Kingdom of Greece two years earlier.
0:12:49 > 0:12:51He was appointed not by the Greek people,
0:12:51 > 0:12:54nor by their government, but by Britain, France
0:12:54 > 0:12:59and Russia in order to cement their influence over Greece.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02And, in what was becoming a recurring theme,
0:13:02 > 0:13:04the German king arrived with a loan
0:13:04 > 0:13:07equivalent to over £100 million today.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11This is Syntagma Square,
0:13:11 > 0:13:15which Bradshaw's refers to as "Place de la Constitution".
0:13:15 > 0:13:19Constitution Square. "This is the strangers' quarter.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23"Here, or close by, are the principal hotels and cafes."
0:13:23 > 0:13:25And behind me is the Palace
0:13:25 > 0:13:28that was built for the first king of Greece, King Otto,
0:13:28 > 0:13:32which for many years now has been the Greek parliament.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35Quite recently, it became famous all over the world
0:13:35 > 0:13:37during the Greek Euro crisis.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44And between the square and the parliament building march a symbol
0:13:44 > 0:13:48of Greece's historic struggles for independence - the Evzones.
0:14:00 > 0:14:05The Evzones are traditionally the elite soldiers of Greece.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08They're now used for ceremonial duties such as, here, guarding
0:14:08 > 0:14:11the tomb of the Unknown Warrior.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14The uniform they're wearing now in the summer
0:14:14 > 0:14:18represents the Balkan wars of 1912 to 1913.
0:14:18 > 0:14:23One of their other uniforms involves a kilt which has 400 pleats,
0:14:23 > 0:14:28each representing a year of the Ottoman occupation of Greece.
0:14:28 > 0:14:31So that Greek nationalism is literally
0:14:31 > 0:14:33sewn into the fabric of the regiment.
0:14:35 > 0:14:40'And over 100 years later, it seems the Balkan Wars still resonate.'
0:14:40 > 0:14:43Hello, sir. You're a Greek, aren't you?
0:14:43 > 0:14:45- Yes, yes.- But you still come to see the Evzones?
0:14:45 > 0:14:47Yes.
0:14:47 > 0:14:51I come from time to time because I feel proud about that.
0:14:51 > 0:14:56Also because my grandfathers, they fought in the Balkan War
0:14:56 > 0:14:58and I feel as a tribute to them,
0:14:58 > 0:15:02and to all the people who fought for our independence.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05It represents one of our highest moments.
0:15:11 > 0:15:16In the shadow of the Acropolis is the oldest part of Athens - Plaka.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21It's hard to believe that this small cluster of streets
0:15:21 > 0:15:25was almost all that existed when Athens was declared the capital.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29- Hello!- Hello.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32Would you like to join us for some coffee or lunch?
0:15:32 > 0:15:35- Lunch, please. A table for one. - For one. Here.- Thank you very much.
0:15:35 > 0:15:40- Here you go.- Thank you. Something traditional and Greek?
0:15:40 > 0:15:42Moussaka. It's the most famous.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45Moussaka. The most famous. And what's in that?
0:15:45 > 0:15:49Minced beef, aubergine, potato, bechamel. It's delicious.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52It sounds great. I'll have moussaka. Thank you.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57- Wow! That's huge! - Moussaka. Enjoy!
0:15:57 > 0:16:00- I'm not going to be hungry, am I? - No. For two days! For sure!
0:16:01 > 0:16:02Thank you!
0:16:06 > 0:16:07Bechamel.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10It's a French word, it's a French food.
0:16:10 > 0:16:12So obviously at some point,
0:16:12 > 0:16:15the traditional Eastern ingredients
0:16:15 > 0:16:19of minced beef and aubergine and potato were married together
0:16:19 > 0:16:21with a French product - bechamel.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25So even in the most famous of all Greek dishes, East meets West.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36I'm stepping back into antiquity
0:16:36 > 0:16:39across the city at the Panathenaic Stadium.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42Also known as the Kallimarmaro,
0:16:42 > 0:16:44meaning "the beautifully marbled",
0:16:44 > 0:16:46it's where I'm meeting Spyros Capralos,
0:16:46 > 0:16:50the President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee.
0:16:50 > 0:16:55Spyros, this is THE most beautiful, THE most spectacular stadium.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57What is the origin?
0:16:57 > 0:17:01Well, this stadium was built 2,500 years ago,
0:17:01 > 0:17:05in 338 Before Christ by Lycurgus.
0:17:05 > 0:17:07Lycurgus was a pupil of Plato,
0:17:07 > 0:17:11who had the idea to construct this stadium in the most beautiful
0:17:11 > 0:17:14part of Athens in order to host the Panathenian Games.
0:17:14 > 0:17:19Panathenian Games were games where people competed nude
0:17:19 > 0:17:23and they were part of a bigger celebration of the city of Athens.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30Now, the stadium was obviously rebuilt at some time. When was that?
0:17:30 > 0:17:35The stadium was rebuilt for the first modern Olympic Games.
0:17:35 > 0:17:40That's when Greece was awarded in 1894 the Olympic Games.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43Greece at that time was bankrupt.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46The government was afraid to take over and do the games.
0:17:46 > 0:17:51However, there were lots of private people who put their own money
0:17:51 > 0:17:57to rebuild the stadium and host the first modern Olympic Games in 1896.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02The revival of the ancient Olympic Games was
0:18:02 > 0:18:05brought about by Baron Pierre de Coubertin of France.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08And the Greeks were more than happy to host,
0:18:08 > 0:18:11keen to promote themselves on the world stage as heirs
0:18:11 > 0:18:14to their newly rediscovered classical heritage.
0:18:16 > 0:18:20The opening ceremony was steeped in symbolism.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22On March 25th, 1896,
0:18:22 > 0:18:24the anniversary of Greek independence,
0:18:24 > 0:18:28at the foot of the Acropolis, the reigning monarch, King George I,
0:18:28 > 0:18:33declared: "Long live the Nation. Long live the Greek people."
0:18:34 > 0:18:37What was the scale of the 1896 games?
0:18:37 > 0:18:40The scale has nothing to do with today's scale of the games.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44There were only 311 athletes participating,
0:18:44 > 0:18:48from 13 different countries, in nine different sports.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51So it was athletics, gymnastics, weightlifting,
0:18:51 > 0:18:54wrestling that were all held in this stadium.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56Was Greece successful in the games?
0:18:56 > 0:18:58Oh, Greece was very successful
0:18:58 > 0:19:02because obviously the majority of the athletes came from Greece.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07The marathon, so steeped in ancient history,
0:19:07 > 0:19:11was THE event the entire nation wanted a Greek to win.
0:19:13 > 0:19:17A shepherd's son, Spyros Louis, came in first
0:19:17 > 0:19:20and the whole stadium was standing
0:19:20 > 0:19:23and was thrilled about this victory.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28And I suspect Spyros Louis was pretty thrilled too.
0:19:28 > 0:19:30It's said that in celebration of his victory,
0:19:30 > 0:19:33he was offered free rail travel for life,
0:19:33 > 0:19:36with space for his bicycle in the goods van.
0:19:36 > 0:19:37Lucky fellow.
0:19:44 > 0:19:47I wonder how he felt, all those years ago,
0:19:47 > 0:19:49in this extraordinary place?
0:19:51 > 0:19:55MUSIC: Chariots Of Fire theme by Vangelis
0:20:28 > 0:20:31Exhausted by the extreme summer heat of Athens,
0:20:31 > 0:20:34I feel it's time to find somewhere for the night.
0:20:34 > 0:20:37Bradshaw's recommends a "first-class house" -
0:20:37 > 0:20:39Hotel de la Grande Bretagne.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45Thank you very much indeed.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55Bradshaw's promised me a hotel in a good situation
0:20:55 > 0:20:59and, really, my view of the Parthenon is unbeatable.
0:20:59 > 0:21:03I can also look down here on the Greek parliament.
0:21:03 > 0:21:08So I'm looking up to democracy classical style
0:21:08 > 0:21:11and looking down on modern Greek democracy.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35Today, my route takes me 50 miles west of Athens,
0:21:35 > 0:21:38to the city of Corinth in the Peloponnese,
0:21:38 > 0:21:42and one of the great wonders of 19th-century engineering.
0:21:54 > 0:21:56Now, if you imagine Greece like that,
0:21:56 > 0:22:00with the Peloponnese down here and northern Greece here,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03the two are just joined by a little piece of land here.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06And for many centuries man has been tantalised by the idea
0:22:06 > 0:22:10that if you could just cut a canal through this little isthmus,
0:22:10 > 0:22:13you could travel from the Ionian Sea to Athens
0:22:13 > 0:22:17without having to go all the way round the bottom.
0:22:32 > 0:22:35The Corinth Canal, Bradshaw's tells me,
0:22:35 > 0:22:40is nearly four miles long, cutting the Isthmus where it is narrowest,
0:22:40 > 0:22:43and it's used mainly by Greek coasting vessels.
0:22:47 > 0:22:48'Theodora Filandra,
0:22:48 > 0:22:51'who works for the company which operates the canal today,
0:22:51 > 0:22:54'has kindly offered to take me through it.
0:22:55 > 0:22:58'It's not the first time I've been here.'
0:22:58 > 0:23:00When I was 20 years old, I was on a cruise ship
0:23:00 > 0:23:02and we came through the Corinth Canal.
0:23:02 > 0:23:03And it was so exciting cos,
0:23:03 > 0:23:06of course, the ship is higher up by the cliffs,
0:23:06 > 0:23:08you fill the entire canal from side to side,
0:23:08 > 0:23:11it was easily most the most exciting part of the voyage.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14It's quite exciting and I'm really happy that you enjoyed it.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18When was there first the idea of making a canal?
0:23:18 > 0:23:20We're talking about 2,500 years ago
0:23:20 > 0:23:22when Periander, the tyrant of Corinth,
0:23:22 > 0:23:24one of the Seven Sages of antiquity,
0:23:24 > 0:23:27first perceives the idea of cutting through the isthmus of Corinth.
0:23:27 > 0:23:29Periander failed to build the canal
0:23:29 > 0:23:33because the engineers were unequipped to perform the task.
0:23:33 > 0:23:34Instead he built Diolkos.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38Diolkos is the...origin of the modern railway.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42- The origin of the modern railway? - Yes.- 600 BC?- Yes.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45- Tell me about it.- Well, he constructed a road parallel to
0:23:45 > 0:23:48the canal that we are transiting now
0:23:48 > 0:23:50and it was built with big blocks of stones.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54So the vessels, they were stopping on the one side of one bay,
0:23:54 > 0:23:56they were unloading the cargos,
0:23:56 > 0:23:58which was transported by carriages and slaves,
0:23:58 > 0:24:03and the vessels were lifted on logs, tree logs,
0:24:03 > 0:24:06and they would slide through the isthmus.
0:24:06 > 0:24:09So this is incredible, 600 BC,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12two parallel lines of stones,
0:24:12 > 0:24:17- logs running between them, and on top of the logs the ships?- Yes.
0:24:17 > 0:24:18SHE LAUGHS
0:24:18 > 0:24:23That's even more extraordinary than the canal, I think.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26Despite the ingenious Diolkos,
0:24:26 > 0:24:30over the following centuries Roman Emperors, ancient Macedonian kings,
0:24:30 > 0:24:33and Venetians would all try and fail
0:24:33 > 0:24:36to cut a canal through the Isthmus of Corinth.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44Just looking up at these enormous cliffs,
0:24:44 > 0:24:46this was a huge construction task.
0:24:46 > 0:24:49Give me an idea of the scale.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53The excavations began in 1882 and the work completed in 1893.
0:24:53 > 0:24:57More than 2,000 workers were employed here.
0:24:57 > 0:25:00The most modern equipment and mechanics were used.
0:25:00 > 0:25:06It was one of the first projects that nitroglycerine was used.
0:25:06 > 0:25:07And imagine it was more
0:25:07 > 0:25:11than 12 million cubic metres of earth that has been removed,
0:25:11 > 0:25:14been excavated during the 11 years of the works.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19'And the result was as revolutionary as it is spectacular.'
0:25:21 > 0:25:25Well, it saves vessels approximately more than 150 nautical miles,
0:25:25 > 0:25:28otherwise they circumnavigate the Peloponnese,
0:25:28 > 0:25:32- saving in fuel and time. - How extraordinary.
0:25:36 > 0:25:40I'm ready to carry on my journey north-east via Athens.
0:25:42 > 0:25:45Road improvements have taken priority in Greece
0:25:45 > 0:25:49and left the rail network today even smaller than it was in 1913.
0:25:51 > 0:25:53Trains no longer service the station
0:25:53 > 0:25:58that my guidebook recommends for my next excursion.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01I'm making my way instead to what Bradshaw's describes
0:26:01 > 0:26:05as the "delightfully situated town" of Livadia.
0:26:05 > 0:26:07HORN SOUNDS
0:26:11 > 0:26:15This train to Livadia has been climbing steadily.
0:26:15 > 0:26:19Soon it will be running through the valley alongside Parnassus,
0:26:19 > 0:26:23the sacred mountain of Orpheus and Apollo.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26I'm travelling into Greek mythology.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28HORN
0:26:35 > 0:26:38My destination was declared by the god Zeus
0:26:38 > 0:26:40to be the centre of the world.
0:26:41 > 0:26:45According to myth, to locate that centre
0:26:45 > 0:26:47the Father of the Gods released two
0:26:47 > 0:26:49eagles from opposite ends of the world,
0:26:49 > 0:26:54and they crossed here in these very mountains at Delphi.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58And so one of the most sacred ancient sites was built.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03From the end of the eighth century BC,
0:27:03 > 0:27:05people from all over the ancient world
0:27:05 > 0:27:09would come to Delphi to consult the famous Oracle.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20In truth, there's no railway station
0:27:20 > 0:27:23very near to my destination of Delphi.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25And, indeed, Bradshaw's recommends
0:27:25 > 0:27:30taking a ferry and then continuing by carriage or on horseback.
0:27:30 > 0:27:32In the village, I couldn't find a carriage
0:27:32 > 0:27:35and so I'm having to hoof it
0:27:35 > 0:27:39through these beautiful olive groves, serenaded by cicadas.
0:27:39 > 0:27:42CICADAS CHIRRUP
0:27:46 > 0:27:48'Continuing my journey next time,
0:27:48 > 0:27:50like the Ancients before me,
0:27:50 > 0:27:52I'll explore the secrets of the Oracle.
0:27:54 > 0:27:58The world, the Mediterranean, came and met here in Delphi.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01I'll ab-ZORBA the Greek nightlife in Volos...
0:28:10 > 0:28:13..and show strength that would rival Hercules.
0:28:13 > 0:28:14Away!
0:28:16 > 0:28:18Coming.
0:28:20 > 0:28:21Done.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23BELL RINGS, HORN TOOTS