Athens to Thessaloniki Great Continental Railway Journeys


Athens to Thessaloniki

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I'm embarking on a railway adventure that will take me

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to the cradle of European civilisation.

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I'll be using this,

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my Bradshaw's Continental Railway Guide, dated 1913,

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which opened up an exotic world of foreign travel

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for the British tourist.

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It told travellers where to go, what to see, and how to navigate

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the thousands of miles of tracks crisscrossing the continent.

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Now, a century later,

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I'm using my copy to reveal an era of great optimism and energy,

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where technology, industry, science and the arts were flourishing.

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I want to rediscover that lost Europe that in 1913 couldn't know

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that its way of life would shortly be swept aside by the advent of war.

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On this journey, my guidebook takes me to Greece,

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the Kingdom of the Hellas.

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In 1913, modern Greece was less than a century old,

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a fledgling sea power of strategic interest

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to the great powers of Europe.

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Throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Ottomans,

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Russians, Austro-Hungarians, Germans, French and British

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vied for influence and control over this new nation.

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About 80 years before this guidebook was published,

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Greeks, who for centuries had been ruled from Istanbul,

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as part of the Ottoman Empire, established an independent state.

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They did so with military help from the British who,

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in a Romantic age, admired the Ancient Greece

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of Pericles and Plato.

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Some Greeks hoped that they could have a great future

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to match their great past.

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But only if they could expand their tiny kingdom northwards

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and take in the millions of Greeks

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still stranded in the decaying Ottoman Empire.

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Bradshaw's tells me that the population of Greece is 2.7 million

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but by late 1913, it had almost doubled as Greek troops

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captured territory,

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making it one of the most auspicious 12 months in modern Greek history.

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My journey following the expansion of Greece's northern border

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starts at the port of Piraeus, from where it's a short ride

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to the Greek capital, Athens, and the Acropolis.

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I'll then head west

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to pass through the Corinth canal,

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a challenge of engineering that confounded man

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for 2,500 years,

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before I strike north to Levadia

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for a Bradshaw's recommended excursion to Delphi,

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home of the famous oracle.

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I'll continue north to the port of Volos

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and on to the mountain village of Milies.

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I'll finish my journey in the city of Thessaloniki.

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Along the way, I'll find out about the surprisingly ancient

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origins of our modern railways at the spectacular Corinth Canal.

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So this is incredible - 600 years BC, two parallel lines of stones,

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logs running between them and on top of the logs, the ships?

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Yes.

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'I trade the train seat for a saddle.'

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I'm having to hoof it through these beautiful olive groves.

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'And show strength that would rival Hercules.'

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HE SHOUTS

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Done.

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'I'm arriving in Greece

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'as the traveller would have just over 100 years ago.'

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In 1913, war raged to the north of here as Greece,

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and its Balkan allies,

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sought to evict the Muslim Ottomans from Europe

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and to expand their own states.

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The only half-safe way to approach was by ship,

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to Athens' port of Piraeus.

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In October 1863,

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Piraeus had been the site of a very significant moment

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in modern Greek history.

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The newly elected George I,

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brother-in-law of British King Edward VII,

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and grandfather to the current Duke of Edinburgh,

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came ashore here

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declaring himself King of the Hellenes,

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ruler not just of Greece but of all Greeks.

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Today, Piraeus is the largest passenger port in Europe.

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Up to 20 million pass through here every year.

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What a delightful railway station!

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It stands on the site of Greece's very first railway,

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opened in 1869, having been built with the help of British engineers.

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In 1904, it became the Hellenic Electric Railway Company

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and today it's been absorbed into Athens' metro system.

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According to Bradshaw's, "Athens, as it exists, is quite a modern city.

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"After centuries of degradation and neglect it was, in 1834,

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"little better than an impoverished village

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"of about 12,000 inhabitants".

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By 1913, that number had grown to 175,000.

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Today, close to four million people live here,

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around a third of the population of Greece.

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In this lively metropolis, Bradshaw's is reassuring.

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"The stranger has no difficulty in finding his way about,

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"as the Acropolis is clearly seen in view all around,

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"and serves as a landmark."

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-Hello, Haris.

-Hello Michael. Welcome to the Acropolis.

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-The cradle of Western civilisation.

-Exactly.

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Wonderful!

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'And it's where I'm meeting academic and poet Haris Vlavianos.'

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I don't know whether to look at the Acropolis

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or whether to look at Athens.

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It's an absolutely wonderful view from here, isn't it?

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Yeah, very impressive.

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The Parthenon, Greece's most famous ancient monument,

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was constructed in the fifth century BC by Pericles,

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during Athens' Golden Age.

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Back in 1913, it was very attractive to tourists visiting Athens

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as the home of Plato, Socrates and democracy.

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The Parthenon is an extraordinary building, I think without any

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parallel and would be recognisable to anyone, anywhere in the world.

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What's your assessment of it?

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I think that Pericles wanted to build something that would

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symbolise the extraordinary culture

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and power that Athens had at the time and he was extremely

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successful because in 2,500 years, we are standing here

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and we know that the Parthenon hasn't lost any significance,

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any of its value, for western civilisation.

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Wouldn't you say the same?

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I would. It's absolutely the heart of it all.

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But astonishingly, the ruins

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of Greece's classical pre-Christian past

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lay neglected and buried for centuries.

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Greece had 400 years of Ottoman rule, which makes Greece

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a country of the Orient. Before that, we had the Byzantine Empire,

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which stressed the identity of the Christian Orthodox.

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If you asked Greeks at the time of the Ottoman occupation

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to define themselves, they would say

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they were are Christians, Orthodox, I mean, and they are Muslims.

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And in fact if you look at memoirs of people who fought in the Greek

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War of Independence they talk about this war, it's a kind of Jihad, it's

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we, the Orthodox Christians against the infidels, against the Muslims.

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It was only at the end of the 18th century,

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with the advent of European Romanticism,

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that Greece's classical culture was once again revered,

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by Philhellenes, or lovers of Greece, like the poet Lord Byron.

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When he arrived in Athens, he fell in love with a Greek lady.

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He wrote a few poems, the Maiden of Athens, for example.

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But Lord Byron was interested in politics

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as well as Athenian maidens.

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On March 25th 1821,

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the Greeks began their decade-long struggle for independence.

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And Byron came to join their war.

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Byron, the poet, was not just a dilettante, was he?

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He was a man who actually made a difference

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to the issue of Greek independence.

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Absolutely - he's one of the most important

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figures in this in this movement. His presence here was catalytic.

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Byron was also instrumental in bringing money to Greece.

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I mean, the first London loan was raised through his assistance.

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In 1824, the London Greek Committee

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loaned Greece around £350,000 for the War of Independence.

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Similar loans were raised from Philhellenic Committees

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across Europe.

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Despite these efforts,

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Byron didn't live to see the Greeks achieve independence.

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Just months later, in April 1824, he fell ill

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and died in the village of Missolonghi.

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To this day, this aristocratic English poet is still

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considered a Greek national hero.

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The fact he actually died here, I mean,

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it made such an impression to the whole world

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that this man, you know, comes from England

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and dies in this obscure village for this great cause.

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The Greek struggle for independence

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had become an international cause celebre, and in 1832,

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Greece was formally recognised by Britain, France and Russia.

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But the entire population of the new Greek state was smaller than

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the number of ethnic Greeks who lived under Ottoman rule.

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And so the Great Idea was born -

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a desire to bring all Greeks into the Greek state, establish a

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capital at Constantinople and relive the glories of the Byzantine Empire.

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What changes?

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Why do the Greeks take an interest in their antiquity?

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There was a lot of interest in Greece.

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Great classicists came to Greece,

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people who wanted to do excavations, they actually said to the Greeks,

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this is part of their heritage and they have to invest in it.

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And so in 1913, there's no doubt by then that the Greek government,

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the Greek people, value their antiquity?

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Absolutely, I mean, we have 80 years between 1834 and 1913

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so there was a lot of excavation work.

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The Parthenon had been restored.

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People who arrived here probably saw something more spectacular

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than we see today because you had no scaffolding and no cranes

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and not too many tourists around so they felt a sense of awe

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when they were standing here.

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-I feel it today. Shall we find some shade?

-Yeah.

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Along with just a few

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of the millions of tourists who visit the Parthenon every year,

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I'm descending to explore the city.

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In 1913, Athens was still a new European capital,

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chosen after great national debate

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and proclaimed in 1834 by the first King of Greece, Otto.

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The 17-year-old second son of the king of Bavaria had been crowned

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ruler of the newly formed Kingdom of Greece two years earlier.

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He was appointed not by the Greek people,

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nor by their government, but by Britain, France

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and Russia in order to cement their influence over Greece.

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And, in what was becoming a recurring theme,

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the German king arrived with a loan

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equivalent to over £100 million today.

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This is Syntagma Square,

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which Bradshaw's refers to as "Place de la Constitution".

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Constitution Square. "This is the strangers' quarter.

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"Here, or close by, are the principal hotels and cafes."

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And behind me is the Palace

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that was built for the first king of Greece, King Otto,

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which for many years now has been the Greek parliament.

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Quite recently, it became famous all over the world

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during the Greek Euro crisis.

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And between the square and the parliament building march a symbol

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of Greece's historic struggles for independence - the Evzones.

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The Evzones are traditionally the elite soldiers of Greece.

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They're now used for ceremonial duties such as, here, guarding

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the tomb of the Unknown Warrior.

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The uniform they're wearing now in the summer

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represents the Balkan wars of 1912 to 1913.

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One of their other uniforms involves a kilt which has 400 pleats,

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each representing a year of the Ottoman occupation of Greece.

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So that Greek nationalism is literally

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sewn into the fabric of the regiment.

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'And over 100 years later, it seems the Balkan Wars still resonate.'

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Hello, sir. You're a Greek, aren't you?

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-Yes, yes.

-But you still come to see the Evzones?

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Yes.

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I come from time to time because I feel proud about that.

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Also because my grandfathers, they fought in the Balkan War

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and I feel as a tribute to them,

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and to all the people who fought for our independence.

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It represents one of our highest moments.

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In the shadow of the Acropolis is the oldest part of Athens - Plaka.

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It's hard to believe that this small cluster of streets

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was almost all that existed when Athens was declared the capital.

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-Hello!

-Hello.

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Would you like to join us for some coffee or lunch?

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-Lunch, please. A table for one.

-For one. Here.

-Thank you very much.

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-Here you go.

-Thank you. Something traditional and Greek?

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Moussaka. It's the most famous.

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Moussaka. The most famous. And what's in that?

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Minced beef, aubergine, potato, bechamel. It's delicious.

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It sounds great. I'll have moussaka. Thank you.

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-Wow! That's huge!

-Moussaka. Enjoy!

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-I'm not going to be hungry, am I!

-No. For two days! For sure!

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Thank you!

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Bechamel.

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It's a French word, it's a French food.

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So obviously at some point,

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the traditional Eastern ingredients

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of minced beef and aubergine and potato were married together

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with a French product - bechamel.

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So even in the most famous of all Greek dishes, East meets West.

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I'm stepping back into antiquity

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across the city at the Panathenaic Stadium.

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Also known as Kallimarmaro,

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meaning "the beautifully marbled",

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it's where I'm meeting Spyros Capralos,

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the President of the Hellenic Olympic Committee.

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Spyros, this is the most beautiful, the most spectacular stadium.

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What is the origin?

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Well, this stadium was built 2,500 years ago,

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in 338 Before Christ by Lycurgus.

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Lycurgus was a pupil of Plato,

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who had the idea to construct this stadium in the most beautiful

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part of Athens in order to host the Panathenian Games.

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Panathenian Games were games where people competed nude

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and they were part of a bigger celebration of the city of Athens.

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Now, the stadium was obviously rebuilt at some time. When was that?

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The stadium was rebuilt for the first modern Olympic Games.

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That's when Greece was awarded in 1894 the Olympic Games.

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Greece at that time was bankrupt.

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The government was afraid to take over and do the games.

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However, there were lots of private people who put their own money

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to rebuild the stadium and host the first modern Olympic Games in 1896.

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The revival of the ancient Olympic Games was

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brought about by Baron Pierre de Coubertin of France.

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And the Greeks were more than happy to host,

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keen to promote themselves on the world stage as heirs

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to their newly rediscovered classical heritage.

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The opening ceremony was steeped in symbolism. On March 25th, 1896,

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the anniversary of Greek independence,

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at the foot of the Acropolis, the reigning monarch, King George I,

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declared: "Long live the Nation. Long live the Greek people."

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What was the scale of the 1896 games?

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The scale has nothing to do with today's scale of the games.

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There were only 311 athletes participating,

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from 13 different countries, in nine different sports.

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So it was athletics, gymnastics, weightlifting,

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wrestling that were all held in this stadium.

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Was Greece successful in the games?

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Oh, Greece was very successful

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because obviously the majority of the athletes came from Greece.

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The marathon, so steeped in ancient history,

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was THE event the entire nation wanted a Greek to win.

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A shepherd's son, Spyros Louis, came in first

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and the whole stadium was standing

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and was thrilled about this victory.

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And I suspect Spyros Louis was pretty thrilled too.

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It's said that in celebration of his victory,

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he was offered free rail travel for life,

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with space for his bicycle in the goods van.

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Lucky fellow.

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I wonder how he felt, all those years ago,

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in this extraordinary place?

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MUSIC: Chariots Of Fire theme by Vangelis

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Exhausted by the extreme summer heat of Athens,

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I feel it's time to find somewhere for the night.

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Bradshaw's recommends a "first-class house" -

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Hotel de la Grande Bretagne.

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Thank you very much indeed.

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Bradshaw's promised me a hotel in a good situation

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and, really, my view of the Parthenon is unbeatable.

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I can also look down here on the Greek parliament.

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So I'm looking up to democracy classical style

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and looking down on modern Greek democracy.

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Today, my route takes me 50 miles west of Athens,

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to the city of Corinth in the Peloponnese,

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and one of the great wonders of 19th-century engineering.

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Now, if you imagine Greece like that,

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with the Peloponnese down here and northern Greece here,

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the two are just joined by a little piece of land here.

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And for many centuries man has been tantalised by the idea

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that if you could just cut a canal through this little isthmus,

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you could travel from the Ionian Sea to Athens

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without having to go all the way round the bottom.

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The Corinth Canal, Bradshaw's tells me,

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is nearly four miles long, cutting the Isthmus where it is narrowest,

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and it's used mainly by Greek coasting vessels.

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'Theodora Filandra,

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'who works for the company which operates the canal today,

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'has kindly offered to take me through it.

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'It's not the first time I've been here.'

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When I was 20 years old, I was on a cruise ship

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and we came through the Corinth Canal.

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And it was so exciting cos,

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of course, the ship is higher up by the cliffs,

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you fill the entire canal from side to side,

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it was easily most the most exciting part of the voyage.

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It's quite exciting and I'm really happy that you enjoyed it.

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When was there first the idea of making a canal?

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We're talking about 2,500 years ago

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when Periander, the tyrant of Corinth,

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one of the Seven Sages of antiquity,

0:23:230:23:25

first perceives the idea of cutting through the isthmus of Corinth.

0:23:250:23:28

Periander failed to build the canal

0:23:280:23:30

because the engineers were unequipped to perform the task.

0:23:300:23:33

Instead he built Diolkos.

0:23:330:23:35

Diolkos is the...origin of the modern railway.

0:23:350:23:39

-The origin of the modern railway?

-Yes.

-600 BC?

-Yes.

0:23:390:23:43

-Tell me about it.

-Well, he constructed a road parallel to

0:23:430:23:46

the canal that we are transiting now

0:23:460:23:48

and it was built with big blocks of stones.

0:23:480:23:50

So the vessels, they were stopping on the one side of one bay,

0:23:500:23:54

they were unloading the cargos,

0:23:540:23:56

which was transported by carriages and slaves,

0:23:560:23:59

and the vessels were lifted on logs, tree logs,

0:23:590:24:04

and they would slide through the isthmus.

0:24:040:24:06

So this is incredible, 600 BC,

0:24:060:24:10

two parallel lines of stones,

0:24:100:24:13

-logs running between them, and on top of the logs the ships?

-Yes.

0:24:130:24:18

SHE LAUGHS

0:24:180:24:19

That's even more extraordinary than the canal, I think.

0:24:190:24:24

Despite the ingenious Diolkos,

0:24:240:24:26

over the following centuries Roman Emperors, ancient Macedonian kings,

0:24:260:24:30

and Venetians would all try and fail

0:24:300:24:33

to cut a canal through the Isthmus of Corinth.

0:24:330:24:37

Just looking up at these enormous cliffs,

0:24:420:24:45

this was a huge construction task.

0:24:450:24:47

Give me an idea of the scale.

0:24:470:24:49

The excavations began in 1882 and the work completed in 1893.

0:24:490:24:54

More than 2,000 workers were employed here.

0:24:540:24:57

The most modern equipment and mechanics were used.

0:24:570:25:01

It was one of the first projects that nitroglycerine was used.

0:25:010:25:06

And imagine it was more

0:25:060:25:08

than 12 million cubic metres of earth that has been removed,

0:25:080:25:11

been excavated during the 11 years of the works.

0:25:110:25:15

'And the result was as revolutionary as it is spectacular.'

0:25:160:25:20

Well, it saves vessels approximately more than 150 nautical miles,

0:25:210:25:26

otherwise they circumnavigate the Peloponnese,

0:25:260:25:29

-saving in fuel and time.

-How extraordinary.

0:25:290:25:33

I'm ready to carry on my journey north-east via Athens.

0:25:370:25:41

Road improvements have taken priority in Greece

0:25:420:25:45

and left the rail network today even smaller than it was in 1913.

0:25:450:25:50

Trains no longer service the station

0:25:510:25:54

that my guidebook recommends for my next excursion.

0:25:540:25:57

I'm making my way instead to what Bradshaw's describes

0:25:570:26:02

as the "delightfully situated town" of Livadia.

0:26:020:26:05

HORN SOUNDS

0:26:050:26:07

This train to Livadia has been climbing steadily,

0:26:110:26:15

soon it will be running through the valley alongside Parnassus,

0:26:150:26:19

the sacred mountain of Orpheus and Apollo.

0:26:190:26:23

I'm travelling into Greek mythology.

0:26:230:26:27

HORN

0:26:270:26:28

My destination was declared by the god Zeus

0:26:350:26:38

to be the centre of the world.

0:26:380:26:41

According to myth, to locate that centre

0:26:410:26:45

the Father of the Gods released two

0:26:450:26:47

eagles from opposite ends of the world,

0:26:470:26:50

and they crossed here in these very mountains at Delphi.

0:26:500:26:55

And so one of the most sacred ancient sites was built.

0:26:550:26:59

From the end of the eighth century BC,

0:27:000:27:03

people from all over the ancient world

0:27:030:27:05

would come to Delphi to consult the famous Oracle.

0:27:050:27:09

In truth, there's no railway station

0:27:180:27:20

very near to my destination of Delphi.

0:27:200:27:24

And, indeed, Bradshaw's recommends

0:27:240:27:26

taking a ferry and then continuing by carriage or on horseback.

0:27:260:27:30

In the village, I couldn't find a carriage

0:27:300:27:33

and so I'm having to hoof it

0:27:330:27:36

through these beautiful olive groves, serenaded by cicadas.

0:27:360:27:40

CICADAS CHIRRUP

0:27:400:27:42

'Today, I'm guided by Christina Stolis.'

0:27:560:28:00

Christina, my first time in Delphi and what a stunning place!

0:28:010:28:06

Very special indeed!

0:28:060:28:08

Bradshaw's says, "On the site of Delphi stood the village of Kastri,

0:28:080:28:12

"which was removed to another spot

0:28:120:28:14

"in order that the necessary excavations could be made".

0:28:140:28:17

-So a whole village was taken away?

-Completely moved.

0:28:170:28:20

A whole village as of 1892 was relocated to round the corner,

0:28:200:28:25

a new modern village was built and the site is excavated.

0:28:250:28:28

And how did the villagers feel about it at the time?

0:28:280:28:30

-Not very happy to start with.

-SHE LAUGHS

0:28:300:28:33

Can you imagine, people who essentially were goatherds,

0:28:330:28:36

who lived and died and were born in these houses,

0:28:360:28:39

not quite having the necessary education as well

0:28:390:28:42

to understand what it meant to live on top of Delphi.

0:28:420:28:45

'Once the modern village of Kastri had been moved works could begin.

0:28:450:28:49

'Train tracks were laid crisscrossing the site

0:28:490:28:53

'to take away thousands of wagonloads of earth.'

0:28:530:28:56

I'm trying to think, what would it have been like

0:28:560:29:00

for a 1913 traveller coming to Delphi, do you think?

0:29:000:29:04

Just imagine, Delphi's only been open to the public for ten years,

0:29:040:29:08

it's a brand-new site,

0:29:080:29:09

and all the scholars would be

0:29:090:29:11

willing to travel in the wilderness on mules

0:29:110:29:14

to get up here to see what they've

0:29:140:29:16

spent a lifetime, essentially, learning about.

0:29:160:29:19

'One intrepid British lady did exactly that.'

0:29:190:29:23

Agnes Conway visited Delphi in 1913,

0:29:230:29:26

which would be the same year that your book was written of course.

0:29:260:29:28

-It was indeed.

-She's a British archaeologist.

0:29:280:29:32

'Agnes Conway came to study Greece's ancient sites

0:29:330:29:37

'and travelled widely throughout the Balkans,

0:29:370:29:40

'keeping an account of her experiences.'

0:29:400:29:42

She describes Delphi.

0:29:440:29:45

"At Delphi Greek history becomes intensely alive."

0:29:450:29:49

And her own description of the days in Delphi is pure bliss.

0:29:490:29:54

It is true that it makes the history come intensely alive.

0:29:540:29:58

What are the other constructions?

0:30:060:30:07

Obviously, I can see a theatre, but what were the other main buildings?

0:30:070:30:11

Well, other than the theatre and the stadium,

0:30:110:30:13

they created the oracle dedicated to Apollo, Zeus' favourite son,

0:30:130:30:16

the god of light, the god who can

0:30:160:30:18

best understand the will of his father,

0:30:180:30:20

therefore advise you on what to do.

0:30:200:30:22

I'm not sure I know what an oracle is.

0:30:220:30:25

Is it a person or a thing?

0:30:250:30:27

The Oracle of Delphi is essentially the whole site.

0:30:270:30:30

And at the centre of this site, the sanctuary, the Temple of Apollo.

0:30:300:30:34

And inside the temple once a month a local woman, the Pythia,

0:30:340:30:37

would go into the basement to inhale the spirit of the god,

0:30:370:30:41

which came out the ground in the form of vapours,

0:30:410:30:43

and in doing so she would become enthusiastic.

0:30:430:30:46

Divinely inspired, basically.

0:30:460:30:48

The Pythia possessed by a god,

0:30:480:30:52

or enthous in Greek,

0:30:520:30:54

would then answer people's questions.

0:30:540:30:57

Was there any scientific basis for this?

0:30:590:31:04

Well, nowadays geologists and geochemists will talk about

0:31:040:31:07

how fault lines intersect under the Temple of Apollo.

0:31:070:31:10

And gases seeped out the ground. Methane, ethane,

0:31:100:31:12

ethylene is what they've identified.

0:31:120:31:15

And that for the ancient Greeks would be divine manifestations

0:31:150:31:18

and so the oracle was built.

0:31:180:31:21

-And so a really very, very special place.

-Very special.

0:31:210:31:24

The world, the Mediterranean came and met here in Delphi.

0:31:240:31:27

I'm making my way back to Livadia station

0:31:400:31:43

to catch my next train along the Athens-Thessaloniki line

0:31:430:31:48

bound for the port of Volos.

0:31:480:31:50

-Ah! A lovely, cool train.

-Yes.

-Thank goodness!

0:32:100:32:14

Joining me for the journey is Panagiotis Kakavas

0:32:140:32:18

from the Friends of the Greek Railway Association.

0:32:180:32:22

Panagiotis, the railways came quite late to Greece.

0:32:220:32:26

Tell me about the early developments in Greece.

0:32:260:32:28

We discover railway in...after 1885.

0:32:280:32:32

And from that year until 1916

0:32:320:32:37

there was a...railway explosion,

0:32:370:32:42

a railway revolution.

0:32:420:32:43

In every single part of Greece there was a line.

0:32:430:32:46

What was driving that railway revolution?

0:32:460:32:50

Greece was...wanted to be a modern country like the West,

0:32:500:32:54

so only with railways this can be done.

0:32:540:32:57

Kharilaos Trikoupis, the Prime Minister at that time,

0:32:570:33:01

said, "We need railways."

0:33:010:33:03

Trikoupis began a far-reaching modernisation programme

0:33:060:33:09

to prepare the way for the absorption of the Greeks who

0:33:090:33:12

remained under Ottoman rule.

0:33:120:33:14

During this time, the Greek railway network

0:33:170:33:19

expanded from seven to around 700 miles of track.

0:33:190:33:23

Tell me about this railway,

0:33:300:33:32

the main railway from Athens to the north of Greece,

0:33:320:33:34

a spectacular railway, when was this built?

0:33:340:33:37

This line we're on now, 1890-1916.

0:33:370:33:42

Now that's a very important period politically speaking,

0:33:420:33:45

because, of course, the cities to the north

0:33:450:33:48

that this train is travelling to

0:33:480:33:50

-were not part of Greece until 1912, 1913.

-Yes, yes.

0:33:500:33:52

Greece was getting bigger and bigger.

0:33:520:33:56

-And so the railways followed those borders.

-Yes, exactly.

0:33:560:33:59

The Ottomans had always refused to

0:33:590:34:02

allow a rail connection between Athens and their empire.

0:34:020:34:06

So at the time of my Bradshaw's,

0:34:060:34:08

travelling all the way to the newly reconquered Thessaloniki by train

0:34:080:34:12

would not have been possible.

0:34:120:34:14

So when did a train first run between Thessaloniki and Athens?

0:34:150:34:19

The first train was the famous Simplon-Orient Express in 1920.

0:34:190:34:23

One and a half years after the connection.

0:34:230:34:26

The connection was completed in...1919.

0:34:260:34:32

And one year later, we had the first train.

0:34:320:34:37

In 1922, a new route for the Orient Express

0:34:370:34:40

was opened via the Simplon Tunnel

0:34:400:34:43

through the Alps between Switzerland and Italy.

0:34:430:34:47

Now Greece was connected physically,

0:34:470:34:50

as well as culturally and politically, to Western Europe.

0:34:500:34:54

How did Greece afford all these railways?

0:34:540:34:57

Actually, we didn't afford it,

0:34:570:34:59

we had our first bankruptcy...caused by the railway.

0:34:590:35:05

-The country actually went bust?

-Yes.

0:35:050:35:07

All the companies building the railway ran out of money.

0:35:070:35:10

The Greek government had no money, so bankrupt.

0:35:100:35:13

-It sounds a bit like a modern story of Greece.

-Yes.

0:35:130:35:16

The history...repeats itself.

0:35:160:35:21

'It soon becomes clear why building this railway proved so costly.'

0:35:290:35:34

Ah!

0:35:340:35:36

That is extraordinary! That is extraordinary!

0:35:360:35:39

This is the Gorgopotamos Viaduct.

0:35:420:35:45

At over 100m, it's one of the highest railway bridges in Greece.

0:35:450:35:50

After a change at Larissa,

0:36:080:36:10

I continue on the branch line east to Volos.

0:36:100:36:13

I've arrived in Volos,

0:36:370:36:39

which Bradshaw's tells me is the chief seaport of Thessaly,

0:36:390:36:43

with a thriving population.

0:36:430:36:45

This is one of the loveliest railway stations I've come across in Greece.

0:36:450:36:49

After this province became part of Greece in 1881,

0:36:490:36:52

it was a playground for foreign railway builders.

0:36:520:36:56

And here the Germans laid the tracks

0:36:560:36:58

and so they constructed a Bavarian-style railway station.

0:36:580:37:02

And what I find a bit of a joke

0:37:020:37:04

is that here we have a kind of alpine chalet

0:37:040:37:07

with palm trees outside it.

0:37:070:37:09

Modern Volos is built on the site of three ancient cities,

0:37:170:37:21

including the homeland of the mythological hero Jason

0:37:210:37:25

and his band of Argonauts.

0:37:250:37:27

And, luckily for me, I've arrived at dinner time.

0:37:290:37:32

The little harbour here is full of fishing boats,

0:37:330:37:36

so I'm very willing to believe

0:37:360:37:38

that this lovely seafood is entirely fresh.

0:37:380:37:42

So...let's try a little squid.

0:37:420:37:46

Ooh! Look at that, all those little tentacles.

0:37:460:37:49

Delicious.

0:37:520:37:54

TRADITIONAL GREEK MUSIC

0:37:540:37:57

And Volos has another traditional treat in store for me.

0:37:570:38:00

-Bravo!

-Thank you, guys. APPLAUSE

0:38:420:38:46

As you may have noticed, I don't find it easy to ab-Zorba the Greek.

0:38:480:38:52

Today, my journey continues 16 miles south-east of Volos

0:39:080:39:13

at the station of Lehonia.

0:39:130:39:15

I'm catching the Little Train of Pelion to the village of Milies,

0:39:180:39:23

before travelling the final 150 miles of my Greek railway journey

0:39:230:39:29

to the city of Thessaloniki.

0:39:290:39:32

I want to visit the mountain top village of Milies.

0:39:330:39:37

And according to Bradshaw's there's a train from Volos.

0:39:370:39:40

But, no, the line has been discontinued,

0:39:400:39:43

so I've come to the station of the Lehonia.

0:39:430:39:45

And in 1913 the journey time was one hour and 15 minutes.

0:39:450:39:49

But judging by the age of this wonderful vintage rolling stock,

0:39:490:39:54

I think I'll be lucky to do it in that time today.

0:39:540:39:57

This line is only one foot, 11 and 5/8 of an inch wide,

0:40:030:40:08

making it one of the narrowest gauges in the world.

0:40:080:40:11

It was extended to my destination, Milies, in 1903.

0:40:110:40:15

I don't want to say that this train is slow, but a lame dog is faster.

0:40:190:40:23

Although it looks old, this locomotive is a disguised diesel,

0:40:260:40:31

installed after the coal-fired locomotives

0:40:310:40:34

caused numerous fires along the track.

0:40:340:40:36

It's called Moudzouris, which means 'smudger' in Greek,

0:40:380:40:41

a reference to the smoky engines of the past.

0:40:410:40:44

Our little narrow-gauge train has been winding through olive groves

0:40:550:40:59

and the passengers have been leaning out and seizing the fruit.

0:40:590:41:03

We've been passing streams and valleys, over bridges and viaducts.

0:41:030:41:07

This is the wonderful Kalorema viaduct.

0:41:070:41:10

We have fantastic views of the sea

0:41:100:41:13

and now we're winding up into the mountains.

0:41:130:41:16

Our little train has climbed a long way towards Mount Pelion.

0:41:220:41:26

This was the summer residence

0:41:260:41:28

of the 12 gods of Olympus in Greek mythology.

0:41:280:41:31

This was also the playground of the centaurs,

0:41:310:41:34

those mythological beasts that were half man and half horse.

0:41:340:41:38

We've arrived at Milies station,

0:41:470:41:49

but my ride isn't quite over yet.

0:41:490:41:52

MEN SHOUT IN GREEK

0:41:530:41:55

A single track means that everyone

0:41:550:41:58

must help to turn the engine around for its descent.

0:41:580:42:01

MEN SHOUT IN GREEK

0:42:030:42:05

MAN SHOUTS IN GREEK

0:42:070:42:09

Done!

0:42:090:42:12

HORN SOUNDS

0:42:120:42:13

Hello.

0:42:260:42:28

TRADITIONAL GREEK MUSIC

0:42:450:42:47

THEY TOAST IN GREEK

0:43:050:43:06

Have you lived here all your life?

0:43:090:43:11

I live all my life here.

0:43:110:43:14

My home is behind the church

0:43:140:43:16

and I was born in this church...

0:43:160:43:18

-76 years ago.

-HE LAUGHS

0:43:180:43:22

The church is a big part of your life?

0:43:220:43:25

I like this, because I forget my problems.

0:43:250:43:31

If I am in the church, I leave more happy.

0:43:310:43:35

If I go out of the church, I am very unhappy

0:43:350:43:38

because I have many problems,

0:43:380:43:41

for my family, for my economic and everything.

0:43:410:43:45

It gives me...hope.

0:43:450:43:48

And Michalis is not alone.

0:43:510:43:54

Modern Greece's national identity

0:43:540:43:56

was defined by the Orthodox Church.

0:43:560:43:59

Today, about 97% of Greece's population

0:44:020:44:05

are still practising Orthodox Christians.

0:44:050:44:09

Your church is extraordinarily beautiful. It's wonderful.

0:44:090:44:12

Beautiful and very interesting.

0:44:120:44:14

In the time of the building of the church 400 years ago,

0:44:140:44:18

the Greek state live under the Turkish state.

0:44:180:44:21

So they made the church very, very secret from outside.

0:44:210:44:26

Not look like church from outside.

0:44:260:44:29

First without windows down, no windows down,

0:44:290:44:32

only small and high, nobody can see easy inside.

0:44:320:44:37

-Second without bang-bang.

-Bell?

0:44:370:44:40

Bell and cross on the roof of the church. Nothing.

0:44:400:44:44

When constructing this clandestine church,

0:44:440:44:48

its builders were able to create another special thing,

0:44:480:44:51

a unique acoustic.

0:44:510:44:54

SOFT THUDDING

0:44:540:44:56

That's extraordinary!

0:44:560:44:58

Because there is not echo inside of the church.

0:44:580:45:01

If sing five person, hearing five different voices.

0:45:010:45:05

Oh, beautiful!

0:45:050:45:07

MICHALIS SINGS IN GREEK

0:45:070:45:10

-I am not singer.

-MICHALIS LAUGHS

0:45:400:45:43

Bravo!

0:45:430:45:45

I do...I do only for the church.

0:45:450:45:49

MICHALIS LAUGHS

0:45:490:45:50

Thank you. Bye-bye.

0:45:500:45:52

I join the railway line back at Volos

0:45:550:45:58

to continue my journey north to the city of Thessaloniki.

0:45:580:46:02

I can't help noticing that I'm the only person on this train

0:46:120:46:15

over the age of 25 and not carrying a rucksack.

0:46:150:46:19

And I'm just wondering what is going on.

0:46:190:46:22

Excuse me. May I ask you, there are a lot of young people on this train,

0:46:220:46:26

a lot of young people with rucksacks. Why?

0:46:260:46:28

Where are you coming from or where are you going to?

0:46:280:46:30

We are coming from a festival

0:46:300:46:31

and we're returning back to our home city, Thessaloniki.

0:46:310:46:34

-So did you all have a good time?

-Yes!

-Amazing time, yes.

0:46:340:46:38

Is that a Bible?

0:46:380:46:40

No, this is not a Bible,

0:46:400:46:42

this is a 1913 guidebook.

0:46:420:46:46

-Original?

-Absolutely original. Look.

0:46:460:46:49

We have all the timetables of the trains of 100 years ago.

0:46:490:46:52

And here we have all the hotels of 100 years ago.

0:46:520:46:55

And in the middle we have all the text

0:46:550:46:58

about the different countries of Europe including Greece,

0:46:580:47:01

but there's no mention of any festivals.

0:47:010:47:04

Oh.

0:47:040:47:06

-There's also a lot of dust in there.

-There is.

0:47:060:47:08

MICHAEL LAUGHS

0:47:080:47:09

I don't envy the editor of Bradshaw's Guide 1913.

0:47:250:47:30

There was war in the Balkans

0:47:300:47:32

and international frontiers were changing fast.

0:47:320:47:36

Of the city of Thessaloniki, listed here under Turkey,

0:47:360:47:41

Bradshaw's says that it's been

0:47:410:47:43

captured by the Greeks since November 9th, 1912.

0:47:430:47:46

But in the year of publication, the Turks were mounting

0:47:460:47:50

an effective counterattack and seizing back territory in Europe.

0:47:500:47:55

Where would the border between Christendom

0:47:550:47:58

and the Islamic world end up?

0:47:580:47:59

'I shall find out tomorrow, after a night's rest in Thessaloniki.'

0:48:010:48:05

-Good morning!

-Hello, how are you?

0:48:200:48:22

'I've reached the final stop on my railway journey

0:48:220:48:25

'across Greece, on the northern shores of the Aegean Sea.'

0:48:250:48:28

A beach-side breakfast in Thessaloniki.

0:48:310:48:33

It's said that when British 19th-century Romantics,

0:48:330:48:37

who were full of this notion that Classical Greece was

0:48:370:48:39

the cradle of Western civilisation, actually came to modern Greece,

0:48:390:48:44

they were shocked to find the local people performing dances that

0:48:440:48:47

were clearly Ottoman in origin, and smoking hookahs.

0:48:470:48:51

And here is the typical Greek breakfast - yoghurt and honey,

0:48:510:48:56

much as you might be served in Istanbul or Damascus or Beirut.

0:48:560:49:00

And here is Greek coffee...

0:49:000:49:02

Thick and grainy

0:49:040:49:05

because actually it's Turkish coffee.

0:49:050:49:08

So whilst the Greeks resented the occupation by a foreign power,

0:49:080:49:13

they actually absorbed Ottoman customs.

0:49:130:49:16

Thessaloniki, or Salonika in Bradshaw's,

0:49:220:49:25

is now Greece's second city.

0:49:250:49:27

But in 1913, fewer than a third of its inhabitants were Greek.

0:49:280:49:33

In fact, my guidebook notes - "About half the population are Jews,

0:49:330:49:38

"descendants of those driven out of Spain."

0:49:380:49:40

Bulgarians, Serbs, Albanians and Turks also lived here,

0:49:410:49:46

making turn-of-the-century Thessaloniki

0:49:460:49:50

a most extraordinarily diverse society.

0:49:500:49:52

Mr Hatzis, how nice to see you.

0:49:530:49:56

Hello. You're welcome.

0:49:560:49:58

And one clue to this fascinating past can be

0:49:580:50:01

found in Chousein Hatzis' pastry shop.

0:50:010:50:05

Wow! This is absolutely a beautiful shop.

0:50:050:50:08

-You have an astonishing variety...

-Yeah!

0:50:080:50:11

..of different sweets here.

0:50:110:50:13

What are these?

0:50:130:50:14

This is typical baklava with walnuts.

0:50:140:50:17

What really is baklava?

0:50:170:50:20

Baklava is a typical Ottoman sweet.

0:50:200:50:23

We make it with pastry, with eggs, milk, sugar, butter.

0:50:230:50:29

And in Greece we eat it with walnuts, not with pistachio.

0:50:290:50:35

With almost all the peoples of the

0:50:350:50:37

Middle East, Eastern Mediterranean, Balkans, and Central Asia

0:50:370:50:41

claiming baklava as their national dessert,

0:50:410:50:44

its history is hotly contested.

0:50:440:50:47

But there is evidence that its current form was

0:50:470:50:49

developed in the kitchens of the Ottoman Sultan's palace.

0:50:490:50:53

I want to see for myself how this dish, so loved in Greece, is made.

0:50:550:50:59

Take up the rolling pin, right.

0:51:040:51:06

'First, roll out your filo pastry.'

0:51:060:51:09

No comment from the lady, so I think that may be OK.

0:51:100:51:13

SHE SPEAKS GREEK

0:51:130:51:14

Keep doing it all the way round, I've got the general idea.

0:51:140:51:18

Oh, my goodness! A bigger weapon, altogether!

0:51:180:51:21

Ah...

0:51:220:51:25

'Be sure to flour liberally between each

0:51:250:51:28

'sheet of pastry, to prevent sticking.'

0:51:280:51:30

I really think I've got the hang of this.

0:51:320:51:34

I'm on a roll!

0:51:340:51:36

The pastry is so thin, I can see my hand through it.

0:51:380:51:42

And every time they put another layer into the baking dish,

0:51:420:51:46

they put yet more butter into it.

0:51:460:51:50

Here go the walnuts.

0:51:550:51:56

Seems like pretty large quantities of walnuts, too.

0:51:560:51:59

More?

0:51:590:52:01

'And here's one I made earlier...'

0:52:010:52:03

That looks wonderful!

0:52:030:52:04

'Now, while it's warm, add the all-important sugar syrup.'

0:52:040:52:09

This much?

0:52:090:52:10

Oh, my goodness! All this on top?!

0:52:100:52:13

'To give our baklava its distinctive sticky texture.'

0:52:130:52:16

Huge quantities of syrup going on top now.

0:52:160:52:19

I've got to cover each one as I go.

0:52:190:52:21

More? More?!

0:52:210:52:23

More!

0:52:230:52:24

I always knew baklava was sweet,

0:52:240:52:27

but I had no idea it had this quantity of syrup in it.

0:52:270:52:29

Here we go. More!

0:52:290:52:31

And now to see whether my efforts would be fit for an Ottoman emperor.

0:52:330:52:38

I'm about to ingest an insane amount of sugar...

0:52:410:52:44

which will provide me

0:52:460:52:47

with a very sweet reminder of a happy day spent in Thessaloniki.

0:52:470:52:53

Wow!

0:52:560:52:57

But back in 1913, things weren't so agreeable.

0:53:070:53:11

I'm meeting local historian Anastasia Gaitanou,

0:53:110:53:14

better to understand the city's history.

0:53:140:53:18

Anastasia, at the time of my guidebook there are wars going on.

0:53:180:53:21

What are they about?

0:53:210:53:23

Well, this war, er, wars, are the so-called Balkan Wars.

0:53:230:53:27

They took place on the Balkan Peninsula.

0:53:270:53:29

This is where we are.

0:53:290:53:30

We are the south tip of the Balkan Peninsula.

0:53:300:53:33

And they were wars led mainly by the new countries that were being

0:53:330:53:36

established and formed on the Balkan Peninsula,

0:53:360:53:39

trying to get as much as they could from the decaying Ottoman Empire...

0:53:390:53:43

that was referred to as the "sick man of Europe".

0:53:430:53:47

Of course, they were trying to get access to the Aegean Sea,

0:53:470:53:50

trying to get as many of the ports as they could,

0:53:500:53:53

as much territory as they could, but also establish national states.

0:53:530:53:58

And was Thessaloniki an important strategic objective?

0:53:580:54:02

Absolutely.

0:54:020:54:04

It was considered, already in the Ottoman Empire,

0:54:040:54:06

the third most

0:54:060:54:07

important port after Constantinople, Istanbul today, and Izmir.

0:54:070:54:11

It is in the south tip of the Balkan Peninsula,

0:54:110:54:15

connecting, practically, Europe to Asia, to Africa.

0:54:150:54:19

At the outbreak of the First Balkan War, Greece pushed north.

0:54:200:54:24

In an unexpectedly rapid campaign, on the 26th October, 1912,

0:54:260:54:31

under the heir to the throne, Prince Constantine, the Greek army

0:54:310:54:35

rode into Thessaloniki claiming this all-important city for Greece.

0:54:350:54:40

Did the king manage to visit the city after it was liberated?

0:54:410:54:44

He came to Thessaloniki three days after it was liberated,

0:54:440:54:48

to show royal presence and to make it clear to everybody that this is

0:54:480:54:52

a Greek city now, because everybody wanted to have it and it was a huge

0:54:520:54:57

competition with the Bulgarians, who arrived only a few hours later.

0:54:570:55:01

He loved the city.

0:55:010:55:02

He loved the promenade of Thessaloniki and the seafront,

0:55:020:55:06

and he would walk many times along this promenade.

0:55:060:55:09

And usually he would walk without really that many escorts,

0:55:090:55:12

or bodyguards, just one or two which, of course,

0:55:120:55:15

at the end proved to be quite fatal.

0:55:150:55:18

Less than six months after the annexation of this city,

0:55:190:55:23

a horrific event would unexpectedly throw Greece into turmoil.

0:55:230:55:27

On these streets,

0:55:290:55:31

the reign of the beloved King George I of the Hellas

0:55:310:55:35

came to a tragic end.

0:55:350:55:37

Well, this is the very spot where he was assassinated in March of 1913.

0:55:430:55:47

He was shot through the heart by a teacher who was

0:55:470:55:51

jobless at the time, who was called a socialist and an anarchist,

0:55:510:55:55

and it was not a good thing to be called that in 1913.

0:55:550:55:58

And it was said that he had asked for financial support

0:55:580:56:01

by the king. It was not given to him, so he wanted revenge.

0:56:010:56:04

What were the political consequences of the assassination?

0:56:040:56:07

Well, the worst thing that happened afterwards

0:56:070:56:09

was the so-called National Schism.

0:56:090:56:12

Greece divided. Half of the population were supporting the ideas

0:56:120:56:16

of George I, who was a supporter of Russia, England and France.

0:56:160:56:21

He had ties to the British royal house,

0:56:210:56:24

his sister, Alexandra, was the wife of King Edward VII.

0:56:240:56:28

While his son and successor, King Constantine I,

0:56:280:56:32

was a supporter of Austria-Hungary and Germany.

0:56:320:56:36

His wife was the sister of Kaiser Wilhelm at the time.

0:56:360:56:38

So, two completely different approaches

0:56:380:56:41

and two completely different ideas that really tore Greece in two.

0:56:410:56:46

After nearly of century of nation-building under

0:56:590:57:02

the influence of the European powers, it was the breakdown

0:57:020:57:05

in their relationships that would ultimately divide Greek society.

0:57:050:57:10

A division that would have repercussions for Greek politics

0:57:100:57:13

up to the Second World War and beyond.

0:57:130:57:16

Greek history is steeped in blood.

0:57:200:57:22

Assassinations and numerous battles to gain

0:57:220:57:25

independence from the Ottoman Empire.

0:57:250:57:28

And after my Bradshaw's Guide, two world wars and civil war.

0:57:280:57:33

Modern Greece has suffered from inflated expectations.

0:57:330:57:37

For example, some British Romantics hoped for a reincarnation

0:57:370:57:41

of Classical Greek virtues and perfection.

0:57:410:57:44

No nation could live up to such an inflated ideal.

0:57:440:57:49

On my next journey, I'll hear how Black Forest fairytales

0:57:510:57:55

unified the Germans.

0:57:550:57:57

The forests came to stand for German-ness,

0:57:570:58:00

so they were really, really important in building up

0:58:000:58:03

this common heritage.

0:58:030:58:06

CLOCK CUCKOOS

0:58:070:58:08

'I'll try for a place amongst Germany's master carvers.

0:58:080:58:13

Not quite as clean as yours, but...'

0:58:130:58:14

But not too bad for the first one.

0:58:140:58:17

'And I'll get wind of an early-20th-century innovation

0:58:170:58:20

'still shaping German transport today.'

0:58:200:58:23

HE GROANS

0:58:230:58:25

Oh, blow me down!

0:58:250:58:27

Three, two, one...

0:58:270:58:29

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