0:00:03 > 0:00:05I'm on a journey around Greece.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09At the eastern edge of Europe,
0:00:09 > 0:00:10a land of mystery...
0:00:10 > 0:00:11Look at that!
0:00:14 > 0:00:18..with fabulous islands...
0:00:18 > 0:00:19..and rugged mountains.
0:00:21 > 0:00:26It's one of the most beautiful and troubled countries in Europe.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29After years of upheaval...
0:00:29 > 0:00:31Bloody hell!
0:00:31 > 0:00:33..people here are still having a tough time.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35Petrol bombs being thrown.
0:00:35 > 0:00:38I'll see how Greeks are surviving
0:00:38 > 0:00:40and enduring...
0:00:40 > 0:00:42THEY LAUGH
0:00:42 > 0:00:44It's the only way to travel.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47..in this stunning and dramatic land.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49Oh, my good God!
0:00:51 > 0:00:53On this part of my journey,
0:00:53 > 0:00:56I'll travel right across the Greek mainland.
0:00:56 > 0:01:01From the Peloponnese peninsula to the beautiful and mountainous north.
0:01:01 > 0:01:04We're in Greece. There are bears here!
0:01:04 > 0:01:08I'll see how the country dug itself into a hole...
0:01:08 > 0:01:11It's gone. It's gone. Let's go! Quick, quick, quick, quick!
0:01:11 > 0:01:12Start running.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14EXPLOSION
0:01:14 > 0:01:17..and I'll meet the rebel monks battling to preserve
0:01:17 > 0:01:18their ancient way of life.
0:01:19 > 0:01:22We're arriving at a medieval settlement.
0:01:41 > 0:01:43I'm just off the coast outside Athens
0:01:43 > 0:01:47and I'm beginning the second leg of my journey around Greece.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53Just look at the size of these ships.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58So, these are the Athens docks.
0:01:58 > 0:02:03Shipping, of course, is an industry that Greece has been famous for.
0:02:04 > 0:02:07It's an industry that has made some Greeks very rich.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14Greek firms control the world's largest merchant shipping
0:02:14 > 0:02:16fleet by tonnage.
0:02:16 > 0:02:19Including a quarter of the world's oil tankers.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22Greek shipping tycoons benefit from lavish tax breaks -
0:02:22 > 0:02:26an extraordinary quirk enshrined in the Greek constitution.
0:02:29 > 0:02:30For many of the rich here,
0:02:30 > 0:02:33their wealth has actually increased in recent years.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37It's a mad world, eh?
0:02:38 > 0:02:41Despite the country's economic crisis,
0:02:41 > 0:02:44thousands of rich Greeks still seem to be doing rather well.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49HE RESPONDS IN GREEK AND LAUGHS
0:02:50 > 0:02:51See you!
0:02:51 > 0:02:55For ordinary workers, the story's a bit different.
0:02:55 > 0:02:57Just down the road is the Perama shipyard.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02As recently as 20 years ago, 15,000 people worked here building
0:03:02 > 0:03:04and repairing ships.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07Tens of thousands more were employed indirectly.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10Now it's more like a ship graveyard.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14There is just one ship being worked on, a ferry that's being refitted.
0:03:24 > 0:03:27There's a lot of intense activity on this ship,
0:03:27 > 0:03:29but there doesn't seem to be much else going on.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37How much work have you had during the last five years,
0:03:37 > 0:03:39during the crisis?
0:03:41 > 0:03:42Can you survive on that?
0:03:46 > 0:03:49The nation gifts them generous tax breaks,
0:03:49 > 0:03:51but Greece's shipping bosses have outsourced work to other
0:03:51 > 0:03:55countries, putting at least 80% of shipbuilders here on the dole.
0:04:24 > 0:04:28It's quite sad to see a once great industry
0:04:28 > 0:04:30brought to its knees.
0:04:32 > 0:04:34It's not just shipbuilding.
0:04:34 > 0:04:39The crisis here has had a profound impact on the entire Greek economy.
0:04:39 > 0:04:43In five years, it's shrunk by more than a quarter.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45That's far more than any other country
0:04:45 > 0:04:47affected by the global economic crisis.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55I headed off across the Greek mainland.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01My first destination was the beautiful Peloponnese peninsula
0:05:01 > 0:05:03to the south-west of Athens.
0:05:15 > 0:05:18I'm crossing from the Greek mainland on that side to
0:05:18 > 0:05:23the Peloponnese on that side, which is separated by the Corinth Canal.
0:05:25 > 0:05:27What a sight.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31It's not wide enough now for most of the big oceangoing container
0:05:31 > 0:05:36ships and the biggest cruise ships, but it's still phenomenal.
0:05:36 > 0:05:40Just a few miles...length,
0:05:40 > 0:05:42but it saves ships a round trip
0:05:42 > 0:05:46of something like 450 miles around the Peloponnese.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50That's where I'm heading next.
0:05:50 > 0:05:52Oh, I'm going to get the car.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03The Peloponnese has an extraordinary history.
0:06:03 > 0:06:05The first Olympic Games were held here.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10The peninsula was home to the ancient cities of Sparta
0:06:10 > 0:06:12and Corinth.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16As Greece's agricultural heartland, most of the country's olive oil
0:06:16 > 0:06:20now comes from here, as well as huge quantities of fruit and vegetables.
0:06:26 > 0:06:28Just look at this here.
0:06:28 > 0:06:32It starts to give you a sense of the scale of what's happening here.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35You can see the plastic tunnels.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37And this is all for strawberries.
0:06:37 > 0:06:42They're a very profitable crop for farmers in this area.
0:06:45 > 0:06:48Agriculture is more important to Greece than almost any other
0:06:48 > 0:06:51country in Europe.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54But just like in many farms across the continent,
0:06:54 > 0:06:56it's not the locals who actually do most of the work.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59Despite unemployment and economic collapse,
0:06:59 > 0:07:03Greece still relies on an army of low-paid migrant workers.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06Conditions for the labourers are often very tough.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11Temperatures in these polytunnels can be more than 50 degrees.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15I met up with Dimtris Peppas, a volunteer human rights worker.
0:07:18 > 0:07:20These people are from Bangladesh.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23They work for years here. They live around here.
0:07:26 > 0:07:28Assalaamu Alaikum. Salaam.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31Very nice to meet you. How long have you been here?
0:07:34 > 0:07:3616 years.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43How much money are you able to make?
0:07:46 > 0:07:49Can we see where you're staying? Can we see where you're living?
0:07:49 > 0:07:50All right.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55- Is this where people are living, just here?- Yes.
0:07:55 > 0:07:59They're paid appallingly, work long hours, and workers told us
0:07:59 > 0:08:01they actually have to pay rent to stay here.
0:08:03 > 0:08:05So, this is the sleeping area.
0:08:07 > 0:08:09The conditions of the camp are primitive.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12There's no electricity, a basic supply of water
0:08:12 > 0:08:14and a very rudimentary toilet.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18I've been in villages
0:08:18 > 0:08:21in Bangladesh and, frankly,
0:08:21 > 0:08:24most of them are in a better state,
0:08:24 > 0:08:27better conditions than I see here.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30It's pretty shocking that people are living like this on the edge
0:08:30 > 0:08:35of prosperous European farming communities.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41There's around half a million overseas workers in the country.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44Many of them are employed illegally in the black economy,
0:08:44 > 0:08:47by unscrupulous firms and farmers.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07Dimtris, what's your take on this?
0:09:07 > 0:09:10There is such high unemployment in Greece now.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14Why is, why are Bangladeshis doing these jobs
0:09:14 > 0:09:17when, presumably, Greeks could?
0:09:32 > 0:09:35Millions more Greeks used to work in the fields.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37After Greece's economy started to take off,
0:09:37 > 0:09:41many people moved to the cities in search of a better life.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45Now it's foreign workers who do much of the backbreaking labour.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47They're often exploited.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50In 2013, Nurul, one of the Bangladeshis here,
0:09:50 > 0:09:53was involved in a case of alleged mistreatment.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55He and a group of migrant workers say
0:09:55 > 0:09:58they hadn't been paid their meagre wages for six months.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13The workers complained to one of the farm bosses
0:10:13 > 0:10:16and said they'd had enough.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19They pulled out guns?
0:10:19 > 0:10:23What on earth were you thinking at the time?
0:10:50 > 0:10:54The farm owner was acquitted of all charges.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58Two foremen were sentenced but immediately freed pending an appeal.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00Astonishingly, the migrants were
0:11:00 > 0:11:02then told they had to pay some costs.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07The exploitation of illegal workers happens across Europe.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12Many of these workers remain stuck in a terrible limbo,
0:11:12 > 0:11:15just praying they will get a work permit.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20For them, that work permit is like a lottery win.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24It's a chance to stay in a country that they've committed to,
0:11:24 > 0:11:26but it's also an opportunity for them to get a better paid job.
0:11:26 > 0:11:31That's why they're enduring what is, in many ways, modern slavery.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46I left the farmland of the Peloponnese peninsula
0:11:46 > 0:11:48and began my journey to Greece's North.
0:11:50 > 0:11:52Here we are.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56I'll get my bag out.
0:12:01 > 0:12:03I dropped off my hire car and hopped on an intercity train.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11Where's the numbers?
0:12:16 > 0:12:20We can go in here, look, it's a kiddie play area.
0:12:20 > 0:12:22That's not bad, is it?
0:12:22 > 0:12:25I don't think that's where we've got a ticket, though.
0:12:26 > 0:12:29I'd never seen a play room on a train before.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32Surprisingly, there were very few other passengers.
0:12:40 > 0:12:43The train cuts right across the Greek mainland,
0:12:43 > 0:12:44through beautiful scenery.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50Greek trains have been a huge drain on the country.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53Vast sums have been ploughed into building and running major
0:12:53 > 0:12:56public infrastructure like the rail network.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58Even though Greece has some of the lowest passenger
0:12:58 > 0:13:00levels of anywhere in Europe.
0:13:01 > 0:13:05Greek railway has lost billions and billions of pounds.
0:13:06 > 0:13:08They haven't sold enough tickets,
0:13:08 > 0:13:11they pay enormous salaries to their staff,
0:13:11 > 0:13:14and one government minister actually said, at one point,
0:13:14 > 0:13:16that it would be cheaper to send
0:13:16 > 0:13:19everyone who wants to travel on a train by taxi.
0:13:19 > 0:13:23And he wasn't entirely joking.
0:13:23 > 0:13:25For years, successive Greek governments borrowed
0:13:25 > 0:13:28and squandered enormous sums.
0:13:28 > 0:13:30Greeks lived way beyond their means.
0:13:33 > 0:13:37The train took me to Thessaloniki, Greece's second city.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49I'd arrived in time for one of the biggest events on the calendar here.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54The national military parade.
0:13:54 > 0:13:57It commemorates Greece's heroic resistance in World War II.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00BRASS BAND PLAYS
0:14:05 > 0:14:08They still have national service in Greece,
0:14:08 > 0:14:10and the top brass love to put on a show.
0:14:13 > 0:14:15Now we're getting more into a parade that's...
0:14:15 > 0:14:18This is like something you'd see in Red Square or Pyongyang.
0:14:20 > 0:14:23Greece still has a tense relationship
0:14:23 > 0:14:25with neighbouring Turkey, but, even taking that into account,
0:14:25 > 0:14:28Greeks spend a fortune on their military.
0:14:31 > 0:14:32Bloody hell.
0:14:32 > 0:14:37Greece has a huge army with almost twice as many tanks as the UK
0:14:37 > 0:14:39and France combined.
0:14:40 > 0:14:42The size of Greece's military
0:14:42 > 0:14:45spending is quite extraordinary.
0:14:45 > 0:14:48For years, Greece - as in Greece -
0:14:48 > 0:14:52was one of the biggest arms importers in the world.
0:14:53 > 0:14:54The world.
0:14:57 > 0:14:59One of the major providers of the weapons,
0:14:59 > 0:15:03and a major source of Greece's financial problems, is Germany.
0:15:06 > 0:15:11Greece has bought scores of highly advanced German tanks.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19Greece spent nearly two billion euros on German tanks.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22It spent three billion on German submarines.
0:15:22 > 0:15:25Before the financial crisis, German banks and officials
0:15:25 > 0:15:28were among those encouraging Greece to take out vast loans.
0:15:29 > 0:15:33It's alleged that several German corporations then paid huge bribes
0:15:33 > 0:15:36to corrupt Greek officials to persuade them
0:15:36 > 0:15:38to spend money the country couldn't afford.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52Greece has made terrible mistakes.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56Taxes haven't been paid, money has been wasted, but bankers and
0:15:56 > 0:16:01giant European corporations helped to get Greece into the mess it's in.
0:16:01 > 0:16:04It's not surprising, then, that many Greeks resent Germany insisting
0:16:04 > 0:16:08on years of severe austerity here, and on Greece paying back its debts.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13Look at this!
0:16:13 > 0:16:17The bars and the restaurants here are completely rammed.
0:16:18 > 0:16:21It's fair to say that austerity doesn't come naturally to
0:16:21 > 0:16:25most Greeks. Many will say they live for the moment.
0:16:25 > 0:16:27And, in Thessaloniki, that can involve
0:16:27 > 0:16:31splashing some cash on a big night out in a bouzoukia club.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34SHE SINGS IN GREEK
0:16:39 > 0:16:42People come here to see big-name singers, let their hair down
0:16:42 > 0:16:45and, oddly, buy carnations.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04Hundreds of trays of flowers, at five euros a pop,
0:17:04 > 0:17:06are showered on the singer.
0:17:06 > 0:17:09On my journey, Greeks have constantly been telling me
0:17:09 > 0:17:12the entire country was suffering.
0:17:12 > 0:17:15I'd certainly seen a lot of poverty.
0:17:15 > 0:17:18But, of course, some here do still have enough cash
0:17:18 > 0:17:20to enjoy a good time.
0:17:35 > 0:17:37That was a giggle.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39I'm slightly hammered.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42It doesn't take much, to be honest.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46Obviously my inner German is saying to me,
0:17:46 > 0:17:50"Don't waste your money throwing flowers at singers.
0:17:50 > 0:17:52"Save it, squirrel it away."
0:17:52 > 0:17:54But my inner Greek is saying to me,
0:17:54 > 0:17:58"Life is short. Party while you can."
0:17:58 > 0:18:01And you know what? It's the inner Greek that is winning.
0:18:19 > 0:18:21The north of the country couldn't be more different to the
0:18:21 > 0:18:25familiar Greek imagery of sunbaked islands and aquamarine seas.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31Look at these mountains. It's stunning up here.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37This is a part of Greece that most people don't even know exists.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46I was in the Pindus Mountains, close to the border with Albania.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53I was heading towards one of the most dramatic sights in Europe.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57My God, look at that!
0:18:57 > 0:19:01This...is the Vikos Gorge.
0:19:01 > 0:19:04It's one of the biggest, deepest gorges in the world.
0:19:12 > 0:19:17Limestone cliffs tower up to 1,600 feet over the river below.
0:19:18 > 0:19:21Hello! HIS VOICE ECHOES
0:19:34 > 0:19:37The north of Greece contains hundreds of square miles
0:19:37 > 0:19:39of stunning wilderness.
0:19:40 > 0:19:43These mountains are still home to some of Europe's
0:19:43 > 0:19:45largest wild predators.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52Conservationist Melina Avgerinou took me to meet them.
0:19:55 > 0:19:57Bears!
0:19:57 > 0:19:59We're in Greece. There are bears here!
0:20:02 > 0:20:04This sanctuary is run by the charity, Arcturos.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08Wow.
0:20:14 > 0:20:17(Look. On his legs.)
0:20:17 > 0:20:18Heya!
0:20:18 > 0:20:20SIMON MAKES KISSING SOUNDS
0:20:23 > 0:20:25Look at you!
0:20:25 > 0:20:27We killed our bears in Britain centuries ago,
0:20:27 > 0:20:30but there are still some in the wild in Greece.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33Most of the bears here have been rescued from people
0:20:33 > 0:20:37around the region who were keeping them for entertainment.
0:20:37 > 0:20:40They will train them to perform in front of people
0:20:40 > 0:20:42in small villages,
0:20:42 > 0:20:45wandering around, like a small private circus.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49- What, they were dancing bears? - Dancing bears, yes.
0:20:49 > 0:20:51Incredibly, until recently,
0:20:51 > 0:20:54Greece still had a tradition of dancing bears.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58Arcturos was instrumental in ending the dark trade.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01They would train them when they were very young. Usually,
0:21:01 > 0:21:04they were killing their mother in order to take them from
0:21:04 > 0:21:07the den, and the procedure of training is very hard,
0:21:07 > 0:21:12because they put the chains through their lips and their noses,
0:21:12 > 0:21:16they break their teeth and their claws, and they usually train them
0:21:16 > 0:21:20on hot metal stilts so that they will do this move that they do to...
0:21:20 > 0:21:24lift their paws off the ground and they, at the same time, they
0:21:24 > 0:21:27would hit the tambourine to the bears so they would combine
0:21:27 > 0:21:29the noise with the pain they feel,
0:21:29 > 0:21:32and then they would perform in front of humans.
0:21:32 > 0:21:35It was illegal in Greece, but this law was not enforced,
0:21:35 > 0:21:38mainly because there was no place for the animals to go
0:21:38 > 0:21:41when they were taken from their owners.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44What Arcturos did is that we created the sanctuary
0:21:44 > 0:21:46and we cooperated with the police.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49They confiscated the bears and they gave them a place to go.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54While the horrific dancing bear trade has been stopped
0:21:54 > 0:21:59in Greece at least, the country's bears still need protecting.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02This is a wild bear's damage.
0:22:02 > 0:22:06Melina, just here, the fence has been taken down by wild bears.
0:22:06 > 0:22:10Yes, exactly. We fix this fence all the time.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13There's wild bears out there.
0:22:13 > 0:22:14I love it.
0:22:14 > 0:22:17I think there's something exciting about being in a wild environment
0:22:17 > 0:22:21with a creature we can't control. They make life more interesting.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23Who's this?
0:22:23 > 0:22:26This is our baby boy, Ushka.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29Unfortunately, not everyone loves bears.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33Melina, why's he dragging his feet?
0:22:33 > 0:22:37He has a fracture in his spine.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39- He has a broken back?- Yes.
0:22:39 > 0:22:42- Is he paralysed?- Exactly.
0:22:42 > 0:22:44Ushka was just a few months old.
0:22:46 > 0:22:50Melina thinks he must have been injured not long after he was born.
0:22:50 > 0:22:52Can I risk giving you that? Yes, I can.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56How did his back get broken?
0:22:57 > 0:23:00The vets believe that it could be hit by somebody,
0:23:00 > 0:23:03and maybe not a car because if it was a car,
0:23:03 > 0:23:05the injuries might be worse than that.
0:23:05 > 0:23:09So, you mean somebody has taken a club or something
0:23:09 > 0:23:13to this tiny creature and have hit?
0:23:13 > 0:23:15He was just eight kilos when he went,
0:23:15 > 0:23:17so it was even smaller than that.
0:23:17 > 0:23:20I think I can honestly say I have never seen
0:23:20 > 0:23:23a cuter yet more tragic sight.
0:23:23 > 0:23:28We do horrific things to animals.
0:23:28 > 0:23:29Vets say they can't operate on Ushka
0:23:29 > 0:23:32but, because he's young, it's hoped he'll adapt.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36In the meantime, Melina tries to manage his condition.
0:23:36 > 0:23:39So, you're about to put some ointment on him.
0:23:39 > 0:23:40Yes, but he doesn't want to.
0:23:40 > 0:23:44He knows what the white glove means, presumably.
0:23:45 > 0:23:48Today she needs to treat the painful sores that Ushka
0:23:48 > 0:23:53has from dragging himself across the ground.
0:23:53 > 0:23:54But he's not so keen.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58He knows that smell of this specific...
0:23:58 > 0:24:00Oh, he's keeping an eye.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02He's too bright, isn't he?
0:24:02 > 0:24:05He knows behind your back you've got the cream.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07Oh, he's keeping his back to you.
0:24:09 > 0:24:10Aww.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14SHE SPEAKS TO USHKA
0:24:20 > 0:24:23HE GROWLS
0:24:30 > 0:24:33You look like a feisty, intelligent bear,
0:24:33 > 0:24:36that so wants to live and so deserves to.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38We need to do the best that we can for him.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41- He wants to fight so you need to fight for him.- He does. Yes.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51Brown bears can attack flocks of sheep and crops.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55There's wolves as well here in this wild corner of Europe.
0:24:58 > 0:25:00Melina took me to meet a local shepherd.
0:25:01 > 0:25:04Yassas.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07Have you encountered bears in this area before,
0:25:07 > 0:25:09have you come into conflict with them?
0:25:13 > 0:25:18Are there actually packs of wild wolves roaming around...
0:25:18 > 0:25:19roaming around here?
0:25:33 > 0:25:36Farmers used to shoot wolves and bears to defend their flocks
0:25:36 > 0:25:40but we can't keep wiping out our native wildlife.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43Now Arktouros is helping the farmers to do something wonderful
0:25:43 > 0:25:45and live with them.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49They're using old-fashioned methods - powerful sheepdogs.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52What a magnificent beast, look at it as well.
0:25:52 > 0:25:55Characteristic of these dogs is that they will...
0:25:55 > 0:25:58You can see the female dog sleeping in the sheep,
0:25:58 > 0:26:02so even if wolves or a bear comes now,
0:26:02 > 0:26:05they won't chase it away and leave the animals unprotected,
0:26:05 > 0:26:09they will just gather it and stay here and it will keep it safe,
0:26:09 > 0:26:14and bark, chase...bark the bear away, not chase it away.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17The sanctuary has now supplied more than 1,000
0:26:17 > 0:26:20traditional Greek sheepdogs to farmers across northern Greece.
0:26:20 > 0:26:24So all you need to do now is train these dogs to milk the sheep
0:26:24 > 0:26:26and they're doing the whole job for you!
0:26:37 > 0:26:40What's happening here is inspiring.
0:26:40 > 0:26:44They're proving people can live in harmony with large predators.
0:26:44 > 0:26:47Hopefully it will encourage new plans
0:26:47 > 0:26:50to rewild large areas of Europe, including Britain.
0:26:53 > 0:26:57The existence of these vast areas of wilderness is a reminder
0:26:57 > 0:26:59Greece only developed recently.
0:26:59 > 0:27:04Up until the 1950s, most of Greece was...
0:27:04 > 0:27:07farmland and agriculture
0:27:07 > 0:27:09and very basic industry.
0:27:09 > 0:27:13And then somebody realised that there was something under
0:27:13 > 0:27:17the ground, that if they dug it up and burned it they could power
0:27:17 > 0:27:19an industrial revolution.
0:27:19 > 0:27:22Wow, look at the size of that power station.
0:27:25 > 0:27:28The north of Greece is coal country.
0:27:28 > 0:27:32There are massive coalfields here that helped to transform Greece.
0:27:32 > 0:27:36It's a resource that still plays a crucial role.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40I went to one of the huge mines that helps Greece keep its lights on.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46So this is Miltos over here. Miltos is one of the bosses...
0:27:46 > 0:27:49- Mining engineer.- Mining engineer. - I'm a mining engineer, yes.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51He's one of the bosses!
0:27:51 > 0:27:53He's going to take us out to show us the mine.
0:27:53 > 0:27:56Very difficult weather conditions during the winter.
0:27:56 > 0:27:58- Yeah, you get snow here.- Yes.
0:27:58 > 0:28:00This is part of Greece where you get proper seasons,
0:28:00 > 0:28:02not just sunshine all year round.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06Minus ten degrees or minus 20 degrees during winter.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08In Greece? It can get to minus 20?
0:28:08 > 0:28:11In this area of Greece, yes. OK.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18Oh, my goodness.
0:28:21 > 0:28:23Look at the scale of it!
0:28:27 > 0:28:30- This is less than half of the mine. - It's enormous.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34More than 30 square miles in size.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37The mine supplies Greece's two largest power stations.
0:28:38 > 0:28:43We have 3,000 people operating all year long, even on Christmas.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47Because if this closes down, so does Greece.
0:28:47 > 0:28:50When this mine has a problem, Athens, the capital,
0:28:50 > 0:28:54with four and a half million people, has a problem with electricity.
0:28:54 > 0:28:57As much as half of Greece's total electricity needs
0:28:57 > 0:29:01are met by burning coal from these mines.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04- This is the blasting area.- Right. - So we will go down there.
0:29:04 > 0:29:06They are expecting us.
0:29:08 > 0:29:10They blast several times a day here,
0:29:10 > 0:29:13and we're just going to the scene of the next one.
0:29:13 > 0:29:18The coal itself could be up to 170 metres below the surface.
0:29:18 > 0:29:20Getting to it requires serious force.
0:29:20 > 0:29:22HE SPEAKS GREEK
0:29:25 > 0:29:30Don't step on the...blue wire, OK? It's explosives.
0:29:30 > 0:29:33- OK.- It's a...safety fuse.
0:29:33 > 0:29:36We have 140 blast holes,
0:29:36 > 0:29:40with 4.2 tonnes of explosives.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43- 4.2 tonnes?- 4.2 tonnes.
0:29:43 > 0:29:45This is the primer.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51So that is...that's the explosive that's going in there?
0:29:51 > 0:29:54That comes out like a sort of white foam. Bizarre.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57And look at that up there, it's got on the sides,
0:29:57 > 0:30:00"mixing solutions for an explosive situation".
0:30:04 > 0:30:07Right, so now they're going to connect it up.
0:30:19 > 0:30:21Well, they're off.
0:30:21 > 0:30:25So this is, erm, detonating cord.
0:30:25 > 0:30:29- This is something that burns, not...blasts.- Right.
0:30:29 > 0:30:31He will give us one minute.
0:30:31 > 0:30:35- One minute until four tonnes of explosives goes up?- Yes.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39This is, er... This is an interesting way of doing it.
0:30:39 > 0:30:43So you don't have a button that you press from a long distance?
0:30:43 > 0:30:47No, no, no, no. He will give the initiation here with a...match.
0:30:47 > 0:30:51- He lights it with a match?- Yes.- Wow. - And if we stay here...
0:30:51 > 0:30:53nice to meet you.
0:30:53 > 0:30:57- So how do we get out of here? - When Markos will light it up,
0:30:57 > 0:31:00we will have to start running
0:31:00 > 0:31:03together with him to go on the track. OK?
0:31:03 > 0:31:07- We start running? OK. - Start running.- OK, fine.
0:31:07 > 0:31:08Is he completely mad?
0:31:09 > 0:31:11I keep thinking he's joking.
0:31:15 > 0:31:19- You only have 60.- We understand. - Seconds.- Yeah.- OK?
0:31:21 > 0:31:23MILTOS SPEAKS GREEK
0:31:23 > 0:31:26- We are starting.- OK.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29It's gone, it's gone. Let's go. Quick.
0:31:29 > 0:31:31Quick, quick, quick, quick.
0:31:31 > 0:31:35MILTOS SPEAKS GREEK
0:31:35 > 0:31:37SIREN BLARES
0:31:44 > 0:31:45Wow!
0:31:49 > 0:31:50Bloody hell.
0:31:51 > 0:31:53That was incredible.
0:31:53 > 0:31:56I mean, it's scary, and a little bit worrying,
0:31:56 > 0:32:00er, Greek health and safety being what it is, but...
0:32:00 > 0:32:01it was all OK.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06With the ground blasted and the upper layers of earth removed,
0:32:06 > 0:32:09the miners can reach what they're really after.
0:32:09 > 0:32:11So now we start to see the coal.
0:32:13 > 0:32:17Every day up to 65,000 tonnes of coal are dug out of the ground here.
0:32:24 > 0:32:28Nine of these giant machines turn the ground into fuel.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36Oh, my God, look at it.
0:32:38 > 0:32:40The size of it!
0:32:41 > 0:32:45Great clanking dragon of a machine.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50My God, it's moving! Look, right now!
0:32:52 > 0:32:58The machines are extraordinary. But coal is an environmental disaster.
0:32:58 > 0:33:01Coal's by far the most polluting source of electricity
0:33:01 > 0:33:04and this type, lignite, is particularly bad.
0:33:06 > 0:33:07It's a Europe-wide issue.
0:33:07 > 0:33:10Germany, the UK and Poland top a list
0:33:10 > 0:33:14for the dirtiest coal-fired power stations in the EU.
0:33:14 > 0:33:18If we're to get serious about tackling climate change, emissions
0:33:18 > 0:33:21from coal power will have to be phased out over the next decade.
0:33:21 > 0:33:23That looks unlikely in Greece.
0:33:24 > 0:33:30What do you say to people who say this is a very dirty way
0:33:30 > 0:33:32to create electricity?
0:33:32 > 0:33:33From the time being,
0:33:33 > 0:33:37and considering the situation that the country is,
0:33:37 > 0:33:43gives us...a steady energy for the right...for this moment.
0:33:43 > 0:33:47An energy that we don't have to pay somebody else from outside
0:33:47 > 0:33:50the country, it's here, it's ours, we can use it,
0:33:50 > 0:33:54we can use it to...to start again, to restart the country.
0:33:55 > 0:33:59Considering the...economical crisis.
0:34:02 > 0:34:06The environmental costs of Greece's coal industry are shocking.
0:34:06 > 0:34:07The pollution from power stations
0:34:07 > 0:34:11is thought to cause hundreds of premature deaths every year.
0:34:13 > 0:34:16The mine is also eating into neighbouring areas,
0:34:16 > 0:34:20emptying local villages and displacing hundreds of families.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24It's such a shame Greece's leaders didn't use all that money
0:34:24 > 0:34:27they borrowed, and often squandered, to invest in solar power that
0:34:27 > 0:34:31could now be providing electricity for the country.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33They're in a complete bind here now,
0:34:33 > 0:34:35because they can't in many ways
0:34:35 > 0:34:38afford to bring an end to the mining.
0:34:38 > 0:34:39They need the energy from it,
0:34:39 > 0:34:42because they haven't got many alternatives,
0:34:42 > 0:34:44they haven't invested in solar power,
0:34:44 > 0:34:48and the jobs are really critical to the country as well.
0:34:48 > 0:34:53This area of Greece has 72% youth unemployment.
0:34:54 > 0:34:57That is the highest in the whole of Europe.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02They can't afford to close the mine
0:35:02 > 0:35:06and for all those men and women to lose their jobs.
0:35:07 > 0:35:09And so...
0:35:09 > 0:35:11the mining will continue.
0:35:22 > 0:35:25Many have suggested there could be something in the Greek character
0:35:25 > 0:35:28that helped shape their recent history.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31It's risky to generalise, but I will anyway.
0:35:31 > 0:35:34Greeks are often proud and strong-willed.
0:35:34 > 0:35:37They're not mad about being told what to do.
0:35:38 > 0:35:41I just want to show you this. This...
0:35:41 > 0:35:45is a spare seatbelt buckle.
0:35:46 > 0:35:49So you can buy these across most of Greece
0:35:49 > 0:35:54and people put it into the seatbelt holder to stop the car
0:35:54 > 0:35:57bleeping at them, telling them "buckle up".
0:35:57 > 0:36:01This is where the safety precautions of the motor industry collide
0:36:01 > 0:36:06with the mentality, the pride, the stubbornness of modern Greece.
0:36:08 > 0:36:10And the stubbornness wins!
0:36:11 > 0:36:14It's unbelievable.
0:36:14 > 0:36:18A lot of Greeks still refuse to wear a seat belt or a motorcycle helmet.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20So it's hardly surprising Greece has
0:36:20 > 0:36:23some of the highest road-death figures in Europe.
0:36:23 > 0:36:27I tell you what gives you a sense of how dangerous many Greek roads are,
0:36:27 > 0:36:31it's the number of shrines that you see alongside the road,
0:36:31 > 0:36:35marking the spot where somebody's had an accident and survived
0:36:35 > 0:36:38and they've put a shrine there because they're rather happy,
0:36:38 > 0:36:42or their family have put a shrine there because they've been killed.
0:36:49 > 0:36:53My journey took me back to the Greek coast and the Halkidiki Peninsula.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58My route offered me a chance to find out more about an aspect
0:36:58 > 0:37:02of Greek life that's more important than many outsiders realise.
0:37:02 > 0:37:05We often think of countries like Italy or Ireland
0:37:05 > 0:37:07as being very religious,
0:37:07 > 0:37:10but Greece's identity has also been shaped by the Church.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13The Greek Orthodox Church.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16Surveys suggest more than 90% of Greeks
0:37:16 > 0:37:19consider themselves Orthodox Christian.
0:37:19 > 0:37:21Journalist Kostas Kallergis
0:37:21 > 0:37:24offered to take me to the heart of Greek Orthodoxy.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27And this...is our boat.
0:37:28 > 0:37:31Well, it's not OUR boat, you know. It's a ferry.
0:37:38 > 0:37:42We're heading to a part of Greece that is semi-autonomous,
0:37:42 > 0:37:46cut off, and runs most of its own affairs.
0:37:49 > 0:37:51These are the monasteries of Mount Athos.
0:37:53 > 0:37:57They're home to the oldest surviving monastic communities in the world.
0:37:59 > 0:38:01Look at that!
0:38:01 > 0:38:03That actually is devotion.
0:38:03 > 0:38:07Imagine what it takes... to build that up there.
0:38:10 > 0:38:15The 20 ancient monasteries here have stood for 1,000 years.
0:38:16 > 0:38:20During much of that time, Greece was ruled by the Ottomans,
0:38:20 > 0:38:23the Muslim empire based in what's now Turkey.
0:38:25 > 0:38:29When the Greeks successfully battled for their independence
0:38:29 > 0:38:33in the 1800s, the Church was at the forefront of the campaign.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36Greek Orthodoxy, the religion, is very, very central,
0:38:36 > 0:38:39er, to the identity of our modern Greece.
0:38:39 > 0:38:41One of the first persons who announced
0:38:41 > 0:38:44the beginning of the independence was a priest.
0:38:44 > 0:38:47- Erm, that's... - What, he would sort of rise up,
0:38:47 > 0:38:51- "My fellow Greeks, follow the cross, follow the flag," that sort of idea? - Yeah.
0:38:51 > 0:38:54You had to be both a Greek speaker
0:38:54 > 0:38:57and a Christian Orthodox to be a proper Greek.
0:38:57 > 0:39:03So are you saying, then, almost to be Greek you need to be religious?
0:39:03 > 0:39:08It's not necessarily a matter of faith
0:39:08 > 0:39:11but also in the way that the Greek Church
0:39:11 > 0:39:17is intervening into the daily life and what is allowed or not allowed.
0:39:17 > 0:39:19Intervening? In what way?
0:39:19 > 0:39:22For example, if you want to be cremated after death,
0:39:22 > 0:39:25- you can't do that in Greece. - You can't be cremated?- You can't.
0:39:25 > 0:39:29Because the idea of burning a body was not in the Christian
0:39:29 > 0:39:31religion since its origins.
0:39:31 > 0:39:33Throughout the history of modern Greece,
0:39:33 > 0:39:37the church has helped to shape Greek identity.
0:39:37 > 0:39:41The Orthodox Church still has a pivotal role in Greek life.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44Priests are still paid by the government
0:39:44 > 0:39:47and the Church is involved in shaping the school curriculum.
0:39:47 > 0:39:49Because I'm extremely observant,
0:39:49 > 0:39:53Kostas, I've noticed there doesn't seem to be any...any women.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56Women are not allowed in Mount Athos.
0:39:56 > 0:39:58The easiest way to explain it is that women,
0:39:58 > 0:40:03together with other things, are...one more temptation,
0:40:03 > 0:40:06so they shouldn't distract the monks
0:40:06 > 0:40:10- from devoting 100% of themselves to God.- I see.
0:40:10 > 0:40:14- It's the same with meat.- No meat? - No meat.- No meat and no women?
0:40:14 > 0:40:18- Where the hell are we going?!- It's great, the...- Can we turn around?
0:40:19 > 0:40:23Women haven't been allowed on Mount Athos for 1,000 years.
0:40:25 > 0:40:28The monks certainly live an austere life.
0:40:31 > 0:40:34But Kostas was taking me to one monastery where the monks
0:40:34 > 0:40:37have taken their beliefs to an extreme.
0:40:40 > 0:40:43To get there, we had to wait for nightfall.
0:40:50 > 0:40:52SIMON GROANS
0:40:54 > 0:40:56It's half past four in the morning.
0:40:59 > 0:41:02The monks I was heading to see have become infamous.
0:41:03 > 0:41:07The Orthodox Church has tried to kick them out of their monastery,
0:41:07 > 0:41:10which has now been sealed off.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22(There's a police checkpoint just a short distance up the road
0:41:22 > 0:41:25(so we need to get through here into the bushes quickly.)
0:41:25 > 0:41:29'The rebel monks have set up a smuggling route
0:41:29 > 0:41:31'to get supplies in and out.
0:41:31 > 0:41:34'They'd agreed to try and smuggle us in.'
0:41:34 > 0:41:37(So now we're inside Mount Athos.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40(And we're following...a monk.)
0:41:40 > 0:41:42HE SPEAKS GREEK
0:41:42 > 0:41:46The monks we're going to see have a very difficult relationship
0:41:46 > 0:41:49with the Orthodox Church establishment.
0:41:49 > 0:41:55Er, monks have been injured on both sides
0:41:55 > 0:41:59in what some have called pitched battles between
0:41:59 > 0:42:01the rebels and the establishment.
0:42:01 > 0:42:05So that's the reason for all this subterfuge.
0:42:05 > 0:42:07'The dispute between the monks and church
0:42:07 > 0:42:10'has left the monastery isolated.
0:42:14 > 0:42:17'As dawn broke we boarded the monk's pick-up.
0:42:26 > 0:42:30'The monastery was another hour away on a dirt road.'
0:42:47 > 0:42:51We're arriving at a medieval settlement.
0:42:54 > 0:42:57My goodness.
0:42:57 > 0:43:00- Yassas.- It would appear we've arrived.
0:43:00 > 0:43:01Yassas.
0:43:01 > 0:43:03MONK CHUCKLES
0:43:03 > 0:43:07The Esphigmenou monastery was built 1,000 years ago.
0:43:09 > 0:43:13The 120 monks who live here today are led by Father Methodius.
0:43:27 > 0:43:30Quite recently you've come into a dispute, I think,
0:43:30 > 0:43:34with the...with the rest of the Greek Orthodox Church.
0:43:34 > 0:43:37Can you explain what's happened and why?
0:43:56 > 0:44:00'The origins of this extraordinary dispute go back decades.
0:44:00 > 0:44:02'The Greek Orthodox Church decided to modernise
0:44:02 > 0:44:06'and build bridges with other branches of Christianity.
0:44:07 > 0:44:09'These monks view that as heresy.
0:44:10 > 0:44:13'Over the years the dispute has escalated.
0:44:13 > 0:44:15'The Patriarch, or head of the Orthodox Church,
0:44:15 > 0:44:18'has told the fathers here to leave the monastery.
0:44:18 > 0:44:21'And he's appointed replacement monks.
0:44:21 > 0:44:22'When they turned up,
0:44:22 > 0:44:26'Father Methodius claims the situation turned violent.'
0:44:37 > 0:44:41It's hard to verify exactly what happened.
0:44:41 > 0:44:44The Orthodox Church says these monks are squatters
0:44:44 > 0:44:47and it continues to develop friendly relations
0:44:47 > 0:44:49with other Christian faiths.
0:44:49 > 0:44:53Meanwhile, these monks are taking their faith to an extreme.
0:45:04 > 0:45:06The hardline stance of the brotherhood
0:45:06 > 0:45:10means they've had to learn to look after themselves.
0:45:17 > 0:45:19And what needs to be done now?
0:45:19 > 0:45:21HE CHUCKLES
0:45:33 > 0:45:36He's straight up and into the tractor.
0:45:37 > 0:45:40You don't mean in the bucket?
0:45:40 > 0:45:42The father is...
0:46:08 > 0:46:10HORN SOUNDS
0:46:12 > 0:46:14It's the only way to travel.
0:46:14 > 0:46:18Everything they need to survive is smuggled in, grown
0:46:18 > 0:46:20or made by the monks themselves.
0:46:23 > 0:46:25Might call for a minicab on the way back.
0:46:29 > 0:46:32So this is the workshop. Where are the mechanics?
0:46:35 > 0:46:37All the work is done by the monks?
0:47:00 > 0:47:03They're hardcore here, but they've got humour.
0:47:03 > 0:47:07And pride as well. I think the... the sense I have from the father
0:47:07 > 0:47:10is he's proud of what they're able to do here,
0:47:10 > 0:47:12proud of the brothers.
0:47:16 > 0:47:19They've learned to cope with just the bare necessities.
0:47:24 > 0:47:27It's a simple life away from all temptations.
0:47:27 > 0:47:30Well, nearly all.
0:47:30 > 0:47:31What is this?
0:47:41 > 0:47:44They want to... They want you to drink a bit of ouzo.
0:47:44 > 0:47:49- 55%, er, alcohol.- 55%?!
0:47:49 > 0:47:52- We've got some ice if you want. - SIMON LAUGHS
0:47:55 > 0:47:57I shouldn't take first.
0:47:58 > 0:48:02So we have had magnificent hospitality everywhere we've been,
0:48:02 > 0:48:04and nowhere more unusual than here.
0:48:04 > 0:48:08- But thank you very much indeed. To Greece!- Thank you.
0:48:13 > 0:48:15That's going down very nicely.
0:48:17 > 0:48:18The fathers of Esphigmenou
0:48:18 > 0:48:21follow an extreme version of Greek Orthodoxy,
0:48:21 > 0:48:24but their attitude to faith and country
0:48:24 > 0:48:27is one many Greeks would recognise.
0:48:47 > 0:48:50Most Greeks still have a real sense of their country
0:48:50 > 0:48:52as a Christian nation,
0:48:52 > 0:48:56very different, they think, to its Muslim neighbours to the east.
0:48:56 > 0:48:58Indeed, many here see Greece
0:48:58 > 0:49:02as a bastion of Christianity on the edge of Europe.
0:49:11 > 0:49:13Well, it's been fascinating being here.
0:49:13 > 0:49:17But I'm going to leave tonight, and I'm just waiting for a monk to come
0:49:17 > 0:49:21and get me, because I'm going to leave the same way I came in.
0:49:21 > 0:49:24Under the cover of darkness.
0:49:24 > 0:49:28The 20 monasteries on this Mount Athos Peninsula are fortresses,
0:49:28 > 0:49:32not just for their inhabitants but also for an ideal,
0:49:32 > 0:49:36that Greece and the Christian Orthodox faith must always be one.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48I was headed towards the country's border with Turkey
0:49:48 > 0:49:51and an area called Western Thrace.
0:49:52 > 0:49:55Greece is overwhelmingly Christian
0:49:55 > 0:49:57but this part of the country is different.
0:50:03 > 0:50:06- Amazing colour trees everywhere. - Yes.- Look at that. That's beautiful.
0:50:06 > 0:50:09- We have all the colours.- Yeah!
0:50:09 > 0:50:11This English teacher
0:50:11 > 0:50:14was showing me around a largely forgotten corner of Greece.
0:50:14 > 0:50:17When I'm in another country and they ask me,
0:50:17 > 0:50:19"Where are you from?" and I say that I'm from Greece,
0:50:19 > 0:50:24they are surprised that there are Muslims living in Greece.
0:50:24 > 0:50:28We've been living here for years, you know, and...
0:50:28 > 0:50:32- most of the people don't know us. - What a stunning view.
0:50:32 > 0:50:35- Yeah, this is the village.- Wow.
0:50:35 > 0:50:39This region is home to around 100,000 Muslims.
0:50:39 > 0:50:43A community that has been here for centuries.
0:50:43 > 0:50:45They found themselves living in Greece
0:50:45 > 0:50:48when regional borders were redrawn in the early 1900s.
0:50:48 > 0:50:50MUEZZIN CALLS
0:50:51 > 0:50:55- Is that the call to prayer? - Yeah, for prayer.
0:50:55 > 0:50:58- Call to prayer coming from the mosque.- Mm-hm.
0:50:59 > 0:51:03For decades Greece was locked in a kind of cold war with the Turks
0:51:03 > 0:51:06and the Greek authorities seemed to regard Muslims here
0:51:06 > 0:51:08as an enemy within.
0:51:11 > 0:51:13Assalaamu Alaikum.
0:51:13 > 0:51:16Military checkpoints meant movement in and out of the region
0:51:16 > 0:51:18were strictly controlled.
0:51:18 > 0:51:22Many people in this area were even denied Greek passports.
0:51:23 > 0:51:26- Assalaamu Alaikum. - Assalaamu Alaikum.
0:51:26 > 0:51:29I'm getting a sense that there's pleasure
0:51:29 > 0:51:33- and mild amusement from people that we are here.- Yes.
0:51:33 > 0:51:38- Because you felt ignored for perhaps a long time?- Very long time.
0:51:38 > 0:51:41The Christians that live in Thessaloniki, which is
0:51:41 > 0:51:45two hours' drive from here, they don't know that we exist.
0:51:45 > 0:51:47Even the Christians from Greece.
0:51:48 > 0:51:52Only in the last 15 years, and under pressure from the EU,
0:51:52 > 0:51:55have barriers been removed and things started to change.
0:51:55 > 0:51:57TRADITIONAL DANCE MUSIC PLAYS
0:52:01 > 0:52:03The cutest sight in the country.
0:52:04 > 0:52:08'People here are proud of their distinct ethnic identity.
0:52:08 > 0:52:11'Many speak a Turkish dialect.'
0:52:11 > 0:52:13Yay!
0:52:13 > 0:52:16'But with barriers coming down, this community itself has become
0:52:16 > 0:52:20'more open to the rest of Greece, including its language.'
0:52:20 > 0:52:22Yassas. Assalaamu Alaikum.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25'There's a realisation here that to be part of their country,
0:52:25 > 0:52:29'obviously women from the village need to speak Greek.'
0:52:35 > 0:52:38A Greek teacher, paid for by the state,
0:52:38 > 0:52:41has come into the community to encourage integration.
0:52:52 > 0:52:55Yay! SIMON CLAPS
0:52:57 > 0:53:01So is this, for you, really life-changing?
0:53:15 > 0:53:17OK. Well, thank you very much indeed.
0:53:21 > 0:53:25There was, I think, a conscious decision by the Greek state
0:53:25 > 0:53:29to ignore the presence of these people here,
0:53:29 > 0:53:31and thankfully that's now starting to change.
0:53:33 > 0:53:35MUEZZIN CALLS
0:53:37 > 0:53:41It was a reminder to me that modern Greece is a young country.
0:53:42 > 0:53:45And that it's still coming to terms with some borders
0:53:45 > 0:53:47that are less than 100 years old.
0:53:58 > 0:54:02My journey across Greece was coming to an end.
0:54:03 > 0:54:07It's a country that went through an incredibly fast modernisation,
0:54:07 > 0:54:11partly fuelled by its membership of the European Union.
0:54:11 > 0:54:14But many of Greece's public institutions and its political culture
0:54:14 > 0:54:17didn't modernise with the rest of the nation.
0:54:17 > 0:54:20The results have been chaotic and often catastrophic.
0:54:26 > 0:54:30The last few years have been a terrible shock to most Greeks
0:54:30 > 0:54:35but they are trying and starting to adapt to the situation,
0:54:35 > 0:54:39and one of those ways they're doing that is by returning to the land.
0:54:41 > 0:54:43I was meeting up with Pavlos Georgiadis.
0:54:45 > 0:54:46- Morning, Simon.- Hello.
0:54:46 > 0:54:49'Two years ago he returned from living and working abroad
0:54:49 > 0:54:51'to take over his family's olive grove.'
0:54:51 > 0:54:54And so this is your... your olive farm.
0:54:54 > 0:54:56But you travelled the world
0:54:56 > 0:54:59and then at some point presumably there was a flash of light
0:54:59 > 0:55:04in your head and you realised, actually, home is pretty amazing.
0:55:04 > 0:55:07Home is amazing and home is in a difficult situation.
0:55:07 > 0:55:10We really need to sort of renovate the home but we need to do it
0:55:10 > 0:55:14with our own materials, not with materials that we input.
0:55:14 > 0:55:17And I felt that we have very strong materials,
0:55:17 > 0:55:19- this one is one of them!- Yes!
0:55:19 > 0:55:23- How old is this one?- Close to 1,000 years old. These are like...
0:55:23 > 0:55:26A 1,000-year-old olive tree?
0:55:26 > 0:55:29Olive is such an amazing, er, plant.
0:55:29 > 0:55:32You need to really take care of it.
0:55:32 > 0:55:34Pavlos is unusual.
0:55:34 > 0:55:37It's thought 200,000 Greeks have left the country
0:55:37 > 0:55:39since the crisis hit.
0:55:39 > 0:55:43It's one of the biggest brain drains the Western world
0:55:43 > 0:55:44has seen in modern times.
0:55:44 > 0:55:46But Pavlos came back.
0:55:46 > 0:55:49And he's only too well aware that enthusiastic young entrepreneurs
0:55:49 > 0:55:53are going to be vital to Greece if the country is to recover.
0:55:53 > 0:55:54Wow!
0:55:57 > 0:56:01So there's very few... Well, you can see very few leaves are coming off.
0:56:01 > 0:56:05- Can I have a go?- Absolutely. Here is a nice one for you.
0:56:05 > 0:56:08- Whoa!- Keep going, don't be afraid.
0:56:08 > 0:56:10- Nice.- Whoa!
0:56:12 > 0:56:14I'm worried about ripping bits off.
0:56:14 > 0:56:17'Since coming home, he's turned the family farm organic
0:56:17 > 0:56:21'and started producing his own brand of ultra-high-quality olive oil.'
0:56:21 > 0:56:24Come on, I can see you there. Off you come.
0:56:27 > 0:56:30Oh, look, there's loads there, look at that. Here we go, whoa!
0:56:30 > 0:56:33Of course, yeah. They're making fun of you.
0:56:33 > 0:56:34That wasn't too bad!
0:56:35 > 0:56:38'Pavlos is investing his time, his money
0:56:38 > 0:56:42'and his future in Greece, the country he loves.'
0:56:42 > 0:56:46I'm hoping that what we do will be used as an example to inspire
0:56:46 > 0:56:49other people in Greece, especially young people, that there
0:56:49 > 0:56:53are ways out of this crisis. They're not easy, but nothing is easy.
0:56:53 > 0:56:54But there are ways.
0:56:54 > 0:56:59And at the same time project an image of Greece abroad that
0:56:59 > 0:57:03Greece is not only about corruption, about economic inefficiency,
0:57:03 > 0:57:05about all this economic havoc that we experienced.
0:57:05 > 0:57:08There are some positive things that are happening in our society.
0:57:08 > 0:57:10There is more solidarity, there is
0:57:10 > 0:57:14more connection to each other, there is more communal effort.
0:57:14 > 0:57:19It would be a mistake if our generation keeps inactive
0:57:19 > 0:57:24and only...gives to the next generation a bigger problem.
0:57:25 > 0:57:29Perhaps a positive aspect of the crisis is that it's exposed
0:57:29 > 0:57:31the failings of the Greek state.
0:57:32 > 0:57:34Pavlos and millions more like him
0:57:34 > 0:57:38now want to build a new system to replace the chaos of the old.
0:57:38 > 0:57:42One without corruption and out of the control of the old elites.
0:57:42 > 0:57:46It's a rallying cry for the next generation and for the future.
0:57:51 > 0:57:52Ahh.
0:57:54 > 0:57:56Greek beach.
0:57:56 > 0:57:57Perfect place to end my journey.
0:57:57 > 0:58:00Perfect place to be, full stop, quite frankly.
0:58:00 > 0:58:05I really hope the Greeks sort out the current mess they're in.
0:58:06 > 0:58:11Though I have been quite surprised by how bad things are.
0:58:11 > 0:58:14Been a bit shocked several times on this journey, in fact.
0:58:16 > 0:58:21I think as long as Greeks can come together for their common good,
0:58:21 > 0:58:25they can overcome and thrive, even,
0:58:25 > 0:58:28during the difficult times that might lie ahead.