They say to travel is to live.
Well, maybe, if a day at the airport doesn't suck the life out of you first.
I mean, where else would you be told to arrive two hours early
only to become dangerously close
to being two hours late?
Still, I think my travels last year were good for me.
They seemed to broaden my outlook.
To a degree.
So now, I'm taking on what is apparently a must-do
for any respectable traveler.
I'm doing Europe.
All right. Where are we, exactly?
I'm going all continental...
from the very top to the very bottom.
I'm heading off the beaten track to discover some real hidden gems...
Are you getting this?
...and embrace this budding spirit for adventure.
Look at me. No hands.
They're right here. What is this, the bow?
I'll be educating my taste buds...
Wow, that was so good.
Grapes are ready.
...and trying to live like a local.
Welcome to my village.
This is insane.
I just saved your life. Remember me.
I'm packing any worries in my luggage...
Here they come.
You never know what the body's gonna do when it's in abject terror.
I don't think I've done anything quite like this since I was a kid.
...and I'm about to utter three words
I've never said before.
Ready for takeoff.
My European odyssey continues.
And I find myself in a country that has given the world philosophy,
democracy, the Olympics and olives.
All important stuff.
But only one of them makes for a good martini.
Well, if America is the rambunctious teenager in the worldly family,
then Greece would be the wise old grandfather.
Albeit a grandfather with a penchant for nodding off in the afternoon sun.
I'm here on the stunning island of Milos, with a population of just 5,000,
and wondering if learning about life on this tiny island
might help me to better understand the bigger picture.
It's funny, I just got here, and already, I'm feeling philosophical.
I've traveled across the Mediterranean from Italy to Greece,
swapping the green hills of Tuscany for something significantly more rugged.
Greece has a staggering 6,000 islands, give or take.
And it's one of the sunniest places in the world,
with around 300 days of sunshine per year.
And here by the Aegean Sea,
that sun is really beating down on this beautiful harbor.
So, I'm heading to my hotel to get some shade.
- Hello, Mr. Levy. - Hi.
- Welcome to Milos. - Please, it's Eugene.
- My name is Andreas. - Andreas.
I'm your local driver. I'll drive you to your accommodation.
- Thank you. - Please.
So is it your first time here?
First time in Greece. How spectacular is this?
The image of Greece that I have in my mind
is just kind of royal blue skies and stark white buildings.
Just like you saw in Mamma Mia.
I've been told about the beauty of this country.
Unfortunately, I wasn't told about these cliffs.
Just don't get too close, Andreas.
- I will not. - Yeah, stay on the safer side.
Hug the wall, as they say.
- Hug the wall. - I will.
You don't find roads like this in Toronto.
A self-confessed city boy, I've chosen to visit Milos
as it's one of the smaller and more traditional islands.
And I'm curious to find out what it takes to live here.
Oh, yeah. That's good.
Before I get a taste of living like a local,
I'm treating myself to a stay at the five-star Milos Cove.
And since it's my show,
it won't surprise you to hear I think it's a pretty good place to start.
And starting at just over $400 a night,
it's a far cry from the fisherman's cottages the island is known for.
Hello, Mr. Levy. How are you? Welcome to Milos Cove.
Welcome to Milos.
Yannis and his son, Andreas, originally from Athens,
fell in love with the island and had a crazy dream of building a hotel here.
This is beautiful.
This is our favorite corner, here.
I love this.
This was a beach when we had holidays here when I was a child.
And we came with my family, all together. And we spend our summer here.
This place has been a passion project for the father-son duo
who spent seven years bringing their vision to life.
How do you guys work together?
Is it good? It's nice and smooth?
For sure. I enjoy it, most of the time.
Uh-huh. Okay.
So you have moments?
- Yeah. - Okay, you have disagreements.
Whatever happens, you know, he is my father and I am his son.
For us, the hotel, it is a family.
So, what I mean, we feel that our guests, also our people that are working with us,
it's part of our family.
It's a big family.
Now, I know a thing or two about working with family,
so I've got nothing but admiration for what they've achieved here.
So this is your villa.
Please come in.
This is your home for the next few days.
- Wow. Yannis, I like it. - You like it?
- I like it. - Happy to hear it.
You know, here, you have everything.
You can have your private chef,
your spa therapies.
So it's a place that you don't need to move.
Just you can stay here forever.
So, what is life like on this island?
Everybody knows everybody here.
So if you want to keep a secret,
you know, what happens in Milos doesn't stay in Milos.
So, Eugene, I'll let you enjoy your villa and the island.
Yannis, thank you.
I don't need to be told twice.
Because this right here is my idea of heaven.
- Yes. Hi. - Hello, Mr. Levy.
Yanni, the hotel's executive chef,
has dropped by with a treat.
Here's a little something from me and my team.
It's locally sourced octopus and our homemade bread, bruschetta.
Locally sourced octopus?
And it was all going so well.
It's something you find around Greece all the time,
especially in the island you are in.
Well, listen, "never" is a big word. And I can honestly use it.
'Cause never, I don't think, will eat octopus.
It's just-- I can't.
I know what they look like, you know?
It ain't gonna happen.
If you want to get the lay of the land anywhere,
you have to visit the local bar.
So, I'm off to meet Yannis for a drink.
- Hello. Welcome. How are you? - I found it.
Yes, please, have a seat.
Phatses is one of only a few tavernas on the island.
When their workday is done, this is where many of the islanders come to relax.
Well, it's a place where we have fun.
We are hearing music, we are drinking and having a good time.
- I see you got a head start. - Yes. I have a tipple.
Would you like an ouzo?
Ouzo is the traditional...
- An ouzo? - ...spirit in Greece.
- Would you like to have? Okay. - Let's go. Ouzo it is.
Talk about blowing in the wind, you know.
- Yes. - And I'm not talking about Bob Dylan.
- It's a windy island. - Yes.
Actually, we have wind for, let's say, about ten days per year.
The rest of the year is more quiet.
- Hello. Here you are. - Yes. Hi.
A little ouzo.
- Thank you. - Ouzo.
- All together. - Yes, of course.
- Yes. - Cheers.
- There we go. Cheers. - Cheers.
Here we go.
- Mamma! - Nice?
It actually is.
It's like the pastis I tried in France, but different.
And by different, I mean stronger.
I can already feel the easy-going vibe here.
There isn't a person in here without a smile on their face.
The magic word in Greek is kefi.
I cannot really translate it in English.
It means joy of life.
- Forget your problems. - Yeah.
Whatever happens,
you have to change your emotions and go to happiness.
You see, there are people that they are full of problems.
But when they come here,
when they come to taverna with music, they forget everything.
You have to have a release.
I can see how ouzo helps achieve a state of kefi,
but if that fails, there's always plan B.
Just smash some plates?
Like this!
Yes!
- Wow! - Come on.
Eugene. That's it. Bravo.
It's said the plate smashing tradition began in ancient Greece
to ward off evil spirits and bring joy.
Two shots of ouzo, and you know, give me something else to throw.
You know, I almost threw Yannis.
Well, kefi is a common-sense philosophy.
Getting together with friends, unwinding and letting things go
and spreading the joy and spreading the love.
Fun night. Kinda got into the spirit of Greece.
Thanks to last night's ouzo, I've slept like a baby.
Now I'm ready to discover if I can learn to live like an islander,
so I'm heading into town.
Built on a hilltop, Plaka is the capital of Milos
and home to just around 800 people.
I'm meeting Eleni, expert in all things Greek,
to show me around this pretty little place...
if I can find her.
To be honest, I think it's a little dicey, 'cause everything's a little alleyway.
I wish she could have been more specific.
I'm hoping this is the right way to go.
Bit of a crapshoot right now.
- Eugene. - Eleni.
Yay! Great job. You found me.
What a spot to be found in.
And as soon as you came around the corner, the wind actually died down a bit.
Well, I kinda do that.
Eleni grew up in Greece with a Greek father and an English mother,
which explains why she speaks the King's English better than I do.
Everyone likes to think white and blue are the colors of Greece,
yes, in the Greek flag.
But, you see, in 1938, we had an outbreak of cholera
here on the Greek islands.
The dictator at the time, a man named Ioannis Metaxas,
orders everyone here to whitewash their houses
because, basically, the whitewash uses lime.
- And lime's a powerful disinfectant. - Disinfectant.
They've gotta change their story for the pamphlets. Okay?
It doesn't really sell as well as...
- I-- It doesn't quite sell as well. - ...the colors of Greece, does it?
No, I know.
And ironically, the only reason the blue is so dominant
is actually because it was the cheapest color.
- Again, gotta change-- - Change the story.
- Change their story. - Change the narrative.
This may be a peaceful, beautiful place now,
but it's taken centuries of hardship to get here.
I've never seen windier streets
- than in this little town. - There's a good reason for them though.
They did intentionally make sure that all of the streets are winding,
almost like a labyrinth.
They wanted to make sure that it's easy
for people that don't know the place to get lost.
Can you imagine why?
No, I don't know what sense that would make, but go ahead.
So from very early on, Milos had a problem with pirates.
And that's the entire reason they're built in this way.
The idea was that they're gonna get lost, and that'll give the islanders time
to really find a way to deal with it or to escape.
Okay, pirates. Now we're talking.
And Greece has come up with other unique ways
of dealing with threats to their well-being.
Like the evil eye.
Because sometimes just smashing plates isn't enough to protect you.
So you've never heard of the evil eye before?
Well, I've heard the expression ev-- And there it is on the hat.
And there it is on the hat, you'll see it in the jewelry.
It's pretty much everywhere you go.
The idea is that if someone is envious of you,
if they're jealous of you, they will give you the evil eye.
If you're not wearing one of these, then it'll actually make you very ill.
You'll get headaches that just won't go away.
You'll feel tired and lethargic.
Not everyone will wear the evil eye, so if you are complimenting them,
or if you know everything is going really well for them
and you want to protect them from the evil eye from other people...
- Yeah. - ...you have to spit on them.
- And I'm not even joking. - You have to spit on them?
You have to spit. So if I wanted to give you a compliment like,
"Eugene, I really love the shirt you're wearing today.
You look very fetching." I would then have to go...
three times to invoke the Holy Trinity.
If you wanted to compliment the shop and say, "Everything is wonderful in here"--
I don't want to spit on this lady.
- I'm sure she would appreciate it. - Why would I spit on this lady?
- I would appreciate it. - There you go.
That is good.
You have a very, very, very lovely shop...
- Now you have to do the... - ...here.
- There you go. Bravo. - Excellent.
All right. Tom, you're doing excellent camera work.
Don't take that the wrong way.
Eleni's fabulous.
And she knows everything about this island.
Knows everything about this town.
Do I know as much about my country as she knows about Greece?
No.
I'm picking up on the can-do attitude on the island.
For me, it's probably more of a "can give it a try."
And I'm about to give something a try that's at the heart of island living.
Chef Yanni is taking me to source fresh fish for the hotel's restaurant.
But he didn't see my performance in Scotland.
Were you born in Milos?
No.
Actually, I'm from north-- a north part of Greece.
A friend of mine just offered me a job on the island,
and I fell in love with the island.
It's beautiful. It's amazing.
I really like that people are not rushing here, they're not stressed about anything.
They just let the life unfold in front of them.
I'm not sure I would...
do too well living in a small community
unless it was next to a great golf course.
That would be--
That might change my tune a little bit.
Well, apparently, there's no golf course on the island,
so I need a new hobby better suited to living here.
Fishing has been vitally important to the islands for thousands of years,
with around 95% of boats belonging to small-scale fishermen.
So we're meeting Captain Andreas.
He was born and raised in Milos and comes from a long line of fishermen.
A fishing line, if you will.
I see Andreas is wearing his fishing attire, is that right?
Do we need those?
- Or are we okay? - You can have one, yes.
You can have one to protect yourself.
- Is that good? - Perfect.
- Wow. - Perfect fit.
Now you look like a proper fisherman.
Well, I look like a proper something.
Even though I wasn't born into a fishing family like our captain,
I'm starting to see the attraction to a life on the open sea.
Boy, when the sun's out, the water turns so blue.
It's gorgeous. The colors, everything.
I never went fishing when I was a kid.
My dad didn't fish. Nobody fishes.
If you're gonna be out, using a net to catch fish, this is where to do it.
He just informed me that we arrived.
Our buoy is over there.
Andreas cast his fishing nets the night before,
while I was drinking ouzo and smashing plates.
He learned everything he knows from his father.
He started quite early, when he was about ten years old.
His dad was fishing when he was young as well from his grandfather.
So, it's been a long line of fishermen.
Andreas, do you want your son to be a fisherman as well?
That was a hard no.
There are fewer fish in the Aegean Sea than there used to be.
So this work is harder and less rewarding than it once was.
- Octopus. - That's an octopus.
An octopus! Wow!
That's your lucky day, isn't it?
Yeah, still going.
- How about that? - That's a small one.
- Yeah, no. - Do you-- No?
No.
- You have a problem? - No.
- No, that's fine. - I mean, it will go back to sea.
- Yeah. - We're not taking that one.
- He'll go back to sea. - It's quite small.
- Okay. - There you go. Bye.
Bye.
Wow, he's gonna remember this.
And so am I. I think he gave me the evil eye.
- Do you want to have a go? - You want me to pull it in?
- Let me see. - Just stabilize yourself.
- And then slowly, slowly, it's coming. - Uh-oh.
Right. Well done.
Uh-huh.
- Uh-oh. - That's a scarus.
- A scarus. - A scarus, exactly.
Scarus. Big one.
- That's a big scarus. - Scarus.
And that's a male scarus. That's our lunch today. Sorted.
Slightly easier to catch than octopus,
scarus is also a popular dish on the islands.
I feel bad for you. I really do.
Look-- "Help me," he's saying.
"Can you do something to help me?" Well, maybe I can.
- Let's throw this one back in. - You wanna throw it back in?
We can-- No.
You can try.
- No problem. - We can try.
All right. Here we go.
- There you go. You just-- - Here we go, little fella. Look at this.
- You just drop it back in the sea. - I just saved your life.
Remember me, okay?
Catch a couple of my movies.
There you go.
Well, then I think my job is done here.
I've done all I can do to help you guys.
I don't think people have survived here for thousands of years
by throwing fish back into the sea.
Fishing here on the islands is not what it was,
you know, a hundred, 200 years ago.
It's one of the reasons Andreas didn't want his son going into this profession.
I think it's fair to say
I'm probably not cut out for this element of island living,
so I agreed to meet Yanni for a beer, but only if it's on dry land.
Mandrakia is one of the island's most picturesque fishing villages,
with boat houses called syrmata, traditionally used by fishermen
to store and maintain their precious vessels.
- Yamas. - Exactly.
Is this a line of work that your family was in?
The food business?
My family used to own a taverna back when I was, like, four years old.
I spent my first years growing up in the kitchen,
in the taverna, around the tables, with customers.
Yeah?
And I suppose that led me to the point I am now, being a chef.
And what does your dad think of what you're doing now.
I think he's thrilled that I am in the business.
What about your family? Are you...
- in the family business, let's say? - No.
When I grew up, back in my hometown,
nobody really went into acting.
My dad, you know, had to leave school at a--
kind of an early age when he was a teenager
and go to work to help, you know...
- Help out the family. - ...help the family.
So it was all about getting an education.
So, what do I do? I don't take the education thing too seriously.
And I was kind of, you know-- I'm kind of the big screw-up in the family.
- You remember what the fisherman said? - Yeah. He did not want his son...
- Yeah. Exactly. - ...to be a fisherman.
And, you know, I don't think my folks wanted me to go into acting.
How you feeling that your kids are in the same profession?
It wasn't an easy thing to accept readily because
- it's one of the toughest professions... - Yeah.
...to make a living in.
But they're both doing okay, you know?
- I'm proud of both of them. - Cheers for that.
Yeah.
After another restorative night, I imagine, thanks to Hypnos,
the Greek god of sleep, I'm ready to continue my island education.
I've been invited to a saint day festival,
a religious celebration that's etched in the family life here.
But I can't arrive empty-handed.
Well, we're going to an island that Yanni told me about last night.
It's an island that apparently has excellent cheese
because there's a lot of goats.
I'm thinking I might bring some cheese to the festival
or maybe bring a goat.
I'm not sure my Greek is good enough to navigate a local ferry,
so thankfully, Eleni is here to accompany me.
Eleni!
We're off on another adventure.
I think it's the perfect day for some island-hopping.
- What do you say? - Let's do it.
- Is this the ferry? - No, we're gonna have
something slightly bigger than that.
Greek island-hopping took off in the 1960s when jet-setters,
hippies and budget travelers were drawn to the hedonistic delights of the islands.
These ferries won't run if it's too windy.
But today, it's safe to travel. At least, I'm trusting it is.
Okay. There's your ticket.
My ticket to ride.
You wanna come sit at the front so we get a good view?
So, how have you been finding your travels around Europe so far?
Kind of a different adventure in every place.
If you love mosquitoes,
- you'll love Sweden in June. - Really?
Well, Scotland was a bit of a kick, you know.
I had some family roots going back in Scotland.
That would be interesting.
Saint-Tropez, quite beautiful.
And it's Europe, you know?
The reason I kind of love Europe is because different culture,
history, you've got Greece--
It goes back thousands and thousands-- 7,000, 8,000 years.
We know that people have been coming to Milos,
for example, from at least 11,000 years ago.
So it's incredible to think that 11,000 years ago,
people first made these journeys.
And now, I've done the very same journey in just 30 minutes.
Kimolos is even smaller than Milos, with a population of 900.
It's only accessible by boat, so it's pretty untouched by the outside world.
We're meeting Antonis, a third-generation goat farmer...
Oh, my.
...who makes 15 different flavors of cheese and farms over 500 goats.
I'm feeling outnumbered.
He's a rather friendly guy.
He's chewing on my finger.
What do you taste?
Don't eat my pants!
No. Don't eat the shirt.
- You know, they're eating everything. - Because it's feeding time.
It is, but I only have one shirt.
Goat farming is still a crucial part of life on the islands,
so Antonis wants to teach me a thing or two.
Antonis is asking if you'd be willing to help out
and maybe milk one of the animals?
Sure. Listen, there's a first time for everything.
Are we milking them all?
Oh, God.
Antonis sells a celebrated Greek cheese called manoura.
And to make it, he needs goat's milk, and lots of it.
You pinch the top,
and then you bring one finger after the other down.
Don't worry, she's in good hands.
I'm kidding.
Okay, yes!
I think I'm getting the hang of it.
Antonis is saying he's desperate for people to come and work on the farm,
so he's...
You just got a job offer.
When do I start work?
From yesterday.
From yesterday?
I think I've just found a new vocation here.
Goat herding. Boy, I'll tell ya, it's a tough profession.
My personal technique in milking goats would be to grab
and then work your fingers down.
Down.
And then you get a nice squirt.
Right? Coming out.
Let's go. And I'll take this with me.
All right?
"You can put it in your coffee," he said.
All right, that's what I call a zinger.
I've pretty much nailed milking goats,
so we've come to Antonis's family shop
to get some manoura for the saint day festival.
So this is their cheese shop.
Look at the photograph.
That's actually the grandfather that taught Antonis...
- That's the grandfather. - ...everything that he knows.
- And this is the father. - Wow.
Three generations right here.
You didn't even have to tell me...
because I can see...
The face.
Right here.
You think your son has done a good job?
He said he's very happy
because he actually took the business forward because he loved it.
I have a lot of respect for Antonis.
Family businesses get passed on from generation to generation.
This is the common thread here.
Thank you, Antonis.
Yes. Lovely meeting you. Good luck.
I think it happens more in Europe, more than back home in North America.
I think it's great if kids can work with their dads.
I mean, I did it with my son.
It's a very rewarding experience.
With some of the finest goat's cheese money can buy,
I'm off to get ready for my final night on the island.
The saint day festival is in the south of Milos
at the Church of the Holy Cross.
I've been invited to a celebration of Saint Helen,
an annual event in the Greek Orthodox calendar
involving prayers, candles and a big old party.
It doesn't get more local than this.
Everybody knows everybody.
- We have a gift for you. - Gift for me?
Yes.
That's the heart and soul of the island.
Octopus?
You're in an island.
It's your last night here,
and a way to really understand the culture is also through the food.
It looks like a hot dog.
I'm not sure eating octopus
will help me reach the state of kefi Yannis described,
but when in Greece...
- He's still-- - Good.
Yeah.
Yes.
- Very good. - Very nice.
I brought someone for you to meet.
- Eugene. Father... - Say hello to Father...
- How are you? - So nice to meet you.
I am fine, thank you.
Now I really feel like I'm in with the locals.
- You like Milos? No. - I love Milos.
It's always good to have a priest with a sense of humor.
This is a lovely little church.
Would you like to have a look inside?
Yeah.
Okay. Let's go together.
So he said, "This is a spiritual experience for you."
Monk.
- Okay. - Like a monk.
So follow me. Let's have a quick look.
So once you go in, people take a candle, they light it,
and the idea is that the smoke from the flame is your prayers going up to heaven.
Yeah?
Three candles for my family.
And I think even if you're not necessarily religious,
there's something quite spiritual about coming to a place like this.
Well, I think the message about the candles
works for just about anybody,
- doesn't it? - Exactly.
Well, it was absolutely a delightful evening at the festival.
Well, I embrace the kefi philosophy, and you just felt it tonight.
Friends and family coming together. It's kind of a love fest.
I think Milos, to me, is caring about your neighbors, lending a helping hand,
work that has been in your family for generations and generations,
passing it down from father to son.
It's clear to me that Greeks put family at the heart of everything they do,
and it plays a big role in making life on the island possible.
At its best, family keeps you on the right track
to help you navigate the world around you.
I came to Greece expecting to look to the past,
but actually, Milos has reminded me
to appreciate what we have right now with those closest to us.
Bravo!
Next time...
It's my final European destination.
Spain.
Let's flamenco.
- The king suite. - It'll do.
It's literally the biggest day of the year.
This is mad.
That's the path?
The first creak I hear, I'm heading back.
Let's go!
That was fun.