In this episode Joanna explores some of the fourteen hundred Greek Islands that make up this maritime nation. Each has a story to tell, often a fascinating history spanning thousands of years. Tthe Greek islands are a familiar destination for many a British holidaymaker. Yet beyond the deck chairs and white sands is a culture which has created one of the greatest seafaring nations of the world. Hitching a lift on board a shipping magnate’s yacht, Joanna’s route begins on the ancient island of Crete, where she learns about a way of life that has transcended centuries, spending time with the shepherds in the high, remote mountains of the island. The shepherds played a key role fighting alongside the Resistance against the Nazi occupation of Crete with the British SOE Agent, Patrick Le Femour, whose exploits became the basis for the film, Ill Met by Moonlight. Crete is also Zeus’ birth place and the home of Raki, a local firewater that fuels traditional Cretan festivities. On the island of Kos she explores the birth place of Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, before ascending the only active volcano on the island of Nisyros.

In this episode Joanna explores some of the fourteen hundred Greek Islands that make up this maritime nation. Each has a story to tell, often a fascinating history spanning thousands of years.

The first comprehensive survey of Standard Modern Greek, this book offers a descriptive analysis of the structure of the language and of present-day usage, highlighting the discussion with examples drawn from a wide cross section of spoken, written, and literary sources.