British actress and green issues campaigner Joanna Lumley travelled to Greece to explore both the ancient and modern aspects of the country for a British ITV1 programme.
Her report on the places she visited makes a terrific travel guide, since she is fascinated by all she meets and sees.
65-year-old Lumley begins her journey at the Parthenon in Athens and then travels around the Southern region of the country to the Peloponnese, visiting internationally known historic sites.
Although she pointed out that Athens is not as it used to be, Lumley fervently believes that things can easily change, using the following example to support her opinion: “Not every city can remain as bright as day all the time. Thirty-five years ago when I first went to New York, you couldn’t go to Times Square, it was so dangerous and filthy and frightening, with so many pickpockets. And now you can take the whole family there. So things do change. From the shining glory of Greece, it’s become dark and strange for a bit. But it’ll come back again.”
Her 4 episode series does not revolve around Greece’s economic miseries. On the contrary, it is a thrilled gaze at its history, geography and landscape.
During her trip she meets villagers who communicate by whistling, a fisherman who takes her to the gates of the underworld, and marble-cutters who use the same tools as their ancestors. Finally Lumley watches singer Nana Mouskouri rehearse at the amphitheatre of Epidavrus overlooking the Saronic Gulf.
Joanna Lumley’s Greek Odyssey is on ITV1 today, 13 October, at 9.00pm