Dream of Europe

-"Dream of Europe" is made possible by... -At Regent Seven Seas Cruises, we believe that personal space is essential to the luxury travel experience.

With no more than 732 guests, our ships allow you to explore the world and discover the freedom of having space at sea.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -Custom, privately guided travel.

Kensington -- see the world, differently.

♪♪ -I'm Kathy McCabe.

In this series, we'll explore the stunning landscapes, unearth the centuries of history, and discover what makes Europe one of the most captivating continents on Earth.

Join me as we Dream of Europe.

♪♪ Greece is nothing if not born from the sea.

While Greece's predominantly mountainous terrain makes farming difficult, the country is blessed with a coastline of more than 10,000 miles.

Greeks are known the world over for their shipping and sailing prowess, because to get almost anywhere in Greece, you need to take a boat.

And to sail from Italy to Greece, I'm on a very big boat -- a cruise ship.

Cruising provides a unique opportunity to see some of Greece's 6,000 islands up close.

Yes, 6,000, though only 227 are inhabited.

Sailing from Italy to Greece, we're crossing the Ionian Sea, headed for the Cyclades, famous for their white-and-blue architecture, sandy beaches, and traditional Greek delicacies.

Since cruise ships average 20 to 25 miles per hour, this isn't the fastest way to get there, but maybe the most scenic.

Wow!

While the passengers are having fun... Oh, look over there.

...the crew is hard at work getting us to our destination, Santorini.

Although Greece has more than 300 days of sunshine a year, wind can be a factor.

-Tomorrow we'll arrive from 7:00 to 22:00.

From 7: 00 tomorrow.

-I stop in to see Captain Felice Patruno to check on the progress of our journey.

Okay, so there's no problem getting into Santorini?

-So far, the weather look is very nice.

-Very calm.

-Smooth seas.

-I have good weather karma.

-Just use the same karma.

-I am.

-You have to work with Mother Nature.

That I was taught by my mentors.

-The meltemi wind, a strong northerly wind that cools the island of Santorini, can make docking a cruise ship a challenge.

But Captain Patruno successfully navigates the wind, and I'm off the ship to explore the island's sandy beaches and iconic whitewashed buildings.

♪♪ It's Marvel.

Marvel's on Santorini.

[ Smooches ] On the sun-kissed island of Santorini, the wine flows as freely as the Aegean Sea.

This island's wine is not just a drink, it's an experience bursting with rich history and unique flavors.

-[ Speaking Greek ] -Apostolos Mountrichas founded Anhydrous Winery in 2012 after he fell in love with this beautiful island.

He experiments with ancient techniques to create modern wines that capture the pure essence of Santorini.

♪♪ Why did you choose Santorini to make wine?

Can you explain what's unique about it?

You can feel the water in the air.

So I've been looking at this wine.

What is this wine, and how do you make it?

It's you.

-Yes.

-Okay.

-I.

-So I have to try it.

And what do we say in Greece?

-Yamas.

-Yamas.

Oh, that's very nice!

And your wine is the color of the sun.

-Yes.

-It's beautiful.

Beautiful.

While the wine often takes the spotlight on this island, Santorini is also known for its tomatoes.

They are small in size, with a hard peel, juicy flesh, and sweet flavor, making a perfect tomato paste.

The secret to their unique taste?

Santorini's arid yet rich volcanic soil.

Today I'm visiting Santorini's Tomato Museum.

I'd love to know more about your family and their connection to the tomato industry.

-The first factory for tomato was 1922 by our grandfather.

-Mm!

-At the peak, there were nine tomato-paste factories that were running on the island.

The tomatoes were coming by donkeys.

They would walk all the way from the field to the factory, the tomatoes on the donkey, then the producer barefoot on the street.

-Wow.

-In Santorini, everyone has a member of the family that used to work for this factory.

-It was very important.

-It was lifeblood of Santorini.

-The two products that are so famous from Santorini are the wine and the tomatoes.

-The one thing that unites them is this special taste of volcanic soil built in.

That makes it so different and special.

-So what does a Santorini tomato taste like?

-It tastes like...heaven!

[ Both laugh ] -So this is the tomato juice?

-Here's the richest tomato of the world.

-Smells good.

Very tomatoey.

-It has lycopene.

It's good for blood pressure.

-Mmm!

-It's good for the heart.

-It's the best tomato juice I've ever had.

It's incredible.

So Bloody Marys every day.

-Cheers.

-Cheers.

♪♪ It's time to get back on the ship to continue our journey to Athens.

A stop in Athens not only means that I can explore the city, but also the nearby Saronic Islands that are like a second home to Athenians.

Most are reachable within an hour or two ferry ride.

Today I'm heading to Aegina, about 45 minutes from Athens by ferry.

The island is not only known for its stunning landscapes and rich history, but is also famed for its delicious pistachios.

-Try some of our pistachios.

This is from our farm.

-These little green gems are a must-try here.

Do you know how much I love pistachios?

-Yes?

-I've been dreaming about this day.

-Yes?

-Because this island is so famous for them.

-This is paradise of pistachio.

I will give you to try everything with pistachios.

Okay?

-It's a dream.

-Let's go?

-Let's go in.

-Let's go.

-Katerina Mourtzis runs the famous Mourtzis pistachio farm and sweet shop, whose pistachio products range from savory to sweet.

What do we start with?

-So I think that you have to try some baklava first.

-Okay.

Sign me up.

-Okay.

-Ooh, look.

It moves.

-Let's do it.

-Wow!

-Opa.

-"Opa," is right.

-"Opa" is very Greek.

-Opa!

-This is our baklava.

-I will feel like I'm in Greece with some pistachios.

-Yes.

You are.

-All right, I'm gonna try it.

Oh, my God.

Very good.

-A fresh layer of phyllo.

-Mmm.

Very light.

-And the rest is pistachio... -Oh, my God.

It's, like, all pistachio.

-...or sugar.

There are family recipes that my mother start to make it from her mother.

-This pistachio tastes different than any I've ever had.

-Yes.

-It's much -- what's the difference?

-Here, the pistachio is sweeter than the other.

-Oh, that's what it is.

-It's the ground... -Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

-...and the climate that makes that very sweet.

-Mmm!

-Now, that's why you say, "pistachio of Aegina."

-Aegina.

-You don't say, "pistachio of Greece."

-Now, to be sure, I need to try a few more.

-Okay, let's do it.

-How about the cream?

-Pistachio cream.

-Yeah.

-Yes.

-That's a wonderful thing, too.

-Yes.

-You know, you can buy it in a bottle and bring it home.

-Okay.

Thank you.

-Okay.

So, this is pistachio cream on top of -- is that phyllo dough?

-Yes.

Yes.

Let's do it.

-Mmm.

The cream is incredible.

-Yes.

-You see how I'm licking the spoon?

-[ Laughs ] -And you make candy?

-Yes, we make candy.

Here we have fistikato.

-Fistikato.

-That means that it's made of pistachios... -Okay.

-...with liqueur and sugar.

-Kind of like a rum ball, but... [ Both laugh ] -It's the most traditional sweet.

-Look at it.

You see the sugar on it.

-Yes.

When we have weddings, or baptized, we use that as a sweet.

-Mmm.

It's perfect for the end of the dinner, end of celebration.

-Yes.

Kathy... -Uh-huh.

-...I want to introduce you my father... -Yes.

-...to see our farm, okay?

-Oh, where all the pistachios come from.

-Yes.

♪♪ -These beautiful trees produce incredible pistachios.

-[ Speaking Greek ] -They're just little ones.

And how much longer do they have to grow?

And then when do you harvest?

These will be incredible at the end of the summer.

They'll be ready to be harvested.

And how many pistachios does one tree produce?

That's pretty good.

How long have you been growing pistachios?

What I love is your whole family is involved with the business.

And I got to taste everything, and I loved it.

-Thank you.

-Baklava with the pistachio cream on top -- I will dream of it every night.

[ Both laugh ] ♪♪ Vrouva Farm is a heartwarming haven on the island of Aegina for abused and abandoned animals.

Started in 2011 by Alexia Papagianni, this sanctuary is home to a delightful array of four-legged creatures -- dogs, cats, pigs, donkeys, and even a cow named Hope.

How many animals and what kinds do you have?

-Well, we have about 130, 140 animals.

-Wow!

-And our focus is primarily farm animals, so equines and goats and sheep and chickens.

We have two beautiful pigs and, you know, even some cats and dogs.

We do our best to try and make this place into a home for as many abandoned, abused, neglected animals as we can.

-Did you always love animals?

-Yeah.

You know, we animal people were born this way.

-Yeah.

Yeah.

-And we recognize each other.

-We do.

We do.

-Yeah, yeah, yeah.

-Yeah.

I think it's a beautiful thing to do.

-Thank you.

-And what have you learned doing this?

-Uh, that love is the most important thing and that miracles happen.

-[ Voice breaking ] It's really beautiful.

This really touches my heart.

-Yeah.

-I always thought I would love to do something like this.

-Yeah.

You know, by giving to the animals.

the next step is that you give to nature.

-[ Normal voice ] Yeah.

But don't you think you get so much back?

-Of course you get back, but you start by giving.

You start by caring, and you start by rescuing.

-Yeah.

-These guys, they're here, and they're such amazing teachers.

-Alexia, I'm so excited to meet all of the animals.

-Great.

Let me show you.

Come on.

[ Dogs barking ] -It's a dog dream!

Who is everybody here?

-This is Crazy Zoe.

-Crazy Zoe likes to jump.

[ Laughs ] Oh, my God!

I'm the luckiest person in the world.

Who are you?

Who are you?

-This is Adoni.

He's the best of the best.

And this is Christopher.

He's epileptic.

-Oh.

Hi, everybody.

Well, it seems like they love the attention of visitors.

-Yeah.

And you see -- -They love people.

-They love people.

Yeah.

Look at them.

They've understood you're one of them.

-[ Smooches ] I can't tear myself away from the dogs because I'm practically a dog myself.

But I know you have some other great animals.

-Yeah.

Come on.

-Okay.

-This is Bebis.

-Hi, Bebis!

-This is Vaya.

-That's a great name.

[ Cow moos ] Oh, look, there's a cow!

What's her name?

-This is Hope.

-Hope!

-She's the first rescued cow in Greece.

-Hi, Hope.

You're beautiful.

Can I try to give it to her?

-Oh, yeah, yeah.

There you go.

-Nibble, nibble.

Oh!

Very good!

-There you go.

She has a mission in this world.

-Oh.

-She wants to tell people... -Mm-hmm.

-...that cows are sentient beings... -Mm.

-...that they are smart, that they're playful, that they have emotions.

-She's like the alpha queen.

-Absolutely.

-I can feel -- I can feel her energy.

-Yeah.

Yeah, you're an animal person, so you know.

-Yeah.

And those eyelashes.

You know, I wish I had eyelashes like that.

Mine are fake.

[ Laughs ] -I would love to show you our goats.

-Oh, I love goats.

-They're -- They're great characters.

Come on.

-Okay, Hope, we'll be back.

[ Hope moos ] [ Rooster crows, goats bleat ] Oh, my gosh.

Look at these beautiful goats.

-And they each have their own character.

-Hey, goats.

There you go.

-This is Beauty.

-Hi, Beauty.

You're beautiful.

Ooh!

I got goosed by a goat.

-That's him, that's him.

-Oh!

-He's mischievous.

He always wants to be the center of attention.

-I understand, I understand.

[ Pigs grunting ] Oh, my God.

That's the biggest pig I've ever seen!

-This is Gucci.

-Gucci!

I love a good Italian name.

I've heard pigs are very smart.

-You know, we had a group of trainers and they came and trained the dogs.

-Uh-huh.

-Then they trained her, and she was faster.

-Wow!

-Yeah.

It was very impressive.

-And that's Suzy, right?

-That's Suzy.

-I don't want her to feel left out.

-Sorry, Suze.

-Sweet baby.

The sweet baby, yes.

Alexia, this has been one of the most incredible experiences I've had filming this television show.

-I'm glad you enjoyed it.

-It's really moved me to try to do more in my own world and my own community for animals.

-When you say that, this makes all this worthwhile.

-Yeah.

-Like, if it moves everybody to do this much more... -Yeah, we can all do our part.

-Thank you for coming and thank you for what you are doing.

-I'll see you guys again, okay?

We're friends now, right, Gucci?

-Yeah.

[ Gucci snorts ] -The island of Poros, 90 minutes from Athens, is famous for its aromatic lemon forest.

The vibrant fruit is not just an ingredient, but a symbol of the area's heritage.

The Vlachos family have been crafting extraordinary lemon products for generations.

Are these the best lemons in Greece or the world?

-[ Speaking Greek ] -So how many lemons do you grow?

3,000 trees?

So when did they get into the lemon business?

You always need to listen to your wife.

-I know that.

-You can smell the -- the oil.

-If you just scratch it?

-Yeah, yeah.

-Ooh!

[ Sniffs ] This is very potent.

Oh, my God.

It smells so good.

You just want to, like, bite into it.

-I say to begin from a lemonade.

-Okay, let's do it.

-It's too hot today.

-It is hot.

-Got a special lemonade.

-Lemon is the best on a hot day.

-Welcome to Lemonodasos.

-Ah!

Thank you.

Oh.

That's nice.

It's, like, sweet, but not too sweet.

It's just the perfect taste of lemon.

I'm on my way to meet Katerina Sakelliou.

She and her Dutch husband, Rik, and daughter, Dora, own Odyssey Eco Farm, where they host guests in simple rooms and glamping tents and teach them how to cook Greek food.

They've created a farm with olives, lemons, oranges, and vegetables, so the experience here is truly farm-to-table.

Tell me about this place, your home.

-And a few years ago, we thought, "Why don't we have people here to come and share this beautiful piece of land, uh, with guests?"

So we started a glamping... -I love that!

-Isn't it nice?

-Yes.

-Yes.

-It's like a Greek dream here.

-Yeah.

We're very, very blessed.

And we're very happy to share that, as well, with others.

-How many tents do you have?

-So we have 15 tents.

They are, um, fully equipped.

And the idea is that you're sleeping inside.

You're protected.

But at the same time, hear all the noises and the sounds from the nature.

You hear the sea.

-It's like the antidote to living in the modern world.

-Exactly.

Yes.

-Yeah.

-It's magic.

-You have a beautiful eating area and the cooking lessons.

Are most of the ingredients you use from your farm?

-Yeah.

Would you like to pick up some vegetables as well, so... -Sure.

Put me to work.

-Yes.

Come.

So this is our lettuce.

Look how beautiful they are.

-Ah!

Wow!

Look at that head of lettuce.

-This is really beautiful.

-Put it in my basket.

-There you go.

-Thank you.

-This is the vlita, we call it.

-Vlita, yes.

-Vlita.

-This is Greek.

-Yes.

Freshness, huh?

-Mmm!

I can't wait to eat this.

-So I'm cutting now the zucchinis, and look how beautiful they are with the flowers.

-[ Chuckles ] Oh!

Those are gonna be great, yeah.

-So good.

-We cook those.

-Yes.

Look at these beautiful lemons.

-The famous Poros lemons.

-The famous Poros lemons.

-My basket's getting heavy.

I think it might be time to cook.

What do you think?

-Oh, you're absolutely right.

Let's cook.

Dora, my beautiful daughter, is going to help us.

-Lovely to meet you.

-Very nice to meet you.

-I can't wait.

What are we making first?

-We are gonna start, or you are going to start, with a tzatziki.

-Ooh!

-All you're going to do is grate this beautiful cucumber, and we're gonna put it in this big bowl with this beautiful, fresh, full-fat Greek yogurt, Garlic.

A little bit of dill.

And the secret to everything in Greece -- -Olive oil?

-Yeah!

-Olive oil!

-But this olive oil, of course, comes from our trees here.

-This is truly local, or KM Zero, they call it.

-Ah, yes, that's right.

Yes, yes.

-I can mix.

Give it to me.

-Yes.

There we go.

Mix it all in.

-Maybe I like the easy jobs.

What do you eat this with?

Basically everything.

-Everything.

It's in every Greek household.

And it's so healthy and so good for you.

-Okay.

I'm such a good cook.

-You're done.

-Look.

-Ta-da!

-Okay.

We'll have that later.

-Get into the next one, yes?

-Which are stuffed zucchini flowers.

-Wow!

I've been looking forward to this.

-Look at how beautiful these are.

-So what do we put in there?

-Parsley, dill, mint, some of the fresh cheese and some of the kefalotyri, which is like a harder cheese.

-Very simple.

-Fantastic.

-And all you have to do is to open the flower and take off the stem.

-You've got it?

-Yep.

-Take it.

And now we put it in.

-Yes.

-Perfect.

-Oh, look how beautiful that is.

-I mean, nature gets it right.

-Yes.

-Okay.

-Perfect!

-So I'll give them to you for the frying.

-Yes.

We are moving and grooving.

Lunch is almost done.

-So many things.

I think the next thing is our lemon pie.

-So I'm going to use the whole lemon, actually, look.

-So you put the skins and everything.

-So I'm putting the skin and everything into it for this.

More intense.

-This is also absolutely ready.

We're just gonna put it in a little baking tray and it's gonna go in the oven.

-So that's it?

-That's it.

-This is probably the easiest meal I've ever made.

-Yeah.

-Might be because I had two people helping.

-Never.

-I didn't do any shopping.

-Nah.

-I had some wine.

Yamas!

-Yamas!

[ Laughter ] -I think it's time to dig in, Rik, what do you think?

-Good.

Yes, I agree with you.

-You seem like a supervisor, like myself.

[ Laughter ] -Um...maybe.

-So juicy and nice and tasty with all the lemons and... -Thank you.

This is a Greek meal.

My first Greek cooking lesson was a smashing success.

-Tastes fantastic.

-Yes.

-Thank you for welcoming me here on Poros to your home.

In fact, I might live here.

-Oh!

-I might work here.

-That's even better.

-Rik, I'm going to be your supervisor.

[ Laughter ] -Yamas.

-Yamas.

-Whether you're cruising on the Aegean Sea, stopping in charming shops, eating delicious food...

This is why the Greeks live so long.

...or exploring the sunny beaches, every moment in the Greek islands feels like a timeless postcard.

-"Dream of Europe" is made possible by... -At Regent Seven Seas Cruises, we believe that personal space is essential to the luxury travel experience.

With no more than 732 guests, our ships allow you to explore the world and discover the freedom of having space at sea.

♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ ♪♪ -Custom, privately guided travel.

Kensington -- see the world, differently.

-For more about visiting Europe, additional videos, and a companion travel guide, visit dreamofeurope.com/tv.

Follow "Dream of Europe" on Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok.