02x07 - Greece/San Francisco

[bunniefuu]

[siren]

♪ Inspector Gadget's
field trip ♪

♪ We're going on a visit ♪

♪ Inspector Gadget's
field trip ♪

♪ Come on,
let's go with him ♪

♪ Inspector Gadget's
field trip ♪

♪ What's that, you ask?
What is it? ♪

♪ Inspector Gadget's
field trip ♪

♪ Well, no one
wants to miss it ♪

♪ Inspector Gadget's
field trip ♪

♪ We're going on a visit ♪

♪ Inspector Gadget's
field trip ♪

♪ Have fun,
let's go with him ♪

♪ New places,
new faces ♪

♪ Inspector Gadget's
field trip ♪

♪ Inspector Gadget's
field trip ♪

Inspector Gadget here
on my latest assignment:

uncovering the secrets
of life among the great Greeks.

To be honest, when the chief
said I'd be in Greece for

a while, I was worried. My
trench coat stains easily,

so strap on your sandals
and laurel wreaths

for a grecian field trip.

Where is Greece?

Go, go, Gadget globe!

Greece is a country
in southern europe

made up of over

Imagine! That's 400 more
islands that the salad dressing!

Athens is the capital
of Greece.

Athens was home to one of
man's earliest civilizations.

Doesn't look
too civilized to me.

This place is in ruins!

The ancient Greeks built
their finest monuments here

high atop the Acropolis.

No wonder these buildings
look like they need a rest.

They've been standing
for over 2,000 years.

Boy, are their feet tired.

Acropolis means
uppermost city.

They called it that
because it's high up.

This fortress
was a safe place

where the Greeks kept things
worth defending,

like treasure and
statues that would later

lose their wings and heads.

The Athens Acropolis,
aside from being a nifty spot

for an impromptu game
of hide and seek,

is most famous for being
the home of the Parthenon,

the temple of Athena nike,

the erechtheum,
and propylaea.

Each are impressive
ancient monuments

and all make excellent
spelling bee questions.

The people of ancient Greece

believe that the gods
and goddesses

lived up here in the clouds

and watched over
the mortals' daily life.

It was kind of like
television for the gods.

The Parthenon is a
classic example

of doric architecture:

simple columns based on
strict mathematical rules.

The influence of Greek
architecture can still be seen

today in buildings
all around the world

such as london's
buckingham palace

and the white house
in washington, d.c.

Would you believe
the temple of Athena nike

was named after the goddess
of fine footwear?

Actually, it was named after
the goddess of w*r and wisdom.

Athena, who was also responsible
for protecting the Acropolis.

Another Acropolis monument,
the erechtheum,

celebrates the spot where Athena
and poseidon, god of the sea

battled over who would
reign over the Acropolis.

Guess who won?

Athena, but she was
so soaked,

her hair didn't hold
a curl for 600 years.

The building was named after the
snake-bodied god erechtheus.

Needless to say, he didn't
get too many dates.

The 6 graceful maidens
supporting the porch

are called the caryatids.

They look like they have a
lot on their minds,

which is unusual

because most of these statues
have rocks on their heads.

Wowsers! Look at the time!

Walking these ruins sure
hasn't ruined my appetite.

Let's go to the marketplace
and grab some Greek grub.

The Greek gods tell me
it's this way.

Wowsers!
Business is terrible!

Doesn't look like we'll
get a pita sandwich here.

Back in the old days,
this marketplace

was called the agora.

It's where the people of
Athens would gather

for all their activities.

Wait! I'm getting a top-secret
message from the chief.

"the agora was once an important
meeting place." Stop.

"not anymore." Stop.

Head north to shop
and eat and don't stop."

Go, go, Gadget copter!

Just as I suspected.

A modern day Athens flea
market where fleas and

athenians come to
meet, greet, and eat.

Time for an Inspector Gadget
field trip fact:

the surfaces
of the Parthenon

were intentionally built
with a slight angle.

That's because straight
lines look bent

when viewed
from a distance.

The Greeks figured out
that curved lines

would look
straight from afar,

so if you want to look straight,
curve your back.

If you want to look curved,
straighten up.

Welcome back to our
field trip through Greece.

Hope you wore
your hip boots.

My Gadget map tells me
that even though

there are more than

people live on only
about 160 of them.

Go, go, Gadget copter!

Would you believe
for centuries,

the sea has been a major
part of grecian life?

The Greeks became top-notch
ship builders

and got around in boats
like these,

only theirs moved and
weren't just pictures.

Today, locals and tourists
alike island hop on ferries.

The Greeks have
so much water,

this boat needs
a pool to hold some of it.

And if you don't
like the ferry,

you can hitch a ride
on a blue dolphin.

Not that one!

This blue dolphin
is a hydrofoil,

a faster ferry that
travels on top of the water

between islands.

islands in Greece

are Mykonos, Paros,
Naxos, Ios, and Amorgos.

That's a lot of "os's"

first up, mykonos.

Mykonos is
possibly the best known

of all the Greek islands.

Its semi-circular harbor,
whitewashed houses,

and picturesque windmills

have drawn more tourists
than any other island.

I never knew buildings
could draw.

Greek beaches attract
windsurfers from all

over the world.

There are thousands
of beaches on the islands

and they offer something
for everyone,

if you like sand.

On ios, the beach is
the place to meet and greet,

to see and be seen,

or if you like your privacy,

how about a stretch of sand
all to yourself?

At kolymbithres beach,
on the island of paros,

you can even swim alongside
giant rock formations.

The rock formations
are notoriously slow swimmers.

You'll never know who
you'll meet on the beach,

but your best friend will be
your sunscreen.

When the sun goes down,

the visitors invade
the narrow streets

in search of food, fun,
dance, and that donkey

from the beach.

While the tourists
whoop it up,

the locals scoop it up
with fishnets.

The harbor of naoussa
on paros

is home to a typical
Greek fishing village.

Where there's a typical
Greek fishing village,

there's a typical Greek cat

waiting to make
fish head souvlakis.

Greek fisherman use boats
called trehadiri

that have a rounded bow
and stern.

Many catch their fish
with nets called karteri,

which they drop down
to the sea floor

to trap small tuna
and benito.

They've been doing it this
way for thousands of years

and the fish still haven't
caught on.

Just off the tip of paros

is the smaller island
of andiparos.

Known for its dark, eerie,
stalactite caves.

A stalactite is made up
of calcium carbonate deposits

hanging from the roof
of a cave.

The caves stretch 100 meters
down into the earth

and have been visited
by queens.

On the island of naxos

lies a giant, unfinished
stone statue.

Locals call this 2,700-year-old
sleeping giant "the Greek."

Hey, if you were

you'd be lying down, too.

And now an Inspector Gadget
field trip fact:

Greece is less than 1/3
the size of the state of

California in the
united states,

but Greece has 9,385 miles
of coastline.

That's more than 10
times the size of the

California
coastline.

Go figure.

Inspector Gadget here,
back on our adventure

through Greece.

Looks like our captain
is ready to hoist the sail,

trim the mast,
shiver the timbers,

and pipe up to the poopdeck,

which means he's leaving

and without me.

Wait up!

Next stop: Amorgos.

Amorgos is less visited
than the other Greek islands.

Probably because
it's so far east.

In the coastal harbor town
of Agouti,

you can unwind and whet
your whistle

at one of the many outdoor
tavernis.

The main port is a colorful
harbor town: katapola.

Katapola still relies
on the traditional

mode of island
transportation.

No, not blue dolphins.
Donkeys.

The jewel of amorgos
is the breathtaking monastery.

It's called Khozoviotissa,

and it's literally wedged
into the cliffs above the sea.

The locals call it
the eagle's nest.

Go, go, Gadget copter!

This eagle lives
a pretty good life.

Inside are
priceless treasures

which are ornamented
with precious stones,

not to mention some
pretty strong talons

to grab Gadget copters with.

Next stop, the island
of lesbos.

Lesbos is known
for its beautiful harbors,

acres of olive trees,

and its yellow waterfalls.

Wait a minute.

That's not water,
that's olive oil.

Let's explore.

The olive tree has long
been a symbol of joy,

peace, and victory
for the people of Greece.

The first tree was a gift
from the goddess Athena,

and Greek agriculture
has been floating in a sea

of olive oil ever since.

They use it for everything.

After all, the slippery
business of live tree farming

is still the most
traditional and widespread

form of agriculture
in Greece today.

Olive trees live
to a ripe old age.

This olive tree standing near
a road called the scared way

is said to be over

but it could be lying
about its age,

but with my keen detective
sense,

I can usually root out
the liars.

I'm no sap.

On average, modern Greece

produces more than 250,000
tons of olive oil a year.

Why, just on the island
of lesbos

there are over 11 million
olive trees.

Today, special machines are
also used to tickle the

branches so they won't break.

Large nets
are placed underneath

to collect the olives.

The process is quicker
and more enjoyable

than smacking the tree...

For the tree, that is.

After collection, the olives
are put in canvas sacks

so they can breathe.

Their life may be the pits,

but olives are
living organisms.

From here, they are quickly sent
to the oil pressing factory.

The olives are then sorted to
get rid of the leaves and

stems, washed, and put
into the presser.

The presser is like
the big egg beater

that crushes the olives
into a paste

until the oil
is squeezed out.

Another machine separates
the solid paste from the oil.

Without this machine,
this job would be the pits.

Oh, yes, the pits are
processed at other plants.

Some are actually
converted into fuel.

After the water
is separated out,

the golden olive oil
is ready.

Wowsers! The Greek people
are also known

for their colorful
and lively dances,

some of which dates back


are the tzembekiko

or the drunk
sailor's dance,

the sirto or circle dance,

and the tsamiko, where
men can show off

in the middle of the circle.

These Greeks can really
bust a move.

And now, an Inspector Gadget
field trip fact.

Greek athletes in
the ancient Olympics

were known to cover
their bodies with olive oil

after bathing to soothe
their ailing muscles.

That explains why
they were naked.

Their clothes kept
slipping off.

When we return,

we'll light the torch

at the site of
the very first Olympics.

Inspector Gadget here,

back on our field trip
through Greece.

Would you believe these
guards are part of the

Greek Olympic
marching team?

Actually, we're at the...

These elite guards
are called Evzones,

and between their fancy
high stepping,

they watch over the tomb
by standing perfectly still.

The Evzones may not know
who the solider is,

but they may know the way to the
stadium of the unknown athlete.

Let's step along.

Wowswers.

Olympia, home of the Greek
gods and the most famous site

of the ancient Olympic
games.

It's recorded that
the Olympic games

were held here
since 776 B.C.

Let's get a Gadget's-eye-view
of this historic place.

The games here held to
honor the god of all gods...

Athletes came from all parts of
the Greek empire bearing gifts,

but what do you give
the god who has everything?

How about giving a god
his own temple?

The temple of zeus was one
of the largest in Greece

and once stood here.

Now, only ruins of this
great temple remain.

Wonder what they did
with the rest of it.

Let's face it.

They don't make temples
like they used to.

Athletes walked from
the temple, down this path,

under the arch,
and into the Olympic stadium.

Not that different from the
stadiums we enter today,

except the hot dogs
are a lot fresher.

Wowsers!

Another top-secret Inspector
Gadget field trip fact.

The Olympic games were held
here for more than 1,000 years

until they were banned by
emperor theodosius in 394 a.d.

Among other things, he objected
to the Olympic clothing,

mainly the fact that
they weren't wearing any.

It seems the athletes
competed in the nude.

Many original Olympic events
are still held today.

Wrestling, running,
the long jump,

and the discus throw.

A discus weighed as much
as 15 pounds,

and athletes threw them
as far as they could.

This is the site
of the gymnasium

where athletes trained for
events that took up a lot of

room, like the javelin throw,
long-distance running,

and bobbing for statues.

As you can see, the place
has run itself into the ground.

The maintenance man
has been on vacation

since the year 2 B.C.

As important as the Olympics
were to the Greeks,

women were not allowed
to compete.

In fact, they couldn't
even watch,

but a few may have peeked
through the pillar

at opening day ceremony.

According to my keen
detective sense,

the women got even.

They held their own games
every 4 years

to honor the goddess hera,

who was zeus' wife.

Bet she was glad to get down
from the Olympian heights

once in a while.

You can bet the first
woman's Olympics

got those male athletes
off their bare duffs.

Here at the temple of hera,

the Olympic flame
is still lit today,

and small wonder,

after those smoldering
beginnings.

How do we know so much
about the Greeks?

My extraordinary bionic
investigation skills.

That and the fact that
the Greeks left their literature

and art lying around
everywhere.

Paintings on vases, tools,
statues, armor, and other

artifacts that can
be seen at museums.

Well, I hope you had fun
exploring the Acropolis,

idly ambling through Athens,

island hopping
with the dancing donkeys,

and doing the decathlon
on Olympia.

Till next time, remember,

if you go after your dreams
like an Olympic athlete,

you'll always score
a perfect 10.

Go, go, Gadget field trip!