My ten-year-old son, Josh, accompanied us throughout Greece, and proved once again that he’s the heartiest of travelers, with scarcely a complaint to be heard from him throughout. He may have missed his GameBoy from time to time, but he made countless friends along the way. He fit in perfectly well as a member of the Visionalist crew…he even made his screen debut as my dining companion during the Crete show!

With Jeff Fish busy at work editing the Paris and Rhone-Alps episodes of Keith Famie’s Adventures, I invited along a guest producer: my buddy and former Survivor producer John Feist. John’s resume includes such notable projects as A Current Affair and America’s Most Wanted (as a producer, not a subject!) and he’s got a PrimeTime Emmy and a People’s Choice award to show for his contribution to Survivor. Working alongside John again was a riot, and the crew loved hearing us reminisce about the ups and downs of our shared Survivor experience. John’s ‘reality TV’ vision for the Greece and Crete episodes of Keith Famie’s Adventures should make an interesting contrast to the refined and technical style that Jeff’s fans are used to.

Throughout Greece we met any number of fine folks who aided and abetted us along our odyssey. With Chef Vasilios Milios of St. George Lycabettus Hotel, we toured the sprawling agora in Athens, where acres of olives and countless varieties of feta cheese are spread among the fruits, vegetables, and seafood. The remarkable wines of Attica were sampled at Evharis Vineyards, and in the spectacular town of Mystra, home of a remarkable Byzantine castle, we toured the olive groves of Eugene Ladopoulos, gaining a greater understanding of the techniques used in producing Greece’s liquid gold, olive oil.

From there, it was a leisurely ferry ride to the islands: First, to Hydra, where harbormaster Pan (all five feet of him) gave us a tour of his water world. Pan is one of the most remarkable physical specimens I’ve ever encountered; a former Green Beret, this squat little Hercules could easily pass for a creature from Greek Mythology…especially for his namesake, Pan! The island of Ikaria was likewise steeped in history and myth. It was there that we hooked up with author and restaurateur Diane Kochilis for an extensive tour of her rugged homeland (to which she’s returned after growing up in Manhattan). We discovered the wonders of village-baked bread, freshly made goat’s cheese inside a rural farmhouse, and sampled Ikarian fig-based moonshine at the three-hundred-year-old still of Nikos Vitsaris.

Crete also proved to be a culinary gem. Following our requisite exploration of the Hania market, we dined on at a rustic, mountainside restaurant called Nykterida…the site where Zorba "The Greek" was filmed. From there, it was a rollicking evening in Crete’s capital, Heraklion, sipping ouzo and nibbling on the wonderful seafood appetizers at the numerous tavernas. Since Cretans dine late, late, late, we capped that evening at the home of authors Maria and Nikos Psilakis, where we were provided with a marvelous spread of homemade food that included roasted goat, rabbit in yogurt sauce, wild mountain greens, pork with quinces, and a dozen other unusual recipes that both startled and pleased… never once (at least during this meal) did Josh ask for a hot dog.

Everything on the mainland unfolded under the careful organization of Vicky Marinopoulou of Plotin Tours, and with the formidable road skills of tour bus driver Kostas, making our Greek experience one of the most noteworthy so far.