I think I left many people with a bitter taste after my previous post. Let me preface this new entry by saying that I’m fine! Really, I’m not depressed, sad or disappointed. It was a bad day that was bound to occur sooner or later. I took advantage of the barrage of thoughts to process a lot of new and old information and made the best of it. I never stopped enjoying myself (ok, maybe for about three hours…) and[...]
End of day 15: 1st of May, 2012. Distance covered so far: 693.34 kilometers (433.34 miles). I only needed to cover another 90 kilometers to reach Thessaloniki. Yet this day proved to be the most challenging so far. It wasn’t windy, nor was it uphill. On the contrary, the weather conditions were very smooth and the entire road was as flat as one could wish for. I even came across, some very strange/entertaining/disturbing/creepy sights that made the ride all that[...]
As I mentioned previously, I rode up part of mount Olympus. Although it was a vert tough climb, I knew that it would be worth the sweat. Not only because of the beauty I would see at the top, but also because this struggle uphill who afterwards be one hell of a speedy descent. And fun is exactly what it was! The video below is a 6-minute, fast paced, music-fueled descent from mount Olympus during which I reached top speeds[...]
End of day 14: 30th of April, 2012. Distance covered so far: 609.71 kilometers (381.07 miles). The ride to Larisa was a bit tougher than I anticipated. It was all a flat road, but I didn’t ride under the best of conditions. I was already tired from the previous day, I had gone to bed very late and I set off at high noon, so the burning sun was not doing me any favors. Regardless, I got there in one[...]
End of day 10: 26th of April, 2012. Distance covered so far: 415.23 kilometers (259.52 miles). The road through Thessaly began with steep climbs. Half of the next 40 kilometers that I was going to ride were not only uphill, but also under the midday scorching sun. Not easy, not fun. The ferry took me to Glyfa and from there I rode through Achilleion, Pteleos and Sourpi and finally reached the village of Almyros. I have spent many a childhood[...]
End of day 6: 22th of April, 2012. Distance covered so far: 277.01 kilometers (173.13 miles). With the latest rewards after a hard day’s cycling still in my sight, I woke up bright and early and was ready to hit the road again! My intention was to reach the coast and ride alongside it as far as I can. The road now is flat. I can finally enjoy the route in a much more relaxed manner and it’s the perfect[...]
I think I left many people with a bitter taste after my previous post. Let me preface this new entry by saying that I’m fine! Really, I’m not depressed, sad or disappointed. It was a bad day that was bound to occur sooner or later. I took advantage of the barrage of thoughts to process a lot of new and old information and made the best of it. I never stopped enjoying myself (ok, maybe for about three hours…) and[...]
End of day 15: 1st of May, 2012. Distance covered so far: 693.34 kilometers (433.34 miles). I only needed to cover another 90 kilometers to reach Thessaloniki. Yet this day proved to be the most challenging so far. It wasn’t windy, nor was it uphill. On the contrary, the weather conditions were very smooth and the entire road was as flat as one could wish for. I even came across, some very strange/entertaining/disturbing/creepy sights that made the ride all that[...]
As I mentioned previously, I rode up part of mount Olympus. Although it was a vert tough climb, I knew that it would be worth the sweat. Not only because of the beauty I would see at the top, but also because this struggle uphill who afterwards be one hell of a speedy descent. And fun is exactly what it was! The video below is a 6-minute, fast paced, music-fueled descent from mount Olympus during which I reached top speeds[...]
End of day 14: 30th of April, 2012. Distance covered so far: 609.71 kilometers (381.07 miles). The ride to Larisa was a bit tougher than I anticipated. It was all a flat road, but I didn’t ride under the best of conditions. I was already tired from the previous day, I had gone to bed very late and I set off at high noon, so the burning sun was not doing me any favors. Regardless, I got there in one[...]
End of day 10: 26th of April, 2012. Distance covered so far: 415.23 kilometers (259.52 miles). The road through Thessaly began with steep climbs. Half of the next 40 kilometers that I was going to ride were not only uphill, but also under the midday scorching sun. Not easy, not fun. The ferry took me to Glyfa and from there I rode through Achilleion, Pteleos and Sourpi and finally reached the village of Almyros. I have spent many a childhood[...]
End of day 6: 22th of April, 2012. Distance covered so far: 277.01 kilometers (173.13 miles). With the latest rewards after a hard day’s cycling still in my sight, I woke up bright and early and was ready to hit the road again! My intention was to reach the coast and ride alongside it as far as I can. The road now is flat. I can finally enjoy the route in a much more relaxed manner and it’s the perfect[...]
End of day 4: 20th of April, 2012. Distance covered so far: 153.65 kilometers (96.03 miles). After a very intense day riding to Amarinthos, taking a much needed day to relax was the way to go. The beaches, the good food and our gracious, fascinating host, Stelaras was just what we needed in order to recharge our batteries before continuing the long journey ahead. The following morning we got up and back on our saddles early. After my current morning[...]
End of day 2. Distance covered so far: 72.38 kilometers (45.24 miles). The journey has already begun and I couldn’t be any more excited. Despite the very rough start and numerous malfunctions, I’m as happy as one can be. I left my place, as planned, on Tuesday the 17th of April. It counts as having left on time, despite the fact that due to a friends&wine gathering the night before until 6am, plus a translation I was hired to do,[...]
Only four days to go before my big cycling adventure commences. After my, possibly last, Turkish class today, I spent some time getting all my stuff ready and laying out what I will take with me on the trip. I am ever so slightly panicking, thinking that all this has to fit on this The rear rack can hold a maximum of 12 kilos (25 pounds). I am using a small, digital scale to weigh everything I am taking with[...]
A couple of weeks ago my friend D. invited me to join him for a weekend-long escape at a small village in the southeast part of Peloponnese. He has a house there and he wanted to go take care of a couple of things, so off we went. The village is called Reichia. It’s a tiny village amidst many mountains, not too far from the eastern seashore. It’s permanent residents do not exceed 300. It is a beautiful, picturesque village,[...]