TripTracker.net - Greece, The People You Meet

Arrival in Greece The People You Meet Influenza from Qatar Airways To Thiva (Thebes)To Delphi Delphi, Greece To Nafpaktos To Mytikas To Lefkada Preveza, Greece To Igoumenitsa

simonetti

Greece

The People You Meet

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Apr 3 2008, 08:40 AM

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Traveler

simonetti

Journal

Location

Athens, Greece

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Today I purchased the bike I will ride around Europe. I don`t want to make any promises about where I will ride, but I would like to make it to Paris. The guys at the bike shop were extremely helpful, and while they fitted my bike and attached all the stuff I wanted we enjoyed a cup of coffee. Originally, I wanted a cyclocross bike so that I could ride on some more rugged terrain or full-blown trails, but it seems this type of bike is not popular anywhere but the US. When I was in China, I talked to some cyclists and it was the case there as well. Here in Greece, the guys at the bike shop said Specialized brand only sent 3 cyclocross bikes to all of Greece.

They did have one such bike, but it was 2000 Euro. With the current exchange rate, that was not a great option for me. I`ve opted for a new Trek with mostly Shimano 105 components. The bike is several model years old, so it had the proper rear rack attachment points.

This afternoon, I wandered into a posh coffee shop to enjoy the popular Greek coffee, Frappe. On my way out, the owner happened to be there and we chatted about the America for a while.
``Where are you from.`` (no q. marks on this keyboard)
``America, near Philadelphia``
``Ohh, America! I was born and raised in Baltimore!`` (Although he still has a strong Greek accent.)
``My sister lives in Baltimore...Townson``
``Townson! Where are you from in Philadelphia.``
``Oh, I live in a small town near Amish country. Morgantown; its along the Turnpike.``
``Morgantown! I have a cousin who is a doctor in Morgantown!``
The conversation continues, and he gives me the names of his relatives in Morgantown, and tells me to come back to his coffee bar and have free coffee. Apparently, he also owns a night club in Baltimore.

Photos

04/03/2008
06:40 PM

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	11. To Igoumenitsa Apr 18 2008, 05:29 PMPreveza, Greece I rode from Preveza to Igoumenitsa. My only regret is that I skipped the town of Parga. It's probably too cold to completely enjoy that town anyway. From here I'll take the Ventouris ferry to Bari, Italy.

	10. Preveza, Greece Apr 18 2008, 09:00 AMPreveza, Greece I took the bus from Lefkada to Preveza because there is a long underwater tunnel. I presume that bicycles are not allowed. The loop around would add at least another day to the journey, and I'm ready for Italy.

	9. To Lefkada Apr 15 2008, 10:41 AMLefkáda, Greece6 photos The ride to Lefkada was great. Despite the dreary weather forecast I saw yesterday in Mytikas, it was beautiful. Plus I knew that it was only 55km to Lefkada. The road was mostly flat along the coast, then flat along a long valley before Vonitsa. I stopped to look at a castle just before riding...

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