Greece

Arrival in Greece @ Athens, Greece

2008-04-02T07:38:00.000Z

Arrived in Greece last night, and I`m staying at the Hostel Aphrodite. Athens has lived up to all expectations, as I visited the Acropolis today and was amazed. I was constantly thinking back to 6th grade when my teacher, Mr. Felice Marrongelle, showed the class several slide shows of his travels to Ancient Greece, Rome, and Europe in general. I wandered into the Acropolis from the back way. There are several main entrances and one entrance at the top of an old part of town. I didn`t expect to find the entrance, but I just wanted to have a look around and take my time. Then, all of a sudden, there were a few signs. This is not a high traffic route, as it leads through some very narrow alleyways.

On my walk away from the Acropolis, I was stopped by an old Greek guy sitting on a bench. His name was Bill. We chatted a while about Hillary Clinton and the strength of the Euro. He was an amusing guy and I expect to meet more curious Greeks on my travels along the western coast.

About every 10 minutes, a little voice in my head says, ``Its all Greek to me!`` I can`t stand it, but it is true. In any case, I have better idea of what`s going on here than I did in China.

The other travellers are noticeably different than China. Pretty much everyone is a study abroad student in Europe on some kind of 3 week break. They are nice people though.

The People You Meet @ Athens, Greece

2008-04-03T08:40:00.000Z

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.

Influenza from Qatar Airways @ Athens, Greece

2008-04-04T09:41:00.000Z

I am sick! I think that I caught the flu on the long flight and layover I had from Hong Kong to Qatar to Athens! My throat feels like I swallowed a meter stick coated with rough sandpaper! I bought some Greek cough syrup and cold medicine, but I will have to post pone my departure from Athens until I feel better.

The first stop on my bike will be Thivia (Thebes), then Delphi.

To Thiva (Thebes) @ Thíva (Thebes), Greece

2008-04-09T08:15:00.000Z

I finally left Athens today!

I rode today to Thiva. First I followed a route I planned on Google Maps out of Athens to Eleufsina. There was little trouble once I realized the road was always the same but changed names 30 times over 30 kilometers. At one point I dropped the paper with my hand-written directions. When I stopped to pick it up, I first rolled my bike through a thick mud. This mud stuck to my tires, sludged into my clean breaks and then dripped down onto my clean chain. Only a few kilometers out of Athens and I have managed to fill my new, well-lubed bike with grit!

I first learned how friendly the Greeks are when I got lost at the beginning of the National Road, E962. Despite this being the national road, it is completely unmarked as such and is ambiguous. Some Greeks in a pleasent little sandwich shop set me on the proper course.

Finally, I was leaving the industrial wastelands of Athens, which aparently lie just on the other side of a hill on western Athens. Up and up and up I rode. It seemed like I would summit the highest mountain in sight, and then around the top of the summit, the road would continue up another summit which had been hidden from sight. At the true peak, I took a long lunch break and ate an apple and peanuts. A truck driver stopped to check his load, he said a few things to me in Greek, which I did not understand, and then he gave me two bright organges. The one I ate proved to be as delicious as it looked.

The road down seemed much less steep than the road up, but in some ways that might be a blessing. This side of the mountain was extremely beautiful. There was a picturesque monestary and sheep herds. I rode through my first small town, then found that the sign pointing to Thiva was also pointing at the less well-maintained road. I crossed a bridge which made me think that I was travelling a route that Romans and Greeks travelled many years before me - an ancient road. So small was the road that I could not believe it was the National Road.

Being so out of shape makes my body easily discouraged. Even on the rolling terrain my legs were tired, and I took a generous amount of breaks. My map of Greece has not poved to be a terribly accurate guage of the distance between towns! Between the last town before Thiva and Thiva, the map indicates a distance of 11km. When asking which road to Thiva in this town, a man said, in Greek, that it was 25km. A concrete truck driver translated.

On my way into Thiva I asked a guy chatting with a newsstand owner which way I should go to find the plateia (plaza). "Follow me, my friend, I will show you the way," he said. And I followed his silver Peugeot around a few turns and up a hill to the plateia. I arrived at Hotel Niovi around 4.30 or 5.

The next morning I decided to stay the day in Thiva; not only because it is beautiful and the plateia is welcoming, but also because I thought I should rest my legs and build up strengh for the 800M ascent to Arachova, a town just east of Delphi.

To Delphi @ Aráchova, Greece

2008-04-11T12:29:00.000Z

The first stage of my route today went from Thiva to Livadia - it was about 40km and flat. The main roads curve out around Livadia, but it looked like I might skip a few k's if I went straight through. Originally, I had planned to take lunch in Distomo, a small town at the foot of the climb to Arachova, but a pizza shop caught my eye. Once inside, I learned that it was too early for pizza, so I munched on a sandwich and juice.

The road to Distomo was up and down for about 20km. Every time I cycled up a long hill, I hoped that the road would not descend. If it did, all that work would not get me any closer to the elevation of Arachova. At last I rode through a short tunnel and came across a WWII monument to the town of Distomo. Nearby, a shepherd told me that the road descended, then went up a long way to Arachova, then down to Delphi. At least this was the last time the road would go back down, I thought. It was a good thing that I took lunch in Livadia, because Distomo could only be reached by a 4km detour.

The climb to Arachova was a hard 13km of never-ending steep road. I ate the second of those magical oranges that the truck driver gave me the other day - they were the size of grapefruits, and pure, unblemished orange. After about a kilometer, this orange kicked in, and I road briskly to Arachova.

The town of Arachova is gorgeous! It was a grand reward to the long climb, and it is a town worth coming back to in the future. This is actually the Aspin of Greece, as it is famous skiing town. I chatted with a few shopkeepers and ate a hearty meal while overlooking the gorge. From here I cycled the last 9km to Delphi - perhaps I didn't really cycle; rather I just sat on my bike as it glided downhill at 45km/hr.

Delphi, Greece @ Delphi, Greece

2008-04-11T16:32:00.000Z

Excellent views of the Gulf of Cornith. There are a lot of old tourists here - in fact they remind me of college students the way they are hanging out on the balconies drinking rum and cokes! Coffee is also way over-priced here.

I'll see the sights tomorrow.

To Nafpaktos @ Náfpaktos, Greece

2008-04-13T11:00:00.000Z

I started the day thinking that I would only cycle 33km to Galaxidi, a small resort town along the Gulf of Corinth. It was a fantastic ride downhill from Delphi!

Before I arrived in Galaxidi I talked myself into continuing all the way to Nafpaktos; rather I would go 8km past Nafpaktos to a campground. Thus I would save 60euro and make my journey to Lefkada one day shorter - thereby saving even more money. Well, Nafpaktos was much further than the map indicated, about 25km further. I rode 110km today, and left late at around 11.30. The ride soon became dreary as the clouds rolled in and the air became cooler.

I got the campground and was told by they gypsy lady that it was closed. I said I just wanted to camp and did not need any services - as much as I wanted a shower and such. She agreed to let me camp. I only said this because I knew there was a cafe a half kilometer down the street. The book lists this place as costing 7.50euro (indeed, this Lonely Planet book was published in March 2008). The next morning the gypsy lady told me it was 10. Hell, I figured she would give me an out-of-season discount of <5euro, not to mention that she did not provide ANY services. I only had 8.30 in change or a twenty. She went inside to get 10 in change, and there was arguing with her husband (I imagined him telling her that she was ripping me off), and then she asked how much change I had again. She took the 8.30 and said that it was because there was no mini market and that she wouldn't charge this again. I think she's crazy because, it was a crappy campground that shouldn't even be listed in the book. The campgrounds near Delphi have great pools and awesome views and they only charge 7.50.

To Mytikas @ Mýtikas, Greece

2008-04-14T09:39:00.000Z

The gypsy lady really put a damper on my attitude. I hardly cared to look around Messolongi for beauty as I simply wanted to get to Mytikas. Eventually I stopped to buy some fruit (I was thinking 2 oranges) at a small road-side stand. The guy selling the fruit was so excited that I was cycling around Greece that he first gave me a big, cold glass of some fanta-like soda, then he proceeded to fill a bag full of oranges and apples. I had a difficult time explaining that I did not want to carry all this weight! He would not let me pay a dime for all this produce. His kindness gave me the push I needed to pedal the rest of the 120km to Mytikas.

As I rolled into Mytikas I was thinking that the Lonely Planet book got it wrong again. The town did not look 'cozier' than Astakos - it was all spread out and most of the buildings were newer concrete beach houses. The only hotel in sight was closed. It was too late to pedal back to Astakos or onwards to the next town. I had no idea where I was going to sleep. I asked a few people where a hotel was (using the universal hand next to leaning head symbol) and they pointed me down ramshackle roads. Eventually, one young man told me to follow him through an alley and we came out into a nice cobblestone street near an old-style inn. There a bunch of old guys playing cards and drinking coffee in this hotel's cafe/bar/restaurant. An old woman showed me to my room. It was raining and the water next to the downtown buildings was pretty violent. All the restaurants were closed, save the one where I ate, since it was too early for the crowds on holiday. There was no menu. The old lady looked at me and said she had two tomatoes and fish, and I agreed. She worked wonders with this little amount of food, and I enjoyed some delicious olives in the tomato salad.

I was concerned all night that I was going to pay 60euro for this room (I didn't want to ask because it was the only option), but the next morning she only charged me 20! I was, I'm sure, the only out-of-towner in the entire town and it was an easy 20euros for them.

To Lefkada @ Lefkáda, Greece

2008-04-15T10:41:00.000Z

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 along the causeway to Lefkada. It was interesting to be able to just wander around the castle without restriction. Once in Lefkada, I immediately felt as though I was on vacation. The town is surrounded by yachts and was bathed in sun. It seemed that all the clouds went east, over the mainland, but not over Lefkada. I rode around looking for a cheap inn, most were closed as they appeared to all be under construction or renovation. I found one eventually, and the receptionist gave me the best room, practically a suite at a huge discount. I have a terrace as big as my entire room in Mytikas! I enjoyed some tasty pizza for lunch and chatted with the Romanian waiter - I was the only person eating at this restaurant in the plaza, and there were only 5 other people in the entire plaza which seats at least 400. The waiter told me that the season starts next week, one week prior to the Greek Orthodox Easter.

Preveza, Greece @ Preveza, Greece

2008-04-18T09:00:44.000Z

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.

To Igoumenitsa @ Preveza, Greece

2008-04-18T17:29:29.000Z

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.