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The road doesn't just stay on the coast, it also jags inwards and up the mountains into the clouds. Rainsuit required. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9662-L.jpg Riding into the clouds of Mount Çika. Neda says it's pronounced Mount Chica. haha! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9669-L.jpg Coming down the other side of La Montaña de las Chicas. ¡Hola Mola! Muy hermosa! I don't know why this blog has suddenly turned Spanish... in Albania... |
Our helmets were like bobble heads. The mountains and scenery were so breathtaking, we didn't know which way to look. We opted to keep our eyes on the road whenever there was a turn ahead of us. Which was most of the time:
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9674-L.jpg Staircase of switchbacks back down to the coastal road https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9690-L.jpg More beautiful coastal scenery https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9701-L.jpg Neda is riding off into the sunset Okay, so the Greek ruins were not that impressive, but such a great day of riding though! So far, Albania is surprising me. I didn't know what to expect beforehand, but we're both super-happy that we're here! |
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Fantastic pics & report as always Gene bier
Don't let Neda wear off your well earned Asian excess pounds without a fight Gene :rofl: |
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Round *is* a shape, right? |
Merry Xmas Gene & Neda from downunder :thumbup1:
May Santa bring you a watch, so you won't be so tardy with your wonderful reports & pics :innocent: Have a good one guys bier |
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/326.html
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...L/map326-L.jpg I've heard of the French Riviera, the Mayan Riviera, but never known of the Albanian Riviera. Until now. We've spent the last month traveling slowly down the beautiful Dalmatian coast, the rugged shoreline and sporadic pebble beaches giving way to the flatlands of northern and central Albania. That's where we headed inland to enjoy riding in the mountains. It was only when we headed back to the coast at Vlorë that we picked up the familiar scenery we last saw in Croatia and Montenegro - the same scenery that flocks of Polish, Czech and other Eastern European tourists have already discovered. With accommodations and food priced at a tenth of the costs of the French Riviera, the Albanian Riviera represents a huge bargain for beach holidayers. It's just a matter of time before the rest of Europe and the world finds out about this hidden jewel. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0428-L.jpg Beach at Sarandë We arrive at Sarandë, the unofficial capital of the Albanian Riviera in the late afternoon. Cheap as Albania is, we still save a lot of money by finding accommodations away from the beach. It's just a half km walk to the shoreline, and we take in the old buildings and streets in our neck of the woods. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9706-L.jpg Our neighbourhood may not be the swankiest, but that doesn't mean there aren't Mercedes-Benzes parked up and down the street! :) https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9703-L.jpg This is where we're staying! Our hosts don't speak a lot of English, so once again, we're relegated to pantomiming. Everywhere we go, I make sure to learn the one basic phrase we need to show that we're civilized people: "Faleminderit" - "Thank You". Perhaps many people don't make an effort to learn any Albanian, because every time I pull out the "faleminderit", I get a smile or a laugh. Or maybe it's because it's so unusual for the only Asian tourist in Albania to speak any Albanian at all! Seriously, I haven't seen one brotha or sistah the entire time we've been here! :) |
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Walking down the boardwalk in Sarandë After unpacking, we head straight down to the beach to try to catch the last rays of sun before dinner. This is where the city has put most of the money into. The boardwalk is very pretty and it seems everyone in town is hanging out right here. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0422-L.jpg Sarandë used to be a fishing village before it became the tourist mecca of the Albanian Riviera https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0410-L.jpg Boats coming in at sunset, tourists apartments line the shore in the background https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0425-L.jpg Neda prefers the pebble beaches to sandy beaches because it reminds her of Pula |
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Locals hanging out at the beach https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SC_0430-XL.jpg Taking a little stroll on the boardwalk Neda and I love people-watching. So interesting to see what common facial features define an ethnicity. In Albania, it seems to be a prominent forehead, mostly in the men. I noted that in all cultures, ethnic features seem to magnify as people age. Apart from the obvious differences in hair and skin colour, we all look pretty much the same as babies. As the cartilage in our noses and ears continues to grow in old age and the skin on the face starts to crinkle and wear in a set pattern over time, it's like the DNA in our cells exaggerate these ethnic differences. I'm fascinated by this racial blueprint in our genes. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0455-L.jpg We found a nice restaurant right on the beach and we watched the sun slowly set on Sarandë, then we strolled back to our apartment along the boardwalk Although much of the scenery is still reminiscent of the Adriatic coast (I suppose technically it still is), Albania has been such a surprise to me. I didn't think it would be this pleasant and inviting. While the infrastructure is not as developed as Croatia, Albania still has the same pebbly beaches, deep aqua-marine waters and picturesque sunsets. Except without the crowds and at a fraction of the price. We love it! |
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Riding on the road next to the boardwalk, heading out of the city. Past more Mercedes-Benzes I read something funny the other day. It was a mock advertisement for tourism for the country: "Come to Albania! Your Mercedes is already here!" :) https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9717-L.jpg Our last visit to archaeological ruins didn't quite pan out. We're going to try again at another site called Butrint Butrint is the site of ancient ruins dating back through several periods in history. We ride just a half hour south of Sarandë, along the coast and on a thin spit of land where the structures are situated. It's been a Greek colony, a Roman city, an outpost of the Byzantine Empire and part of the Venetian Kindom in the middle ages, and the remains of all these empires are all in this one place. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0703-L.jpg Right at the entrance of Butrint National Park is the Venetian Tower built in the late 1500s |
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Neda is giving me the history of Butrint as we enter the back of the Roman Theatre Neda is one of the most studious people I know. She loves reading and researching stuff. Quite the opposite of me. Every new place we go to, she's avidly soaking up all the information in the signs and brochures, while I am wandering around snapping pictures. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't know anything about the place we visit, except that they look kinda cool. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0463-L.jpg While Neda is learning about the history of Butrint, I take pictures of turtles. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0709-L.jpg The Agora, a gathering place for the citizens of Butrint https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0729-L.jpg Neda checks out the Roman Theatre. She yells over at me, "This one is not as good as the Pula Amphitheatre!" |
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https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0734-L.jpg I think Neda should seriously consider being a tour guide when we're done traveling. She's really good at it. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0481-L.jpg The Butrint site is on a spit of land, this is the view across the waters https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0739-L.jpg We found a secret entrance! |
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Museum in the Venetian Fortress https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0738-L.jpg Neda explaining to me how the plumbing works in one of the bath houses https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0489-L.jpg In turn, I take pictures of a Balkan Green Lizard! So well camouflaged! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0757-L.jpg The Baptistery, the most famous monument at Butrint... and the most disappointing! There is a beautiful mosaic floor hiding underneath all that gravel in the Baptistery. It used to be a Roman bath house until it was remodeled in the 6th century. The tiles have been wonderfully preserved and it's supposed to be the signature piece of Butrint. Unfortunately for us, they periodically cover the mosaic to preserve it, and this is one of the times that the tiles have been obscured. So disappointed! :( If you Google "Butrint Baptistery", you can see the beautiful mosaic floor. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0764-L.jpg The Basilica beside the Baptistery Still, it's a very cool site! But now we're jumping on our bikes and heading to a country that's basically the king-daddy of all ancient ruins! |
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/327.html
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...L/map327-L.jpg There's a road we want to try but it's going to take us on a pretty circuitous route around southern Albania. There's no pass that goes over the 6,500 foot peaks of the Trebeshina mountain range where we currently are. Although Sarandë is only less than 15 kms away from the Greek border, we turn around and head north to find a dip in the mountain range to cross inland. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9730-L.jpg Twisty roads crossing the county line between Vlorë and Gjirokastër. Everytime we see a sign for Gjirokastër , I think of an Albanian electric guitar shaped like a pita sandwich. Then I hummus a tune in my head. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9766-L.jpg As we clear one set of mountains, the road is flat and fast as we travel north in the valley between mountain ranges We grab an amazing (and cheap lunch) at a roadside restaurant, lots of yummy Albanian meats. We do a lot of pointing at the pictures in the menu because our Albanian is non-existent. But I offer up a "faleminderit" and the owner of the restaurant smiles at me. The people here have all been so friendly, it's such a shame that more tourists don't visit Albania. We finally round the bend across one of the breaks in the Trebeshina moutains and we stop for the evening in a town called Përmet. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SCN9783-XL.jpg Had to shop around a bit to find a hotel in our price range (about €20). Right in the middle of town, not bad! |
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Next morning, we set off to ride SH75 through the mountains We had read that this road was really bad, even by Albanian standards, but the scenery is supposed to be awesome. So all day, we were expecting the asphalt underneath us to crumble into gravel and mud, like SH20 in the north, but the road just narrowed and the pavement got a bit broken. We worried for nothing. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9788-L.jpg Those are the some of the mountains we rode around yesterday on our right https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9791-L.jpg Twisties on the outskirts of the Fir of Hotova National Park, home to the largest area of Bulgarian Firs The national park is the largest protected forest in Albania. They protect the trees from predatory fir traders. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9792-L.jpg Riding alongside the Vjosa River. I can't believe the weather we are continuing to have. It's a marvelous day for exploring on two wheels! |
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Man sitting side-saddle on horse watches us ride by https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9806-L.jpg One of the larger towns in Gjirokastër county https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9812-L.jpg Neda getting her lean on! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9832-L.jpg And then getting stuck in traffic. Check out the sheep dog clearing the way for us! |
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We saw a lot of painters out in the countryside. Apparently, this is a big thing here. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9844-L.jpg Okay, the road did get a little bit bad in some areas... SH75 was a great road, lots of twists and turns as it climbs up and down the mountainside. Here's a video of some of the roads we did in Albania, both in the north and the south. |
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We rode through Korçë without stopping, but here's the main attraction: the cathedral of Korçë. Korçë was quite a nice town, lots of people and we rode past some nice cafes. Would have been a great place to stop for a bite to eat, but we are saving our appetites for something else... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9855-L.jpg Crossing over at Korçë into Greece. Yay! We had to show our passports again since we were re-entering the Schengen Zone. Greece is a bit of an island, it's entirely surrounded by non-Schengen countries, although that is slowly changing. But we're in a new country! Very exciting! Greece has been on our bucket list for a while now. We were originally supposed to spend last winter here, but opted instead to go to Thailand. When I was a kid, I used to read about all the Greek gods and heroes. I dreamed I was Perseus and had nightmares about the Minotaur and Medusa. I couldn't get enough of it! And now we were here in the birthplace of Greek mythology! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SCN9857-XL.jpg As soon as we crossed the border, it started raining. Uh oh, was our dry weather streak over? I thought I knew a lot about Greece, but riding around the northern part of the country was not like I imagined it. I always thought Greece was sun-drenched, golden sand and Greek temples in every street corner. The scenery up here is still very much like the Albanian countryside we left. Still lush and green. Where are all the temples?!? https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9858-L.jpg The town of Kastoria, on the other side of Lake Orestiada |
Thankfully the sprinkles were brief, lasting only less than an hour. It was already dry when we pull into our first Greek town, Kastoria, to look for some food. I know exactly what I'm ordering! My favorite Greek food is souvlaki, mainly lamb. We find a nice restaurant overlooking the lake and perused the menu. Unfortunately, no lamb souvlaki, but they did have pork instead. With lots of tzatziki sauce. Mmmmmm...
Then we looked at the bill. Holy crap, it was expensive! Over double what we were used to paying in Albania. Whut!?! I don't think we'll be eating out a lot in Greece. Aren't they supposed to be having a recession in this country?! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9860-L.jpg Outside the restaurant where we ate. I love all the Greek writing, it really makes you feel like you're somewhere exotic! GΣΠΣ & ΠΣDΔ in GRΣΣCΣ! Haha! Or, I should say... HΔHΔ! So obviously with prices so high, we didn't stay in town. I found a nice place in a village called, Sidirochori, up in the hills a few kms outside Kastoria. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9863-L.jpg This place was a lot nicer than I thought it would be based on the price! And amazing views of the countryside too! We're going to take a couple of days to rest up here. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0776-L.jpg Neda is starting a new cross-stitch pattern. This one is going to be her most ambitious one yet! Can you guess what it is? |
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I woke up early the next morning to catch the sun rising over the hills in Northern Greece. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0498-L.jpg The apiary across the street from us was buzzing with activity. Was so tempted to lob a water balloon at them. HΣΣ HΣΣ HΣΣ... Our host is a really nice Greek lady who didn't look at all like what I thought Greek people looked like. I thought everyone here would be olive-skinned with dark hair. She had fair skin and blonde hair and spoke really good English. She gave us some suggestions of things to see in the area. She said there was a road behind where we are staying that's really popular with motorcyclists. It leads to a traditional Greek village called Nymfaio, which is one of the prettiest villages in Northern Greece. Oooh, temples and ruins? Okay, let's do it! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9873-L.jpg More cool Greek writing on the way to Nymfaio |
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As we left our bikes in the parking lot, a bunch of horses came down from the mountains to greet us! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0810-L.jpg "Can we keep him?" Dunno. Is your tank bag big enough, Neda? https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0813-L.jpg So, we walked around a little bit and no temples or ruins... It turns out that there are other periods in this country's history besides Ancient Greece. This town was first settled in the 1300s, but developed as a major centre in the 1700s. Okay, so we're a couple thousand of years too far along here for the temples and ruins. Our search continues! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0817-L.jpg Dropping into the village store to check out the trinkets. Neda buys some cherries at the market |
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Well, the village was not that interesting, but we saw lots of animals! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9898-L.jpg Everywhere we go, Neda makes sure she stops to smell the roses https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0517-L.jpg "Where to next, Neda? Oh yeah, I'm the one planning this leg of the trip..." |
Neda is starting a new cross-stitch pattern. This one is going to be her most ambitious one yet! Can you guess what it is?
Ummm.....a rabbit lost in a flower patch ? Where do I pick up my prize :D Great pics & tales as usual, thanks guys:thumbup1::mchappy: |
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Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/328.htm
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...L/map328-L.jpg Our search for Ancient Greek temples and ruins in the north have proven fruitless, so we are heading further south into the mainland. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0529-L.jpg Once again, warm and dry weather continues to greece our travels. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0523-L.jpg We ride past green rolling hills with churches at the top. So pretty! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0527-L.jpg Trivia time: the milk thistle plant was used by the Ancient Greeks to treat a variety of ailments related to blood and liver problems "Here Socrates, drink this. It's only a bit of milk thistle..." |
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As we get closer to our destination... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0553-L.jpg ...we see these magnificent rock formations breaking through the ground and reaching up to the sky These rocks are called Meteora or as the Greeks write it, Μετέωρα. Greek writing is so cθθl. Every word looks like a math theorem. Apart from being the name of a great Linkin Park album, Meteora means "middle of the sky", "suspended in the air" or "in the heavens above". It's the same root as the word we use for the weather: meteorology. I wasn't wrong about the rocks looking like they broke through the ground. About 60 million years ago, these rocks were part of the seabed but a huge seismic event pushed them above the waters and over time vertical cracks formed in the rock to create the pillars we see today. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0572-L.jpg This picture doesn't do justice to the size and scale of these rocks https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9905-L.jpg Because the closer we get, the larger they appear to be |
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We reach the town right at the base of these rocks - Kastraki. This is our apartment! Kastraki is not even a town, it's more like a village. When we researched places to stay in Meteora, there were two choices: Kastraki, tiny and quiet with little amenities, or the larger town nearby called Kalambaka - where all the shops and restaurants were. Kalambaka was more expensive, so we picked Kastraki because we had our own wheels. I think Kalambaka would better be suited for backpackers since that's where all the public transportation runs to and from. It turned out to be a great choice. We loved the cosy, village atmosphere and if we wanted to get some groceries or go out to eat, we could just hop on the bikes and head into Kalambaka about 3kms away. We didn't stay long in Kastraki. Our host gave us a map of Meteora and we were immediately back on the bikes and off to explore! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0874-L.jpg Neda had to remove puppies, seashells and her leaf collection from her tank bag to make space for the Meteora map The nice tourism people have built a great road that climbs up to and around the top of the rock formations. I feel that riding our motorcycles up to the top is a way better option than hiking, although I'm sure crazy people do just that. I'm looking at you, Neda. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0585-L.jpg Riding towards the rocks of Meteora. Hey, are those buildings on top of those rocks? https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SC_0586-XL.jpg Not just any buildings, these are medieval monasteries! And not just one. There are six of them up here. This one is called the Monastery of the Holy Trinity. |
There are caves around Meteora that have been inhabited by people for thousands of years. In the 11th century a bunch of hermit monks took up residence in the caves and fissures in Meteora, many hundreds of meters above the ground. They *REALLY* wanted to get away from people. They started building monasteries at the top of these rocks (about 400m high) in the 14th century, using only ropes to get building materials up to the summit. What an engineering feat!
They also used removable rope ladders to keep other people away. My brother and I used to build pillow forts on the living room couch when we were kids. So I totally see the appeal of this. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0612-L.jpg However, I'm not feeling the whole rope ladder thing. Fortunately there's a cable car that goes from the lip to the Holy Trinity Monastery! :) Unfortunately the cable car is not currently operating. :( https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SC_0618-XL.jpg So we have to walk down to the very bottom of the rocks and then climb back up to get to the monastery. Why even tease me with that cable car line?!? A 400m hike down and then a 400m climb up. Then we have to do it again to get back to our bikes. Surprise hike is about as thrilling as a pop quiz... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SC_0624-XL.jpg Fortunately in the last 600 years, they've done away with the rope ladders and carved stairs into the rock to climb up to the monastery. Thank you, Tourism Board of Meteora! The hermit monks probably weren't too happy about that... Speaking of which, there are still monks living in the monasteries. There are six monasteries in total, four monks live in this one. With all the tourists coming in and out, they're probably not hermit monks anymore. |
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There's a strict dress code for women in the monasteries. Wearing pants is not enough. Neda was given a wrap to put around her trousers. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0638-L.jpg A peek inside some of the artwork inside the Monastery of the Holy Trinity https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0654-L.jpg You get some awesome views of the valley below from the monasteries https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SC_0647-XL.jpg A couple of other monasteries in Meteora. The one in the foreground, the Monastery of Rousanou, is actually women-only. There are 13 nuns in residence there. |
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Looking down into the town of Kalambaka at the base of Meteora So it turns out that the monastery that we just visited, the Holy Trinity, is the most difficult one to reach. The rest are more accessible and don't require such a long hike up and down. We ride over to another one that looks interesting, the Holy Monastery of Varlaam. This one has a bridge to get to it across the chasm. I like bridges. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SC_0854-XL.jpg Great view of the Monastery of St. Nicholas Anapausas from above https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0849-L.jpg The Monastery of Varlaam has a nice big courtyard big enough to play basketball in. The monks here have put together a team called the Varlaam Globetrotters. The Varlaam Globetrotters play in an inter-monastery league. Their fiercest rival comes from the neighbouring Monastery of St. Nicholas Anapausas - they call themselves the Nicks. |
Varlaam is a lot bigger than the Holy Trinity. The nice people at the Tourism Board have recreated many rooms to reflect life of the monks in the middle ages.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0839-L.jpg Storeroom. Those berries are fake. Don't ask me how I know... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0845-L.jpg "What's in this room?" -- "Oh, this is where we keep our skull collection!" I don't think these are fake. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0714-L.jpg And of course, my favorite subject for photos - votive candles! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0673-L.jpg "This is just the coolest thing. Monasteries on top of rock pillars!" It's as if someone went to Arches National Park in Utah and built churches on top of all the weird Road Runner-like sandstone formations in the desert. Well, seeing how quickly those are eroding... probably not a good idea. |
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Cannot get enough of this scenery! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0684-L.jpg Monasteries on rock pillars aren't the only interesting structures at Meteora. Here's another one in the distance. Well, it's 5PM and the monasteries are all closed to the public. That's okay, we're kind of monasteried-out anyway. At €3 per person per monastery, it was getting a bit expensive. They say the best time to view the rocks of Meteora is around sunset - the light casts amazing hues and shadows over the landscape. We're only a few days away from the summer solstice, which means sunset is... check the Interweb... 8:50PM. Wow, that's a lot of time to kill. We could ride back to town, wait and then come back, but we'll only have a couple of hours in the apartment before we have to head back to this same spot, so we decide to just hang out here. The weather is so pleasant and the scenery beats staring at the wall or a computer screen. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0806-L.jpg We ride around the rim of the valley overlooking the rocks to find a suitable viewing area. A friendly local dog follows us, in search of snacks |
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I think Meteoro, the dog, has temporarily adopted us. He's following us everywhere. I wonder why... Playing with Meteoro really helps pass the time. We get a little bit jealous when other people start arriving and he goes off to greet them. We really need our own dog. One that will love us, and only us... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...0/L/yoga-L.jpg Neda practices some yoga. Watching all that activity makes Meteoro very tired. Me too, pooch. Me too... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0856-L.jpg My R1200GS and I. This is pretty close to the correct scale... Hεε hεε Meteoro tires of us (Neda ran out of snacks) and went off to find other humans to mooch off of. The sun was getting lower in the sky and it was starting to get quite cold! |
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We rode back and forth on this road on the lip of the canyon catching different views of Meteora https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0923-L.jpg We settled on this spot on the cliffs overlooking the rocks of Meteora to wait for the sunset This feels so familiar. How many times during this trip have we taken pause at the end of the day and just picked a spot to watch the sun lazily drift back down to earth? How many times did we do that before this trip? I think this to me is so representative of our life now. Literally taking the time to smell roses and watch sunsets. And not just for these cliched moments, but being mindful and present for all the extraordinary and ordinary events as they unwind in front of us. Instead of allowing time to turn into an automaton, scrolling our lives away with little accountability. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0920-L.jpg I can feel the sunset coming because the last little bit of heat from the sky is slowly leaving my face. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0865-L.jpg Nice. Okay, we can go back to our apartment now. :) Where to now, Neda? Oh yeah... still my turn... :( |
Quote:
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''This feels so familiar. How many times during this trip have we taken pause at the end of the day and just picked a spot to watch the sun lazily drift back down to earth? How many times did we do that before this trip? I think this to me is so representative of our life now. Literally taking the time to smell roses and watch sunsets. And not just for these cliched moments, but being mindful and present for all the extraordinary and ordinary events as they unwind in front of us. Instead of allowing time to turn into an automaton, scrolling our lives away with little accountability.''
SOOO TRUE!!! I'm happy for you both (and a little jealous). Thanks for sharing your travels with us all still stuck in the matrix. |
Just love the monasteries & Neda's GS yoga skills :thumbup1:
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Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/329.html
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...L/map329-L.jpg https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9922-L.jpg A bit of an overcast day as we leave Meteora https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9926-L.jpg We are continuing our southbound route through mainland Greece. Today is a commuting day for us as we relocate ourselves in Greece. Our planned route takes us alongside the Pindus Mountain range, the same mountains that extend down from Southern Albania. Our ride is interrupted by a few sprinkles. Every time it rains, I think, "Uh oh. Is this it? Is our incredible string of good weather finally over" |
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We pull into a restaurant in a tiny village along the way https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9924-L.jpg Ate a very expensive meal of pasta while waiting for the rain to stop, which it did... Yay! Food in Greece is so expensive. We keep promising ourselves that we'll do grocery shopping, but we're so used to cheap restaurant food while traveling through Eastern Europe. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9929-L.jpg The sunny weather continues for us, and 250kms later we pull into our next Greek town: Delphi. One thing we are good at (well, Neda is good at it) is finding affordable accommodations. Despite Greece being so much more expensive than its neighbouring countries, we're averaging about €25 a night. Not bad. |
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The guy who runs this hotel was so nice to us. I think we were his only guests. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0871-L.jpg And the view from the room... OMG! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0870-L.jpg We have a little balcony where we hang out for meals The reason we eat out here is not just because the views and the weather are awesome. It's because we've taken a liking to Greek filo pastry, like spanokopita, filled with spinaches, cheeses and meats. Can't get enough of it! However, the filo crust is so flaky that we leave crumbs everywhere when we eat them. So the balcony is really the most practical place to eat our filo snacks. Gaahhh... so good, yet so messy! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0734-L.jpg One of the aforementioned filo pastries |
The weather is getting so much hotter the further south we go. Since it's such a beautiful day, we go out for a little walk around our neighbourhood.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0937-L.jpg Greek motorcycle police officer. Let's follow him and see where he goes https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0939-L.jpg "...so as I was chasing the suspect in his car, I took out my gun and shot the gas tank... and then KA-BOOM!" I am loving the laid back atmosphere of all these small Greek towns. People just hang out in cafes or congregate on the street corners and talk to their neighbours. The slow pace of life here is really resonating with our own meandering travels, riding from village to village through Eastern Europe. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0943-L.jpg Had a chat with this very nice storekeeper, so we bought some Greek olives from him. More balcony food... |
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The town of Delphi is set on the slope of Mount Parnassus The whole region is very mountainous which means there are a lot of twisty roads in the area. But also... there's supposed to be Ancient Greek ruins somewhere around here! We'll have to go out to explore tomorrow. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0958-L.jpg Delphi at night Oh yeah... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...0/L/cake-L.jpg Happy Road Anniversary! We're celebrating another year on the road! It's not often that we reminisce about the beginning of our trip. These days, we're usually looking ahead - scheming and plotting like fiendish, mad scientists... These days, no plan seems too outlandish! However, it's times like this when it's fun to talk about where we've gone and what we've done. "Do you remember what you felt that first day we left Toronto?", I asked Neda. "Excitement, of course. But also pride. I was proud that we actually did it. We had talked for so long about doing this trip and I was afraid that it would always just be that: talk. So when we finally rode away, I felt very proud of us." For me, I definitely remember what I felt when we first set off. It was such an extreme sense of freedom! I felt like a dog whose leash had just snapped and then we were running, running, running.... out past the gates of the front yard that it seemed like we've been confined in all our lives. Out into a world that seemed so very big, yet inviting at the same time! I remember that insane rush of liberation and then thinking, "Oh, the places we'll go, and the things we'll see! I want it all now!" And we ran and ran for those first few months, as if there would be an imminent end to this endless vacation. We rode so many miles, like the very next Monday morning we'd have to begrudgingly return to the office. It would take such a long time before we learned how to slow down. I remember us during those very first days of our travels. We were tireless. Like dogs. We were crazy back then. Hm. I think we're still a little bit crazy even now. Happy Anniversary to us! |
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/330.html
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...L/map330-L.jpg You're off to great places! Today is your day! Your chariot is waiting, So... get on your way!" -- Dr. Zeus Today *is* an exciting day! We are headed towards the Ancient Greek ruins at Delphi. You may have heard of the Oracle of Delphi? It's right here! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9932-L.jpg The ruins are just a couple of kms outside of town The first thing that struck me about the ruins was the admission fee. We had read on the Internet that the fee is about €10 per person. A bit steep, but this is what we're here to see. When we arrived at the gates, the official sign displaying the fees was crudely taped over and there was a hastily printed paper pasted on the window. The (very) new fee is now €15. Did I Hera right? €15? I know the country is having financial difficulties. Perhaps gouging tourists is the new way of raising funds? Regardless, it felt like we were being Troyed with. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0884-L.jpg The site of the ruins is very picturesque though. It's set on the slope of a mountain with a great view of the valley of Phocsis below |
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Our first set of Ancient Greek ruins actually in Greece! This has been on our bucket list for so long! Very cool! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0969-L.jpg An unexploded warhead from the Ancient Greek wars This is actually a belly button. Honestly. The legend is that Zeus set eagles loose to fly around the world, one heading east and another going west. They eventually met up here, at Delphi, the center of the world. The stone is called an Omphalos, which means "navel" in Greek. Delphi is the navel of the earth and the stone represents a belly button, believed to allow direct communications with the gods. Or it's an Ancient Greek unexploded warhead. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0880-L.jpg Treasury of Athens (reconstructed) |
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"The Pula Amphitheater..." "I know, Neda! I know!" We hopped on the bike and rode about a km north of the main site at Delphi to visit another set of ruins. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0996-L.jpg The Tholos of Delphi This is my favorite ruin in Delphi, mainly because it was partially reconstructed so you can imagine a little bit of what it originally looked like, but also because it's one of the few circular ruins in the area. The rest are all rectilinear. Scholars and archaeologists took fragments around the base to reconstruct three of the Doric columns, but you can see the base of twenty columns on the circumference of the dais. It would have been magnificent to see how it originally looked! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0992-L.jpg I think the white pieces are the reconstructed bits |
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After a nice relaxing morning at the Oracle of Delphi ruins, we're back on the road without a Charon the world! Neda rolls her eyes at all the bad puns. But I make no Apollo-gies. What's Demeter with her anyway? Just give her a Minotaur two, she'll come around. Styx and stones may break my bones. Hades gonna be Hades. ohhh that felt good. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9934-L.jpg Our first fill-up in Greece! Yikes! Almost €50 to fill up both our bikes! We've been averaging about €32-€35 in Europe. Greece is definitely a shock to our wallets. We planned to spend quite a bit of time in this country, but unfortunately we didn't know it would be this expensive. So glad we didn't spend last winter here! We would easily have spent 10-15 times more here than Thailand! Seriously, doing the math in my head, every month we spend here is about a year's worth of expenses in Chiang Mai. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9962-L.jpg One of the quaint Greek towns we pass through: Arachova |
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At Arachova, Neda stops into a mini market (or mini-mapket) to get some drinks while I walk around and snap some quick shots https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SCN9950-XL.jpg Church of St. John, Arachova https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9970-L.jpg Loving the curves! The whole area around Delphi is connected via roads that hug the contours of the side of Mount Parnassus. The asphalt twists and turns upon itself as it negotiates around the steep slopes. It's a lot of fun on two wheels! We are still heading south, towards the coasts of the Bay of Itea, which you can see in the distance. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9967-L.jpg Wheee! |
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Reaching the bottom. The Bay of Itea https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN9997-L.jpg Crossing the Rion-Antirion Bridge to the Peloponnese peninsula The Peloponnese peninsula is separated from mainland Greece by the Gulf of Corinth. As we continue our ride on the other side of the long suspension bridge, I noticed a marked difference from the north. The buildings were a bit more run-down and the area was more unkempt. It reminded me a little bit of the difference between mainland Italy and Sicily. This region seemed to be poorer than mainland Greece. I did a little research and was surprised to learn that Sicily was part of Greece at one point in history. But that was over a thousand years ago, and today's state of poverty is due more to a lack of jobs, with the young people moving to Athens and the mainland. We continued south along the western coast of the Peloponnese peninsula, taking in all the sights around us. The sun is lingering in the sky longer and longer each day, allowing us to ride later (actually, it's allowing me to sleep in later). This is one of those times where we don't have a destination planned for the evening. So when it looked like we'd run out of daylight, we duck off the main road into a largish hill-side village called Zacharo to find a place to lay our heads for the night. The cobblestone streets shake our bones as we ride smaller concentric circles around the village, looking for signs for a hotel. Everything is light-copper hued in the late evening sunlight. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0007-L.jpg We find a place at the top of the hill. Neda goes inside to negotiate a price for a room. The locals watch me in amusement while I snap more pictures... There's a very good reason why we're on the Peloponnese peninsula. It's all about Neda. |
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/331.html
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...L/map331-L.jpg Neda's name isn't Croatian in origin. It's Persian. Translated, it means "Voice of God". It's an unusual name, I have not met another Neda in my life. She pronounces it, "Neh-dah" and absolutely hates it when people call her "Nee-dah". She's okay with "Nay-dah" and sometimes gets "Nada" or "Anita", which is just bizarre. I'm fascinated with her name. I have a million and one nicknames for her and from Google, I know that NEDA also stands for New England Dressage Association and National Eating Disorder Association. I also know that there are a couple of places in the world named Neda. One of them is just south of where we are, on the Peloponnese peninsula. It's been on my To-Visit list for some time. Neda doesn't really see what the big deal is and is just coming to indulge me. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0010-L.jpg The day starts off on a bad note Neda has traded in cat pee on her seat to bird poop on her top case. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0011-L.jpg Off we go, out into the roads of Southern Greece! |
15 minutes later on the main road south and we see our first sign:
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0012-L.jpg Neda Tavern! We know we are on the right track! The "D" in Neda is a delta sign in Greek. We turn inland at this point. We are at the mouth of the Neda River, which is the only river in Greece with a feminine name. We follow the Neda to her source on the road that runs alongside her. That was a weird thing to type out... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0019-L.jpg More signs point us in the right direction. I keep telling Neda to pose in front of the signs. She is pretending to be excited. We quickly leave the asphalt onto a much smaller road. Red gravel crunches benath our wheels as we make our way through the semi-arid landscape of the interior. Where is this taking us?! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0026-L.jpg The gravel road descends down to the river |
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Hey, there's a Neda waterfall too. This just gets better and better! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0033-L.jpg Out in the wilderness https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0024-L.jpg The downhill road ends in a cul-de-sac. We must journey on by foot, so we wrap up our belongings on our bikes under the covers There's very little people around. I love this! We're out in the middle of nowhere in Southern Greece just because of a name on the map! We don't read Greek, but basically we follow any sign that has Neda's name on it. Can't go wrong with that! |
The path leads along a gorge that was cut by the Neda River. The vegetation here is more lush than the road that we came in on, courtesy of the running waters.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SC_0914-XL.jpg Our hike is basically following the river upstream In Greek mythology, the river is named after Neda, a nymph who saved the infant Zeus from being devoured by his father, Cronus. She delivered him to his guardians in the island of Crete. It's a short 15-20 minute hike before we hear the sounds of a waterfall. The weather ever since we hit Southern Greece has been beautifully warm and the waters look so inviting! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0929-L.jpg AAAAHHHHH! Nooo!! The water is so cold! It must be single digits in here! I dive into the frigid waters of Neda. Edit: Upon reading this blog entry, Neda exclaims, "NOOOOO!! YOU'RE NOT ALLOWED TO WRITE THAT!" Neda is cool, like ice. Her surface may look calm, but she is fed by the raging waters of a powerful waterfall... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0956-L.jpg We take turns jumping into the cold waters and then sunning on the rocks to warm up in the hot afternoon sun. It's like one of those Swedish saunas: Out into the ice waters, back into the sauna https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...C_0999_0-L.jpg Fah-REEEZING! |
We see some people walking back from further on down the trail. There's more? They tell us that this isn't the real Neda waterfalls. there's an even bigger waterfall a little bit further. Okay! So we pack up our stuff and continue the hike.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0022-L.jpg The trail leads further into the thick, overgrown wilderness. Very cool! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0964-L.jpg Along the way, we run across what looks to be an abandoned church https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0960-L.jpg Oh, maybe not that abandoned. The equal-armed cross on the left predates Christianity and is also called a Greek Cross. It can be found in the top-left corner of the Greek flag. Okay, shut up now, Dan Brown. We continue on our hike to try to find the real Neda waterfalls. |
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Found it! It's beautiful here! There's only one other couple here and they've brought along a baby German shepherd. Of course, we make instant friends with it! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0010-L.jpg Awwww.... Puppy! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0006-L.jpg German Shepherd puppies are so cute because their heads are so big in relation to their bodies. They look like baby bear cubs https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0018-L.jpg We spent the whole afternoon chilling at the Neda waterfalls We didn't know what we'd find here, just followed Neda's name on the map. It turned out to be such an awesome, relaxing time. Hot, sunny weather and a lots of splashing around beneath a beautiful waterfall. I love these random, little detours on our journey. |
Although there are quite a few hours of daylight left, I calculated how much time it would take for us to hike back to our bikes, ride out of the wilderness and then head back onto the main roads. We want to make it to Athens by nightfall, and it's quite a distance away. So we reluctantly wave goodbye to Neda and head out.
Back on the road, we start to get hungry for dinner. We don't find much along our route, but in one village, we saw someone cooking up a succulent pig. Our hunger gets the better of us. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0042-L.jpg We don't learn our lesson and we end up paying a lot for a pork roast dinner. It was a lot of food, though! We keep forgetting to stock up on groceries for the trip. It's unnecessarily costing us a lot of money eating out. We have to get smart and snap out of it. I estimate how many filo pastries I can keep in my topcase... A lot, I think... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0046-L.jpg We're doing a bit of a cannonball run eastwards out of the Peloponnese peninsula towards Athens, so we get on the toll highways. Speaking of expensive... :( https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0045-L.jpg The road is smooth and fast and 200 kms fly by beneath our wheels in a blink of the eye |
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/332.html
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...L/map332-L.jpg We arrived at our AirBnB in Athens late in the evening and our host was out of town. Her elderly Greek parents showed us to our room. They didn't speak any English at all, so we muddled about with sign language to get information on the essentials: wi-fi passcode, where to do laundry, where to buy groceries. The father was really nice. He was worried about our bikes parked out on the street, so he pantomimed to me to park them outside his window so he could keep and eye (and ear) out on them during the night. Took a while for me to understand all of that. I thought he wanted me to take him on a midnight ride around the neighbourhood! :) https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0027-L.jpg In the morning, Neda makes a new friend. We eventually pass the sniff test and are allowed into the house with minimal bark alerts Even though our pace is slow, we've been hitting the road almost every single day ever since arriving back in Europe. We are starting to get a bit tired of touring and touristing. Brochures of the Acropolis and all the pretty neighbourhoods of Athens lie unread on the coffee table in our little apartment. We just want to relax and do nothing for awhile. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0028-L.jpg Well, I want to do nothing. Neda is back to her cross-stitching like a machine! For the next couple of mornings, we'd get up and stare at the Acropolis brochure and then look at each other: "Maybe we'll go tomorrow..." So tired and lazy. The scorching Athens afternoons do nothing to lift our lethargy. The mercury hits 39C one day. We escape into the air-conditioning of our apartments mid-morning when the heat becomes unbearable, only venturing outside again in the late evening. |
Our AirBnB host is back from her vacation and we chatted with her for a while. She gave us some tips on places to go in the city and then sensing our ambivalence she joked that we needed a vacation. A vacation from our vacation! We were no strangers to that! We've been doing some research about the Greek islands, but couldn't decide between Santorini or Crete. Or maybe both? Our host nodded her head vigorously. "Definitely Santorini. No doubt about it!"
She was very familiar with the resort island and gave us a whole bunch of tips of things to see and do there. I think we've decided on our vacation spot. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0052-L.jpg The next day, we are riding to the docks to board the ferry that will take us to Santorini! Very exciting! We had also received another helpful tip: the food on the islands are more expensive than the mainland (is that even possible?!?). So we stock up on groceries while we were in Athens. My topcase no longer has any room for spanakopita or any other filo pastries... :( https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0058-L.jpg Our bikes are going on vacation too! It cost a little bit more to have the bikes shipped to the Greek islands with us, but in our experience, we would probably end up saving money on taxis to and from the ferries as well as getting around on the island. Plus, this *is* still a motorcycle trip! Even if we are on a vacation from our vacation. It's an eight hour ride to Santorini from Athens. We opt for the cheap seats and not a cabin, so we're fully stocked up on TV shows, movies and books on the Kindles to help pass the time. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0065-L.jpg After what seemed like an eternity out at sea, we finally catch a glimpse of land White towns creep and cling to the tops of the cliffs like lichen. It's quite a sight after seeing nothing but blue sea for the past eight hours. At the bottom is the main port in Thira (which is the ancient and official Greek name for Santorini), where all the ferries dock at. And the town above is the capital, Fira - which itself is a derivation of the word Thira. It's on the western coast of the island and we've got to ride to the south to get to our hotel. It's not as far as it sounds, less than 10 kms. |
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It's a First-In-Last-Out (FILO, for the computer nerds. What a coincidence!) scenario and all the bikes have to wait for the cars to leave first :( https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0087-L.jpg Which means being stuck behind a parade of 4 (and 18-wheelers) up the switchbacks leading to the main road at the top of the island Still, it gives us plenty of opportunity to peer over the edge and appreciate the beauty of Santorini! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0032-L.jpg A little glimpse of what we saw on the way up. So glad we have our bikes with us! I didn't think it could get any hotter than Athens, but it feels like it's topping 40C here. Unlike the mainland, at least there's a mild breeze here on the island that cools you down a little. Just a little though. 40C! |
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There may be no room in my topcase for filo, but there is in our stomachs! FILO also stands for First-In-line, Last-Out-of-the-restaurant... We have designated this our official filo place now. It's just a few kms from our hotel. Neda likes the spinach and cheese spanakopita. I'm more a fan of the sausages wrapped in the flaky filo dough. Or the mushroom and cheese pastries. It's not a real vacation unless you gain weight. True story. We arrive at our hotel not knowing exactly what we're going to get. Being on a tight budget, we couldn't afford the swanky designer white rock igloos hanging off the cliffs of the island. Our place is just outside the town of Perissa, on the south-east corner of Santorini. While all the resorts in town are right on the beach, we're about a km away from shore. It's not really close to anything and the location is only convenient if you have your own vehicle. Which we do!!! We're splurging a bit, paying about €40/night which is double our budget for accommodations, but hey, this is our vacation! You don't even want to know how much it costs to stay at the edge of the island with a sea view! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...C_0052_0-L.jpg It's not a bad place. Neda has a balcony that she can do her cross-stitching. It's got AC and I can work on the blog in the dark (which I like to do) https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0047-L.jpg And the best part! It's got a pool!!!! Great way to escape the heat! I'm going to stay in here forever! Or at least till nightfall... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0041-L.jpg I'm being serious. I am not leaving this pool. |
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The next morning, Neda drags me out of the pool and we go exploring the island https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...map332_1-L.jpg Santorini is shaped like a fetus. The whole island is about 25 kms tip to tip, but today, we're only going from the south-east corner to the south-west. Baby steps. We're on vacation, you know! It's high season and the roads are packed with tourists who have rented ATVs to get around the island. There are only two types of ATV tourists: one is the tentative driver who probably has never ridden an ATV or motorcycle before. They clog up the road doing 35 km/h, forcing all traffic behind them to pass them dangerously and into oncoming traffic. Then there are the maniacs, who probably also have never ridden an ATV before as well. They swerve all over the road, unable to keep to their lanes. Fast on the straightaway then hard on the brakes in the corners. Like track newbies on liter bikes. I hate being anywhere during high season. High prices and so many tourists... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0069-L.jpg This is our first destination: the Red Beach The Red Beach is one of Santorini's most well-known tourist spots and the most popular beach because it's covered in red pebbles and surrounded by beautiful red striated cliffs behind it. There's a lot of red here. |
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White church, Greek flag at the parking lot of Red Beach https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0060-L.jpg We're here early enough in the morning that the crowds haven't built up yet. Neda lays a towel and we settle in for the day So, funny story about laying towels down on Red Beach. Right behind us was a cordoned off area sectioned off with yellow tape like a crime scene. We thought that that whole area was out of bounds, as did everyone else around us. So all the towels were laid down in front of it. As the morning wore on, the tide crept up the shore, eventually soaking everyone's beach blanket. At the height of high tide, the waters lapped right up to the yellow tape of the cordoned-off area. And then the light bulb went off. The yellow tape was a tide marker to tell people where to put their towels to escape high tide, not to keep people away!!! So here's a pro-tip: Place your blanket behind the yellow-taped-off-area at Red Beach and don't get your blanket soaked! :) https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0008-L.jpg Snorkeling is a popular activity in the clear waters off the Red Beach |
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Neda is on a mission Before we left Athens, our AirBnB host asked us to pick her up some red rocks from the Red Beach. The colouring is so unique that she collects them in clear glass jars that she leaves around the house as decorations. Little did she know who she was asking to collect these rocks. Neda immediately exclaimed, "I've already specially modified my tank bag to store rocks, sea shells, leaves and small puppies from all over the world. Mission accepted!!!" https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0052-L.jpg Wedding photoshoot on the rocks of the Red Beach https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0046-L.jpg We replicate the wedding photoshoot, but in the water... hehe Having grown up on the Adriatic coast, Neda prefers the beach over a swimming pool. "I'm not leaving this beach!", she yells out to me. "I'm serious!" |
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The colour of the red rocks are such a striking contrast to the azure waters. So pretty here. As the afternoon approaches, the temperatures rise and the late-riser crowd starts arriving to Red Beach. Everyone's blankets are all behind the yellow line now and it's getting pretty packed in the reduced area of the shoreline. Sorry Neda, I think that's our cue to leave. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0082-L.jpg Riding around the villages in Santorini https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0088-L.jpg As we ride along the coast, we see the fancy accommodations that are set on the top of the cliffs overlooking the Aegean Sea These little apartments are not anywhere near the main resorts on the island, they were just off the main road between towns. I checked the pricing... €200/night. |
On the way back from Red Beach to our hotel, we pass through a town called Emporio. It's an old trading settlement from the medieval times and it generally gets by-passed by the majority of tourists who flock to the more Instagram-friendly towns of Fira and Oia in the north.
Perfect for us! We must explore! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0097-L.jpg Everywhere we go, white buildings and blue domes dominate the landscape in the countryside and in town It seems like the blue perfectly matches the cloudless sky and the sea surrounding the island. I did some research and traditionally, houses in the Cyclades (island chain that include Santorini) were painted white to reflect the sun and keep the interiors cool. In 1974, a law was passed that all buildings *had* to be painted white. The domes on the churches were already painted blue, so that was allowed to remain. The new scheme neatly correlated to not only the sea and sky, but also the colours of the Greek flag. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0098-L.jpg The blue on white motif continues https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0099-L.jpg Wandering the narrow streets of the old town in Emporio |
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Some of the architecture almost feels like the buildings in Tatooine from Star Wars! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0128-L.jpg We ended up getting a bit lost in the labyrinthe of the medieval town. *shrug* We're in no big rush to be anywhere. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0115-L.jpg A great morning at the beach and an afternoon exploring the old town of Emporio! Great vacation from our vacation so far! |
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/333.html
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...L/map333-L.jpg It's our last day on Santorini and we're trying to see as much of it as we can. Having spent time in the south, we're going to head up to the north where all the tourists hang out. Part of me is not looking forward to fighting the crowds, but another part wants to see what all the fuss is about, and whether the views are as good as everyone's Instagram pictures make it out to be... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0116-L.jpg Setting out for the north in the late afternoon We've heard the best time to visit the towns of Fira and Oia are in the late afternoon and evening. Since the towns are western-facing, they get a fabulous view of the setting sun as it dips below the Aegean Sea. Since this is actually the longest day of the year, the sun is due to set at 8:40PM. So to avoid having to wait around a long time, we head out in the late afternoon. Also, we leave late because we are lazy. Which is why we wasted the whole of yesterday and this morning lazing at the pool instead of exploring. Well, I don't think it was wasted... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0062-L.jpg Lazing around the hotel pool is a popular activity, even in Fira Our first stop is in Fira, right in the middle of the island on the western coast. It's Santorini's commercial capital and is where most of the touristy shops, restaurants and bars are. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0063-L.jpg And blue-domed churches as well |
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Catholic Cathedral of St John the Baptist in the background https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0070-L.jpg These pyramids of church bells are a popular sight around Santorini, as seen through this street vendor's awning https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0169-L.jpg The narrow streets are packed with stalls selling souvenirs and trinkets https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0164-L.jpg A glimpse at some of the older un-renovated buildings |
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More pyramided church bells in front of an impossibly blue sky https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0185-L.jpg This is all you see when you look up in Fira. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0094-L.jpg We walk to the edge of town and peer over the cliff's edge https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0090-L.jpg And see a flotilla of gigantic cruise ships in the Aegian waters These cruise ships remind me of Imperial Destroyers, with Tie Fighters buzzing around them, taking Imperial Tourists to and from the islands on nefarious business. Step off the cruise ships. Join the Rebellion! If you look at a picture of Santorini, the fetus shape is actually the eastern part of a caldera of a volcano that erupted 3600 years ago, roughly the Bronze Age of human history. It is the largest known volcanic eruption in recorded history. More Greek mythology trivia: The people that inhabited the islands at the time were called the Minoans, after King Minos, the name of which later spawned the myths of Theseus, the labyrinth and the Minotaur. Minos... Minotaur... Well, *I* found that interesting... |
Anyway, that little island off the coast of Fira is actually another dormant volcano called Nea Kameni, right in the middle of the Santorini caldera. It's erupted 8 times in the last 2000 years, the last time as late as the 1950s. Tourists from Santorini and the cruise ships take boats over to hike around the lip of the volcano. It's dormant, people. Not inactive!
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0101-L.jpg Stunning views of the inside curve of the Santorini caldera from the cliffs of Fira https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SC_0083-XL.jpg There's a hiking trail that goes from Fira down to the bottom of the cliff. Or you can take a horse if you're as lazy as I am... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0132-L.jpg Different kind of horse https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0198-L.jpg I saw this guy walking around Fira. It's like he had a camera glued to his face. He just couldn't stop taking pictures of everything |
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Church with a view https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0106-L.jpg Hard to see where the sky meets the sea. Everything is the same exact colour as the blue domes of the churches. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0210-L.jpg I slipped my camera though the gates to take a picture of this swanky hotel Fira is the place you go to if you want to live large. Any vacation resort advertising "Caldera Views" automatically triple the price of other similar accommodations that were on our side of the island - the ones only offering "Sea Views". https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0226-L.jpg These "Caldera View" resorts started at €700/night! I don't know if it's worth €700/night, but that view though! Santorini has no other industry other than tourism. They make almost all their money during high season and everything basically shuts down during low season. The prices on the island are probably slashed by half or more during shoulder season. |
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We had fun exploring all the narrow staircases that led to Fira's balconies and restaurants lining the top of the cliffs https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0223-L.jpg Some of the swanky places had fancy faux-doors https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SC_0129-XL.jpg Glimpse of Darth Vader's cruise ship in one of the stairways leading down https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SC_0130-XL.jpg Amazing! The blue on the domes lines up with the sea and sky perfectly! Very aesthetic. |
The sun was getting lower in the sky and it was time to head out to our final destination for the evening. Oia is on the northern tip of the crescent that is Santorini. This is the Instagram capital of Europe. Any serious hash-tagger must take a selfie in front of a blue dome in Oia at sunset. It's actually in the terms and conditions when you sign up for Instagram.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0128-L.jpg A race against the clock. Unfortunately for us, the GPS takes us along the back way from Fira to Oia It takes me a while to realize we are going the long way. The sun is quickly sinking and we have to get to Oia to get our perfect sunset picture! Where the heck is this road taking us? They will delete our Instagram account if we don't get this picture! Pressure!!! We get to Oia with a little less than an hour before sunset. Finding parking is a nightmare and when we walk into town, we run smack dab into a wall of people. It seems like half of Europe had the same idea we did. There is barely any room to breathe, let alone try to make our way through town to the edge of the cliff. Instead of a pretty sunset, all we're going to be seeing is the back of thousands of tourists' heads. I wish I had a selfie stick so I could beat a path through the crowd with it. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0235-L.jpg Slowly making our way to the end of town at the cliff's edge Oia is a very pretty town, less commercial than Fira. It seems much smaller, with not as many souvenir shops and blue-pool-covered resorts. It has a lot more bohemian cafes and art galleries. It's the perfect place for granola backpackers and hipster tourists to catch a romantic sunset. All twenty-thousand-million of them... Eventually we get to a spot where we can at least catch a glimpse of the sea. The crowd is the most dense right at the very tip of Oia. These people must have been sitting there for hours before sunset to reserve their spot. We get to a certain point and then it was impossible for us to move any further. This sucks! I really hate crowds. I hate being here during high season. Even though the weather is kinda perfect. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0256-L.jpg This is what all those lovely Santorini instagram photos don't show... wall-to-wall tourists! |
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Bah. We get our Santorini picture for Instagram. Hopefully they do not delete our accounts because of no blue dome behind us. We figure it's the exact same sunset no matter where you are sitting anywhere in the island. So we throw our butts in reverse gear out of the sea of people, back into the centre of Oia, to find somewhere with more breathing room. Fed up of crowds. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0148-L.jpg Bye bye, professional Instagrammers. You win this time! We'll be back during low season... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0138-L.jpg Back in town, here's a blue dome. We'll photoshop ourselves and a sunset in later We just want to flee the crowds and find a quiet place to enjoy the sunset all by ourselves. We wander the streets of Oia as the sun makes it way to the horizon. There is no unoccupied quarter in the city, so we just sit on a rooftop with a whole bunch of other people and slowly watch the sun go down. |
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It is a beautiful sunset, regardless of the throng of tourists surrounding us https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0144-L.jpg As (very) slow overland travelers, we rarely move in tandem with that sweet spot of ideal weather as it migrates from the northern hemisphere, over the equator to the south and then back north again. Instead, we only catch high season wherever we are perhaps once or twice a year as it slowly approaches us from behind and then quickly blows past us. Most of the time, we find ourselves traveling in the shoulder season or low season for tourists. We don't mind that much. We're not reliant on the availability and frequency of public transportation, it's way easier on our budget and best of all, we don't have to fight our way through the hordes. So it's entirely by happenstance that we're in one of the most touristy places in Europe at the peak of its high season. The conditions are just perfect. There's not a cloud in the sky and the hot, sunny weather just begs for you to spend a day at the beach. But the crowds though... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SC_0262-XL.jpg Good evening, Oia. Hope to see you again when there's less people around... |
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/334.html
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...L/map334-L.jpg We are leaving Santorini with great reluctance. It's so pretty here and the weather has been amazing. Although we are taking our time through Eastern Europe, there is still an appointment we have to keep coming up on the calendar. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0136-L.jpg Riding back on the switchbacks to the main port at the base of the west cliffs of Santorini https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0148-L.jpg One last look at the cerulean blue Aegian sea and sky The ferry dock is crowded with tourists coming to and from the mainland and the other islands. Our ferry is slightly delayed, and we find a shady spot to people-watch while we munch on the pastries we had bought from our filo shop on the way down. Mmmm... filo... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0156-L.jpg The strongest man in Greece is employed by the ferry company to haul the boats onto the dock by rope https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0159-L.jpg Another 8 hour transit by ferry is made bearable by cross-stitching and a bit of blogging. We've been on the road non-stop for many months now and I haven't been able to keep up with my documentation. The blog is many months behind, but the weather is just so good that we don't want to pause our travels, for fear that the rains will somehow find us in this corner of the world. All our friends in Western Europe have been PMing us constantly the last couple of months: "Are you in Belgium/Germany/Switzerland/UK? It's been raining for weeks now. Is this your fault?!?" Nope. Not us this time. It's been sunny and awesome wherever we are. I feel like we've broken a curse or something! :) |
We check back into the same AirBnB that we stayed in before leaving for Santorini. The owner is delighted at the gift of rocks from the Red Beach. Neda kept most of them for herself though. Because when you are traveling light, riding motorcycles around the world, you want to be carrying a tankbag full of rocks...
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0165-L.jpg Do you want some help carrying that tankbag inside, Neda? The next morning, we woke up to shocking news: Britain had just voted to leave the European Union. The looming Brexit vote has been background noise in the news for the last few months now. It was a thing that was mildly interesting, but something everyone knew would just pass after the majority inevitably voted to Bremain. It reminds me of the separatists in Quebec. Every 15 years like clockwork, they have a referendum about whether to stay or split from Canada. Then, a slim majority votes to stay. Everyone feels like their issues have been aired and it's business as usual for another 15 years... Apparently not so, this time. There's a lot of confusion and many unanswered questions - not just for me, a UK citizen traveling in the EU, but for many EU nationals currently living in the UK. I've been in the Schengen Zone for over a couple of months now. Do I have to leave the zone once I hit 90 days? Or does the clock start today? We are planning to visit England later on this season. Will Neda now need a visa? How long will she be able to stay? But more importantly, this has greater impact on our future. Europe has become a second home to us. We have so many friends and family here. It's one of the places we've thought about settling down in after our trip is over. But now we're a divided family. I don't know what my rights are to settle down in Europe. If we wanted to live in the UK, what are Neda's rights? I can't find any information on-line. This whole Brexit vote seems so ill-thought-out. The news is full of people in the streets of UK hurling insults at minorities, telling them that because Brexit won, they had to leave the country immediately. Some of these minorities are UK citizens. Like me. My wife, who was born behind the Iron Curtain shakes her head. "It seems like just yesterday we were tearing down walls in Europe. Now we're putting them back up." Neda is so smart, hard-working, socially conscious, always thinking of the greater good. She's the best of what Europe has to offer. Britain would be lucky to have her living there, contributing positively to that society. I hope more information comes out in the following days. We may have to give the UK a wide berth. Scotland is now talking about separating and joining the EU. We may go there instead. |
Fantastic shots - yoga on an 800 - love it!
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Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/335.html
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...map335_1-L.jpg We're very excited because we are finally visiting the Acropolis today! This is pretty much the main reason we are even in Greece! I know a lot of people head straight towards the islands for their vacations, but if you are into Greek temples and ruins, this is the grand-daddy of all Greek ruins. Instead of riding, our AirBnB host recommended we take the subway into the city. The weather is sweltering... still over 40C. I was more than happy to be sitting in an air-conditioned subway car for the half-hour ride to the ruins. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0298-L.jpg The Acropolis is a temple that was built on top of a flat piece of rock that rises about 150m above the city The name is actually quite descriptive. Acro means Edge and Polis means City. I'm a huge fan of etymology (which is the study of bugs). So Acrophobia, which is the fear of falling off heights is quite literally the fear of the edge. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...The-Edge-L.jpg Acrophobia |
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The one thing we *were* prepared for... crowds. A million people visit the Acropolis every year! Everyone's photos of Santorini always show an idyllic, peaceful place, free of crowds; those lone blue-domed buildings gleaming in the orange sunset. Those Instagram pictures never show the tens of thousands of people *behind* the camera, beating each other with selfie-sticks while jostling for elbow room on that tiny island. But the Acropolis... We knew this was the main attraction in Athens. So it wasn't a shock when there was a line up to actually climb the stairs to see the main ruins. I think we queued up for 45 minutes before we reached the top. It felt like we were lining up for a popular amusement park ride, except there wasn't any entertaining sideshows playing along the sides of the lineup... One thing we weren't prepared for: That same hastily bubble-jet printed-up sign that we last saw in Delphi at the admission booth with the "new" prices listed. €20 for just the Acropolis. All the literature we found on the Internet said it should be €12, and I'm sure if I had pulled off the temporary piece of paper, the sign would still read €12 underneath it. It felt so unofficial and scammy. It just screamed, "Sorry we need the money, and we can't afford to print real signs. Also, we might need to raise the price again next month..." The only way it could have been more sketchier is if the sign were to have been written in crayon... with €15 crossed out in red... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SC_0309-XL.jpg So obviously we paid. Doing our bit to prop up the Greek economy... This isn't my first time at the Acropolis. My parents took us on a family vacation here, but I was only a small child when I visited. I do remember the ruins, but I also remember that the most interesting part were the rocks strewn at the base of the ruins. I remember playing at these rocks while my parents walked around. It would be a few more years before I started reading any Greek mythology and would probably have better appreciated these structures then. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0283-L.jpg The main temple at the Acropolis is dedicated to the goddess Athena. And then the lightbulb went off... Athena... Athens... *duh* Never made that connection... Neda says, "Really, you didn't know that Athens came from Athena?!?" no i r dum neda :( |
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This smaller building is called the Temple of Athena Nike If you look closely, you can see kids in the back of the temple assembling Air Jordans... Whew! So hot here, I'm sweating...! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0170-L.jpg The heads of state would gather at the Acropolis for important meetings. Meanwhile, their bodies stayed behind in Athens. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0269-L.jpg "So is this one better than the Pula amphitheater, Neda?" "I'm hot. Can we sit down?" https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0166-L.jpg Taking a break from the heat Neda is in no mood to be comparing amphitheaters right now. It's too bad, because this next one I think could have given the one in Pula a run for its money... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0276-L.jpg The Odeon of Herodes Atticus - they still hold performances here Elton John played here recently, in 2010. Also Sting in 1996. Neda pipes up, "Sting also played at the Pula Amphitheater!" Ah, there she is! |
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The Erechtheion, a temple on the north side of the Acropolis site. The six statue/columns are part of the Porch of The Maidens https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0195-L.jpg Although the bricks have been reconstructed, the contrast between the new and the old is very pleasing https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0299-L.jpg The unbuilt section of bricks in the middle looks like a Tetris game in progress Acropolis was totally worth it! It was so grand and brought back a lot of my childhood memories of Greek gods and heroes. This is another thing that Neda and I share in common. She's always been a bookworm and she was into Greek mythology as well when she was younger. There's nothing like walking around old ruins to really fire up the imagination! Three-headed dogs guarding the entrances to temples and a minotaur lurking behind every corner! |
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You get a great view of Athens from atop the rock that Acropolis sits on. Mount Lycabettus in the distance https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0209-L.jpg In the distance, I spy our next destination, another set of ruins right in the city https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0216-L.jpg And then another one! We're going to have a field day in Athens! Instead of just buying a pass for the Acropolis, we ended up getting a multi-site pass to the other ruins in Athens. The guy at the ticket booth said that the rest of the sites were between €10-€15 each, so if we visited at least three sites in total, it would be cheaper to get the multi-site pass for €35. We were definitely going to visit more than three sites today, and I do so like a deal! I checked to see if the multi-pass ticket was written out in red crayon... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0223-L.jpg Cat stretches out in the shadows to escape the relentless rays of the blazing hot Greek sun overhead It's only a 2 km walk to the next set of ruins, but we get lost a couple of times on the way to the Temple of Zeus, so it takes us much longer than it should have. Just like when we were in SE Asia, Neda is not coping well in the heat. We have to stop often to find shade. But she is a trooper. And I sense she wants to make the best of our multi-pass just like I do! |
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Temple of Olympian Zeus, you can see the Acropolis in the background https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0234-L.jpg Closeup of the tops of the columns at the Temple of Zeus. Very pretty. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0250-L.jpg This column was felled by fierce winds in 1852. They look like the chopped up currywurst we had in Berlin. Mmmm.. getting hungry... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0256-L.jpg A Roman Bath added just off to the side of the Temple of Zeus. Nice tiling! Okay, two sites down! "We only have to visit one more site to make our multi-site ticket worthwhile!", I tell Neda excitedly. She gives me a big smile and an enthusiastic thumbs up, but as I turn my head back I swear I could see her smile falter a little. Or maybe that was my imagination. It was probably my imagination. |
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We walk back into the pedestrian streets of downtown Athens to try to find the next set of ruins https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0266-L.jpg The air is filled with Greek smells and sounds One thing we have noticed, there are a lot of excited people yelling, "No! No! No!" They yell this at each other with smiles on their faces, which is quite unusual. Until we find out that the Greek word for "Yes" is "Ne". This is completely confusing to English speakers (and probably for a lot of other non-Greek speakers as well). If you didn't know this, you would think Greek people are very negative people that live to argue with each other. "No! No! No!" https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0335-L.jpg There are a lot of pedestrian streets in Athens. Nice not to worry about being run over by cars or buses while walking around Next stop! Hadrian's Library! Thankfully, there are a lot of sites all within the centre of Athens, so not too much walking for poor Neda. I can't believe I'm the one more excited about hiking now... |
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Hadrian's Library. Well, some columns at the site of the library I told Neda that I'd like to Check Out some columns at the library. I told her I shouldn't be too long Overdue. I told her not to worry, even if I was Overdue, I'd be Fined. She just starts walking away. "I'd be Fined! Fined! Get it?" https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0356-L.jpg At least this guy was busting out in laughter I think I've lost Neda. I walk all over the site and finally discover her in this climate-controlled room where they keep these statues and artifacts that need to be kept out of the sun. There's a security guard here and Neda is pretending to be interested in every single artifact in the room, lingering for minutes on each one as she soaks up the air-conditioning. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SC_0357-XL.jpg "So what did you learn in here, Neda?" I ask. This was her response... "Ready to see another set of ruins, Neda?" She looks up at me and yells, "No!" Which as we now know means "Yes" in Greek. Neda was always so good in picking up new languages! "Okay, off we go!" With every new site we visit, we're practically *making money*! |
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Ancient Agora An Agora is a gathering place or assembly. Somewhere where people can meet up. It's also the root of the word agoraphobia, which means fear of wide open spaces. There's a gift shop here at this site, which sells some specially made clothing. They're called Agora Sweaters. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0363-L.jpg The Temple of Hephaistos at the Ancient Agora. Very well-preserved! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0382-L.jpg Finally found some shade in the museum at the Ancient Agora. We ended up visiting five different sites around Athens! Totally got our money's worth for that multi-site ticket. Poor Neda has melted into a puddle next to me. I'm going to have to scoop her up into a bucket and pour her onto the subway to go home... |
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/336.html
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...L/map335-L.jpg Athens is on another peninsula called the Attika and as we get back to the mainland, we complete a loop that started at the Peloponnese peninsula and ended up back near Delphi again. We ride through several familiar towns in the area before we start to cover new territory. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0179-L.jpg Back on the road https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SCN0186-XL.jpg Our route takes us through small Greek towns, nice to get away from the big city of Athens. |
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Road hugging the curves of the mountains https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0195-L.jpg As we get further north again, the weather seems to cool off a bit. Still hot (low 30s), but less muggy https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0196-L.jpg I love riding in the mountains! |
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Hey! A blue-domed church! Memories of Santorini. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0206-L.jpg We're stopping for the evening in a town called Litochoro, right at the foot of Mount Olympus https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0210-L.jpg We ride around trying to find our AirBnB. Turns out it was owned by a lady who runs this convenience store |
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She told us we could park here. Good thing we are not cars... I think... I hope our bikes will still be here tomorrow morning... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0215-L.jpg The next morning, riding through Serres, just north of Greece's second largest city Thessaloniki While the highway between Greece and Bulgaria runs from Serres straight to Sofia, I found some nice roads in Southern Bulgaria that I wanted to explore, so we steered north-east away from the main road. It takes us past Mount Vrontous, and the hilly area around the foothills turned out to also have some great twisty roads: https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0247-L.jpg Scenery around Mount Vrontous |
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Wonderful hills in the background https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0260-L.jpg Exochi, Greece border crossing into Ilinden, Bulgaria Most of the traffic takes the main highway to Sofia, so the Ilinden-Exochi crossing was empty when we got there. The Bulgarian border guard came out of his booth to greet our stopped bikes. He takes Neda's Croatian passport, glances at the cover then the picture and waves her through. Then he walks over to me and takes my UK passport and makes a big show about flipping through all of the pages. He sniffed and gave me a stern look. "Visa?" What?! As far as I knew, despite the Brexit vote, the UK was still in the EU... At least for now. Wasn't it?! The border guard kept his steely gaze on me for a moment. Then he broke out in a wide grin. "Just joking, my friend!" Grrrr. I hate border guard humour. It's the lowest form of humour out there. Even lower than puns... |
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Once clear of the border, the weather in Bulgaria turns ominous... But hey! We're in Bulgaria! New country! "What do you know about Bulgaria, Neda?" "Nothing." "Me too..." Maybe we should have done some research before crossing the border... https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0267-L.jpg At our first gas stop in Bulgaria, Neda makes a new friend. She's got a whole pet store's worth of treats in her tankbag We had the option of filling up our tanks in Greece before we left, but the gas prices there were so expensive that surely Bulgaria would be cheaper. Surely... After topping up both our bikes, I checked the total on the pump's display. A bit over €60... WHAT THE...? Holy crap. Even more expensive than Greece. My heart sunk. The gas station lady came to take my very large-denominated Euro bill. Then she handed me a stack of strange bills. They were Lev, the local currency. Bulgaria hadn't converted to the Euro yet. Our gas bill was 60 Lev which was €30. My heart bounced off the floor of my stomach back up to the top of my head. Cheapest gas bill yet in Europe! Whohoo!!!!! I think I'm going to like Bulgaria. |
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Looks like one of those Disney castles, but a mini version Although Greece may be going through a financial crisis, it still is very prosperous when compared to its neighbouring countries. The houses in the villages that we ride through are in rough shape, similar to rural Albania. One big difference though. Instead of stolen Mercedes-Benzes everywhere: https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0275-L.jpg This is the most popular vehicle on the road https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0293-L.jpg Also the most popular fashion for older Bulgarian women: A headscarf The headscarf is a holdover from the days of the Eastern European Orthodox churches, when they encouraged women to cover their heads like the Virgin Mary did. This is not just a Bulgarian thing, pretty much every country east of Italy has this traditional look for the older women. |
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We're in the Rhodope Mountain range in Southern Bulgaria and headed down a road that leads into a gorge. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0312-L.jpg Rounding the corner, the steep walls of the gorge all around us The dark clouds overhead manage to contain their waterworks until we reach our destination. Our luck is still holding out! We are staying at the end of the gorge road, in a town called Buynovo. The area around here is very popular with hikers and we see a few of them walking up and down the winding road in and out of town. We've booked an AirBnB here and I pull over in front of a large map of the town to try to find our accommodations. The GPS co-ordinates that I have seem to lead us to the middle of a river and the map is of no help. Buynovo is tiny, so Neda goes off to ask the locals, surely someone must know where our place is. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0377-L.jpg After 15 minutes she returns. Yes, those are cows just wandering the streets... It's a common thing around here. She walks up to me excitedly and exclaims, "Hey, I understand Bulgarian!" Apparently, Serbo-Croatian is very close to Bulgarian. It's like that scene in the Matrix when Neo gets information downloaded to his brain and wakes up: "Woah. I know Kung-Fu." So I say, "Show me." |
We ride back over to the group of people that Neda was just talking to. They were motioning us into a barn. Neda exchanges a few words with them and notifies me, "We can park our bikes in here".
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0391-L.jpg This barn is owned by the AirBnB's owner's neighbour The locals that Neda found were so helpful. They not only located the AirBnB owner, but when they saw that we were on motorcycles, a neighbour told us we could leave our bikes in his barn. It was like the whole village was helping us. Very cool! Turns out our place is on the river, not on the main road. We had to hike down a little bit to get to it. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0397-L.jpg Our Bulgarian hostess prepares dinner for us It was so very homey and so Eastern-European! The Bulgarian language is very similar to Serbo-Croatian. Neda says even more so than Polish and Czech, but not exactly. Our host had to call her daughter on the phone to translate some of the finer points in English. In fact, our online contact was the daughter. This is a very common practice with AirBnB in foreign countries. The older folks may own the property, but it's their kids (or grandkids) that are more technically savvy and can speak English. They're the ones who advertise and communicate with the tourists. Although I've taken the lead in planning our route through Eastern Europe, I'm still glad that I'm traveling with the human Universal Translator when the tires hit the pavement. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0400-L.jpg Our first home-cooked Bulgarian meal. This fish was caught in the river beside the house! Delicious! So that evening, I'm on Facebook scrolling through my newsfeed. Turns out that a couple of my traveling friends with UK passports also had stories of EU border guards jokingly asking them for their "visas". Seems like in light of the Brexit vote, there was an internal memo circulating amongst all the border guards in the EU titled, "Hey, wanna f*** with the British tourists?" Bastards. |
Updated from http://www.RideDOT.com/rtw/337.html
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...L/map337-L.jpg It rained last night. Thankfully, most of the showers stopped when we woke up and we stared outside at the overcast skies, planning out our route for the day. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SCN0407-XL.jpg Everything is so peaceful out here in the countryside Our lackadaisical pace around Eastern Europe is now butting up against some pre-scheduled dates on the calendar. It would have been nice to stay a day or two here in Buynovo, to enjoy the peace and quiet and nature. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0409-L.jpg Our hostess bids a farewell to us as we leave her tiny village |
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The plan for the day is to ride the length of the gorge road and take in the scenery The Buynovo Gorge is the longest one in Bulgaria. It was carved out of the limestone over several millenia and now boasts several pools, waterfalls and caves. None of which we're going to see because we're riding, riding, riding today! https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0343-L.jpg The road is narrow and the pavement is uneven, but the tall walls of the gorge make for an awesome ride as we follow the twists and turns of the river https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0360-L.jpg At times the road rises and we can peek over the edge at the water below. Until we hit a tunnel carved into the rock. Cool! |
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The gorge is so narrow at one point the top of the canyon walls almost touches above the road. The narrowest point is called "Wolf's Leap" because legend has it that wolves jump across the chasm here to attack sheep pens on the other side. The Buynovo Gorge road is less than 30kms long, but it's a one way road, so we turn back and start heading north. https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0415-L.jpg Stopping on the way back https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSC_0398-L.jpg Enjoying the marvelous scenery |
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On the road, we see more Disney castle missile silos https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...SCN0421-XL.jpg Shops and stalls in the little villages that we ride through https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0426-L.jpg Damp roads out of Southern Bulgaria |
Plovdiv is Bulgaria's second-largest city and is about three hours north of Buynovo. We are making a pit stop here just to sleep before we head further north.
https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0431-L.jpg We are staying in a nice quiet neighbourhood in the suburbs of Plovdiv https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0433-L.jpg The owner of our AirBnB place lets us park in the garden https://photos.smugmug.com/Motorcycl...DSCN0434-L.jpg The next morning, we are all suited up and ready to head out. The owner snaps a pic of us. It's so nice to be able to get a picture of the two of us together. It's so rare. |
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