My map so far (and counting)

 Finally I managed to put most of the places I've been and written a story for in one map. Here it is, fresh as it gets before I even embed it on my site:

There's lots of trips left out, mostly places I've visited (a bit too) long ago before I started writing travelogues but it still includes a good amount of my travelling so far. Took me several days to finish as every single point has the relevant link. Some of you guys that we had the luck to meet out there might find yourselves in my stories.

Looking at it kinda feels like my mirror. If you see the areas I've revisited the most and the ones I haven't so far sideways speaks for my taste. Of course it's also a matter of what's easy for me to reach - I'd exchange some indifferent roads in Turkey for a bit of US West coast any day anytime but it's still fine. I have no desire to delete even the most indifferent bits of my travels so far, maybe just because there wasn't any. 

Safe rides and travels to you all!

Climate change / Κλιματική αλλαγή

WWII German cemetery / Γερμανικό νεκροταφείο Διονύσου Β' ΠΠ

Rapentosa waterfall / Καταρράκτης Ραπεντώσας

Rapentosa dam / Φράγμα Ραπεντώσας

Πράσσειν ΚΙΝΑΛογα

 Η αλήθεια είναι πως τα ΜΜΕ ασχολήθηκαν με τα εσωκομματικά του ΚΙΝΑΛ (δηλαδή το ΠΑΣΟΚ που ντρέπεται να λέγεται έτσι) πολύ περισσότερο από όσο θα έκαναν με οποιοδήποτε άλλο κόμμα κατέγραφε μονοψήφια ποσοστά για 7 ολόκληρα χρόνια. Διάφορους λόγους μπορεί να επικαλεστεί κανείς αλλά ο βασικότερος είναι το γεγονός πως η Ελλάδα είναι ακόμη ΠΑΣΟΚ σε ένα σημαντικό βαθμό. Και μπορεί η κοινωνία να αποΠΑΣΟΚοποιείται σε ένα βαθμό όσο η χώρα αξιοποιεί τις δυνατότητές της (πράγμα που ευτυχώς κάνει η σημερινή κυβέρνηση σε βαθμό που δεν θα το έκανε κανένα άλλο κόμμα) αντί να κανιβαλίζεται αλλά η ντόπια δημοσιογραφία παραμένει σε καλό βαθμό ΠΑΣΟΚΑΡΑ.

Amateur caving at Ymittos mountain

Parnitha mountain exploration / Εξερεύνηση στην Πάρνηθα

Greek dictator's cottage(?) @ Parnitha / Εξοχικό(;) Παπαδόπουλου στην Πάρνηθα

Medieval tower (13thBC) East of Athens / Πύργος Βραυρώνας

 

Whatever happened to the P.I.G.S.?

Let's hear what the new German Finance minister has to say about the "G" of them. If I am not mistaken, years ago this guy used to bitch on Schaeuble for not being strict enough on Greece during the peak of our crisis. Today he admits that the current Greek government not only changed the game but is also a paradigm for others, Germany included. Don't expect me to open champagnes for that as the whole ride of this 10 year crisis had an insane cost for me, the huge amount of money I lost not being the most important one. It's just that during hard times in history like that one, if you were wise enough to not follow the mainstream anti German insanity of the crowd neither the unfairly oversimplified "South is lazy" (like this guy did, like Schaeuble didn't resist it either) you were left all alone with your common sense and your only consolation was to wait one day for history to recognise that you were on the right side of things. Today, many friends and euros lost later, I can only say  "Thank you Mr. Lindner, however, with a bit more wisdom from your side it could all be so much easier for us and Europe, considering that (in theory at least) our lovely continent is our top priority like it should". I'm glad that Lindner's position confirms a new more promising chapter in the relation between the two countries, especially combined with the first German woman minister of Foreign, Mrs Baerbock (due to her positions not her genitals). By the way, good idea to rethink about selling those submarines to the asshole in the East isn't it? I mean, out of self respect first and foremost...

Have a good start and good luck!

In one of my frequent Forest Gump conspiracy free moments I wonder:

Why they call it "common sense" since it's not that common?

 

Κατά τον νέο ΥπΟικ της Γερμανίας, «η εντυπωσιακή και επιτυχημένη οικονομική πολιτική της Ελλάδας θα πρέπει να παράδειγμα και για την ίδια τη Γερμανία».

Από εκεί που το 2015 μας έδιναν 50 δις να τους αδειάσουμε τη γωνιά, καταφέραμε σε δυο χρόνια να γίνουμε πρότυπο. pic.twitter.com/BqeErxAIyO

— Georgy Zhukov ☭ (@GeorghyZhukov) December 7, 2021

Hiking Ymittos mountain / Πεζοπορία στον Υμηττό

Abandoned airbase @Keratea / Πρώην αεροπορική βάση Κερατέας

Paiania cave/Σπήλαιο Παιανίας

 

Don't be an @ss to your @ss

Moto trip to Iraion ancient site & Vouliagmeni lake

Revisiting Ramnous ancient Greek site

Cycling around antiquities at Sounio Greece

500.000km ago / Μισό εκατομμύριο χιλιόμετρα πριν

Επίσκεψη στο πρώην Βασιλικό δασόκτημα Τατοϊου

Tatoi (ex Greek Royal estate)

WWII Bunker/pillbox/watchtower hunting South East of Athens

Μοτοβόλτα στη Βραυρώνα

Moto ride to Vravrona ancient Greek site

Moto trip to Ramnous & Brexiza

Μοτοβόλτα: Ραμνούς & Μπρεξίζα

V-Strom 650 license plate relocation

Μοτοβόλτα στο Αμφιαράειο Ωρωπού μέσω Πεντέλης & Μαραθώνα

Motorcycle ride to Amfiaraeion (Ancient Greek site) via Penteli and Marathon lake.

 

And the Oscar for the cheapest & lightest motorbike luggage goes to...

Rock on Hellas!

My mind goes back in the day we were taught at school the beginning of the revolution against the Ottoman empire and today I am here celebrating the bicentennial (!) of it like all the rest Hellenes. In a bit of crazy situation though during one of the coldest Marches we ever had and of course the fucking COVID we all still suffer from. 

The Ottoman empire was a historic accident and this comment is not triggered by any hard feelings of mine against Turks cause I don't have any. I don't have nice ones either though a couple of my best girlfriends were from Turkey. I prefer to judge people individually based on what they really are and not the tag they might unintentionally carry. Besides Turks don't have enough democracy to bloodlessly kick their bastard of his throne so they have a small excuse. (Not that I bet they would elect a better one to be honest). I just call it accident cause it was a step down in culture, mentality and people's evolution in general. I recall the laughs we had with locals at Montenegro while watching the comparison between the fortress wall built by Ottomans and the one by Venetians at Kotor's castle. One small example speaks for the rest. (And by the way thank you Venetians for all the beautiful stuff you left in Hellas while you colonised her. No idea how nice you guys were but you definitely had a taste.)

Even today unfortunately you can still see the heavy Ottoman mark in the mindset of some Turkish communities, even abroad, though I believe there's a significant amount of progressive people in the Turkish West but Europe's Merkelism is too pathetic to amplify their voice (good luck guys, you'll need it, you deserve it). Biden gave the answer to this problem long ago so good luck to him too.

Today's saturation of Western societies reminds me of the last days of Byzantium empire. The great Hellene poet Kostis Palamas described Constantinople back in those days as "a whore waiting to be had". He had reasons to say that as prior to the aforementioned historic accident the voices in Byzantium's Capital against the West prevailed the ones pro uniting with the West and the rest is literally history. Not that I am full on super pro Byzantium but better than Ottoman on any day.

Hellas survived Persians, Ottomans, Nazis, Merkelism and her own impressive share of civil wars and bankruptcies. If the latter require a self destructive talent, survival definitely demands a constructive one and I am so happy that today my country still attracts wonderful people like this couple. Would be nice with the chance of the bicentennial if people abroad adapt the more spot on and better sounding word "Hellas", which is the actual name of the country anyway, instead of the gross sounding "Greece" which is less relevant.

Have a nice one Hellas, keep walking ;)