115 days, 8200km and 11 countries later - impressions per country

To be honest (why we say so? As if it's an exception and not a norm🙂) I wanted to make a summary for each country of my longest trip ever after finishing with each one on the go but my days were more hectic than I expected to do so. Search for places to stay, edit pictures and videos, write texts, publish, keep an eye on bike's needs, cook, shopping were only some of the things I had to do in my "free" time when I was not riding or walking to collect the content I shared with you. Only when I was house sitting in France and Netherlands I had more time in my hands and even then not as much as you might think as in the latter I had to take care of 3 chickens, a diabetic cat and a garden.

Ο Τέμπη ο μόρες

Κάθε φορά που επανέρχεται στην επικαιρότητα το θέμα της τραγωδίας των Τεμπών σκέφτομαι διπλά τους συγγενείς των θυμάτων, μία για το προφανές (το πένθος) και άλλη μία για την οδύνη που (φαντάζομαι) τους προκαλεί το γεγονός ότι επιστρέφει στις ειδήσεις τις περισσότερες φορές ως μία ευκαιρία κάποιων κομμάτων να βρουν λόγω ύπαρξης. Να μη σου φτάνει δηλαδή ότι την κόρη ή το γιό σου τον έφαγε ένας μπάρμπας του δημοσίου τον οποίο μάλιστα θα συνεχίσεις να πληρώνεις μέχρι να φύγει και αυτός από αυτόν το μάταιο κόσμο αλλά να βλέπεις και ξετσίπωτα κοράκια να σπεύδουν πάνω σε αυτή την ανείπωτη τραγωδία.

Στάθης Καλύβας (συνέντευξη στην Α. Νέγκα)

Ο Στάθης Καλύβας έδωσε μια ενδιαφέρουσα και ουσιαστική συνέντευξη στο "Καλύτερα Αργά" της οποίας το Β' μέρος μπορείτε να δείτε εδώ (εκτός αν σας εκνευρίζουν οι συχνές διακοπές του καλεσμένου στις οποίες δυστυχώς αρέσκεται η Α. Νέγκα):

Βάζω το Β' μέρος γιατί πάνω σε αυτό έχω να κάνω λίγα σχόλια:

"ORIA" shipwreck monument (largest Mediterranean tragedy)

 Trust me, regardless how much you love summer, there's nothing like a warm Hellenic autumn. This year we are lucky to have one of those and even luckier to not consider them a rarity. Therefore, even in mid November one can enjoy an empty beach with warm water even at the Athenian riviera (which during high season is beyond crowded).

Like this one:

Lviv from Tel Aviv is only a few assholes away

 Μια δεκαετία πριν επικοινωνούσα συχνά με μια διαδικτυακή φίλη από το Tel Aviv. Απολάμβανα (μεταξύ άλλων) την υπέροχη φωνή της και τα τέλεια Αγγλικά της στο Skype. Κάποια στιγμή μου λέει ότι μόλις πήρε διαζύγιο και σκέφτεται να έρθει στην Ελλάδα να με δει με την ευκαιρία. "You're more than welcome" της έγραψα αλλά ο θεός γελάει όταν οι άνθρωποι κάνουν σχέδια και έτσι αντί μαζί της πέρασα ένα ολόκληρο χρόνο στα νοσοκομεία και με τους 2 γονείς μου, χάνοντας τελικά τον ένα (τον πατέρα μου) από καρκίνο τα Χριστούγεννα. Χαριτολογώντας (αυτόματη αντίδραση του οργανισμού στις σκοτεινότερες ώρες) είπα μέσα μου "καλύτερα, γλίτωσες τη πιθανότητα να ήταν στη Μοσάντ ο άντρας της και να έκανες παρέα στον πατέρα σου νωρίτερα του αναμενομένου".

(Άλλη μία) Γενέθλια βολτούλα

 Αν παρκάρεις έτσι το αυτοκίνητό σου τότε κάτι έχεις κάνει σωστά:

Socrates: Last Forever (Neradou)

Eetonian Gate of the Ancient Walls of Pireas (Ηετόνεια Πύλη)

In my previous walk around the port I showed you several dodgy bits among others but now let's focus on more charming stuff. Like this palmy tree that wants to break free:

Rebeti bridge (Η γέφυρα του Ρεμπέτη)

Unexplored bits around a city like Athens have no end due to its size and history so today on a sweet Sunday like this I grab the chance to visit one of them. The day is still very young and the pigeons have just woke up at the local metro station:

The HIVE Tour - Episode 71 - Back home after 115 days!

It's been a long time since I recall myself waking up in the sea and since I'm an early bird I manage to catch the first rays of the sun struggling to make it through these clouds somewhere West of Albania:

The HIVE Tour - Episode 70 - 1st post COVID19 ferry trip reminded me how it sucks

 As you saw in the previous episode I waited for a later than late ferry at Ancona which is beyond ludicrous if you consider that this is the normality of the ferry companies for the last years. They don't give an F, they give you a departing time which is much earlier than the real one so they can cramp routes as much as possible as the ferry arrives, unloads and departs again. The good old days when the ferry was docked and you could enter even 2 hours before departure while the latter was accurate as a Swiss train are gone for good. Now they don't even sms you the delay as at least they used to few years ago.

The HIVE Tour - Episode 69 - Goodbye Italy!

My time is over here at Pugliano in Italy and I wake up to this view:

The HIVE Tour - Episode 68 - Walking around Pugliano, West of St. Marino

Ladies and gents, this is a special moment in my trip. If you are following my adventures during this journey you already know that I started early May so this makes it my longest one by far. "By far" goes in time but mileage wise I am @ 8000km right now which equals my previous longest one so it is going to be the one during which I did the most kilometres too. But here at Pugliano is the last AirBnB I have to rent for this trip as it's the last place I stay before I take the ferry to Ancona back to Greece in a few days. So many months on the road and feels like yesterday...it's a feeling hard to describe but makes material for a later post.

Now I don't have time for such analysis cause among other commitments I think I must walk you around the village I stay. So, grab your comfy shoes and lets walk down this road:

The HIVE Tour - Episode 67 - Bye Veneto, ciao Chioggia, hello Emiglia Romagna

I've written a lot about the farm I stayed here in Veneto but now that is time to leave it behind I have to praise it for one more time due to the generosity of its owner. Dear Lucia treated me with this really nice wine:

I sent the label to my dear friendly couple in Netherlands which is half Italian and I was told that "Spumante" wines are kinda kept for special occasions. I can gladly consider myself one of them and as gladly consumed it:

I am seconds away from leaving this sweet place behind:

When was it the last time you saw a wall more cute than this? Might be too long right?

So I jump on my fully loaded bike and go. The "fully loaded" has got even fuller now that I am on the last days of my trip cause except all the stuff I had with me when I started it I now also carry a few items I bought on the way. And while for example those granite cubes I bought from Bavaria months ago might be heavy for their size but too small to even care, the leather pants I bought from Netherlands take the space of a few pairs of jeans. Because I also don't wanna eff them up before I really try them on (though the winterish summer in Eindhoven allowed me to wear them once for a whole day).

I make my way up through this narrow road leaving that Venetian farm behind,

and my loaded donkey (or iron horse if you prefer) really sounds like one due to its very worn drive chain. It started giving me those funny metal galloping noises when I was at Le Mans in France and I thought "well, I'll check it out when I will have time later in Netherlands". I did so and decided that it can last until I make it back home. I still believe so but there's a slightly more noticeable question mark about this guesstimate now.

I try to kick away such negative thoughts as I pass through this green Arch of Triumph:

Besides, it's finally summer after all these crazy months of meteorological misery that offered me my coldest summer ever (even for locals) so I am rolling my wheels on this beautiful day as I head South, not in the absence of traffic though:

The design of Ponte Darwin near Lago di Padova kinda impresses me, though for Italian standards this might not be that exceptional:

The traffic gets even heavier later which forces me and other bikers to filter the traffic like this:

One of my favourite parts of this route is riding on the 309 via Ponte Translagunare, aptly named since it goes over Laguna Veneta:

This road has offered me one of my most weird riding moments when many years ago I was here but the fog was so dense that I couldn't even see the sea. However, I am now here again cause I want to briefly visit Chioggia.

And...here I am, riding in the tiny busy streets of this mini me of Venetia:

Unfortunately I have not the time and conditions to walk the place as I'd like to (I don't wanna leave my bike fully loaded unattended for obvious reasons) but I stop for a minute to take some shots at least:

This gives you an idea how the backstreets are here:

I hop on the bike again to ride a little more in here, the road takes this turn in front of the sea,

after which there's a bunch of bikes parked so I decide to stop for some more pictures:

Unfortunately no boat passes by to capture until I am on my bike so here's an on board shot of it:

Gotta make my way out this maze of pedestrians now:

As I ride this street trying to get away I get a feeling I might not be entirely allowed to drive here since there's no other moving motorised vehicle around:

This might be the case indeed according to this sign:

I'm out of Chioggia now riding South and the heat is simply unbearable. It's not only several degrees hotter than the North Italy where I started but it's VERY humid too. As if that's not enough, there's cow shit smell in the air that goes on for what it feels like an age under this conditions. Absolutely fucked up conditions which make this spot I find under these pine trees for my lunch break look like a cheap imitation of heaven in hell:

It's still hot humid and windless but at least it can be bearable here for a few minutes till I finish my rough lunch and hit the road again. I have a bit of water next to me but it can't fool me that it's not a super hot day:

In case you wonder where I am:

This "parco" could be a little more graceful:

But these pine trees couldn't be more generous sunblock wise:

Anyone wonders how many km I have done since I started this trip in early May? Well, I'm close to a funny number but I am on the highway where I can't stop wherever I want so I take this shot since I don't know if I get a better one:

So now I know that if I miss a chance to stop for the 7777.7 at least I will have the four 7s anyway. Luckily I see a spot to pull over for all 5 7s and in order to not spoil the odometer as soon as it hits all five 7s I switch off the bike and pull right on that small parking lot. So, ladies and gents, I proudly present you the time I have done seven thousand seven hundrend and seven point seven kilometres!

Finally time has come to leave the highway and head SW to the mountains where the traffic is lower and the temperatures are more sane:

However, the same doesn't apply to the local bikers as they may decide to overtake you on blind corners:

There's plenty here as in every mountain,

But there's bits of road missing, something not that rare in mountainous routes:

Finally I am getting close to my destination,

and this is the last bit of gravel road I have to take to make it to my AirBnB at Pugliano:

I arrive sweaty tired and hungry again but I also have to visit a supermarket so as soon as I unload my stuff I am back on my bike with that clunking chain to ride up to the nearest one which is 5 km away to the next village. Well, Italian habits or just bad luck, the place has not re opened after their noon siesta as it was supposed to. Even worse, there's a fucking old lady inside who doesn't even bother to tell me what's going on as I ask her with my body language behind the locked door. So obviously F U, jump on the bike again to make it to the other supermarket of the area. That's another 30 km plus both ways. Nice eh?

There I find some Bavaria beers and I decide to grab some to remind me the good times I had consuming them with my Dutch/Italian friends South of Eindhoven days ago:

However, this Bavaria has nothing to do with the glass bottled ones we had up there. This one is pure POS.

Check my ride on this 4K video accompanied by my music as usual,

and see you on the next one!