August 2008, touring Greece with my best Aussie friends (part 1 Kissavos - Pilio)

I'm still impressed by how fruitful is the undusting of my unpublished travel content. Of course that's with some AI help making my 16 years old cell phone content viewable by today's standards. Boys 'n girls, brace cause we're back in late August of 2008 and I am leaving my office to chase tops speeds on the toll roads till I arrive at Ampelakia to meet my sweet Aussie friends, Pat and Bin:

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.

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:

The HIVE Tour - Episode 66 - Morning hilltop walk becomes rather URBEX

The more I stay here at this farm in Italy the more I thank myself for that choice. Have a look at my bedroom view:

 

The HIVE Tour - Episode 65 - I gladly lost my way on this hike

As you might have already seen over my last posts my trip has brought me to this beautiful farm NE of Venice and since the beauty is not strictly limited to the farm but expands to the whole area it's a no brainer to decide to hike around. Even better when the hike starts from the farm itself which is such an eye candy:

The HIVE Tour - Episode 64 - One walk, countless beauties

In the previous Episode you saw the relics that the owner of the farm I stay at the moment was kind enough to show me. Now it's time to walk outdoors as this place looks like it has more to offer than what I can see in only a couple of days. Even this owl looks to me like...

"it's pointless...you gotta come back one day":

The HIVE Tour - Episode 63 - Surprises during my stay at a Venetian farm

Not only the farm I've just arrived to stay here in Italy is located at a piece of heaven (more on that later but you can already check the link) but I also have a rather generous host. My only problem is that I have to squeeze my poor Italian to start cooking cause I am more than hungry:

The HIVE Tour - Episode 62 - From South Bavaria to Veneto via Austria

I'm finally "privileged" to be treated with some proper summer by the weather here South of Munich so I load my bike to move on South more carefree than I did previously. You know you experience a proper summer when you aim your stops under the shade of a tree like here at Bruckmühl:

The HIVE Tour - Episode 61 - Goodbye Baden Butenburg, Hello (again) Bavaria

My time here at Obersulm is over and I'm loading my iron donkey to head South (oups, better say horse, don't hurt its feelings). However, it looks like someone desperately wants to escort me:

 

The HIVE Tour - Episode 60 - Hiking @ Obersulm Germany brings more fruits than expected

They say "Carpe Diem" right? I have no reasons at all to not apply it here in the German West so I'm out to see what is what on a nice day but with a challenging sky photography wise:

The HIVE Tour - Episode 59 - Goodbye Netherlands, hello (again) Germany

Last day here in the Dutch South and in some sort of irony the weather feels like summer for the first time but I'm not gonna be here long enough to enjoy it as I have my bike loaded ready to leave. My dear diabetic companion ill stay home of course and as far as I can tell he doesn't bother that much about my departure, despite the great times we shared:

The HIVE - Tour - Episode 58 - Dutch time is running out

As my days are coming closer to an end here in the Netherlands I'm thinking how different the weather is this year compared to the last one when I was here exactly at the same time. I mean, I didn't expect a Mediterranean summer either time but at least last year there was some sort of summer, despite the breaks of winter. This year is just a random mix of all seasons. Literally, as long as Dutch winter is excluded. As I'm typing these words it's 10:00 am but there's absolutely no sun at all and I am wearing my brand new leather pants indoors, not only without sweating but feeling like that's proper stuff for this weather.

The HIVE Tour - Episode 57 - Dutching my days away

How many times have I commented on the weather? One too many already right? Apologies from a spoiled Mediterranean, your truly. However, it's impressive to see how the mood of all beings on earth is dictated at a certain degree from the weather.

See my friends here:

The HIVE Tour - Episode 56 - Riding from Heeze to Tilburg got me to the scene of an accident

Nice days oblige you to "Carpe Diem" here at the European North since weather is far from friendly and predictable. So, on this promising morning I decide to ride from Heeze to Tilburg here in Netherlands aiming to visit Oisterwijk Park first and then the mega store of Louis in Tilburg to do some motorcycle related shopping.

As I am enjoying riding on a nice day through some lovely neighbourhoods, after some km on the highway I meet a heavy jam. Not sure how policed (or punished) is filtering the traffic on a bike I use all my patience and just wait behind the cars hoping it's not gonna last that long. However, it seems to last forever and I'm often just sitting idle. No bikers around me at all to see how locals behave in such conditions and I don't want to be the ass acting out of local habits. Despite me being much more travelled than the vast majority of bikers I still act this way and no regrets so far. It's as simple as respecting a house that hosts you. Two bikers appear later and as soon as they start filtering the insane traffic I follow them and at some point I overtake them as the situation feels like it would eat up my whole day. Wondering how come and what is this craziness all about I get my answer as I witness this scene:

The HIVE Tour - Episode 55 - Ways to spend time during shitty and not so shitty summer (?) weather

I don't like complaining so I (hope I) won't focus on the meteorological side of things here in South Netherlands, if you follow my posts you're aware of that. Funny things happen when weather is OK enough to be outside though. Like this:

The HIVE Tour - Episode 54 - Taking care of chickens

Just like the same time last year at this place South of Eindhoven in Netherlands, I am taking care of 3 sweet ladies which generously provide me their fresher than fresh eggs on a daily basis. Ladies and gents, put your hands together please for Tina, Truitje and Roosje: