Along Corinthian Gulf and back home

Leaving Athens towards Piraeus was again like most rides in and out of large cities a tricky maneuver on multi line highways. Once more my adrenalin level jumped up when one of this ubiquist stray dogs jumped towards my direction. You have to decide quickly if speed might be enough to escape or to jump off to show whos is the alpha. Decided for the latter and placed my bike between me and the barking aggressor. He stopped in front of me still barking but decided that game seems over now and then trotted away.

Piraeus was not at all worth to stop with its all industrial harbour, refineries and oil storage tanks. From there the route bacame again easy cycling along a low traffic coastal road. One of the landmarks en route to Patra was Corinth with its channel. By far too small for todays container vessels it is still a remarkable piece of infrastructure the way it is carved in the rocks seperating Peloponnes from mainland and linking Corinthian Gulf with the Gulf of Patra. 

Greece was in a fortunate situation in autumn this year in terms of Covid infection rates. In Athens people had been sensistive in wearing masks to a quite hilarious level. Many motorbikers did not wear helmets but had the mask well in place while riding. There is no better picture to explain how odd the human risk perception can be in ignoring the actual danger but overweighting the not really tangible danger. In smaller cities and furthermore in country side live was more like before the pandemia. 

The sky rising 2nd Covid wave in Europe also defined my decision to rather move back home as long as travelling still works than touring further and end up in a lockdown situation like in spring this year. This could require to board an aircraft or even further to spend an unpredictable time away from home which both I did not consider as options I would like. 

So arriving in Patra I booked a ferry to Venice and decided to cycle home from there. Transiting Italy and Austria is still possible as to my internet research though I may have to go for quarantine when back home. Clearly another thing not really logically as my risk level during cycling likely is less than that of most people working indoors and using public transport.

The 32h boat trip to Venice once again was like a little cruise. The ship was pretty empty and the huge ball room with large sofas for sleeping was a luxury that I enjoy only in rare occasions on my trips. The ship had even showers for the low budget travellers that booked for deck passage only. 

Once I had disembarked in Venice I set off direction north. I opted pretty much for the same route as four weeks ago via Brenta valley and Brenner pass. Having done this travers so often by bicycle now this feels rather like a commuting than beeing on a long distance bike tour. 

Evia and Athens

There is no shortcut ferry from south end of Pilion to the next southern island Evia or Euboea. So to reach out to there it needs cycling the west coast of the Pagasitic golf to get to Glyfa where there is again a ferry service to bring you to Greece 2nd largest island after Crete.

Weather turned rainy short after I left Volos and it continued to rain also during the traverse through Evia. It is much less developped then Pilion so riding on the main coastal road was quite ok in terms of traffic and finding campsites was not at all difficult though on the third night out in the rain I was looking really forward to dry out again. 

I set over from Evia to mainland Greece in vicinity of Marathon. The route of the ancient nuntius is well labeled with signs on the street but not at all something a modern athlete would like to run. Its a four lane highway which doesnt have a footpath let alone bike line on many sections. Though I can claim now I made my first personal Marathon into Athens.

Athens is a very hilly city so not best suited for cycling. It made me wonder though when entering that I did not see any cyclists on the road. The capital of Greece is completely automobilized which turns me really off despite the stunning monuments. As far as the city may have civilized in ancient times it is managed badly in these days. 

Cars park ruthlessly on the pedestrians ways and there seems no authority to prevent that. All larger roads are develeoped to motorway type racetracks that destroy any desire for longer walks through the city and are a killer to any non motorized individuals. Clearly one of the worst cities in Europe in terms of sustainable mobility concepts. 

Having said all that the city though offers some sweet spots like the busy Plaka quarter, the modern Gazi village and as my favourite the mount Lykavittos which allows for a stunning 360° view over Athens and the Saronic gulf. 

Pilion

From Kalambaka it was a fairly boring stretch through mainly farmland to reach Volos on the Pagasitic gulf. The day was not a really lucky one as I was suffering three punctures on my front wheel. After fixing the third puncture it was clear I had to do something and went into town to get new tyre and tube. The guys at the shop had been well sorted and fitted it within 15 minutes. It was allready dark by the time I left the bikeshop so I abandoned the plan to drive a bit up into Pilion to find a campsite but went along south the coast.

From the street I saw some stairs towards the sea and got curious what this might be. Quickly it became clear that this is the perfect campsite for tonight. It was the shelter for the Winterswimmers Club of Volos. A well maintained balcony just above the sea with showers and benches. With night temperature still around 25 °C I had a perfect evening with a nice sleep. In the morning some people came for swimming and they had been all in all happy that another sports enthusiast is using their facility and offered me Coffee from their thermos.

The Pilion is a mountain ridge from north to south seperating the Pagasitic gulf on the west to the Aegan sea on the east. This mountain gives also the name for the complete Peninsula. Due to its favourite climate conditions Pilion is a prime spot for vacation houses which are widespread over the island. 

The ascent from Volos to reach the Aegan sea side in the east was remarkable. From sea level I climbed up 1200m for a junction that lead to a summit at 1550m. As there was a small military base it was all termac so ok for my racebike. From top you could well follow the contour of the island as it is given in the map. Following the main street I passed by a ski lift which made me wonder for how many days in the year they could operate it. The investment seemed do be rather from the mid of last century so at least its written off already.

The water temperature in the Aegan sea is slightly lower than in the gulf, which I estimated at 23 °C but still fine for swimming considering its end of October. Tourist season is over though and as it looks like its only some local people that go for a swim.

From Ionean sea to Aegan sea

After some shorter tours in the Swiss and French Alps in summer the time was right to set off for a longer tour by beginning October. Covid-19 sanctions do not leave so much alternatives so I opted to explore Greece a bit further.

In rainy weather I cycled south to Ancona and boarded on a ship to Igoumenitsa in Greece. 
Regulations sayed that you might be elected for random Covid-19 test upon arrival but it seems my profil was not suspicious so I left the port without beeing tested.

The plan is to cross Greece from the Ionean Sea on the West to the Aegan sea on the East and then to go south. The Greek traverse is not at all a flat cycling and my route planner indicated 9000 hight meter to reach the Aegan sea on the smaller roads I had opted for. First stop was Ioannina and then Kalarites on the foot step to the Mbros Pass. 

In Kalarites I booked a room in a guest house and the automatic responses from an Email bot indicated to me that it might be a frequented place for travellers. It was already getting dark when I arrived in Kalarites and it was a bizarre setting. The village did not have streets but rather steep and cobble stoned footpaths which made cycling impossible. No humans visible and with its location in the mountains the GPS signal was not really effective to guide me to the guest house. Though I managed to reach the place and deciphering the Greek letters – that should be the place I booked.

Nobody was there so I called and Zagklis picked up the phone to tell me that he will come to open. He came five minutes later and opened the guest house to me. He did not give me any key as there was no need for it in a village where himself and me seemed to be the only humans. He invited me to come to his shop which worked as reception, supermarket, restaurant and post office so I may pick up some supplies for dinner which I happily did. It was a remarkable night I spent in his guest house in complete solitude. 

The next morning I went up the Mbros Pass dividing Epirus and Thessaly at 1900m. It was cold and windy so I could not really appreciate the summitting but was rather happy when it got warmer decending the pass into the Tzoumerika National Parc. This was a great ride for about 100km all in forrest land until the scenery opened and one could see the rocks of Meteora in Kalambaka. 

The Meteora monestaries are UNESCO world heritage. They are built on the tips of some natural rocks. In the past they only had been accessible by rope ladders. Only by the 60s of last century they started to build stairways to make acces more convenient. Some of this monestaries are still in operation. The architecture and its constructions on the rocks is breathtaking.