Greece (at least the northern part, where I have so far been to) is far less crowded than Italy and the landscape is by no means disappointing.
On the streets there is less traffic, people drive (a little) more sensibly and everywhere there are fruit sellers with the most delicious melons, peaches, or grilled sweetcorn. It is not expensive either. In general Greece is around 50% cheaper than Italy. Except for petrol, which is about €0.10 more expensive. The only thing is there are huge dogs roaming the roads, and many of these do not like motorcycles...
On two occasions (in Ioannina and in Kalambaka) I have now met up with Baki who is on his own epic cycling trip from Catania, Sicily to his home in Izmit, Turkey. Together we have explored the strangely shaped sandstone pillars of Meteora and the Eastern Orthodox monasteries which sit on top of them. In a few weeks we are meeting up again in Turkey. It's nice to have friends around the world.
The next day I rode to Litochoro, the nearest town to Mount Olympus (2917m), which I tackled the day after.
Since its base is at sea level, it is one of the highest mountains in Europe to climb. Being used to the mountains in Scotland I prepared myself with way too much clothing, food and water, compass and a map, most of which were unnecessary. From Pironia there is a well trodden path with frequent signs right to Mytikas (the summit), so there is no way of getting lost, even in bad weather.
It took about 2 hours to get to the refuge where they serve some basic food and many choose to spend the night. This trail rises about 900m and is about 6km from Pironia. On the way I encountered the donkeys which supply the refuge and other mountain huts.
The path from the refuge suddenly turns much steeper, colder and windier. The last 400m involved a lot of crawling on all fours on some loose rocks which was a welcome dose of adrenalin and also a bit of a relief for the inevitable pain in the arse with every step since the refuge.
All in all with a few breaks, it took about 7 hours to go up and back down to Pironia again.
Even though the visibility was poor at the top I did feel a sense of accomplishment.
And now, the day after I am tending to my blisters (on the beach).
And finally a thought for the day:
Many people I have met on my travels have told me that I don't have the right bike for this sort of journey. Likewise, some have said that I don't have the right shoes to climb mountains. I think that in our culture there is an increasingly popular trend to have everything of the highest quality, but most of the time it is unnecessary.
Many people have traveled with or are traveling on machines of poorer quality or suitability. In many parts of the world all they have is old 125s. Similarly there are professional athletes in the world who train in secondhand, low quality gear. Just because there are now gadgets or conveniences readily available part of the adventure is to make do with what I've got. And so far it's been a joy.
