Intro
It’s been three years since I went on my first day trip with Merida, after I tried to make her look like a touring bike. Now, I’m ready to leave for the second part of my trip around the world on my bicycle.
For this part, I decided to explore mainland Greece and Crete. Explore, experience, and learn more about the country I was born and raised in from an entirely different perspective. Like I did in Ireland, where I discovered this exceptional way to explore and experience the world. Something that I never imagined doing it until a couple of years ago.
I’ve always wanted to visit many places in Greece, but I never did, mainly because “I didn’t have time”. But, now that I have finally started making time for things I want to do, it is a great opportunity to see them before I continue to other countries and continents.
Furthermore, another reason I am dedicating this part of my trip around the world to Greece is to share with you another face of Greece that most people are not familiar with.
Most people consider Greece to be the “Caribbean” of Europe. But there are a lot more than just sun, islands and beaches. And this less-known part is something I’d like to share with you.
Planning And Preparing
At some point, after I learned about the Pindus trail, I thought about dividing the exploration of Greece between hiking and cycling. But, since my equipment is not the lightest one, I was unable to fit everything I needed into a backpack with a weight that would allow me to go around mountains for 50+ days. So, I decided to go back to my original plan of doing it mostly by bike.
My route, as usual, will be as close to nature as possible and avoid urban areas as much as I can. I will follow country roads and trails, go through the mountains, cross (or going around) gorges, forests, rivers, lakes and hopefully find some outstanding spots to bivouac. I will combine different activities like hiking (up to 5 days) and climbing, and (hopefully) try new ones like rafting and canyoning. Furthermore, I am looking forward to meet with the local people and learn more about the places I pass through.
Blackie is now more powerful, with new wheels, tyres, and drivetrain. Monzo is ready to take some stunning videos and photos. And I’m feeling more prepared (especially mentally) and excited to hit the road again.
Stage One - The Route
The first stage of my bike tour in Greece will focus on the northern region. It will start on 15 of July 2023, from Thessaloniki (going first west), and will cover around 3000+ km, and 45000+ meters of elevation. It will be tough, but it will also be fun and wild. Especially the first weeks because I haven’t done much cycling (or aerobic exercise) since I arrived in Greece last December. Also, there’s still a section that needs to be filled out (from Alexandroupoli to Kavala), but I’ll get it figured out when that happens.
But, as always, this is a rough estimate of the route. An idea of what places I would like to visit based on what I was told, heard and read (thumbs-up to “the geography is very cool”, for a series of posts that helped greatly with the process). The actual route will be determined every single day, depending on what I discover, learn, and feel. One of the most important parts of this trip is to be open and go with the flow. So, once again, let’s see where it will take me, what it will bring to me and what I will learn and experience through it.
You are more than welcome to follow this new part of my trip around the world (Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Medium, Newsletter), and share it with your friends and family.
I hope you will enjoy the upcoming new stories and inspire you to begin your own unique adventures (if not already).
Lastly, in my blog, I have also included a few different ways to support this trip, such as t-shirts, services and others. I would be truly grateful if you could check them out and get or share anything you like.
A big Thank You
At this point, I would like to mention that even though it seems like I’m doing all this alone, I’m not. During my trip so far, I’ve met countless people and received help and encouragement in the most unexpected places and ways. When I became more social, I tried to take pictures with everyone I met and spend time with. They are a lot (!), and I’m pretty sure I’ll meet even more people throughout the rest of my trip around the world. However, I do not publish those pictures in respect of their privacy (unless they give their consent), but I am excited to create a big poster one day combined with all of them.
Moreover, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my parents for their support of my new life’s decisions; as well as to my beloved brother, who is my most enthusiastic supporter, and who will be joining me for a few days at the beginning of this part. Additionally, I want to thank a lot, everyone who has helped me since the day I decided to quit everything and start over. I greatly appreciate all your great support and feel grateful for all your positive vibes, even if they start with ‘be careful’ most of the time.
Finally, I would like to express my special thanks to a few particular people and groups who helped me since my arrival in Greece to recover and prepare for the second part of my trip around the world.
- The people at the Amsterdam bike shop (Moudania, Greece), who helped me fix and upgrade Blackie for our upcoming adventures.
- The dietitian, Panagiota Karakasidou (Thessaloniki, Greece), for providing me with all the information I need to ensure the health and strength of my body.
- The osteopath, Pascalis Yioftsiou (Thessaloniki, Greece), who helped me to overcome a few issues with my knees and hips, and provided me with knowledge of preventing them from happening again.
- The people at the Physis Laboratory (Thessaloniki, Greece), who helped me find the best natural medicines and supplements based on my needs for this trip.
- The dentist, Michaela Kazantzidou (Thessaloniki, Greece), who fixed all of my teeth issues and gave me tips on how to keep them healthy and strong.
All of them gave me the freedom to contact them if I require help during my trip, which I totally appreciate it. I hope that I will not need it, but just knowing it, it makes me feel like I am not alone.
Until next time,
Be well, Breathe and Live!
PS: You can read about the first part of my trip, from Ireland to Greece, here.
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If so, please check my little shop, where you can find a few different ways to do it!
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