Greece on a bicycle

We ride along the Aegean sea in a summery weather and then stop in Thessaloniki at our friend Kyvely's place. We are welcomed so well that it is very hard to start riding again towards Albania.

Route 2 389 319 - powered by www.bikemap.net

The crossing of the Greek border is disconcertingly easy: we don't even get off our bicycles, we just show our passports and are clear to go.

After a few kilometers, we meet Alex, a Dutch hitchhiker who walks on the shoulder of the desert highway with his guitar. He explains: "Revolution is on its way!". He is hitchhiking to India and sings his ideal vision of the world to people who host him. One hell of a guy, who inspires respect and breathes kindness.

"Revolution is on its way", Alex keeps saying

We spend the first night in a hotel in Alexandroupoli, sheltered from the rain. We then ride along the remains of the Via Egnatia, a Roman road that was cutting through Northern Greece from West to East. We clearly feel the influence of the Aegean sea on the climate, the end of November is still nice and warm here.

Behind the olive trees, the island of Samothrace

The country of olive trees

We picnic on the middle of the road (well what remains of the Via Egnatia)

Lake Vistonida

Porto Lagos, a small village between Xanthi and Komotini

Bivouac by the sea

Sunset over bicycles

Flamingos in the Aegean sea

One day, we ride through a small residential street in Nea Kervala in order to picnic on the beach. Once on the seashore, a lady offers us to use the table on her superb terrace. While eating, we observe her husband who is placing octopus traps in the water.

Ham & cheese sandwich by the Aegean sea

In Greece, cats are everywhere!

Wannabe octopus fishers

One evening, we pass next to a parked touring bicycle and get acquainted with Tristan, who is travelling eastbound on his own. He started his journey a few months ago from Lausanne (60 km from Geneva)! What a surprise! We decide to camp together for at least three reasons: he is cool, carries some Romanian raki and has dry sausages. All what you need for a nice evening.

Tristan, the cyclist from Lausanne

Beer, raki, dry sausage, spaghetti, for a cyclist it's party time!

The night falls on the sea

A cyclist's breakfast

Three Swiss-French bike tourers meeting at Europe's farthest reach, it doesn't happen every day!

Late in the following morning, we take leave of our friend from Lausanne. What a pity that we are travelling in opposite directions! Have a safe trip, Tristan!

Nea Peramos,  Greek coast

Surprisingly, the coast is not touristy

Some days later, we are welcomed like Greek gods by Kyvely at her family house, which lies a few kilometers from Thessaloniki. During one week, we spend a good time there, discovering the city (mostly its nightlife). Kyvely and her friends treat us with delicious regional food. We also meet again with Nora, our friend from Geneva who is learning Greek in the same city.

Kyvely and her two monsters: Tiger the endearing and Balou the sheep

Tiger during his French lesson

Evening in Thessaloniki with Mary, Dimitra and Nora

Winter atmosphere at the fireplace with Lucia

View over Thessaloniki from Kyvely's house

We are back on the road after one week, sad to leave Kyvely and her friends. To top our motivation off, the weather is cold and one week of rainfall awaits us. But we now have a deadline to meet our dear family and friends in Geneva.

The Mont Olympus (2917 m), the home of gods in Ancient Greece

Thessaloniki waterfront

Thessaloniki waterfront

On the first night after leaving Thessaloniki, we sleep in a sports center. Knowing that we will sleep in the cold, the people in charge of the center bring us a warm cup of tea.

Camping at the Chalastra sports center, Greece

Staying close to the wall to protect us from the wind

On the following day, we find ourselves in a small restaurant at a pass at 1'500m, drinking a glass of wine with a regular customer while our clothes are drying above the stove. Just as we are getting back on the road, it starts snowing. But with the lowering altitude, the snow changes back to a strong rain.

Autumnal climb, between Veroia and Kozani, Greece

Remains of snow at the pass

In the evening the rain is pouring down. We strategically position ourselves at the exit of an orthodox church and ask the permission to camp under a small pavilion that would shelter us from the rain. We are finally invited by Nina to sleep in her flower shop. She even brings us so much food that we will have enough for our breakfast.

Meal that Nina brought us in her flower shop

The rain keeps falling during the entire following day. After a difficult half day, we enter soaked wet and frozen in the first restaurant that we have seen for the last 40 kilometers. What a relief to be in the warmth! But the owner, who visibly doesn't share our enthusiasm, gets angry and refuses that we dry our gloves on his heater. He explains us that it affects negatively on the reputation of his restaurant (a not specially fancy tavern that has about 12 tables and only one customer). We leave the place shocked, as we had lost the habit of this kind of behaviour.

Homo cyclistus sapiens, Greece

Autumn weather on the way to Kastoria, Greece

Last curve before the Albanian border

A few kilometers from the Albanian border, we are overtaken by a rather strange vehicle. Marine, Raphaël and Thibaut have four months to cover the route between Phnom Penh and Paris in a Tuktuk as a part of their humanitarian project (their website www.facteursdumekong.fr). We eat lunch together: it is interesting to compare our experiences, through the same regions but at significantly different rhythms.

A tuktuk in the Greco-Albanian mountains: rather original!

Marine, Raphaël and Thibaut, the Mékong postmen at work

Next goal: keep ourselves from freezing in the Albanian mountains, before reaching Tirana and entering Montenegro.