Still with you ... still enjoying 
Iran and back in a month on a 650.
- Thread starter Drumacoon Lad.
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Now at Igoumenitsa waiting for midnight ferry to Ancona, Italy. Not sure what Wi-Fi will be like on board. Updates could be limited now till I get home. Thanks for all the encouragement and interest. Been a blast.
Mr K
Registered user
Did that crossing many years ago, smooth as a mill pond and a luxurious boat, chaps carrying panniers to your cabin for you...and a small remuneration....Anek lines or Strintzis(?) maybe?
DL
I used to read a lot of travel books (especially bike ones) but got fed up with them as they were either trying to be funny, but just became flippant, or were simply boring.
I really like your writing style, you give a good mixture of the practicle and emotional aspects of the journey - if you wrote a book I'd buy it
I used to read a lot of travel books (especially bike ones) but got fed up with them as they were either trying to be funny, but just became flippant, or were simply boring.
I really like your writing style, you give a good mixture of the practicle and emotional aspects of the journey - if you wrote a book I'd buy it
Anaid
Registered user
Have you tried this dance, too? ;D
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Made to Munich today. No time for significant updates now till I'm home but still writing and taking pictures. Watch this space!!!
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Micky, I think the question relates to the whirling! Got me thinking too. And the answer is NO.
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Got a bit of time on good wifi so heres some more:-
It was hard to leave the comfort and friendliness of the Coloseum Hotel in Istanbul but the border and Greece awaited. I had already booked my ticket to sail in 2 days time. Getting out of Istanbul was a lot easier than expected maybe because it was Sunday morning and I was going out, not trying to enter the city. I initially followed the motorway towards Ederine, retracing my path of a few weeks ago but then turned left towards the Greece border. I was noticing that the GPS was still getting these spurious alerts related to accessories which were not fitted. While it was annoying I could cancel the alerts and it was still working. The road to the border was dual carriageway and not too busy and I made good time. There were a few people out on bikes for a Sunday Morning ride. One group on sports bikes were a bit crazy and the leader overtook me at speed on the inside and then turned almost completely in his seat to look back at me. His mated joined him soon and they departed with the leader wheelying up the hard shoulder at 100mph. I was glad they had gone. Before the border I filled up, as I knew that petrol was not easy to find on the Greek motorway. While stopped I used some of my remaining Turkish Lira to stock up on some goodies for the day in the boat. I bought some tasty things, pistachios, nice chocloate bars and other nibbles. I would try and continue my eating out of a swag on the boat too.
Arriving at the border there was a short queue which seemed stationary. Being at the end of even a short queue at these borders means you are out in the sun and with heavy bike gear get hot very soon. In this case the queue suddenly began to move and in no time I was handing over papers. I had one extra paper to deal with due to the discussions with the police earlier in the trip. I was directed into the offices and met with the customes cashier. The figure he asked for was a bit less than expected so I was relieved. So back on the bike and on to the last booth where I was told I had to return to the cash office. Off I went, unsure what awaited me. In fact the cashier had made a mistake and I had to hand over the extra dosh. It appears that there was a reduction for paying earlier but as this was quite late I had to pay the full amount. I could have dealt with this at the Iranian border but concluded that getting through that border was complicated enough. On reflection I think this was the right decision as this Greek border crossing was very calm and relaxed compared to the Iranian border. I proceeded on to the Greek border post and again a short queue which moved quickly and soon I was being dealt with by a friendly border policeman, who asked about my trip and quickly handed me back the passport and papers. Greek customs did not take any interest and I was through.
After a drink and something to eat I was immediatly on the wonderful Greek motorway which runs east/west from the border to Athens and Igoumenitsa. It is an excellent motorway and usually quite as it was today, initially pretty flat with some hills off to the right and the sea to the left, very pleasant views.
There were grain crops been grown and it looked quite different to what I had been used to.
Before I left Istanbul had checked on hotels in Kavala and Thessaloniki, which gave me stopping options depending on how long the border took and how tired I felt. As the border had been quick and painless and as this motorway was so good I began to think of a 3rd option of riding all the way to Igoumenitsa and saving a day. This idea initially appealed but I decided to wait to make the decision when I got to Thessaloniki. The problems on the GPS got worse and finaly it locked up. From experience this can only be cleared by removing the device and taking out the battery. This lockup happened to me once in Germany on an autobahn on one of my early trips and to remove the battery requires a special small allen key which I did not have. To complicate matters I did not have a map and was relying on the GPS to meet up with my travelling companions. No problem, I would leave the autobahn and find a shop and buy a key. It was over an hour later and multiple motorway exits before I found a DIY store and got the key and repaired the GPS. Since then I carry one taped to the bike. I stopped and removed the battery and the GPS recovered. I also used some switch cleaner to clean up the contacts before reinstalling the unit. While stopped a gentleman came over to me and began to chat. I initially answered in pigeon English as I could not hear him and thought he did not speak English. I took out my earplugs and realised he had quite good English. He asked about my journey and was very interested. He had been a sea captain and enjoyed travelling and was fascinated by my journey but he did not think he could do the same, with family responsibilities etc, but he left thinking about it. I enjoyed the chat but I returned to sorting the GPS. Soon after the stop I realised that the GPS was no better and I decided to replace it with my spare GPS unit. This spare also displayed the unnecessary messages but continued to work, but this meant the problem was in the holder not in the GPS unit.
As the day wore on I had been reflecting on my thoughts of riding directly to Igoumenitsa. I would have time as boat was not till midnight and it should be light till 9 in the evening, if I could ride all day. I was confident I could change my booking to the sailing tonight. It would give me an extra day in Italy or Germany and put a days contingency in should there be problems. On the down side I had looked forward to seeing Thessaloniki again and also hoped to visit the famous monasteries at Meteora, which were west of Thessaloniki and a couple of houds detour off the road to the ferry. If I went directly to the ferry this would not be possible. I was also getting tired and with the GPS difficulties using up time, I decided to stop at Thessaloniki and allow time to see the monasteries tomorrow, reverting to my original plan. The backup GPS took me into the city and found the hotel I had in mind. It was a busy part of town and on a main road. I noticed that next to the hotel was another hotel, The El Greco which clearly had a garage. I tried it first and the price was reasonable and included breakfast and garage parking. The parking was interesting as you entered in a lift. It is a strange experience sitting on a bike when the floor drops underneath you and the bike becomes light momentarily.
Once showered and changed I went off to to find the front and a restaurant I had used 3 years ago, on my previous visit. It is a modern place on the side of the harbour with great views called The Kitchen. The it was windy and the harbour was quit choppy and the sea was spilling over the edge in places and when I got to the restaurant all the seaside tables were empty as the diners risked getting wet.
I had forgotton, but this place is used by the fashionable set and I felt decidedly scruffy in my well crumpled travel clothes. The next realisation was that I was back in Europe proper and this was reflected in the prices on the menu. My modest meal cost me more than some of the hotels had cost me in Eastern Turkey and Iran. It was good though. After I joined the locals walking along the front to the white tower and back. The walking area for the promenade was a little restricted as the sea was still rough and intruding at times, however I arrived at the White Tower, which dominates the front.
The tower is over 500 years old and has had a chequered history and been a prison and execution site in the past. The area around the tower was crowded with people siting around and chatting, watching the pleasure boats touring the harbour
or promenading along the front. A very pleasant Sunday evening atmosphere to share. On the way back to the hotel I came across this sculpture and probably only noticed it as there were a large group looking at it and a guide explaining some details, not in Greek but it sounded like Hebrew.
Then I looked more closely at the complicated sculpture and it was a group of contorted and emaciated bodies. The sculpture was in remembrance of the 50,000 Jews who prrished in nazi camps during WW2. It was a sombre moment accentuated by being around this group of Jews who were clearly moved by the sculpture.
Next morning I did not have to rush away as I had all day get to the ferry, so had a leasurely breakfast. At breakfast I heard some English voice they were a group of English ladies and around as I brought my luggage down. They asked about my travels and visibly winced when I mentioned being in Iran. The reaction I had been experiencing on my travels in relation to Iran has generally been of curiosity and interest but the reaction of these English ladies reminded me of the attitude of many back home when I suggested visiting this country. I think it is a reflection on Western news coverage where the attitude of the goverement of a country is what is focussed on not the attitude of the people. So when you plan to visit a country you need to do research on how visitors are treated, what other visitors have recently experienced, and do not rely on scary headlines in the Western press. The welcome I experience as a visitor to Iran closely reflected what I had read about and expected. What surprised me was that the officials I had dealings with, *both at the border and later the police, who were also polite and friendly and seemed to be glad to welcome tourists. I did my bit for Iranien tourism with these ladies but I'm not convinced they will be booking up soon.
Anyway, it was a nice meeting with the English ladies who were returning to the UK that day and I explained it would take me a few days more. They were interested in this write up and may indeed be reading it. The night before I had been thinking about my GPS problem and realised there was another connection which would have been exposed to the results if the storm. The power plug may have suffered from the debris washed on to the bike. I took it out and examined it and to my relief there was evidence of contamination. Getting out the switch cleaner again I cleaned it up and replugged it and reinstalled the spare GPS.
As I put the switch cleaner back in the top box I looked for the Turkish bag of swag, but it was not there. Then I remenbered removing it when I was working on the GPS yesterday, about the time I spoke to the sea captain. I must have left it on the ground and ridden off. I was disappointed and grieved it's loss for a few hours. I consoled myself with thinking that it is inevitable to leave things behind on a trip like this and as long as it is not something vital it can be accomodated. After being once parted from my passport, in Morocco, then this was a minor loss. I do have strategies to deal with losing things, spare keys, spare credit cards, money in different places, all documents copied at least once, and photographs of documents on my tablet. It is also worth sharing that the bike registration document (V5) I have being showing at all the borders is a copy. A good copy, done in a professional copy shop, Staples. The colours are a little stark but unless you are used to handling UK registration documents you will not notice. I do of course have the real one tucked away in the bike if needed.
Leaving Thessaloniki I returned to the motorway and filled up as soon as I saw a station. On this road, like in Africa, you need to get petrol any chance you can. One sign on the slip road pointed at petrol and below a small sign that indicated the service station was 9km from the motorway, less than ideal. As I drove along I was noticing the road signs and though about what signs are appropriate for particular roads. The salesmen of road signs have an interesting job, and some must be excellent salesmen. The guy who sells "Beware of cattle" signs in Morocco for instance must be pretty good at his job. I've ridden and driven around Morocco a few times and hardly ever see cattle. In fact the only time I have seen any quantity is west of Marrakesh on the road to Essaouira. However these signs are everywhere, even in the Sahara. Now you need signs for Camels in the Sahara, and there are some, but you don't need signs warning of cows wandering on to the road in the Sahara, believe me. So back to Greece, it seems the same salesman had been operating here because this modern fully fenced off motorway, has cattle warning signs, all along it's length.
Thinking about the signs I wondered if I should alter my riding style, coming up to a corner on the motorway, should I slow down just in case there is a herd of cattle all over the road. Recklessly, I rode on at motorway speed regardless, ignoring the signs.
After about 130 kms I left the motorway to get to the monasteries at Meteora. It was good to get off the motorway, nice though it is, and be on a minor road, but what a road. Firstly the tarmac for the surface was probably bought in Harrods or Tarmac Heaven. It was smooth and had good grip and clearly been layed by experts. With the step out in Iran and the poor surfaces on the minor roads near the black sea, my cornering confidence was not high. These tyres had done 7,000 nearly miles so what was the grip like? After a few corners gradually building up speed any reservations were dispelled. Now normally I don't throw the bike around, fully loaded and a long way from home but it would have been criminal to ride this road at a pedestrian pace, it was just too good. The corners were excellent, bringing a grin to my face and a few times when the corner seemed to go on longer than expected I began to laugh, luckly no one was listening. At one point, approaching a corner, I saw it was a bit tighter than expected, so I needed to shed some speed quickly and braked hard. While braking I looked ahead and see that the Armco I was aiming at, had it's shape altered earlier by something which did not get slowed in time. No need for Armco for us, we were on rails that morning. It was a good test of the bike too and clearly there is nothing wrong with the engine as it did all I asked, as we carved our way through the beautiful Greek countryside. I stopped for a moments breather to admire this river which had eroded a gorge though through the soft rock.
I also paused at this sign combination, but not too long, in case the guy below was around and fed up chasing fast deer.
Approaching the Meteora site you are struck by the massive colums of rock dominating the view.
I stopped in the town below and picked up a map and had something to eat. The area of the monestaries is quite magical, with monastries appearing at every turn, clinging to a rock way up in the sky.
Being on a bike was a good way to view and take photos. There were a number of places to stop to take in the view. The monasteries were more extensive than I had anticipated containing a number of buildings, somehow I had expected something simpler. I spent some time riding around viewing them from different angles. The view down below was great too.
It was hot though, even with the heigth, 33C and uncomfortable in riding clothes. After seeing most of them I resolved to ride on to the ferry.
The road out to the motorway was also good but perhaps because I was more tired it did not excite me so much and I found I had to ease off to negotiate it safely. The motorway that I joined was different to the one I left. Gone were the cultivated farmlands of earlier, replaced by mountains. The road went over viaducts and many tunnels, first climbing and then decending to Igoumenitsa. The cattle signs continued but I feel I should report no cows were spotted on the motorway or in the surrounding fields. Approaching Igoumenitsa I was accompanied by this guy. He appears in the evenings sometimes. He seems benevolent.
As I came into Igoumenitsa I fuelled up and found a supermarket and stocked up with a more modest swag than the Turkish equivalent, sadly bemoning it's loss. I turned up at the gates of the port and was promptly turned away as I did not have a ticket and had to go to the terminal and using my reference number get a paper ticket and return. The security was reasonable, at the entrance with all lorrys were being searched, persumably for stowaways. On that point I have seen little or no evidence of migrants on my travels even at borders. Once in the terminal I had a sort out of packing as I wanted a sleeping bag and sleeping mat as I did not have a cabin. Afterwards I gave the bike a once over, topping up oil and checking and lubricating the chain. And then into the terminal for a cool beer.
The boat was a litle late arriving and I rode on with a few Italian bikers who had been touring Greece. Two of them on 1200GS's and the other on a 1200RS and the other on a 125, don't ask, and neither did I. I got to the reclining seat area and layed out my mat and sleeping bag, it was not too appealing. I wondered if there may be spare cabins and what would they cost. They told me to return after sailing and was offered a double cabin for less than half the listed price and took it. I had a good nights sleep and was glad of the decision. I don't have to rough it unnecessarily and I need to be alert for the ride in Italy when we dock.
The boat is very pleasant and a level above the best on the channel crossing, and better than the Portsmouth - Santander route. The sea was like the proverbial mill pond and all went well till I heard an alarm, which continued without explaination and then I noticed we were stopped. We stayed like that for about 20 mins and then started again without explaination. Perhaps the crew were doing a bit of fishing for lunch but was pleased to see us motoring again.
These things happen on adventures but we did approach Ancona in the end.
The late departure from Igoumenitsa and the pause in the middle, meant we did not arrive at Ancona till nearly 6 and it was well after that when we got off. One of the things I hate on ferries if the taking the luggage off and getting the luggage back to the bike. This time we were parked in the bowels of the boat, so lots of stairs to lug the luggage up, wearing full bike gear, no fun. The same on the return with the added pleasure of sitting on the bike for 15 mins waiting for them to let us out. It was like a sauna down there and we were all relived when they raised the hatch to let us up the ramp. The exit road from the port could be improved as it is a single carriageway with a poor surface, the max speed is that of the slowest lorry.
Once on the motorway we were fine and there was a nice view of the sea off to the left as we rode along. You just know you are in Italy as you look at the countryside with highpoints adorned with churches, monastries and castles, no other landscape looks the same. You can imaging the thinking of an Italian who lokks around and seeing a hill thknks what that needs is a beautiful building, I'll get one built so people will have endless pleasure looking up at it as they pass. Before I left the ship I had loaded a few suitable hotels in the GPS for Bologna and for Verona. My preference was Verona, because I love the place and had imagined having a pizza in the square by the Arena after checking in at the hotel. Sadly, as I thought then, Verona was not going to work because we were so late, so Bologna it would have to be. I selected the S. Giorgio hotel and found it easily. I had to park in the street, but there were many bikes around so was not concerned. The centre if Bologna has traffic restrictions and the hotel needed to take the bike reg number and notify the authorities I was a guest with them and not to fine me for coming into the centre without permission.
Once changed I asked the receptionist what was to see in Bologna as I had not been before. He mentioned a few places and recommended a pasta resturant. I fancied pasta but couldnt think what sauce to have and then it struck me, I'm in Bologna, how's about having bolognese(sorry!). They should be able to make it here. It was pretty good and the local red wine matched it perfectly. Then for a walk around the old town. I warmed to Bologna immediatly. It is lively with the buzz of lots of people eating outside and walking around. When I got to the main square the buildings were amazing. Even with these pictures taken at night they look great.
Walking on a bit I came to the 2 towers. Now I don't know the story but they are quite amazing, with one of them is leaning at a significant angle.
It was a delight to walk around and I think I found the best door of the trip on this Piazza from the 1,500s, pretty good eh!
It was hard to leave the comfort and friendliness of the Coloseum Hotel in Istanbul but the border and Greece awaited. I had already booked my ticket to sail in 2 days time. Getting out of Istanbul was a lot easier than expected maybe because it was Sunday morning and I was going out, not trying to enter the city. I initially followed the motorway towards Ederine, retracing my path of a few weeks ago but then turned left towards the Greece border. I was noticing that the GPS was still getting these spurious alerts related to accessories which were not fitted. While it was annoying I could cancel the alerts and it was still working. The road to the border was dual carriageway and not too busy and I made good time. There were a few people out on bikes for a Sunday Morning ride. One group on sports bikes were a bit crazy and the leader overtook me at speed on the inside and then turned almost completely in his seat to look back at me. His mated joined him soon and they departed with the leader wheelying up the hard shoulder at 100mph. I was glad they had gone. Before the border I filled up, as I knew that petrol was not easy to find on the Greek motorway. While stopped I used some of my remaining Turkish Lira to stock up on some goodies for the day in the boat. I bought some tasty things, pistachios, nice chocloate bars and other nibbles. I would try and continue my eating out of a swag on the boat too.
Arriving at the border there was a short queue which seemed stationary. Being at the end of even a short queue at these borders means you are out in the sun and with heavy bike gear get hot very soon. In this case the queue suddenly began to move and in no time I was handing over papers. I had one extra paper to deal with due to the discussions with the police earlier in the trip. I was directed into the offices and met with the customes cashier. The figure he asked for was a bit less than expected so I was relieved. So back on the bike and on to the last booth where I was told I had to return to the cash office. Off I went, unsure what awaited me. In fact the cashier had made a mistake and I had to hand over the extra dosh. It appears that there was a reduction for paying earlier but as this was quite late I had to pay the full amount. I could have dealt with this at the Iranian border but concluded that getting through that border was complicated enough. On reflection I think this was the right decision as this Greek border crossing was very calm and relaxed compared to the Iranian border. I proceeded on to the Greek border post and again a short queue which moved quickly and soon I was being dealt with by a friendly border policeman, who asked about my trip and quickly handed me back the passport and papers. Greek customs did not take any interest and I was through.
After a drink and something to eat I was immediatly on the wonderful Greek motorway which runs east/west from the border to Athens and Igoumenitsa. It is an excellent motorway and usually quite as it was today, initially pretty flat with some hills off to the right and the sea to the left, very pleasant views.
There were grain crops been grown and it looked quite different to what I had been used to.
Before I left Istanbul had checked on hotels in Kavala and Thessaloniki, which gave me stopping options depending on how long the border took and how tired I felt. As the border had been quick and painless and as this motorway was so good I began to think of a 3rd option of riding all the way to Igoumenitsa and saving a day. This idea initially appealed but I decided to wait to make the decision when I got to Thessaloniki. The problems on the GPS got worse and finaly it locked up. From experience this can only be cleared by removing the device and taking out the battery. This lockup happened to me once in Germany on an autobahn on one of my early trips and to remove the battery requires a special small allen key which I did not have. To complicate matters I did not have a map and was relying on the GPS to meet up with my travelling companions. No problem, I would leave the autobahn and find a shop and buy a key. It was over an hour later and multiple motorway exits before I found a DIY store and got the key and repaired the GPS. Since then I carry one taped to the bike. I stopped and removed the battery and the GPS recovered. I also used some switch cleaner to clean up the contacts before reinstalling the unit. While stopped a gentleman came over to me and began to chat. I initially answered in pigeon English as I could not hear him and thought he did not speak English. I took out my earplugs and realised he had quite good English. He asked about my journey and was very interested. He had been a sea captain and enjoyed travelling and was fascinated by my journey but he did not think he could do the same, with family responsibilities etc, but he left thinking about it. I enjoyed the chat but I returned to sorting the GPS. Soon after the stop I realised that the GPS was no better and I decided to replace it with my spare GPS unit. This spare also displayed the unnecessary messages but continued to work, but this meant the problem was in the holder not in the GPS unit.
As the day wore on I had been reflecting on my thoughts of riding directly to Igoumenitsa. I would have time as boat was not till midnight and it should be light till 9 in the evening, if I could ride all day. I was confident I could change my booking to the sailing tonight. It would give me an extra day in Italy or Germany and put a days contingency in should there be problems. On the down side I had looked forward to seeing Thessaloniki again and also hoped to visit the famous monasteries at Meteora, which were west of Thessaloniki and a couple of houds detour off the road to the ferry. If I went directly to the ferry this would not be possible. I was also getting tired and with the GPS difficulties using up time, I decided to stop at Thessaloniki and allow time to see the monasteries tomorrow, reverting to my original plan. The backup GPS took me into the city and found the hotel I had in mind. It was a busy part of town and on a main road. I noticed that next to the hotel was another hotel, The El Greco which clearly had a garage. I tried it first and the price was reasonable and included breakfast and garage parking. The parking was interesting as you entered in a lift. It is a strange experience sitting on a bike when the floor drops underneath you and the bike becomes light momentarily.
Once showered and changed I went off to to find the front and a restaurant I had used 3 years ago, on my previous visit. It is a modern place on the side of the harbour with great views called The Kitchen. The it was windy and the harbour was quit choppy and the sea was spilling over the edge in places and when I got to the restaurant all the seaside tables were empty as the diners risked getting wet.
I had forgotton, but this place is used by the fashionable set and I felt decidedly scruffy in my well crumpled travel clothes. The next realisation was that I was back in Europe proper and this was reflected in the prices on the menu. My modest meal cost me more than some of the hotels had cost me in Eastern Turkey and Iran. It was good though. After I joined the locals walking along the front to the white tower and back. The walking area for the promenade was a little restricted as the sea was still rough and intruding at times, however I arrived at the White Tower, which dominates the front.
The tower is over 500 years old and has had a chequered history and been a prison and execution site in the past. The area around the tower was crowded with people siting around and chatting, watching the pleasure boats touring the harbour
or promenading along the front. A very pleasant Sunday evening atmosphere to share. On the way back to the hotel I came across this sculpture and probably only noticed it as there were a large group looking at it and a guide explaining some details, not in Greek but it sounded like Hebrew.
Then I looked more closely at the complicated sculpture and it was a group of contorted and emaciated bodies. The sculpture was in remembrance of the 50,000 Jews who prrished in nazi camps during WW2. It was a sombre moment accentuated by being around this group of Jews who were clearly moved by the sculpture.
Next morning I did not have to rush away as I had all day get to the ferry, so had a leasurely breakfast. At breakfast I heard some English voice they were a group of English ladies and around as I brought my luggage down. They asked about my travels and visibly winced when I mentioned being in Iran. The reaction I had been experiencing on my travels in relation to Iran has generally been of curiosity and interest but the reaction of these English ladies reminded me of the attitude of many back home when I suggested visiting this country. I think it is a reflection on Western news coverage where the attitude of the goverement of a country is what is focussed on not the attitude of the people. So when you plan to visit a country you need to do research on how visitors are treated, what other visitors have recently experienced, and do not rely on scary headlines in the Western press. The welcome I experience as a visitor to Iran closely reflected what I had read about and expected. What surprised me was that the officials I had dealings with, *both at the border and later the police, who were also polite and friendly and seemed to be glad to welcome tourists. I did my bit for Iranien tourism with these ladies but I'm not convinced they will be booking up soon.
Anyway, it was a nice meeting with the English ladies who were returning to the UK that day and I explained it would take me a few days more. They were interested in this write up and may indeed be reading it. The night before I had been thinking about my GPS problem and realised there was another connection which would have been exposed to the results if the storm. The power plug may have suffered from the debris washed on to the bike. I took it out and examined it and to my relief there was evidence of contamination. Getting out the switch cleaner again I cleaned it up and replugged it and reinstalled the spare GPS.
As I put the switch cleaner back in the top box I looked for the Turkish bag of swag, but it was not there. Then I remenbered removing it when I was working on the GPS yesterday, about the time I spoke to the sea captain. I must have left it on the ground and ridden off. I was disappointed and grieved it's loss for a few hours. I consoled myself with thinking that it is inevitable to leave things behind on a trip like this and as long as it is not something vital it can be accomodated. After being once parted from my passport, in Morocco, then this was a minor loss. I do have strategies to deal with losing things, spare keys, spare credit cards, money in different places, all documents copied at least once, and photographs of documents on my tablet. It is also worth sharing that the bike registration document (V5) I have being showing at all the borders is a copy. A good copy, done in a professional copy shop, Staples. The colours are a little stark but unless you are used to handling UK registration documents you will not notice. I do of course have the real one tucked away in the bike if needed.
Leaving Thessaloniki I returned to the motorway and filled up as soon as I saw a station. On this road, like in Africa, you need to get petrol any chance you can. One sign on the slip road pointed at petrol and below a small sign that indicated the service station was 9km from the motorway, less than ideal. As I drove along I was noticing the road signs and though about what signs are appropriate for particular roads. The salesmen of road signs have an interesting job, and some must be excellent salesmen. The guy who sells "Beware of cattle" signs in Morocco for instance must be pretty good at his job. I've ridden and driven around Morocco a few times and hardly ever see cattle. In fact the only time I have seen any quantity is west of Marrakesh on the road to Essaouira. However these signs are everywhere, even in the Sahara. Now you need signs for Camels in the Sahara, and there are some, but you don't need signs warning of cows wandering on to the road in the Sahara, believe me. So back to Greece, it seems the same salesman had been operating here because this modern fully fenced off motorway, has cattle warning signs, all along it's length.
Thinking about the signs I wondered if I should alter my riding style, coming up to a corner on the motorway, should I slow down just in case there is a herd of cattle all over the road. Recklessly, I rode on at motorway speed regardless, ignoring the signs.
After about 130 kms I left the motorway to get to the monasteries at Meteora. It was good to get off the motorway, nice though it is, and be on a minor road, but what a road. Firstly the tarmac for the surface was probably bought in Harrods or Tarmac Heaven. It was smooth and had good grip and clearly been layed by experts. With the step out in Iran and the poor surfaces on the minor roads near the black sea, my cornering confidence was not high. These tyres had done 7,000 nearly miles so what was the grip like? After a few corners gradually building up speed any reservations were dispelled. Now normally I don't throw the bike around, fully loaded and a long way from home but it would have been criminal to ride this road at a pedestrian pace, it was just too good. The corners were excellent, bringing a grin to my face and a few times when the corner seemed to go on longer than expected I began to laugh, luckly no one was listening. At one point, approaching a corner, I saw it was a bit tighter than expected, so I needed to shed some speed quickly and braked hard. While braking I looked ahead and see that the Armco I was aiming at, had it's shape altered earlier by something which did not get slowed in time. No need for Armco for us, we were on rails that morning. It was a good test of the bike too and clearly there is nothing wrong with the engine as it did all I asked, as we carved our way through the beautiful Greek countryside. I stopped for a moments breather to admire this river which had eroded a gorge though through the soft rock.
I also paused at this sign combination, but not too long, in case the guy below was around and fed up chasing fast deer.
Approaching the Meteora site you are struck by the massive colums of rock dominating the view.
I stopped in the town below and picked up a map and had something to eat. The area of the monestaries is quite magical, with monastries appearing at every turn, clinging to a rock way up in the sky.
Being on a bike was a good way to view and take photos. There were a number of places to stop to take in the view. The monasteries were more extensive than I had anticipated containing a number of buildings, somehow I had expected something simpler. I spent some time riding around viewing them from different angles. The view down below was great too.
It was hot though, even with the heigth, 33C and uncomfortable in riding clothes. After seeing most of them I resolved to ride on to the ferry.
The road out to the motorway was also good but perhaps because I was more tired it did not excite me so much and I found I had to ease off to negotiate it safely. The motorway that I joined was different to the one I left. Gone were the cultivated farmlands of earlier, replaced by mountains. The road went over viaducts and many tunnels, first climbing and then decending to Igoumenitsa. The cattle signs continued but I feel I should report no cows were spotted on the motorway or in the surrounding fields. Approaching Igoumenitsa I was accompanied by this guy. He appears in the evenings sometimes. He seems benevolent.
As I came into Igoumenitsa I fuelled up and found a supermarket and stocked up with a more modest swag than the Turkish equivalent, sadly bemoning it's loss. I turned up at the gates of the port and was promptly turned away as I did not have a ticket and had to go to the terminal and using my reference number get a paper ticket and return. The security was reasonable, at the entrance with all lorrys were being searched, persumably for stowaways. On that point I have seen little or no evidence of migrants on my travels even at borders. Once in the terminal I had a sort out of packing as I wanted a sleeping bag and sleeping mat as I did not have a cabin. Afterwards I gave the bike a once over, topping up oil and checking and lubricating the chain. And then into the terminal for a cool beer.
The boat was a litle late arriving and I rode on with a few Italian bikers who had been touring Greece. Two of them on 1200GS's and the other on a 1200RS and the other on a 125, don't ask, and neither did I. I got to the reclining seat area and layed out my mat and sleeping bag, it was not too appealing. I wondered if there may be spare cabins and what would they cost. They told me to return after sailing and was offered a double cabin for less than half the listed price and took it. I had a good nights sleep and was glad of the decision. I don't have to rough it unnecessarily and I need to be alert for the ride in Italy when we dock.
The boat is very pleasant and a level above the best on the channel crossing, and better than the Portsmouth - Santander route. The sea was like the proverbial mill pond and all went well till I heard an alarm, which continued without explaination and then I noticed we were stopped. We stayed like that for about 20 mins and then started again without explaination. Perhaps the crew were doing a bit of fishing for lunch but was pleased to see us motoring again.
These things happen on adventures but we did approach Ancona in the end.
The late departure from Igoumenitsa and the pause in the middle, meant we did not arrive at Ancona till nearly 6 and it was well after that when we got off. One of the things I hate on ferries if the taking the luggage off and getting the luggage back to the bike. This time we were parked in the bowels of the boat, so lots of stairs to lug the luggage up, wearing full bike gear, no fun. The same on the return with the added pleasure of sitting on the bike for 15 mins waiting for them to let us out. It was like a sauna down there and we were all relived when they raised the hatch to let us up the ramp. The exit road from the port could be improved as it is a single carriageway with a poor surface, the max speed is that of the slowest lorry.
Once on the motorway we were fine and there was a nice view of the sea off to the left as we rode along. You just know you are in Italy as you look at the countryside with highpoints adorned with churches, monastries and castles, no other landscape looks the same. You can imaging the thinking of an Italian who lokks around and seeing a hill thknks what that needs is a beautiful building, I'll get one built so people will have endless pleasure looking up at it as they pass. Before I left the ship I had loaded a few suitable hotels in the GPS for Bologna and for Verona. My preference was Verona, because I love the place and had imagined having a pizza in the square by the Arena after checking in at the hotel. Sadly, as I thought then, Verona was not going to work because we were so late, so Bologna it would have to be. I selected the S. Giorgio hotel and found it easily. I had to park in the street, but there were many bikes around so was not concerned. The centre if Bologna has traffic restrictions and the hotel needed to take the bike reg number and notify the authorities I was a guest with them and not to fine me for coming into the centre without permission.
Once changed I asked the receptionist what was to see in Bologna as I had not been before. He mentioned a few places and recommended a pasta resturant. I fancied pasta but couldnt think what sauce to have and then it struck me, I'm in Bologna, how's about having bolognese(sorry!). They should be able to make it here. It was pretty good and the local red wine matched it perfectly. Then for a walk around the old town. I warmed to Bologna immediatly. It is lively with the buzz of lots of people eating outside and walking around. When I got to the main square the buildings were amazing. Even with these pictures taken at night they look great.
Walking on a bit I came to the 2 towers. Now I don't know the story but they are quite amazing, with one of them is leaning at a significant angle.
It was a delight to walk around and I think I found the best door of the trip on this Piazza from the 1,500s, pretty good eh!
Anaid
Registered user
Mr K
Registered user
Grand!
Been to Meteora on me FJ1200 years ago.
Been to Meteora on me FJ1200 years ago.
Good one DL (and Anaid) 
Thoroughly enjoying your write up and photographs ...
Thoroughly enjoying your write up and photographs ...
GDGSer
Registered user
Wonderful detail of the trip Jim Lad, we have enjoyed taking the journey with you. I am looking at the forecast and hope the wet across Italy is avoidable... most of Europe looks mighty wet over the next few days so oil up the waterproofs mate. Safe riding on the last leg.
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Arrived back in Hampshire this evening. I'll do the remainder of the updates over the next few days. Here's the bike back on the drive, after covering 8,152 miles in 30 days. Again, thanks for all the comments and interest.
Welcome back to Hampshire 
Welcome home. An engrossing write up from beginning to end of a fascinating trip, brilliant stuff.
PS I see from his website that Martin wasn't allowed to attempt a climb of Mt Ararat. It was closed off with no climbing permits being granted.
PS I see from his website that Martin wasn't allowed to attempt a climb of Mt Ararat. It was closed off with no climbing permits being granted.
Welcome back home. A very nice write-upArrived back in Hampshire this evening. I'll do the remainder of the updates over the next few days. Here's the bike back on the drive, after covering 8,152 miles in 30 days. Again, thanks for all the comments and interest.
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Sandtribe
Registered user
Arrived back in Hampshire this evening. I'll do the remainder of the updates over the next few days. Here's the bike back on the drive, after covering 8,152 miles in 30 days. Again, thanks for all the comments and interest.
Welcome home! Great trip! Enjoyed following you. Inspiring!!
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Welcome home Jim .... now ain't them thar likkle Xcountry's crackin' bikes. Just goes to show you don't need 1200cc of 18k funds to 'go do it'
What next now? Our couple of six monthers left us all flat and empty
Good read, quality photographs .... thank you
What next now? Our couple of six monthers left us all flat and empty
Good read, quality photographs .... thank you
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