A Greek Adventure: Planning a Cycle Trip
"We're going to the Greek Islands in September in case you fancy joining us - just planting a little seed!"
That's what my brother Des emailed to me back in April, around the time we were thinking of ideas for our summer of retirement.
Well apparently the seed took hold and flourished, although I'd say the ground was fertile and well ready for planting at the time. Although at the time we had no notion of a Europe trip till possibly 2019, here we are one week from our departure to Athens, excited and full of anticipation of this trip with a new more adventurous twist for us. Neither of us has been to Greece before, but it has been on my Bucket List.
Before a decision was made, I had to make sure we'd have a chance to meet up with my other brother David and his wife Rosita. That would work ok, they would meet us in Crete, but wouldn't be able to make it till mid October. Darn it - we would be stuck in the Greek islands for a whole month in between visits - how awful for us!!! It will be so miserable!
As another seed had started to take hold as well, that being the idea of cycle touring in Europe, (and other places eventually) we decided we would bring bikes and get our feet wet with touring bikes over there. I should add that I'm probably the guilty party here - the one with these crazy ideas, but Frank is a very willing partner-in-crime. It's great that he is so adventurous and ready to try new things. He's done multi-day rides before, but never "touring" as such. Me - I don't even own a real road bike (or at least I didn't till now). So this is all new for us, and a little outside our comfort zone.
Since April, there's been a long "To Do" list and logistics to be worked out. First up, we needed to get suitable bikes, racks and panniers. Then there are all the questions - how do we transport the bikes, how much extra does it cost to fly them, what's involved with taking them on the ferries, how do we get from Athens Airport to central Athens and the ferry port, how and where do we store our bike boxes or travel bags?
Then of course there's all the exciting questions, like which islands will we visit, where is the best weather in October, how do the ferries work, which port should we use, etc ?
My very first step of commitment to this Grand Plan was the purchase of my Kona Sutra touring bike in the middle of May, just before leaving on our US road trip. This is a heavy steel beast, the kind they recommend for longer touring rides. It has a more relaxed geometry than a "racing" bike, designed more for comfort and sitting a bit more upright. Plus it has less skinny tires to handle varied terrain. It felt very foreign to ride this kind of bike, since I've ridden only mountain bikes of varying kinds in the last thirty years. I remained optimistic that I would get used to it.
Flights to Athens were purchased the day we returned from Colorado. Frank secured his new "MEC National" shortly after that. This was really going to happen! (A tiny, tiny part of me worried in case Frank wasn't 100% sold on this whole crazy idea, but when the bike landed home, all doubts were banished!)
After a bit of research on bike transportation, used bike bags were purchased on Kijiji (Canada's equivalent to Ireland's "Done Deal"). These are the kind that are soft-sided but with various padded bits, and two wheels so they can be dragged.
For a long time, the biggest stumbling block to our plan seemed to be the getting of the bikes and us from Athens airport to downtown and then to the ferry port to get to the islands. We knew we would ride our bikes onto the ferry to the Islands, but the bike bags would have to stay in Athens somehow and be stored until the return journey. Storing them at left luggage at the airport was out of the question due to the ridiculous cost for the two months. Storing them at a hotel or hostel would be our best option (would still have a cost but far better than the airport). Possibly we could assemble the bikes at the airport and ride downtown with the bulky bike bags strapped on the bikes somehow. Now that would be a sight to see! A challenging proposition at best. Bikes are not allowed on the Airport shuttle bus, nor on the Metro. Bike bags don't fit in normal cars or Taxis. My attempt to contact an Athens taxi company regarding van taxis didn't go well.
Enter a new resource - Warm Showers! I first heard of warmshowers.org during some of my reading of cyclist's journals earlier this year. It's such a great idea. It's an online platform for hospitality for cycle tourists based on goodwill and a "pay-it-forward" philosophy. It is international with thousands of members. As a host, you can offer any level of hospitality you wish, from allowing your lawn to be used for pitching a tent, providing a shower or access to your kitchen, to offering a bed or a couch. Often you are just a valuable resource of local information for the guest. It's all up to you. There's a nice article about WarmShowers here.
So a few weeks back, I joined this organisation. I offered our home up for hosting, hoping in turn to be able to avail of some help along the way on our future adventures. Haven't received any phone calls yet. However, I did seek the help of a local Athenian to help solve our bike transportation quandry. Thanks to very helpful and friendly Matt Kemp on warmshowers, we now have confirmation that there is a suburban rail service from the airport to both central Athens and Piraeus on which we will be able to take our loaded bike bags and other luggage. Matt had, in fact, just traveled from England the day before with his bike bag and used this train. We even have an offer of a free bed and storage for our bags if needed. Problem Solved!
We now have a hotel booked in Piraeus which is within "luggage-dragging" distance of the train station, and I've spoken to the hotel to make sure they can store our bike bags for two months. Sorted.
As our excitement builds now, we've been busy testing out our newly acquired racks and panniers, pulling out all our camping gear, researching accommodations, campgrounds and the legalities of wild camping in Greece, etc. Medical insurance, euros, pre-paid Euro Visa card, spare parts for bikes, bikes registered with air Canada, car rental for part of Crete trip, and international drivers licences (must have them for car rental in Greece we discovered) all arranged. The biggest challenge of all is whittling down our gear to the least can we get by with, as weight on the bike will be our biggest enemy, especially in mountainous Crete!
So our plan is to spend a couple of days in Athens upon arrival (based in Piraeus for convenience), then meet Des and Elisa on the small island of Antiparos, have a week there before ferrying to Milos for another week. These are both is the Cyclades Islands, the group that also includes better known Santorini and Mikinos. Frank and I will then explore some other islands at will until probably the end of September when we will journey by ferry to Crete. There we will check out the island's Minoan history and brush up on our Greek Mythology and see the sights on two wheels until the arrival of David and Rosita to the city of Chania mid-month. When D & R fly back to Dublin from Chania on Oct 27th, Frank and I will overnight ferry back to Athens for our flight home.
It's a big plan, ambitious and exciting for us. Now that most of the logisitcs seem to be falling into place, I can't wait to get on the plane and go. On the other hand, I love the anticipation and don't want it to come too quickly. And somehow the last month has gone much too quickly. The other great part of this trip, which has been a bit over-shadowed in the throes of all the preparations, is getting to spend time with my family. Frank and I last saw my brothers and their wives in late 2015, so I am so looking forward to hanging out with them again, and in what promises to be some beautiful surroundings.
That's what my brother Des emailed to me back in April, around the time we were thinking of ideas for our summer of retirement.
Well apparently the seed took hold and flourished, although I'd say the ground was fertile and well ready for planting at the time. Although at the time we had no notion of a Europe trip till possibly 2019, here we are one week from our departure to Athens, excited and full of anticipation of this trip with a new more adventurous twist for us. Neither of us has been to Greece before, but it has been on my Bucket List.
 |
| Random picture from the island of Mykonos |
Before a decision was made, I had to make sure we'd have a chance to meet up with my other brother David and his wife Rosita. That would work ok, they would meet us in Crete, but wouldn't be able to make it till mid October. Darn it - we would be stuck in the Greek islands for a whole month in between visits - how awful for us!!! It will be so miserable!
 |
| Making good use of the local library |
Since April, there's been a long "To Do" list and logistics to be worked out. First up, we needed to get suitable bikes, racks and panniers. Then there are all the questions - how do we transport the bikes, how much extra does it cost to fly them, what's involved with taking them on the ferries, how do we get from Athens Airport to central Athens and the ferry port, how and where do we store our bike boxes or travel bags?
Then of course there's all the exciting questions, like which islands will we visit, where is the best weather in October, how do the ferries work, which port should we use, etc ?
My very first step of commitment to this Grand Plan was the purchase of my Kona Sutra touring bike in the middle of May, just before leaving on our US road trip. This is a heavy steel beast, the kind they recommend for longer touring rides. It has a more relaxed geometry than a "racing" bike, designed more for comfort and sitting a bit more upright. Plus it has less skinny tires to handle varied terrain. It felt very foreign to ride this kind of bike, since I've ridden only mountain bikes of varying kinds in the last thirty years. I remained optimistic that I would get used to it.
 |
| New bike arrived home from Bow Cycle in May |
Flights to Athens were purchased the day we returned from Colorado. Frank secured his new "MEC National" shortly after that. This was really going to happen! (A tiny, tiny part of me worried in case Frank wasn't 100% sold on this whole crazy idea, but when the bike landed home, all doubts were banished!)
After a bit of research on bike transportation, used bike bags were purchased on Kijiji (Canada's equivalent to Ireland's "Done Deal"). These are the kind that are soft-sided but with various padded bits, and two wheels so they can be dragged.
For a long time, the biggest stumbling block to our plan seemed to be the getting of the bikes and us from Athens airport to downtown and then to the ferry port to get to the islands. We knew we would ride our bikes onto the ferry to the Islands, but the bike bags would have to stay in Athens somehow and be stored until the return journey. Storing them at left luggage at the airport was out of the question due to the ridiculous cost for the two months. Storing them at a hotel or hostel would be our best option (would still have a cost but far better than the airport). Possibly we could assemble the bikes at the airport and ride downtown with the bulky bike bags strapped on the bikes somehow. Now that would be a sight to see! A challenging proposition at best. Bikes are not allowed on the Airport shuttle bus, nor on the Metro. Bike bags don't fit in normal cars or Taxis. My attempt to contact an Athens taxi company regarding van taxis didn't go well.
Enter a new resource - Warm Showers! I first heard of warmshowers.org during some of my reading of cyclist's journals earlier this year. It's such a great idea. It's an online platform for hospitality for cycle tourists based on goodwill and a "pay-it-forward" philosophy. It is international with thousands of members. As a host, you can offer any level of hospitality you wish, from allowing your lawn to be used for pitching a tent, providing a shower or access to your kitchen, to offering a bed or a couch. Often you are just a valuable resource of local information for the guest. It's all up to you. There's a nice article about WarmShowers here.
So a few weeks back, I joined this organisation. I offered our home up for hosting, hoping in turn to be able to avail of some help along the way on our future adventures. Haven't received any phone calls yet. However, I did seek the help of a local Athenian to help solve our bike transportation quandry. Thanks to very helpful and friendly Matt Kemp on warmshowers, we now have confirmation that there is a suburban rail service from the airport to both central Athens and Piraeus on which we will be able to take our loaded bike bags and other luggage. Matt had, in fact, just traveled from England the day before with his bike bag and used this train. We even have an offer of a free bed and storage for our bags if needed. Problem Solved!
We now have a hotel booked in Piraeus which is within "luggage-dragging" distance of the train station, and I've spoken to the hotel to make sure they can store our bike bags for two months. Sorted.
As our excitement builds now, we've been busy testing out our newly acquired racks and panniers, pulling out all our camping gear, researching accommodations, campgrounds and the legalities of wild camping in Greece, etc. Medical insurance, euros, pre-paid Euro Visa card, spare parts for bikes, bikes registered with air Canada, car rental for part of Crete trip, and international drivers licences (must have them for car rental in Greece we discovered) all arranged. The biggest challenge of all is whittling down our gear to the least can we get by with, as weight on the bike will be our biggest enemy, especially in mountainous Crete!
 |
| Figuring out the bike travel bags we got second-hand |
 |
| Packing - first draft! Cutbacks forecast. |
 |
| Fitting the new panniers |
So our plan is to spend a couple of days in Athens upon arrival (based in Piraeus for convenience), then meet Des and Elisa on the small island of Antiparos, have a week there before ferrying to Milos for another week. These are both is the Cyclades Islands, the group that also includes better known Santorini and Mikinos. Frank and I will then explore some other islands at will until probably the end of September when we will journey by ferry to Crete. There we will check out the island's Minoan history and brush up on our Greek Mythology and see the sights on two wheels until the arrival of David and Rosita to the city of Chania mid-month. When D & R fly back to Dublin from Chania on Oct 27th, Frank and I will overnight ferry back to Athens for our flight home.
 |
| Out riding on Sunday with just a partial load on the bike for practice |
It's a big plan, ambitious and exciting for us. Now that most of the logisitcs seem to be falling into place, I can't wait to get on the plane and go. On the other hand, I love the anticipation and don't want it to come too quickly. And somehow the last month has gone much too quickly. The other great part of this trip, which has been a bit over-shadowed in the throes of all the preparations, is getting to spend time with my family. Frank and I last saw my brothers and their wives in late 2015, so I am so looking forward to hanging out with them again, and in what promises to be some beautiful surroundings.
This sounds like an amazing trip!! Enjoy yourself and try not to forget about us minions.
ReplyDeleteI will be sure to have a few ouzos or metaxas for you Nathan!
ReplyDelete