Category: Greece

As we drove off the ferry in Lesbos, I noticed the rear tyre was low. We stopped at the first safe place. This happened to still be inside the port complex and we were accosted by a very ordinary couple wielding ID cards and claiming to be customs officials. So, instead of sorting out the tyre, the first thing we had to do was produce documents and answer some odd questions. They did not like that the V5 is not proof of ownership. Finally, they told us very sternly that we could only keep the bike in Greece for six months. I tried to reply, equally firmly, that we were leaving in two days. Back to the bike. I put some air in the tyre and we wandered into town to find someone to fix it. I do carry everything I need to sort out a nail in the tyre like this, but I have never actually done it. We stumbled across a moto shop after just a few minutes and they very obligingly sorted the tyre with a plug in ever fewer minutes. How long does a plug last? It may be that I will be able to tell you shortly.

Leaving the main road, we struck for the east coast and  a delightful short ride to Mythymna and the Seahorse Hotel right in the top right-hand corner of Lesbos. Scenic, winding road with almost no traffic. Hard to beat. The tyre was still full of air when we arrived. I found this very pleasing. I also found the hotel very pleasing. Nice comfy room with balcony. Very friendly host. Restaurant tables on the quayside. Mostly this was lovely, but occasionally you needed to move your table to let a car past. We dumped the heavy bike gear in our room. It is essential for protection but is horribly sweaty and cumbersome at times. Feeling much lighter, we skipped off up the hill to a castle overlooking the town. It was closed. We contented ourselves with walking right the way around it and then drank wine while overlooking the bay.

We elected to stay at the Seahorse another night. This gave us a day to explore the island. We had great fun but forgot the camera so there are no pictures. Imagine quiet, bendy roads. The odd sleepy village where the dogs come out to bark at you. Hills, olive groves, donkeys and goats. We drove to the southern shore. Admired the sea views. Had a coffee and came back over the biggest mountain on the island. Along the way we found ourselves on a dirt track. Not ideal with road tyres but fortunately it was dry and not too rough. My very mediocre off-road skills sufficed, the plug stayed in the tyre and we found a lovely place for coffee not long after regaining the asphalt. In the evening, we had great food and cheap red local wine at our quayside table. Days like this are good.

Next day was also good. We made our way back to Mitilini in preparation for the morning ferry next day. Spent a while wandering around the town and worked out exactly where to go for the ferry. It is not that simple. You need to park by a gate, walk round the other side of the building, do document checks, get your tickets, walk into a yard where, on presenting your tickets, they will open the gate and allow you to drive to the ship. This was all explained to us by a very friendly official and saved a lot of wandering around the next morning. We ended the day in a lovely restaurant. Very basic and only two dishes on the menu. I went over the road to get glasses of wine. Great food and then we got to the paying bit. The restaurant is run to support a charily for refugees. You pay as much as you feel the meal was worth. Lovely idea we thought. And the restaurant seemed to be very popular.

Next day we knew what to do. The other, less well rehearsed, motorcyclists were milling around uncertainly by the locked gate. They followed us as we marched off confidently with our documents. Not long after that we were installed on the little ferry all ready for the short crossing to Turkey.

Usually on a ferry, you are woken by a rude tannoy announcement to the effect of “get up and go have breakfast”. The first we heard on the Grimaldi ferry to Igoumenitsa was an announcement telling us to vacate the cabin in ten minutes. Sure enough, ten minutes later came a knock on the door. Fortunately, we had risen earlier and were ready for it. Even so we left the ferry without breakfast or even a coffee. It was Easter Monday. I was a bit concerned that we might struggle to find a place for an early morning break. Not a problem. There were many. So less than half an hour after disembarking we were sitting in a lovely café with sea views, coffee and wonderful slice of filo pastry with spinach. Most excellent breakfast.

We were heading for Patra. There is a motorway and there is the coast road. We chose to follow the coast. It was lovely. Quiet winding roads, sea views and plenty of coffee stops. We needed them. It had been a bit of short night’s sleep on the ferry. The weather was perfect. Warm and sunny. So, we took our time, had plenty of breaks and eventually arrived at Patra in the late afternoon. Our hotel had a rooftop bar which was just wonderful. We sat up there ordering some great food, drinking wine and watching the sunset. First day in Greece was good.

Next day was the run into Athens. Not really any alternatives to the motorway for this but should only have taken a couple of hours. Actually, took over five hours. The traffic was terrible. Long, long sections where we were filtering though nearly stationary vehicles. The trip in a car would probably have taken twice as long. Driving in Athens is a bit up close and personal but after Peru, where driving is a contact sport, this did not seem too bad. Drivers are generally quite courteous and aware when it comes to motorbikes. There are a lot of motorbikes and bigger scooters in Athens. Very few cyclists and a fair number of small scooters.

We took a city tour and started off by watching the changing of the guard outside the Parliament building. Imagine two blokes, big lads, each wearing a short skirt, white woollen tights, a tassel at each knee and shoes with large a pom-pom. They move using exaggerated arm and leg movements that could have come directly from the Ministry of Silly Walks. You might be tempted to titter but these guys are deadly serious. They are members of a special unit of the Hellenic Army known as the Evzones and could kill you with their little finger. Take a good look at their steely expressions and intense stares. These are not people to be messed with. You need to pass a rigorous selection process and difficult training to be part of this elite unit.

We moved on to check out the Olympic Stadium, home of the first modern Olympic Games. Then it was up to the Acropolis also known as the Sacred Rock. This is the location of several temples including the magnificent Parthenon. The weather was warm and sunny, in complete defiance of the forecast. We enjoyed pottering around and taking in the views across the city. Then we dropped down into an area called Plaka. This is an interesting jumble of small houses, narrow cobblestone streets, stores selling all imaginable types of souvenirs and tavernas hustling for business. We ended the day with a glass of wine at a rooftop bar with view across the rooftops to the Acropolis.

Next day we went on a trip with motorbike and sidecar. Done this in a few cities now and it is a great way to get around. Our driver, Dimitris, was clearly skilled and familiar with Athenian traffic. Many areas inaccessible to cars are open to motorbikes. We took on cobbled streets, pedestrian areas and the steep road up to Mount Lycabettus. This is the highest hill in Athens and affords some terrific views. Coming back down we passed through Kolonaki, the area where the rich people live. It oozes wealth. Flashy cars, grandiose houses and perfectly kept gardens.

Our original plan for Greece involved some island hopping which would eventually land us in Turkey. This proved to be remarkably difficult. There are plenty of islands and even more ferries but not so many that we could take the motorbike on. Actually getting to Turkey this way was very limited. Our best bet was to get an overnight ferry to Lesbos and from there it was just a short hop to Ayvalik in Turkey. Mt first attempt to book this ended up me in a shared cabin and Diane with a chair on deck. Princess was not happy about this. We eventually got sorted with a cabin to ourselves and then got told that the ferry to Turkey could not take the bike. This took a lot of persistence to resolve. I think it might have been easier to go to the ferry company directly rather than using FerryHoppers. Their website was pretty good but seemed to fail at the final delivery.

We had a ferry booked in the evening from Pieraus, the port area just outside Athens. So we rode south for a while to see the Temple of Poseidon. This is perched prominently on top of the cliffs at Cape Sounion. The temple is quite impressive and we paid €20 each for the short walk up the hill. Photos done we grabbed a coffee and then headed for the port. It took up two laps around the port area until we eventually went down a road marked “trucks only” and found our ship. By six we were comfortably installed in our cabin. The ship sailed at 8pm while we sat out on deck and watched Athens recede into the distance. I usually sleep quiet well on ships. A long time ago I used to work on smaller survey vessels and I find the rocking motion really quite soothing. So, I was a bit perplexed next morning, after a great night’s sleep, to find Diane scowling at me. Apparently, there was a bit of a storm in the night and she hardly slept a wink. According to princess logic this was now my fault. I pacified her, a little, with coffee and a croissant before we disembarked onto the island of Lesbos.