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Greece Entries

Thessaloniki by Night

Friday, March 26th, 2010

Tyler spent the entire day staring into his computer screen programming while I ran around town running errands: mailing a package home, picking up yarn for another knitting project, stocking up on food for our departure tomorrow, and generally mak...

Loose Ends in Thessaloniki

Thursday, March 25th, 2010

We're staying in Thessaloniki for a few days to make our final preparations for Eastern Europe. Tara is tying up loose ends, sending out postcards and packages, while I'm trying my best to catch up with work. Hopefully we can ride off in a day or...

Dude, Where's My Car?

Wednesday, March 24th, 2010

Today we had to decide between taking a busy highway to Thessaloniki, or winding around convoluted back roads which would triple our time in the saddle. We chose the highway, and when we were about 40 kilometers from Thessaloniki, we began to see ...

Boxcar Willie

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

Today's "ride" featured a lot of pushing and plenty of bleak-looking skies. Thankfully, the dark clouds that loomed overhead for the entire day only threatened to rain, and the terrain we practically dragged our bicycles through was (for the most ...

On a Roll

Monday, March 22nd, 2010

Today was our longest on record, 110 kilometers or about 70 miles. This is double the distance we usually plan to cycle in a day. Thanks to gorgeous sunny skies and a gentle downgrade leading to the mouth of the Vale of Tempe, we cruised along ha...

Nature Hike to Metéora

Saturday, March 20th, 2010

With the intention of visiting a Metéora monastery or two today, we woke up early and packed a backpack with food, water and our guidebook. We set off on foot saying, "I am thankful for good health and good weather!". Spring is in the air and the...

Flat Roads to Kalampaka

Friday, March 19th, 2010

Since we've arrived in Greece, we haven't seen many cyclists. In Athens especially, bikers seem to steer clear of the city, except for a few brave souls who speed around helmet-less amidst the smog and traffic. Today was a pleasant surprise for u...

Macro Love

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

Flowers make me happy. I don't care if it is cliché, they just do! When we got our first camera I was thrilled when I realized I could finally capture the beauty I see in them. When we get home I'm going to grow a massive garden so Tyler and I c...

That Damned Squeak

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

I love waking up to the sound of the ocean. Even more than that, I love waking up to sunny weather. This morning, I got both. When things go well out here, it really is almost more fun than I can bear! When we're in the middle of Siberia covere...

Snoozin' & Cruisin'

Tuesday, March 16th, 2010

We are getting very lax about leaving free-camps bright and early. I used to set the alarm for the crack of dawn, wake up the instant the phone started buzzing, and hurredly wake Tyler so we could be up and going and packed up before any potential...

Out n' About

Monday, March 15th, 2010

Somehow, some way, no matter how ho-hum the scenery or the day, there is always something interesting to see, no matter what. Maybe we are easily fascinated, or maybe we just know how to look, but it seems we have a knack for stumbling across intr...

24 Hour Rule

Sunday, March 14th, 2010

My parents have a rule that says: If you do something routine-altering for a few days, you get a day afterwards to recover and re-adjust to life at home. It's called "The 24-Hour Rule", but the longer you're away (or significantly routine-altered)...

Maintenance

Saturday, March 13th, 2010

Today, I replaced the chains on our bikes. According to bicycling community legend Sheldon Brown, you can gauge their level of wear by using a ruler. You're supposed to measure from the center of one rivet, to the center of one twelve links away....

Miwa & Sergei

Friday, March 12th, 2010

For the past two weeks we've been waiting for our Russian visas in Athens. Saving us from the great expense of a hotel have been the kind, generous, and funny, Sergei and Miwa. We connected with them on http://www.warmshowers.org a few weeks befo...

Athens General Strike

Thursday, March 11th, 2010

I had trouble getting to sleep last night. As rest eluded me, I lay awake for what seemed like hours, staring at the ceiling with anticipation. It was late when I finally drifted off, and quite early when I awoke. If I was tired, I didn't notice...

Athens Graffiti & New Camera

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

I was a little overwhelmed by our new camera when we picked it up from Greek customs two days ago. At first glance, it looked like the flight deck of a 767 to me. Even more ridiculous (in the confines of our small apartment) was our gigantic tele...

Greek Economic Crisis

Tuesday, March 9th, 2010

Signs of the economic crisis occurring Greece are easy to find in Athens. We frequently pass police in full riot gear, we've seen several protests during our short time here, and taxes have risen (on some goods, to astronomical levels!). I won't ...

Greek Customs

Monday, March 8th, 2010

Wow. I really thought Tunisia would win the award for most inefficient postal service on our trip but today, Greece easily stole the crown. Here is what it took to receive our new camera: Our package arrives in Greece on Thursday but...

Museums & Madeleine

Sunday, March 7th, 2010

There are numerous free museums in Athens and we've been making a point to visit as many of them as we can. Earlier this week, we visited the Museum of Popular Greek Musical Instruments. The collection included Cretan lyres, lutes, pottery dru...

Athens Animals

Sunday, March 7th, 2010

There are lots of stray cats and dogs running around Athens. Actually, to be more accurate, they are usually loafing around. Here are two such loafers: And then there are other animals… these guys belong to the Museum of Popular Greek ...

Athens Markets

Saturday, March 6th, 2010

Apart from buying groceries and cooking, we've spent the majority of the last week cooped up in the apartment staring into our respective computer screens, working away. In a welcome change of pace, we decided to put down our projects and head out...

Buskers of Athens: Part #2

Friday, March 5th, 2010

One of the few things Tara and I really like about big cities are the buskers. We love going out for a walk here, if only in the hopes of stumbling upon a good musician. Athens doesn't disappoint! This jazzy duo winked at us when we left coin...

Lemon Cake

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

Having a real oven has been fantastic and I've been taking advantage of it as much as possible. So far I've made an almond cake, a chicken pot pie, and this lemon loaf. There are several lemon trees in the courtyard of the apartment we're sta...

Buskers of Athens: Part #1

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

During our walk around Athens yesterday, we ran into lots of buskers. We only got recordings of two of them, but I think we'll capture a few more over the next week. There were numerous accordion players of varying skill levels wandering arou...

Mailing Our Passports

Monday, March 1st, 2010

Traveling abroad in the fluid, flexible way that we do often makes for an exhilirating and rewarding lifestyle. We rarely have to be anywhere at a certain time, and we are free to choose our own itinerary, staying in one place if we like it, or mo...

Arriving in Athens

Sunday, February 28th, 2010

We arrived bright and early in Piraeus, exited the ship with ease and head out for a morning ride to Athens. Thankfully it was Sunday, and early enough so that traffic hadn't picked up. We rode past markets of gypsies selling various and sun...

Hania Waterfront

Saturday, February 27th, 2010

Note: Hania can also be spelled "Chania," (like Hanukkah and Chanukah) because we don't have adequate letters in our Roman alphabet to accurately evoke some Greek sounds. Many towns are spelled numerous ways. Hania's waterfront was just as be...

Short Ride to Chania

Friday, February 26th, 2010

It was another bright, clear day on Crete. We awoke sore and tired from yesterday's climbing, glad we had a short day ahead of us. After a grocery/pastry run in a sleepy nearby village, we hit the road, headed to the coast. We made it to Chan...

Climbing in Crete

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

I drift in and out of sleep, in a very cozy morning haze. I think I hear a truck crunching over gravel… probably Pietro off to milk his sheep. Before I drift back into unconsciousness, the thought: "so glad that's not me" crosses my mind. I roll...

Pushing Through Paradise

Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

We were thankful for the shelter of our tiki hut this morning when we discovered it had rained in the night. We really and truly no longer take having a roof over our heads for granted! Since the area was rather deserted, and we rarely concern ou...

Donkey Day

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010

Leaving cities is always hard. There is inevitably some navigation difficulty, as well as a handful of surprises like one-way streets, delivery trucks taking entire lanes, people double-parked haphazardly, and often steep, narrow, cobbled roads. ...

Cretan Lyra Love

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

Here on Crete, lyra music is everywhere and I love it! I haven't been this enamored with a type of music since I was a in middle school and discovered the sounds of Ireland. We danced to Cretan music at a mountain party a few days ago, and today ...

25 Years on Earth

Sunday, February 21st, 2010

As of this morning, I am 26 years old. I am now officially exiting my 20s. Wow. How did that happen? We spent a relaxing afternoon at the hostel working, reading, talking to family and cooking. Thank you to everyone who called and wrote! ...

Family Remedy

Saturday, February 20th, 2010

Last night I went to bed with a hurty, swollen feeling on the left side of my neck, but I didn't think much of it. When I awoke this morning, I felt wretched. When I tried to talk, it sounded as if I had a pillow shoved down my throat, and felt l...

Settled in Rethymnon

Friday, February 19th, 2010

Our ride yesterday was a quick 20km jaunt into a ferocious headwind. Knowing we only had a short way to go made the wall we were riding into mostly a non-issue. The brief struggle ended, quite pleasantly, at the quaint hostel in the center of the...

Meta Morning

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

It was very windy as we broke camp this morning in preparation to head to the nearby city of Rethymnon for a few days of rest. While stuffing our tent into its drybag, I spied a ladybug scurrying across the patch of earth we'd camped on. My immed...

The Little Things

Wednesday, February 17th, 2010

In our "normal" lives, both Tyler and I are known for our easy-going demeanor. Our friends have even jokingly referred to us as "zen masters" on more than one occasion. While it is fine and dandy to be even-keeled at home, the day to day life of ...

Coasting in Crete

Tuesday, February 16th, 2010

We found a thin layer of ice crystals covering everything outside this morning. Thankfully the sun soon melted away the frost, showering the Lasithi Plateau with glorious, warm light. As we packed, Tyler said (as he often does at the start of a n...

Lasithi Plateau and Dikteon Andron Cave

Monday, February 15th, 2010

Last night when I downloaded our GPS tracks I was surprised to find that yesterday was our third biggest climbing day of the trip! The only two rides that topped it were Julierpass in Switzerland and Verdon Gorge in France, two equally stunning da...

Celebrating Sunday

Sunday, February 14th, 2010

I would never have imagined this to be true, but many of our favorite days involve slowly climbing mountains. As long as we bring copious amounts of food, start the day with a positive attitude, and make sure to take our time, it almost always mak...

Knossos and the Coast

Saturday, February 13th, 2010

Our first stop of the day was the ancient Minoan palace of Knossos, located about 7 kilometers from Iraklion. We got a late start, arriving around 10AM, just in time to meet a group of cycle tourists on a package tour of the area! Everyone was ve...

Heraklion Archeological Museum

Friday, February 12th, 2010

Tthough most of the day was spent working on our respective projects, Tyler and I did take a break to visit the Heraklion Archeological Museum. While I was in college I took a class called "Greek Myth, Art, and Literature" during which we studied ...

Working in Iraklion

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

We spent more or less the entire day behind our computer screens. Though I managed to get quite a bit of work done, even more flooded my inbox during the course of the evening (read: business hours in the USA). It looks like we'll be staying an e...

Clean and Dry

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

We disembarked groggily from our early ferry arrival in Heraklion around 6AM this morning. Thankfully there were no intensive searches as we left—we just wheeled away into town. It was very refreshing not being cold in the pre-dawn darkness! ...

What Traffic?

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

After one last dirty parade through the lobby of our Corinth hotel, we rode off under grey but mercifully dry skies heading east along the coast. Our destination for the day was Piraeus, the port town of Athens. From there we would catch a ferry ...

Exploring Acrocorinth

Monday, February 8th, 2010

Unlike yesterday, when grey clouds and drizzle made us focus solely on giant potholes in the road and the muddy water that filled them, today the sun shone brightly and we were able to appreciate the beautiful landscape around us. Always excite...

Wet and Dirty

Sunday, February 7th, 2010

Wet and dirty is my favorite thing, my favorite thing, my favorite thing! Oooooh wet and dirty is my favorite thiiinng… at least I am not cold! sung jovially by Tara as we packed up camp this morning. Every time we camp near the ocean, Ta...

What Matters

Saturday, February 6th, 2010

We awoke excited about our plans for the day. Last night I'd discovered that just ten kilometers away was a town with a rack and pinion railway leading into the mountains. Our guidebook said it was spectacular and not to be missed, trundling up t...

Exploring Again

Friday, February 5th, 2010

Panniers full of food from a shopping spree yesterday, we cycled away from Patras under bright blue skies, lazily spinning our legs as we watched the coming and goings of everyday life in Greece. About 8km into our ride, Tara realized we'd left he...

Partying Patras

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

The first five minutes of earth-shakingly loud techno music BLASTING into our Patras hotel room at 11:00 AM was kind of fun. (OOH DANCE PARTY!) After the five minute mark the novelty had worn off and we began to wonder who was making such a racke...

It's All Greek to Me

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Tara is unofficially our designated communicator when it comes to foreign languages. That isn't to say that I don't speak; in fact, I try really hard! I'm not shy about using the phrases I know, but sadly, my brain doesn't seem to be wired for le...

Καλημέρα!

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

After a relatively decent sleep on the thinly carpeted floor of our ferry's reception lounge, I woke up in the early morning hours to the blaring of Greek TV. I needed to stretch my legs so I took a walk around the outside decks. Cold winds blew ...

Ciao Bella!

Monday, February 1st, 2010

Though the day dawned brilliantly, the sun wasn't providing much in the way of warmth. Amidst millions of shimmering dewdrops in our churchyard free-camp, we groggily blew into our chilly hands and dutifully started our morning routine. I rolled ...