Archives: September 2008
In Which I Start To Go Off On One
September 30, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Athens Route: Ag.Theodori - Megarda - Elefsina - Athens Nb. I edited out 31 paragraphs from this entry before publishing it: on the Greek Orthodox Church; on religion in general; on Greece in general; its complicated history and contradictory view of itself. Not flattering. But I'll keep that for another...
In Which I Enter The Greek Orthodox Church
September 27, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Ag.Theodori Route: Epidavros - a thunderstorm - Isthmia - (baptism) - Ag.Theodori Even though I have much too much to say about events this morning *before* the baptism, I'll start there, in a monastery 100s of metres above the Gulf of Corinth -- with one of the highlights of the...
In Which My Day Just Isn't Cricket.. But Only Just
September 26, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Epidavros Route: Nafplio - Drepano - Portocheli - Galatas - Epidavros I woke early to find perfect conditions for a book cover photoshoot (hah!): .. and as an afterthought took a shot from a different angle that I reckon is even better.. but doesn't say besidetheseaside quite as loudly? --...
In Which I Enter The Twilight Zone
September 25, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Nafplio Route: Kotronas - Githio - Skala - Monemvasia - Ag.Dimitrios - Kosmas - Nafplio One day in the Mani is not enough. Were it not for Saturday's baptism I'd have stayed a week, a month. I promise myself (publicly) that I'll be back. It is The Most Incredible Stretch...
In Which Venice Gets Some Serious Competition
September 24, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Kotronas Route: Finikounta - Koroni - Kalamata - Kardamyli - Areopoli - Gerolimenas - Kokkinogia - Kotronas Blimey, I wasn't expecting this. I could move here in a flash. Lost my heart. Bowled over. I've fallen in love. Not with a woman.. and not with a man.. but with the...
In Which I Reach Lilliput
September 23, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Finikounta Route: Alissos - Killini - Pirgos - Kiparissi - Pylos - Methoni - Finikounta A long ride down the west coast of the Peloponnese today. (And that's going to be the story for the next few days, in order to get to the baptism on Saturday.) So what did...
In Which It's All A Bit Run Of The Mill
September 22, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Alissos Route: Loutraki - Corinthos - Ancient Corinth - Xylokastro - Patra - Alissos Extraordinary things can't happen to me every day. I'm not Paddington Bear, after all. From Loutraki, at the head of the Corinthian Gulf, I made it today to Alissos, which is at the other end. I...
In Which Steve P Gets His Own Back For All My Sunshine
September 21, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Loutraki Route: Delphi - Itea - Antikira - Livadia - Thiva - Erithres - Psatha - Sotira - Loutraki First thing: the museum at Delphi. Fanbloodytastic. But best of all was when I got back to the bike and, despite the first hints of rain, I found a note wedged...
In Which I Wax Nostalgic
September 20, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Delphi Route: Itea - Delphi It's all of eight miles to Delphi, through a wide plain of olive groves, then up a nearly vertical cliff on a fantastic road. I wanted to be besidetheseaside last night but if I'd done this last leg, I would have found a charming little...
In Which I Test The Yellow Roads
September 19, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Itea Route: Amfilochia - Vonitsa - the Lefkada causeway - Mesolongi - Nafpaktos - Itea Something of a curate's egg of a day -- good and not so good (but nothing bad). The Good The first hour's ride, along the southern edge of the Amvrakkikos Gulf then out towards the...
In Which I'm Back On (Bumpy) Track
September 18, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Amfilochia Route: Athens - not very besidetheseaside - Amfilochia Athens was great. I did nothing (I'm not supposed to be here until I've been round half of the Greek coast) although between you and me I may have snuck in to the National Archaeological Museum. Wow. And met up with...
In Which I Get Ahead Of Myself
September 13, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Athens Route: Preveza - not very besidetheseaside - Athens With the bike booked in for a service in Athens, and my bestest buddy and his wife in town, I need to leave the seaside and shoot across to the Greek capital. I wouldn't normally write off-topic here, but the 500km...
In Which I Don't Cross A Picket Line.. Sort Of
September 12, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Preveza Route: Sarande - Butrint (Albania) - Igoumenitsa (Greece) - Preveza Stay tuned. There's a bizarre border crossing coming up after several paragraphs of waffle about Albania: There's a good reason why Sarende doesn't feel Albanian. It lies a couple of miles off shore, in full view: Corfu. I've spent...
In Which I Seem To Meet Half The Population Of Albania
September 11, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Sarandë Routë: Vlorë - Sarandë Thë road south from Vlorë starts off coastal, soon mëandërs inland through an ëmpty vallëy -- a fabulously ëmpty, ëvër-changingly ëmpty, but nëvërthëlëss indisputably ëmpty vallëy -- but soon ënough starts to risë, gorgëously, through pinë-scëntëd hills and onë-cow pëasant farms towards an unsëën summit....
In Which I Am The Only Tourist In Town
September 10, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Vlorë I finally ovërcamë by fëar of asking old charactërs if I could takë thëir picturë. In many countriës, I still think thëy would say No. In Albania, old mën who arë now in thëir 70s and 80s havë livëd such difficult livës. Thëy spënt 50 yëars bëing warnëd rëpëatëdly...
In Which Somëonë Elsë Has A Closë Shavë..
September 9, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Vlorë Routë: Durrës - Lushnjë - Fiër - Vlorë Hërë's a cautionary talë. Bëforë I had a chancë to publish today's wittërings on thë sitë, I got this commënt: hello, here is the austrian guy from durres, sorry, you waiting maybe long, my friend peter falling with the bike and...
In Which I Havë A Closë Shavë
September 8, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Durrës I'm ill, in Durrës. I'vë nëvër bëën ill in Albania bëforë. In fact, if I ëvër gët closë to bëing ëmployëd ëvër again, and somëonë from Përsonnël starts chëcking this sitë to find out what kind of ëmployëë I might bë, can I point out this is thë first...
In Which I Enter A Strange Old World
September 7, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Durrës Routë: Sutomorë - Ulcinj - Ada - Krutë - Vladimir - Sukobin (Montënëgro) - Murićani - Shkodër - Lëzhë - Durrës Wow. I'm in Albania. -- Ulcinj, thë southërnmost town on thë coast of Montënëgro, was thë sëtting at lunchtimë today for a briëf and unlikëly rëndition of On...
In Which Being Right Is Very Wrong
September 6, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Sutomore Dangnabbit. Yesterday's positive impressions of Serbia and the Serbs were spoiled first thing this morning by the drummer from last night's support band, one of the drinking gang, who collared me on my own first thing this morning to ask if I had any contact details for Skrewdriver, because...
In Which Tito Would Feel Very Much At Home
September 5, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Sutomore Billed as a "Traditional Moto Meeting In Adriatic Seaside", but with lots of mentions of 'Yugoslavia', I wasn't quite sure what to make of this, "the last bike rally of the summer". Eric was my guide and one-man welcoming committee -- finding a space for my tent next to...
In Which The Credit Crunch Reaches Montenegro
September 4, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Route: Kotor - Tivat - Rosa - Budva - Petrovac - Sutomore Croatia maintained a healthy tourist industry during the years of Tito's Communist Yugoslavia. Montenegro, further down the coast, did less well, but boyohboy does it have a pearl of the Adriatic here in Kotor and the bay --...
In Which I Reach A New Country.. Literally
September 3, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Route: Dubrovnik (Croatia) - Igalo (Montenegro) - Herceg Novi - Perast - Kotor Montenegro is the 20th country I've visited on this trip (having crossed my 27th border). As an independent country, it's only a month and a half older than BesideTheSeaside! And what do I know about Montenegro? 1....
In Which I Can Stretch Out
September 2, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Dubrovnik In Dubrovnik.. and yet not in *Dubrovnik*. I rode this morning from the campsite towards the old town, sure enough, but was distracted and lead astray by a sign directing me to the "Bikers Caffe". It was Poreć all over again: Bikers Caffe, Dubrovnik Number of Missing Apostrophes: One...
In Which I Come Down Again
September 1, 2008 by Mike in Diary
Dubrovnik Route: Mostar - Međugorje - Metcovič (Croatia) - Neum (Bosnia) - Slano (Croatia) - Dubrovnik Phew. I went off on one yesterday, didn't I? Being in Mostar will do that to you. I can't think of another place that has had such an effect on me on this trip....