So, the last day. I woke at around six to the gentle sound of running water from the small stream not ten feet away from my tent. Even with the beautiful sound of the water I could feel my mind starting to worry and wanting to work through the problems I could face upon my return. Have I run out of stock yet? Do I still have an income? Don’t forget to do your accounts. I forced my mind to return...
I’m sitting here in front of my tent in a camp site about 50 kilometres south of Metz. That means I’ve still got about 365 kilometres to ride tomorrow to make Dieppe. I’ve booked my ferry ticket for 1800 tomorrow evening so will be back home late tomorrow to see my loveliness and Nelly the dog. Today has been about me being completely blown away by France, again. If I were to...
I’ve ridden my motorbike in Italy before, it was in 2009 and I was left with the opinion that the people of Italy didn’t want me there. This time I was determined to change that. I learnt enough words to be polite and I had instructed myself to be super nice to everyone even when things went wrong. The first day, Brindisi to just north of Rome was okay, even their driving was a bit...
Whato my lovelies! So, I’ve spent the week with my darling wife and now I’m on my way home. I’m currently in Italy in a camp site just north of Rome after catching the overnight ferry from Igoumenitsa to Brindisi last night and riding north today. In typical Georgiou style the week with my gorgeous and wonderful wife didn’t have the best start. Unbeknownst to me my mobile...
It turns out I’m not as fit as I thought I was. After being told about a beautiful wooded walk by the owner of the hotel I’m staying in I decided that today was the day. I checked I had my shorts on, had some breakfast, grabbed my camera and set off. The next village, Portaria, is only about two miles away so the walk there was pretty easy. The sun was not yet in full swing and...
Yesterday I did bugger all so decided against one of my boring, super-lengthy blogs; however, today I’m going to meander my way down to the bottom of the Pelion so my blog is going to be both full and detailed. I’m going to try my hardest to avoid any of that stupid off roading stuff so hopefully I’ll live to tell the tale. It all started with a hearty breakfast. A boiled egg...
Two things happened today. The first is that I became a true devotee of my superb motorcycle and its incredible abilities. The second is that my GPS and I are getting divorced. And yes, those two facts are indeed linked. I woke this morning to the sound of the most incredibly loud cicadas rasping their racket through my window. I rolled over trying to get back to sleep when the ‘loud and...
With the temperature set to be about forty today it was definitely an ‘explore on foot’ day. After a double espresso, a boiled egg and a nice slice of cake for breakfast I made my way out into the village. I’m not sure if it was the early hour of the day, or the fact that it was a Sunday, but the village felt even more tranquil than that of the previous days. The distant sound...
Today I had a decision to make. My plan was to ride from England to Greece and, well, I’ve done it. My wife and mates aren’t meeting me here until Friday so the question is, what the bloody hell do I do for a week? There were all sorts of answers spinning around in my mind but with the temperature being so incredibly hot I decided to find a nice base in the Pelion to explore from. The...
After another sound nights sleep in a real bed I made my way down stairs and had breakfast. It was the normal affair with one small difference; after about half an hour I noticed that I was sitting there in my boxer shorts. I’d remembered to put on my tee shirt and flip flops but had completely forgotten my shorts. I did my level best to look inconspicuous and going by the fact that there...
I’m writing this text from the veranda of the pension where I’m staying. The evening air is warm and humid but the slight breeze keeps it pleasant. The roof is comprised entirely of vines, the beginnings of their fruits starting to appear. The gentle sound of Greek music is slowly replacing that of the cacadas as the sun makes its descent towards the horizon. The calamari starter is...
Okay, and breath. It’s ten-thirty and time to relax at last. Today has been about being cooked, getting lost, getting the bike completely stuck, being eaten alive, taking the same wrong turning three times, swearing a lot and having a right laugh with the lady in the toll collection booth. When I was at school I was a complete idiot, I thought I’d changed. Actually, I don’t...
If I had to use just one word to describe today it would be “incrediblybloodylong”. The time is now 22:45 and I’ve just turned up at a hotel. Anyway, my day.. Before leaving I had to pack all my stuff up and put on my leathers, unfortunately they take bloody ages to dry so were still saturated from the previous day’s storm. Starting the day with, what can only be described...
As far as Monday’s go I have to say, this one takes some beating. What an incredible day! Last night I finally rolled into a camp site at around eight o’clock and happened across a group of people from Poland on Honda Transalps (like mine). I pulled up next to them and set up camp. When I enquired about food at reception they told me there was a small shop down the road but I could be...
24th June 2017 Before I went to sleep last night I sat outside with one of my special fizzy coffees and watched the may bug slaughter. It wasn’t difficult for the agile bats as the may bugs aren’t the most elegant of fliers. One bounced off my head as I watched and another dive bombed straight into my coffee. I have no idea what may bugs are made of but they make fizzy coffee froth up...
Whato my lovelies. Today has been a funny old day. I woke this morning to a huge thunderstorm and heavy rain but it had stopped by about eight so I pack up and left around nine. Riding through Slovakia was mesmerising, sure it’s got it’s rough parts but once out in the countryside it’s just beautiful, I’ll do my best to upload some photographs. It’s interesting, even...
Last night was comprised of one huge thunderstorm, it’s starting to die down now but it’s still raining. I’ve checked the weather and it’s supposed to be lightning up in a couple of hours so I’m going to sit here in my tent and read for a few hours. Oh, let’s talk about coffee. My body doesn’t function well without coffee. As such relying on outside...
Well, the hills are indeed alive with the sound of music, unfortunately last night most of it was by Dr Dre with some seriously ‘kick ass’ drumb & bass. Yep, the camp site I picked happened to also be the camp site of choice for a group of English students on a rafting trip. When I arrived they were out so I foolishly assumed that it would be a nice quiet place. I chose my spot...
Today had been hard. Sometimes it all just works out nicely, and sometimes it doesn’t. I was rudely awoken by a cracking thunderstorm at around one in the morning, this went on for about two hours and was all but impossible to sleep through. On top of that choosing a camp site right next to both a runway and a railway line was, in hindsight, not the brightest idea. So, to conclude, I had...
I woke this morning at 5:40 to the sound of the chap in the tent next to mine checking his BMW 1200GS. He was attentively checking the oil level and tyre pressures. The front must have been microscopically low as he then attached his flashy electric pump and turned it on for literally two seconds. He then checked the pressure again and smiled to himself. Once he was happy he folded up the...
I woke up just before six in the morning after a wonderful nights sleep. Another beautiful day presented itself as I popped my head out of my tent; the sky was blue and the sun was just about to appear out from the mountain it was hiding behind. As I sat and having my morning coffees I looked over at the bike. Unfortunately, when I had arrived the previous evening, I was issued with a spot which...
I woke up at 4am to the sound of a toddler throwing a complete wobbler in the tent next to mine. The parents did a fine job of demonstrating some of the most extreme volume whispering that I’d ever heard. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse another child started crying in a tent across the way, I swear they were playing one up man ship the little bastards. So, there I was...
Is it possible to class a day as truly successful if one accidentally rides through the wrong country? Yes folks, I’ve just ridden through Belgium instead of France. <grin> Let me tell you how this happened. My plan for today was to get to Calais, then to ride to Dijon. So, I got to Calais, then set Dijon into my GPS and followed the magenta line. The riding seemed to be going...
Well, the time is almost upon me, tomorrow, at the ungodly hour of 3am, I’ll be leaving the house and riding my motorbike to Greece and back. I’m sure many of you think “Here he goes again the bloody idiot, off on a motorbike jolly for a month of mid-life crisis induced misery and hardship” however, if I could share even just a tiny portion of how bloody excited I am you’d understand. If extreme...
As I’m sure you can imagine, with only six days to go until departure I’m finding it difficult not to get excited. Simply keeping my mind from wandering off and my feet firmly on the ground is becoming more and more difficult the closer I get to departure. Earlier I found myself sitting at my desk lost in my own little world, I was swooping through the Swiss Alps with beautiful mountain views all...