The Strong Live On

Thessaloniki -> Nea Appalonia

Distance:80 km
Time elapsed: 4:37:00
Max speed:51 km/hr
Temp: 45 C
Weather: mid-day super intense highway heat, cool evening

I'm back on my feet! This morning I woke up ravaged and chowed down on a hearty scrambled egg-with-brown bread-breakfast. How good to taste food!

Thus, we got a late start. Chris and I said goodbyes to Maria and the Turkish hippie girls now surfing her couches (like a big dorm really), then cruised down the hill toward a bike shop. Some nice Greek biker huys we found sipping Nescafe (really how would they get along without it?) were so excited for our trip they even guided us through Thessalonik's thick traffic to get there. We spent a good hour or two inside, tuning chris' bike up and trying to fix a few things.

Aired-up, greased-up, we took off in the dead of hot afternoon heat (bad choice why does this happen?) toward the highway. Yuck, if there is one thing I'm gonna recommend for future bikers is to avoid highway entrances at 2 pm like the plague.

Well eventually, 25 km later, we were free from city traffic, on the
old highway passing through the valley. Ahh this is what I signed up for!


Beautiful valley-- looks like Korce!

The road gently glided through deserted villages and automatically watered fields (perhaps I will regail you with my bitter resentment for greek industrial farming and the US' economic development plans later), lined with blackberry bushes and overlookıng 2 large lakes to our left. The evening was cool so we continued until sunset, then stopped in a village big enough to support 5 cafes but not a single shop or fruit stand(??). Chris ate souvlaki (meat on a stick) and we split the most delicious salad and fresh bread. While eating we overheard the guys at the table adjacent to us gambling in Shqip! I paid the bill and politely inquired about where they were from, explaining that we are
americans formely living in Albania. Almost knocked them out of their
chairs!


Stopped next to one of a zillion shrines along the road

Just after leaving the village we stumbled upon a perfect camp spot with picnic tables and a spring. Setting up now- fly free hooray! Mmm rest time...