I spent three nights on Syros and six on Antiparos. It’s the Orthodox Easter so it’s busy everywhere, but strangely, not all accommodation or food options are open.
Syros was very nice, even quite touristy.
It’s early May and I expected things to be ramping up much more. People are still cleaning and renovating restaurants, cafes, accommodation etc. The weather isn’t ready yet for high season either. It was very windy for my time on Syros and the first few days on Antiparos. It was even quite cool, hovering below 20 degrees all day on Syros.
Out of the wind and in the sun, it was absolutely fantastic, and I had a few beach days which was the most relaxing I’ve done in quite a while. In fact after, I’d booked a ferry back to Piraeus, I had the thought that I should stay another week.
In terms of planning the next few months, I’m still in a quandary. Physically, I really think I need some extended time off the bike, as I don’t feel up to a trip that involves a crazy amount of effort. However, Greece is mountainous and the places I want to go involve mountains. The next major destination is Meteora where there are monasteries on cliffs, so I expect a difficult few days on my way there.
There are also some interesting rides through the Balkans. Some trails are being developed but it all looks really interesting but would require with a big effort to get through the hills.
There’s a lot more water to pass under this bridge before I settle on a route north from Greece and as the weather warms up, it feels like the country is opening up and getting going again.
