Today’s ride on Komoot
What a strange day.
It was a cold night up in the hills. It didn’t rain much after I had my dinner, but the temps were definitely down on what I’m used to. I even got out my Trifecta – a thermal sleeping bag cover that improved things no end.
It was also a surprisingly quiet night. There were no insects to speak of, and apart from a couple of dogs that only got a hundred metres away, there was no sound at all. Still, I didn’t sleep well, so I slept in.
The morning was misty with most of the rainclouds above where I’d been, and thankfully not where I was going. I slowly packed up and had some breakfast and waited for the tent to dry some more. I reorganised how I pack my gear yesterday and I’m not yet used to it so packing was a bit disorganised.
I was under way at about 10am but with quite limited food options today, I stopped by a restaurant just a couple of kms away, down the hill. Amazing. There was nothing else on that road after Lamia, so this was ridiculously convenient. The road is great too. It must have been the old highway so there’s little traffic and it has a great surface.
I had a very early second breakfast at that restaurant and got food and water for the day. As I said, it was super convenient. Unfortunately, it wasn’t really friendly but I doubt they have much business. It had certainly seen much better days.
I rugged up for the rest of the downhill, as the day just didn’t seem to warm up. The downhill was superb on that really nice surface, then I was onto the first of the flat areas.
Komoot wanted me to ride through some hills, but after yesterday’s efforts, that was the last thing I wanted to do. Checking the map revealed that I could ride a couple of extra flat kms and avoid about a hundred metres of climbing. My decision was never in doubt. The new route had a much smaller climb which featured a tortoise (not me) and a few street dogs that ran away as I approached. There was also a female dog that just stared at me.
The mamma dogs on the streets here look so sad. I fear their lives a filled with an endless cycle of having puppies. Their eyes look tired and their expressions just say – I don’t want to be here. They walk with a tiredness that makes me feel tired too.
After the small climb, there was a very steep descent that had me on my toes most of the way down. Then it was as if the hilly landscape didn’t want to let me enjoy the huge flat plains, so it undulated for about ten kilometres before giving way to a dead flat, dead boring run into Karditsa.
In one village, a dog got out and really went crazy, so I stopped and tried to calm it down. Every time I moved, it snarled and ran at me. I showed it my dog stick and it gave me a little more respect 😁. I made the dog stick from the broken Helinox chair frame. It folds up, and I can use it as a spare tent pole too. It seems to work pretty well, although I doubt I would ever hit a dog with it.
Karditsa was another world . It just wasn’t Greece. The were bicycles everywhere and families riding down the streets that were filled with patient drivers. People sat in outdoor cafes on the pedestrian streets. Frederik and Vangelis from the bike shop in Athens had told me about Trikala and the surrounding areas. “You’ll love the bike culture”, and they were right.
It didn’t last long. I was soon on a fast, straight road for the last 20kms into Trikala. I’d had enough by that stage but at least it was easy. As I came into the centre of Trikala, I clicked over 100kms for the day. Since Athens, it seems like everyday is really hilly or necessarily long. That’s probably why, right now my back is killing me – something I’ve rarely had an issue with since I started this big trip.
I’d booked Nomads Hostel in Trikala to use it as a base for visiting Meteora. I was going to stay four nights and visit Delphi too. Their website painted a picture of a vibrant place where you could book day tours with fellow travellers. It was anything but vibrant and the drab weather didn’t help. On the spot, I decided only to stay two nights for some reason, and I’m glad I did.
There was only one other person there and two arrived at midnight. I’d spend the next day in Meteora with the two late arrivals, and the following night, I was the only occupant. Not the vibrant place I was hoping for.