Overnight bus trip from Kotor through Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia and into Greece
Greece - Day Trips from Thessaloniki to Mt Olympus and Meteora
Overnight train to Athens
Ferries to the islands of Patmos, Samos and Chios
Next: Chios (Greece) then ferry to the west coast of Turkey (at some point yet to be determined)
Dubrovnik (Croatia)
Dubrovnik was our goal! For the past three days we had been cycling alongside stunning clear blue/green water, sunshine and mountains that reached down to the waters edge, but it was a looong way down the coast to Dubrovnik. Albeit, we had a couple great wild camping spots along the route and it was finally warm enough for our first swim. It was with a wave of triumph and relief when we rounded the corner and saw the city come into view. Despite being severely damaged in the Yugoslavian conflict on the late 90's, a huge amount of effort has gone into restoration and it is hardly noticeable now.
Upon arrival, our first priority was a water and snack, and as we sat down, we noticed a cyclist coming up the hill (our eyes are highly attuned to spotting other cycle tourers!!) With excitement and disbelief, we realised it was Julia - the first ever cycle tourist we crossed paths with in Morocco 6 weeks earlier!! Back then, I was a bit in awe of how fit and fast she looked, and it was super fun to randomly meet up on the side of the road!!! She was heading in the same direction as us, so we joined forces and enjoyed being a three for a few days!
We shared meals and a room and biked together the following day, but also enjoyed wandering the city with her. A real highlight was visiting a very, very insightful photo exhibition which followed the "Balkan Route" refugee movement as well as the Yugoslav conflict. Really interesting topics and a great way to learn some more about this area.
Take a moment and check out: http://www.warphotoltd.com/ (This has an insightful summary of the Photographer's thoughts on the current refugee migration).
Cycle tourers tend to share stories and experiences when they pass each other and for days we had been hearing about Marco, a Croatian guy with a 'nature park' just south of Dubrovnik. Comments like "oh, you should definitely stop in", "plan to spend a few days", "wait and see!!!" had us intrigued and so it was no surprise that Julia was heading in the same direction. On the way, we also passed Boorne, a Korean cyclist who joined our gang for the night.
Marco - think a Yugoslav-Canadian-Socialist-Businessman, with a giant personality and physical stature and many, many good tales to boot. He lived up to his reputation! When he was in his 20's, he and a couple of mates stole a boat and rowed to Italy from Dubrovnik for three days as a refugee. He decided to reject offers from South Africa and Australia to go to their countries and headed to Canada, where he spent the next 40 years. Over the course of the night we also heard stories about his mate Fidel Castro (the Cuban leader), interviewing the pope, and many other strong political socialist views and stories. Now he's returned to support his home country, starting up a multitude of business ventures, from organic pomegranates to a tourist Railway into the Mountains.
He now has a steady stream of cycle tourers, couch-surfers, WOOFers and others turning up at his place to help clear ground, tend the pomegranates, help with business ventures and generally relax and listen to stories of times gone by!
After biking further south to Kotor, a stunning fiord in Montenegro, we jumped on a bus in order to get to Greece in time to meet up with our good friend Amy Bishop.
It was 6pm as we settled into our 13hr bus trip from Kotor to Skopje, I said to Andy - "oh, i'm so ready for this - one bus, all the way there. Seems easy so far eh"......FAMOUS LAST WORDS!!!!
8 p.m. We were told we had to swap busses - this wasn't very clear on anything we had read but it seemed legit so it was all scramble to get the bikes, the wheels, the bedrolls, the panniers off one bus and onto another. Easy enough.
10 p.m. We are hurtling round some windy roads just as everyone is nodding off to sleep and around the corner is a truck parked. On the road. Our driver slams on the brakes, but not quick enough and he rear-ended the truck. Whole front window of the bus is cracked rights across it, plus the front end of the bus a bit munched. Uh oh.....our 13 hour trip just got a bit longer...
11 p.m Surprisingly quickly, we are loaded onto a passing bus so in the dark it is another scramble for all the bits and pieces to make sure everything makes it across.
Sometime later (about 3am:) The driver of Bus B informs us (well, the Croatians who translate for us) that we are being dropped at the next stop and a bus will come to collect us. This will save us travelling into the capital city of Kosovo where Bus B is going. Ok, again, unload and make a pile.
The bus drives off and we realise that none of actually know when/where/how/what this new bus will look like....phone calls, murmurings....maybe 4 or 5am? Maybe 6am? We give up standing on the side of the road and go inside to the cafe and buy a hot chocy....
6 a.m. Sure enough, a new bus which has driven all the way for us stops to collect us. It’s very small though so we have to put the bikes inside on one of the seats as they don't fit underneath...
10 a.m. We arrive to find our connecting bus is fully booked so we need to spend a night here in Skopje in Macedonia. Kinda relived!!! Means we can settle into a hostel instead of waiting at the bus station all day. Back on the bus 6am tomorrow for the final leg to Thessaloniki in Northern Greece.
Miri's Impressions from the bus window....
1. Montenegro is an amazingly scenic country. Lots of steep mountains, fiords and a stunning coastline.
2. The road to Kosovo is very steep, very windy and the mountains are very snowy.
3. Kosovo has more mosques than the other countries we have been in...Definitely poorer, with very rough roads but a surprising amount of development happening, with many German Kitchen design stores and other high end shops near Skopje.
4. Macedonia (Skopje) is a pretty cool place. Getting closer to Greece and Turkey with yummy looking food appearing. Exciting!
Kotor Pics (Montenegro):
We'll leave you with a very insightful look into life in the Idomeni refugee camp on the Greek/Macedonian border written by Colleen Sinsky (a coordinator at the camp for a Norwegion Aid organisation - Dråpen i havet. Today (24/05/2016) this camp is being shut down & the Refugees shifted off to other army camps. If your interested, it's well worth a read.... https://colleensinsky.com/2016/05/23/idomeni-the-front-lines-of-life/
Upon arrival, our first priority was a water and snack, and as we sat down, we noticed a cyclist coming up the hill (our eyes are highly attuned to spotting other cycle tourers!!) With excitement and disbelief, we realised it was Julia - the first ever cycle tourist we crossed paths with in Morocco 6 weeks earlier!! Back then, I was a bit in awe of how fit and fast she looked, and it was super fun to randomly meet up on the side of the road!!! She was heading in the same direction as us, so we joined forces and enjoyed being a three for a few days!
We shared meals and a room and biked together the following day, but also enjoyed wandering the city with her. A real highlight was visiting a very, very insightful photo exhibition which followed the "Balkan Route" refugee movement as well as the Yugoslav conflict. Really interesting topics and a great way to learn some more about this area.
Take a moment and check out: http://www.warphotoltd.com/ (This has an insightful summary of the Photographer's thoughts on the current refugee migration).
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| The old city at sunset |
Marco’s Place:
Marco - think a Yugoslav-Canadian-Socialist-Businessman, with a giant personality and physical stature and many, many good tales to boot. He lived up to his reputation! When he was in his 20's, he and a couple of mates stole a boat and rowed to Italy from Dubrovnik for three days as a refugee. He decided to reject offers from South Africa and Australia to go to their countries and headed to Canada, where he spent the next 40 years. Over the course of the night we also heard stories about his mate Fidel Castro (the Cuban leader), interviewing the pope, and many other strong political socialist views and stories. Now he's returned to support his home country, starting up a multitude of business ventures, from organic pomegranates to a tourist Railway into the Mountains.
He now has a steady stream of cycle tourers, couch-surfers, WOOFers and others turning up at his place to help clear ground, tend the pomegranates, help with business ventures and generally relax and listen to stories of times gone by!
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| Marco!! |
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| Bike Gang! From Dubrovnik to Marco's Nature Park - Us, Boorne (Korea) and Julia (Canada) |
OUR ROUTE THROUGH CROATIA
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| Croatia - from epic hills, to snow, amazing coastline and fun friends! |
Leaving Croatia:
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| Our bus luggage: two bikes, two wheels, bedrolls, two large bags packed with paniers, and four carry on bags... |
After biking further south to Kotor, a stunning fiord in Montenegro, we jumped on a bus in order to get to Greece in time to meet up with our good friend Amy Bishop.
It was 6pm as we settled into our 13hr bus trip from Kotor to Skopje, I said to Andy - "oh, i'm so ready for this - one bus, all the way there. Seems easy so far eh"......FAMOUS LAST WORDS!!!!
8 p.m. We were told we had to swap busses - this wasn't very clear on anything we had read but it seemed legit so it was all scramble to get the bikes, the wheels, the bedrolls, the panniers off one bus and onto another. Easy enough.
10 p.m. We are hurtling round some windy roads just as everyone is nodding off to sleep and around the corner is a truck parked. On the road. Our driver slams on the brakes, but not quick enough and he rear-ended the truck. Whole front window of the bus is cracked rights across it, plus the front end of the bus a bit munched. Uh oh.....our 13 hour trip just got a bit longer...
11 p.m Surprisingly quickly, we are loaded onto a passing bus so in the dark it is another scramble for all the bits and pieces to make sure everything makes it across.
Sometime later (about 3am:) The driver of Bus B informs us (well, the Croatians who translate for us) that we are being dropped at the next stop and a bus will come to collect us. This will save us travelling into the capital city of Kosovo where Bus B is going. Ok, again, unload and make a pile.
The bus drives off and we realise that none of actually know when/where/how/what this new bus will look like....phone calls, murmurings....maybe 4 or 5am? Maybe 6am? We give up standing on the side of the road and go inside to the cafe and buy a hot chocy....
6 a.m. Sure enough, a new bus which has driven all the way for us stops to collect us. It’s very small though so we have to put the bikes inside on one of the seats as they don't fit underneath...
10 a.m. We arrive to find our connecting bus is fully booked so we need to spend a night here in Skopje in Macedonia. Kinda relived!!! Means we can settle into a hostel instead of waiting at the bus station all day. Back on the bus 6am tomorrow for the final leg to Thessaloniki in Northern Greece.
Miri's Impressions from the bus window....
1. Montenegro is an amazingly scenic country. Lots of steep mountains, fiords and a stunning coastline.
2. The road to Kosovo is very steep, very windy and the mountains are very snowy.
3. Kosovo has more mosques than the other countries we have been in...Definitely poorer, with very rough roads but a surprising amount of development happening, with many German Kitchen design stores and other high end shops near Skopje.
4. Macedonia (Skopje) is a pretty cool place. Getting closer to Greece and Turkey with yummy looking food appearing. Exciting!
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| It was with great sadness that we left the Balkans knowing we had so much more to see and learn. If you get the chance, COME HERE!!!! |
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| The old city walls around the town of Kotor, Montenegro |
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| Dinghies around the edge of Kotor, Montenegro |
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| Market time - Kotor, Montenegro |
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| The fourth bus - just chillin with my luggage! |
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| Our stopover in Skopje - the city where Mother Theresa was born |
Greece (Thessaloniki to Athens via train)
Safely arrived!
As we biked out of the bus station onto a very busy main
street in Thessaloniki, we quickly realised we needed to refresh our memory of
the city layout. While we stopped, a guy on a bike was also figuring out his next move close by and came over to talk to us. He had seen the NZ sticker on my bike and was
stoked to share his experiences of a previous trip to NZ. He offered to guide
us to our hostel, which was awesome – Thessaloniki didn’t really seem like a
particularly cycle-friendly city and we saw maybe only one other cyclist so it
was awesome having a local bike guide!! We were equally stoked when he emailed
us a day later offering to meet up and introduce us to some good local Greek
food. We had a lovely evening with him and his wife and enjoyed chatting about
life in Greece, local history and learning about the secret spots around town
that we’ll have to come back to explore more!! Thanks Stelios and Sortiria!!
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| Stelios guiding us through the streets of Thessaloniki |
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| Enjoying a complimentary iced coffee when we arrived at our hostel in Thessaloniki! |
We were ready for a few days off the bike and with so many
options for exploring we swapped pedal power for public transport and enjoyed
being regular tourists for a few days.
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| Wandering up the slopes of Mt Olympos |
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| Exploring Thessaloniki |
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| Greece - the old and the new beside each other. Main road of Thessaloniki |
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| Meteora - a cool area of rocky outcrops with monastries perched on the top |
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| Night trains.....(Thessaloniki to Athens) |
Athens
With excitement we headed south to Athens to meet our
rendezvous with Amy – a real treat to hang out with such a good friend on the
other side of the world. We spent a few days wandering the city streets,
enjoying the ruins, planning and hanging out.
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| Hanging on Mars Hill (Acts 17 if you are interested!), with the Parthenon and Acropolis behind us. |
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| Off on an adventure |
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| Parthenon |
So many people talk about ‘the greek islands’ which seemed like good thing to do together…..turns out there are hundreds of them though!! After researching how touristy you want to be, what kind of beaches you want, the sunset ratings, price, beauty etc etc etc we finally settled upon heading to the island of Patmos, and then onto Samos.
Patmos
Patmos is known mostly as being the island where the
Apostle John was exiled to. The "Cave of the Apocalypse" is the main attraction today (where Revelation was written) but as well as this there are cool
isolated beaches, a really cute little harbour, whitewashed houses, laid-back
Greek men on scooters and many little cafes and shops. We had a great host
Stefanos who looked after us and it was great to be somewhere slower, quieter
and more traditional feeling than the big cities.
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| Sunset from the ferry to Patmos |
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| Skala Harbour, Patmos |
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| Patmos |
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| Stephanos and his grandson, Patmos Island |
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| Waiting with anticipation for our Greek gyros (kebab) |
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| Us! Patmos Island |
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| The Monastry dedicated to St John, Patmos Island |
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| The view from the Cave of the Apocalypse (almost) |
Samos
Known most recently as a refugee island, Samos is a much
bigger island but still has a laid-back feel to it and we enjoyed a day or two
here before we all parted ways again onto various other adventures.
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| Pythagorio Harbour, Samos |
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| Samos Town, Samos |
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| The (non-biking) route through Greece |
We'll leave you with a very insightful look into life in the Idomeni refugee camp on the Greek/Macedonian border written by Colleen Sinsky (a coordinator at the camp for a Norwegion Aid organisation - Dråpen i havet. Today (24/05/2016) this camp is being shut down & the Refugees shifted off to other army camps. If your interested, it's well worth a read.... https://colleensinsky.com/2016/05/23/idomeni-the-front-lines-of-life/
Peace,
Miri and Andy
Footnotes: Poetic & Not so Poetic Words
It contains many wordy words!
Island Senses: I hear, I See, I Wonder
Thoughts from the journey from Athens to the Island of Patmos
I see
I see Athens Piraeus E1 terminal.
Tents, many tents, green and blue
Two large and white.
Many small and dome
Crammed into every shady cavity
Encircling the ferry office.
Under every tree
Sweltering openly on the asphalt
E1
I see many things at odds
At odds with the luxury inside this ship.
At odds with the harsh industrial port
At odds with the unrelenting mid-day heat
I see children creating games
With large plastic pipes & balls
I see a lone girl skipping
I see a pram
I see uncertainty and hope intertwined
But I also stand at a distance
Unsure of their stories
Only guessing
I see fellow humans needing respect.
Knowing it's too easy to gawk on -
With an intellectual curiosity.
Gazing from my ship
About to disappear
For an island holiday
I see you, fellow human, and
I wonder
.............................................
I hear
I hear the distant tinkling of goat bells
Nimbly traversing rocky ridges
As they are herded on
I hear roosters crowing
I hear waves
Consistent in their coming, yet inconsistent in their rhythm
What I hear is calming
I hear
I see
I see rocky walls, fashioned over the centuries
Scaling steep ridges
Dividing gentle slopes
Weathered
Grey and brown
I see a distant whitewashed chapel
Solitary on the grassy green island hillside
Vibrantly separated by the blue-green waters
Waters inviting in the warm sun.
I see ancient paths.
Paths to hillside houses & monasteries
Weathered rocks, smoothed over the ages
Now overgrown.
I wonder how these were used
In times gone by in ancient Patmos
I see and I wonder
I wonder
I wonder how ancient leaders
Who once devoted their lives to fishing.
Now with large monasteries in their name
Filled with golden treasures
I wonder how they would feel
Those who once cried out for people
To devote their lives to those less fortunate
And follow the call of Jesus to place their riches
In things that really matter & last
I wonder how they would feel
Finding themselves encased in golden paintings
I wonder
I see. I hear. I enjoy. I wonder. I hope. I thank.
Footnotes: Poetic & Not so Poetic Words
************************** Important not to the reader: If you're already over what we've written so far, and it's late at night & your eyes are drooping lower in their lids, and your already thinking about what you need to sort before work tomorrow & just remembered that you haven't made the kids lunches yet & that you have to take a plate for something on tomorrow night ..... don't read any further!
It contains many wordy words!
****************************
Island Senses: I hear, I See, I WonderThoughts from the journey from Athens to the Island of Patmos
I see
I see Athens Piraeus E1 terminal.
Tents, many tents, green and blue
Two large and white.
Many small and dome
Crammed into every shady cavity
Encircling the ferry office.
Under every tree
Sweltering openly on the asphalt
E1
I see many things at odds
At odds with the luxury inside this ship.
At odds with the harsh industrial port
At odds with the unrelenting mid-day heat
I see children creating games
With large plastic pipes & balls
I see a lone girl skipping
I see a pram
I see uncertainty and hope intertwined
But I also stand at a distance
Unsure of their stories
Only guessing
I see fellow humans needing respect.
Knowing it's too easy to gawk on -
With an intellectual curiosity.
Gazing from my ship
About to disappear
For an island holiday
I see you, fellow human, and
I wonder
.............................................
I hear
I hear the distant tinkling of goat bells
Nimbly traversing rocky ridges
As they are herded on
I hear roosters crowing
I hear waves
Consistent in their coming, yet inconsistent in their rhythm
What I hear is calming
I hear
I see
I see rocky walls, fashioned over the centuries
Scaling steep ridges
Dividing gentle slopes
Weathered
Grey and brown
I see a distant whitewashed chapel
Solitary on the grassy green island hillside
Vibrantly separated by the blue-green waters
Waters inviting in the warm sun.
I see ancient paths.
Paths to hillside houses & monasteries
Weathered rocks, smoothed over the ages
Now overgrown.
I wonder how these were used
In times gone by in ancient Patmos
I see and I wonder
I wonder
I wonder how ancient leaders
Who once devoted their lives to fishing.
Now with large monasteries in their name
Filled with golden treasures
I wonder how they would feel
Those who once cried out for people
To devote their lives to those less fortunate
And follow the call of Jesus to place their riches
In things that really matter & last
I wonder how they would feel
Finding themselves encased in golden paintings
I wonder
I see. I hear. I enjoy. I wonder. I hope. I thank.
