Greece - Day One

The next morning, you are jolted awake by a loud noise. It sounds a bit like a strange scream. Sleepily, you peel yourself out of your sleeping bag and unzip your tent. A blue sky welcomes you and the temperature is already at a comfortable level. The sight that greets you makes you fall backwards into your tent. A few inches from your face, a Donkey stares at you. It lets out its distinctive cry a second time: "Eeeeey-Ooore!". The cute face combined with the loud cry makes you burst out laughing. Once you've calmed down, you grab your toiletries bag and clothes for the day and head for the washrooms.

On the way, you are greeted by a few other campers and politely return their greeting. You are pleased to find that the washrooms are bright and clean. After freshening up and changing, you take your things back to the tent and pack the most important items for your first outing into your bicycle bags. The donkey is still standing right next to your tent and you decide to try petting him. To your delight, he seems to have no problem with this and wiggles his ears happily. Finally, however, you say goodbye to him; after all, you still have a lot to do today.

You leisurely push your bike towards the reception, where you park it for a moment. You enter the building and are greeted again by the young woman from the previous evening. She introduces herself as Nefeli Papadopoulos and the young man she is holding in her arms again today as Aggelos. You chat for a while in English before asking where you can get breakfast nearby. Nefeli takes out a map and shows you where to find the nearest bakery. Before you leave, she recommends to get some bougatsa. You have no idea what she's talking about, but you try to remember the name.

by Leijona

Back outside, you switch on your bike's satnav and select today's route. But first, you make a detour to the bakery. Fortunately, the young salesman here also speaks English, so you order a cheese-filled bougatsa from him. The Greek speciality tastes really delicious and you make a mental note to thank Nefali later. And then you finally get going and set off on your first tour of the island.

There is no specific destination for today's trip. Instead, you have planned a round trip that will hopefully take you past beautiful landscapes that invite you to take endless photos. And your expectations will not be disappointed. Your journey takes you along solid gravel roads past vineyards and olive groves. The sun is high in the sky, bathing the landscape in a warm, golden light. The air smells of a mixture of the sea and oregano, which grows wild everywhere. The only sounds accompanying you are the crunch of tyres on gravel and the chirping of birds.

by Leijona

You have been riding for some time when you pass another of the many olive groves. To take a few photos, you get off your bike, unpack your camera and start looking for interesting motives. While you are taking another photo, an elderly man approaches you. Slowly, slightly bent over, but smiling, he comes towards you. You greet him politely with one of the few phrases you learned before your trip. Then he speaks to you in Greek, but unfortunately you don't understand what he wants from you. You look at him questioningly and shrug your shoulders. Just as you are about to leave, he suddenly continues speaking, turning half away from you but beckoning you to come closer. You take a step towards him and he continues in the direction he came from, steadily beckoning you. After a moment's hesitation, you decide to follow the old man.

You two approach a cute old house that radiates warmth and cosiness. An old woman, surely the man's wife, is sitting in front of it. The two exchange a few words across the yard before the man continues towards a second building that you would describe as a barn. He turns around briefly to see if you are still following him. Then he opens one half of the large double gate and motions for you to go inside. Hesitantly, you lean forward and peer into the darkness before venturing inside. Meanwhile, the man, presumably the owner of the farm, opens the other side of the gate, and more and more light floods into the room. The sight that meets your eyes astonishes you, as you have never seen anything like it in real life before. An old oil press stands before you, which appears to still be in use. You raise your camera and take a few more pictures. The man explains to you how to make olive oil with the equipment. As he speaks, he supports his explanations, which you naturally do not understand, with his gestures. Fascinated, you listen to his remarks.

Before you set off again, you gesticulate wildly and try to make the man understand that you want to take a picture of him in front of the oil press. It takes a moment for him to understand what you want from him. But then he calls his wife, who slowly gets up and shuffles leisurely across the courtyard. The two of them stand side by side in front of the mill and he lovingly puts his arm around her shoulders. They smile at you and you press the shutter button a few times. Then you thank them, shake both their hands and make your way back to your bike. You are sure that this experience will remain in your memory for a long time to come.

On the way back, you continue to take in the impressions of the beautiful, mostly deserted landscape. After a short stop at a small supermarket to pick up something for your evening meal, you head back to the campsite. The sun is slowly setting and you take advantage of the last rays of sunshine to cook your meal while it's still light outside, before settling down in your sleeping bag with a good book. You don't read for long, because it's been an exhausting day and sleep soon overtakes you. You need it, too, so that you can tackle another eventful day tomorrow.