Winter break 2022 - Crete/Greece

The Methana Peninsula and especially the village of the same name seems to be a very satisfied but abandoned and forgotten holiday destination.

Not pandering, not advertising, not craving for beauty. Slightly neglected for the masses. Old hotel facilities from different decades of the last century testify that this place was once popular for spending the summer break here.

Many times silence can be heard. Not just for moments. A first arrival after months of being on the road.

Initially, we spend the days sleeping a lot and later exploring the long-extinguished but still active volcano mountains in the area. The paths and roads we use are almost completely deserted. Truly a paradise!

From here, a ferry will take us to Piraeus, the port city near Athens, after two weeks. Initially, it's not quite clear if and when such a ferry even operates. The ferry office probably opens one afternoon a week - that's what we hear. And so it is.

The large ship finally takes us to an almost different world in just under three hours. The contrast after two weeks in this idyll is enormous. However, what we have learned in recent months is to be flexible.

Athens itself is not very bicycle-friendly, but compared to Vienna, the motorized road users are true sunbeams.

Within the city, we dive into a different world again at the Nubian Hostel - here we sleep in a 4-bed room. Travelers from different countries, with different goals and from different generations come together here and share excerpts of their lives and their travels with each other. The insights are refreshing, touching, bizarre, and inspiring.

Our bikes receive extensive service at the Rohloff Fachwerkstätte - Action 3. The main reason for our stay in the big city. After thousands of kilometers, there is a lot to readjust and replace.

And what about us? If we can detach ourselves from the microcosm of the hostel, we indulge in a bit of culture. In addition to sightseeing, we of course also visit the Acropolis and join the amazed observers.

Once again, I am overwhelmed to see what was made possible thousands of years ago.

The highlight of this week is (apart from perfectly maintained bicycles) a concert by the wonderful band The Tiger Lillies. The three Brits happen to be performing in the city and we manage to get affordable tickets. We enjoy live music and nightlife.

After 7 days, we are full of hustle and bustle and conversation and look forward to moving on. Besides, a city stay always puts a hole in the wallet…

A night ferry takes us to the Island of Crete on November 21st.

So we have now reached our goal for 2022!

In the city of Chania, in the northwest of the island, we have rented a small apartment for the next three months. Here we want to wait out the coldest time of the year and continue moving east in the spring.

The first week already feels very good. The weather has changed by now, rain passes through several times a week. But hey, we have a roof over our heads and stable walls!

Whether our original ideas will be realized in the new year depends somewhat on world events and on what insanities various old men in their roles as leaders decide to do.

So our journey with bike and tent will continue in March 2023 in various ways. We are curious which countries will be explored by bike next!