GREECE
My arrival in Bari, wrapped up my cycling in Europe. About 4,000 hard-earned km's I'd logged on the bike, and it was time to jump aboard a ferry to cross the Adriatic to Greece to party my ass off.
And that's precisely what I did.
Island Arrival
Awakening on the deck of a boat as it quietly approaches harbour at dawn are ethereal moments. The ones you always remember.
The Pink Palace
The overnight ferry brought us to the island of Corfu where a lady in a pink van called out to me, "Hey bike-man, you want to come to Pink Palace?" The reputation of this place had long preceded my arrival. "Sure," I said.
And perhaps as Greeks did centuries ago, hedonist debauchery and flat-out fun ensued for sunny-days on end. Booze cruises, cliff jumping, ATV rides, traditional Greek dancing & feasting. On Saturday's, everyone dons a pink toga for dinner and plates get smashed as traditional music plays and ouzo arrives by the bucketful. A place to be young & wild. Bacchus would be proud. Bring a spare liver.
Corfu
The Ionian island of Corfu (Kerkyra in Greek) derives its name from two powerful water deities: Poseidon, god of the sea, and Asopos, an important Greek mainland river.
After the booze-cruising and cliff jumping, several of us from the PP rented ATV's and crossed the island to Palaiokastritsa for a pint, then south to Giannades to explore the cypress groves.
Athens
An ancient city. World famous. Birthplace of the Olympics.
Acropolis, the Parthenon, Temple of Hephaestus, Temple of Olympian Zeus, the original Olympic Stadium.
Island Departure
The huge ferries that ply the waters of the Adriatic feel like refugee boats at times; people (like myself) slept on deck in the warm air as the gentle hum of the engines below moved us through the sea.
