Year: 2005

Having got our domestic chores out of the way, we set off to enjoy the sights and smells of ancient Konstantinople (as the Greeks still call it!). Sedef acted as the tour guide and interpreter, and Nic acted as the official taster in every food stall! We were miffed to […]

The road to Istanbul proved to be a real trial on our nerves and muscles: the quiet provincial road turned into a two lane heavily used main road with speeding lorries, series of ramps, and ever increasing headwind as we approached Istanbul. Progress slowed the nearer we got to Istanbul […]

Our departure from Greece wouldn’t have been complete without a biblical flood! We woke up in the early hours of the morning with rain hammering on the tent and the sound of ferocious splashing of waves what sounded like a few meters away. So we did the brave thing…and went […]

Well it’s the final curtain call tonight for the Greek part of our trip – one more chance to get a Galaktoboureko or seven! Shame, just as our Greek is getting up to scratch and we can almost decipher the Greek lettering!! Last night we spent the evening in a […]

…as the song goes! :-p The beginning of the day led us from Verai on the wrong road heading towards the motorway. Alas with all the new roads being built around Greece, the maps are not always up-to-date. Fortunately, Nic’s nose was primed and in full working order which saved […]

We came…We swore…We conquered! We knew from Anne Mustoe that Northern Greece was mountainous, though we didn’t quite realise just how mountainous it was!!! Even poreing over the map didn’t give us any clues. In fact we would say that it was harder than the Alps as we climbed over […]

The day started much like any other… pack up camp, check route while having breakfast and start climbing up another flipping hill. Then it subsided into pure, unadulterated heaving green envy, the type that wears tattered clothes and runs around the countryside wreaking havoc! It wasn’t really that bad, but […]

After a surprisingly easy ride into Bari on the Eastern shoreline of Italy, we found out that the ferry to Greece was leaving in 30 minutes! So executive decision time, should we go or continue to Brindisi and get the ferry! Well despite Sedef dragging Nic by the ankles and […]

With Nic’s gears still unfixed we started the third major mountain range of our trip: The Appenines that run down the length of Italy like a backbone. The climb was easier than we feared, alas there were few towns or areas to rest along the way. So every day we […]