Photo: Ralph at starting line in old Olympia
Mar 30, 1979 On the boat I read, talked to other travelers, and worried about my unchained bike in the hold. The only accommodations we had for the overnight trip were narrow cramped seats. I arrived in Patras very hungry and tired. The boat food prices were a ripoff and prices in Patras were also inflated. I checked into a $5 hotel for the night. The hotel owner suggested I first go south to Olympia rather than straight east to Athens.
Mar 31, 1979 At 7:30 AM I left Patras on a cool, sunny morning. I stopped at a small food shop for some breakfast. I approached the shopkeeper who had her back turned. She turned, saw my long hair and beard, and screamed. Gesturing, I assured her I meant her no harm and she good naturedly served me.
I had been warned that one must keep a close eye on Greek shopkeepers because they were likely to cheat you. So when I stopped later at a fruit stand I closely watched the shopkeeper weigh the two apples I selected. He should have charged me 15 drachma, but he charged me only 10. As I was leaving, he stopped me, and put a large tomato in my bag at no charge. Tomatoes are an expensive item.
For the entire 75 mile ride to Olympia, Greeks would wave at me and say hello. School kids exercizing in schoolyards would stop and wave and cheer. I arrived in Olympia at 3:15 PM and checked in at the youth hostel. 2 other Americans from the boat to Patras had taken the 11 AM train and arrived the same time as I. They were surprised to see me. I met a German biking from the opposite direction (Athens).
Photo: Bar owner Nik & wife
Apr 1, 1979 I went to the Orthodox Church service in the morning, but could not understand what was going on. The service was very slow and took 2 hours. I then toured the site of the original Olympics with an Australian couple, Greg and Cheryl. I also visited a couple of related museums.
Apr 2, 1979 Following an early morning rain, I left Olympia. Several times during the day I had to find shelter from the rain. Usually I used my plastic tent to drape over the bike and myself. I enjoyed spending part of the morning in a friendly caf bar. For lunch I had shish kabob at a small roadside restaurant. The owner had spent some time in Canada.
At 7 PM, after only 30 miles, I rolled into a small mountain village. A bar owner saw me and motioned me to stop. He offered me a meal and a bed to spend the night. In his bar I had a meal and a beer and ate with the local Greek Orthodox minister. The bar owner persisted in buying my large Swiss Army knife, until I explained it was a special gift. An old lady in the bar insisted I cut my hair.
Apr 3, 1979 It rained most of the morning. The bar owners wife cooked me a delicious pastry fried in olive oil and it looked like pancakes. The school teacher, who spoke English, came in during recess for drink of ouzo and some pancakes. I went for a walk in the village and came across a boy who invited me in for a bite to eat. He and his sister were learning English and tried it out on me. There was a photo of President Kennedy in the house.
I returned to the bar and got ready to leave, as the sun was shining. They wanted me to stay a few days, and then the skies started to rain again. The bar owners kids delighted reading my Greek-English phrase book.
The skies cleared again at 3 PM, so I said goodby and took to the road once again. The road wound up and up for 10 to 12 miles with many spectacular views into valleys and waterfalls. People leaning out the windows of passing buses would cheer me on. Much of the road had no guard rails and a descent down the mountainside would have been very swift.
Eventually I reached the summit at 4,000 feet. There were not trees at this elevation, only a few shrubs. As I started my descent, a sleet storm pelted me and continued down the mountain. While passing by a group of houses, a boy of about 10 with shaved head, saw me and ran into the nearest house. He had a panicked look on his face.
After a few more sleet storms I reached a town about 15 miles from Tripoli, but could not find a hotel. I was tired after 40 miles, so I rode a short distance outside the town and camped for the rainy night in a group of trees. I slept fitfully as dogs at nearby houses barked at me all night.
Map of Greece & Yugoslavia
