Monday, July 21, 2008

More cousinly hospitality

Well, we're on round three of our Greece 2008 bike tour, cycling up the island of Evia, which happens to be Greece's second largest after Crete.

We spent a couple of days trying to figure out which way to go and how, combining ferry, train and bike and finally came up with a solid plan. Of course the plan has changed now and will probably continue to evolve. More on that as our story unfolds.

The trip started with a ferry out of Athens. Well, not really Athens, but Rafina. Most ferries leave Piraeus, Athens' main port, but using this port would involve another unpleasant ride from my cousin George's little Oasis home on the east side of Athens through 38km of the battleground which are the streets of Athens. OK, it's not that bad. It's actually not bad at all, but if one can avoid it, one should.

So we cycled to Rafina, only 20km away and in the opposite direction from Athens. Rafina is also where another of my many wonderful cousins lives. Beautiful cheerful, always optimistic Evita is my mother's brother's daughter and I have many good memories of her from our visits to Greece when I was young(er). In classic Greek good form, Evita and her boyfriend Beat treated us to their exceptional hospitality, and we in turn can take credit for getting Evita out on her bike for a couple of short rides. Maybe it will turn into a good habit? I know you're reading Evita...

The next morning we took a short ferry ride over to Evia island, a somewhat overlooked Greek gem, and so very close to Athens. And so part three of our Greek adventure begins.

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