Bike Fix
...and Test Ride
3rd May - 6th May | 2023
The next morning I took it easy, especially as it was all night raining, continuing in the morning. As the parts were only expected by lunchtime, I left close to that time the hotel. I had a stroll through the town to find a Vodafone shop to get a local SIM card for internet usage. For a change it was sunny! While I had a nice cafe they called me from the garage that the parts are delayed, so it would be only after lunch break; about 17h30. So I went back to the hotel and carried on editing my first video from the trip, about Albania.
Later that afternoon I went to the garage and as I was nearly there they called me to tell me my bike was already finished. Wow, that was fast then!
And yes, my bike is ready, purrs like a cat again! So it was this inner rubber vacuum hose! They have been fitted wrongly and so they easily wear off. Actually, since I had my back from the overhaul I always said to James, this is not my bike, it sounds so different. As it was just back, I didn't try to identify where the difference is coming from; I should have done better! The good news is it is NOT the fuel pump!
As it was already late, we decided I will pick up the bike the next morning for a test ride.
I realised I am not far away from the area of the monasteries of Meteora, so I decided to extend my stay in the hotel for one more night. Also, if it is still the fuel pump or another issue occurs, I am "sorted". Done! So test ride will be tomorrow to Meteora, which is a good 120km away ;-)
The next morning, it was raining, raining, raining. Bravo, the best conditions for the test ride of Schimmelchen and actually the Rukka clothes. I left Ioannina over the winding road along the lake towards the mountains. I got a recommendation for some mountain passes looping off the main road. As my bike sounded like it is supposed to sound, I even enjoyed riding in the rain! Unfortunately, it was so dense clouds up at 1700m on Col de Katara that I could see nothing beyond 50m! Pity!
Arriving in the area of Meteora it stopped raining! How cool is that! And then the view, the sudden appearance of these rock formations! That is so surreal all! And then some centuries ago some monks decided to build their monasteries up on top! This is really amazing! I had to stop after each bend for pictures!! At the last monastery I stopped for pictures I met a family from Cologne; how cool is that? We had so much fun talking; they are also into bikes and riding. I hope to meet at the end of the year in Cologne for a Kölsch to catch up!
On the way back it started raining again. At about 19h00 I finally arrived back at the garage, to give Pavlos (google map: https://goo.gl/maps/wetWgRhSbktfwbbh7?coh=178571&entry=tt ) a thumbs up! What a great job he did!! And as I had nothing to eat since breakfast I went again to the nice restaurant Didoni (google map: https://goo.gl/maps/5yuykryY7B4MUDTo8?coh=178571&entry=tt ) next door. They have so tasty freshly made dishes!
Back at the hotel, I started to pack the soft panniers already for tomorrow morning and then it didn’t take me long to hit the pillow. However, now I have to make a plan for my next steps and I have to get finally into a travel rhythm. On the other side, I felt so relieved about my bike that only then I realised how tense these past days were, even though I had these days off at the beach. I decided to stay two nights at the coast, to get myself organised. And again I am so behind all my "office" stuff, especially the blog.
The next morning, I battled again with the security pins of the panniers! I would say, this is not a really women-friendly design! I stood there in my own sweat already at 9am in only 12C - how will that be in the heat!?!
By 11am I was finally en route towards a tiny mountain monastery called "Holy Kipinas Monastery". What a road! Switchback after switchback - google said 2 hours for 60km! Amazing! Every bend you could stop to take a picture! What a panorama: gorges, snow-capped mountains and lush green around!
Arriving at the monastery I bumped into Marko, a German guy (actually from the Eifel, the area of my youth) with his KTM 790 on his way to Turkey and Georgia for the next 6 weeks. Marko, war cool mit Dir geschnackt zu haben! Hab eine gute Reise, und vielleicht kommst Du ja mal an die Algarve!
After he left, I went into the tiny monastery. Really cute, but there was an open door to a cave, but it was so dark, not even my phone torch had any effect. As I didn’t know what I would expect, I missed it. After I found out that there is a 240 m-long cave with stalactites and stalagmites.
Carrying these lovely tiny mountain roads I pumped into a group of bikers that had stopped at a bridge over a pretty big river. It turned out that they were all from Kuwait, with their bikes. How cool is that! We were talking, well actually most of the time laughing. They are travelling for 4 weeks around. Really cool! I hope to see them again in November when I should be travelling/visiting their home country - Inshallah!
Late in the afternoon, I drove through rolling green hills into the flat area of the beach of Kanali. I checked into my little apartment, close to the beach. On my way to the supermarket, I passed a little beauty salon and as I am due for a pedicure I decided my feet could do with some pampering :-) So tomorrow my feet will get a treat!
The next morning it took me really long to wake up as I was really tired. Finally, out of bed, I had a nice stroll along the seafront and back at my apartment I watched the crowning ceremony during my breakfast. After that it was "attacking" my computer to get the blog ready, download GoPro footage (I think the videos will be a job for the winter!) answer emails, etc ... and finally have my pedicure. That was a very popular salon, as it seems to be a bit of a meeting point for the girls. Like that, the rest day passed far too fast.
Let's discover some of the islands in the next blog! As I have no plan for what my next steps are, I hope you find it interesting. If you would like to comment, please feel free to contact me.
Places | Cities:
GREECE:
Ioannina, Meteora, Kanali.
Driven km | Trip:
Total | Steffi: 4155 km
Information Border Crossings (in May 2023):
./.
Maintenance | Breakdown:
./.
Health issues:
./.
Special thanks to:
Pavlos (google map: https://goo.gl/maps/HtpRfuTbLwKnkGfs5?coh=178571&entry=tt) fixing my bike!
Greece having such an awesome landscape!