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Mystery Ride 2020 in Greece!

Sunday, October 25, 2020 | Domenico Schiano Moriello / Michael Kreuzmeir | Europe

Day 1 - Arrival in Athens

Welcome to Greece, the cradle of western culture! This year's Mystery Tour will be a discovery of this beautiful country. Where exactly are we going? Nobody knows except Rainer, our General Manager, so stay tuned and discover it with us day by day!

A little bit of inferiority complex during the transport!
Everything is ready!
Rainer doing the welcome briefing
The Crew!

Day 2 - Athens to Arachova

The first task today was be to get out of Athens, but fortunately our start hotel is located quite close to the highway, so that wasn't a big issue. Since around one third of the population of the whole country lives in the metropolitan area of Athens, once we got out of it the traffic magically disappeared and we could enjoy a wonderful ride along the northern shore of the gulf of Corinth. Beautiful mountains and great views of the blue sea, a tasty greek lunch and then we visited the Osios Loukas monastery, one of the most important monuments of Middle Byzantine architecture and art, listed also on UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. But this wonderful place was not the biggest highlight of the day, because after that we also stopped in Delphi, the second most important archeilogical site in Greece (after the Acropolis of Athens, of course!). In ancient times Delphy was considered the centre of the world and a sacred place for the God Apollo, son of Zeus, a place that attracted ancient pilgrims as it attracts tourists today!
After a visit of the ruins of the ancient city, we quickly reached our final destination for today, the winter resort town of Arachova. A nice walk and dinner in town today!

We got out of Athens...
First coffee break
Our host preparing greek coffee, it tastes almost as good as napolitan espresso!
At the Ossios Loukas Monastery, an enchanted place!
Inside one of the churches of the monastery
A warm day!
Kittens playing at the entrance of the Delphi archeological park
Ruins of the temple of Apollo
The theatre of Delphi, not a bad view at all!

Day 3 - Arachova to Kalivia

After the cultural highlights of yesterday, today we went definitely off the "beaten track", countless curves and road conditions "not always" perfect took us from the slopes of Mount Parnassus to the beautiful lake Plastiria, passing of course throug a lot of picturesque towns with their little churces... and not forgetting to enjoy a tasty lunch!

A nice young donkey having breakfast outside the hotel
Morning briefing
Coffee break
Cotton fields all around us
The road to the Smokovo lake!

Day 4 - Kalivia to Metsovo

One of Greece's most beautiful places was today's highlight, the famous Meteora monasteries, nested on top of giant rocks... what an incredible landscape! To reach there, there is a very comfortable highway, but of course we used the twisty mountain road, so we could also stop in Pyli and admire its 500 years old arched stone bridge on the river Portaikos, a perfect place for a picture and coffee break! After a tasty picnic lunch in Meteora, we finally headed to the winter resort town of Metsovo, where we are going to spend two nights. What are we going to do tomorrow? Stay tuned

Kristin was the first to climb the steep bridge of Pyli!
Simon is not afraid of heights!
Maybe I needed to turn on the flash of the camera...
Another break before reaching Meteora
Chef Michael was waiting for us!
Buffet is open, but keep social distance
Meteora from our picnic spot... not a bad view!
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Some action!
Other impressions of Meteora, really a unique place!

Day 5 - Restday in Metsovo

Fresh rolls from the bakery across the street at the coffee stop.
Just a little bit of rain.
Almost a group pictiure...
Now it worked!
Simon at the rim of the Vikos gorge.
A mystic view for a mystery tour!

Day 6 - Metsovo to Lefkada

What a great day! We left Metsovo in the morning with a temperature of 4 degrees and when we reached Lefkada it was summer again! Twisty tiny roads kept us busy all day long, leaving the mountain area and heading south we first had to climb one of the highest passes of the country (no cafe on its top!) and then slowly continue going downhill, through woods and almost isolated little towns, and we also visited an incredible little momastery, chieseled in the vertical rocks! Reaching the valley, we had lunch and finally headed to Lefkada, where we did a loop around the island before going to the hotel. Since its owner is a fan of Cuba, we enjoyed a cuban night with live music during dinner!

Ready to go, temperature 4 degrees!
Curvy roads!!
The monastery of Kipinas
On the path to the monastery
Learning to fly!
At our lunch spot
Greek salad for lunch, of course!
Apollo!
Last stop...
Dinner time
Cuban live music
Klaus and Günter

Day 7 - Lefkada to Vytina

Quite a long ride today, from the island of Lefkada to the centre of the Peloponnese, so we had to use the highway for some kilometres. A very nice ride along the ionian coast in the morning, and then we crossed the gulf of Corinth on the very modern Rion-Antirion bridge. Once we reached the Peloponnese, twisty tiny roads (the support van driver had a hard time!) took us finally to Vytina, but before that we also visited a rare (or maybe unique?) church built in a tree and another spectacular monastery chiseled in the rocks!

Yes, our hotel was located in a very tiny road!
First coffee break
The very modern Rion - Antirion bridge, connecting continental Greece to the Peloponnese near the city of Patras
This is the door of a church!
Interiors of the tree church
Lunch time
At the monastery
In Kalavryta, the monument dedicated to the mass murder happened during World War two, when the town was destroyed and all people killed by the nazis.
Boot beer!

Day 8 - Rest day in Vytina

Rest day? Well, not so much, it was a very full day! We rode from the heart of Peloponnese to its west coast, and the highligh todayt was the visit to the ruins of Olympia, a very important city in antiquity as well as the place where the ancient Olympic Games were held. We reached there in time for lunch and then visited the old city and the nearby archeological museum before riding back to Vytina. Do I need to mention that the all the roads today were very very twisty? Stay tuned, tomorrow we are heading to...

On the way to Moni Agiou Ioanni Prodromou, our first photo stop
Moni Agiou Ioanni Prodromou
Coffee break in Karitena
The ruins of the ancient city of Olympia
The stadium where the first Olympic games were held
The temple of Zeus. The statue of the God inside this temple was one of the seven wonders of antiquity
A wonderful mosaic floor
Inside the Archeological Museum
Last photo stop on the way back
A nice souvenir... or maybe the price for the first Edelweiss Games held today in Olympia!
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Day 9 - Vytina to Gerolimenas

Direction South! From the hearth of the Peloponnese we reached today its southern coast, passing by the modern city of Sparta, home of the spartans, and by Kalamata on the coast, famous for its black olives!

Arrived in Sparta
Our hotel for tonight has a wonderful location!

Day 10 - Gerolimenas to Agios Stefanos

A great ride through the southernmost part of the Peloponnese, we rode from one peninsula to another through breathtaking sceneries! We are in one of the southernmost areas of continental Europe, more or less at the same latitude of Tunisia, so you can imagine the nice temperatures even in this season. After a visit at the caves of Diros, we reached the Valtaki beach (also called shipwreck beach) where we also had lunch and then continued to our final destination, where we are spending the following two nights. Stay connected!!!

Pity that we have to leave this place!
Morning briefing
First photo stop
The caves of Diros
These caves are located by the coast and are part of an underground river, so we could navigate inside of them! Amazing!
At the Shipwreck beach, where we also had lunch...
Ordering lunch
A refreshing swim!
Marlene and Klaus relaxing
The bikes were safe with this parking attendant!
Last coffee break at the Archaggelos beach
Gerda and Stefan chose the best spot!
Direction Neapoli??? So cool!!!

Day 11 - Rest day in Agios Stefanos

Time to relax a little bit: a short ride on our motorcycles in the morning, lunch at the hotel and a drive (by taxi!) to the beautiful village of Momemvasia in the afternoon. Back in the hotel, again a wonderful dinner was awaiting us! Enjoy the many pictures for today!

Isn't our hotel gorgeous?
Photo stop
Marlene and Klaus
Coffee break in Neapoli!
Back in the hotel for lunch
Yummy!
At the gate of Monemvasia. The town, nicknamed the Gibraltar of the East, was once a powerful fortress as you can see from its walls. It is located on a small island off the coast and is linked to the mainland by a short causeway. The walls and many Byzantine churches remain from the medieval period. This town's name derives from two Greek words, mone and emvasia, meaning "single entrance".
Visiting this enchanting village
So charming!
Gerda and Stefan
The village from above
Gaby and Rainer
Old old gate
Most of the streets are narrow and fit only for pedestrian and donkey traffic.
One inhabitant
Time to go back
Dinner also today...

Day 12 - Agios Stefanos to Nafplio

Another long ride today, along the eastern coast of the Peloponnese but also through the mountains, to see the Elona monastery, another monastery incredibly nested through the rocks! A quite strong rain in the morning, until lunch time, but after that the weather got better and we could enjoy the many curves until we reached Nafplio. Tonight dinner in town!

Let's go!
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The Elona monastery
The van has arrived in Nafplio
Enchanting view from our hotel
Nafplio by night
A good gelato after dinner!

Day 13 . Nafplio to Athens

The last day of our tour has arrived, time to ride back to Athens, but there are still a few more things to see and a few more curves to ride! Today's highlights were the ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, that could hold (and still holds) around fourteenthousand spectators, and the Canal of Corinth, that cuts the "narrow" piece of land (6 kilometres) where Peloponnese is attached to mainland Greece. After that, to reach Athens, we used the highway to avoid the traffic of Greece's biggest city. Time to return our bikes and get ready for our last dinner together. What a beautiful trip through Greece, this country really amazed us with its immense cultural heritage, its people, its untouched landscapes and also its delicious food! See you hopefully soon again, and let's keep fingers crossed that our Corona enemy will soon be defeated!

Morning briefing
The theatre of Epidaurus
This theatre, built around 2400 years ago, is huge and still incredibly well preserved.
Marlene
Simon and Gaby
Rainer and Klaus
Coffee break
At the Corinth Canal
This canal cuts the narrow isthmus that connects Peloponnese to mainland Greece, and connects the gulf of Corinth to the Aegean sea, to shorten the voyage from the Adriatic to Athens by around 200 nautical miles!
Our final hotel
Goodbye everybody!!!
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Add a comment Rate this post
Rahul Pardhan
Wednesday, December 16, 2020 at 14:54

Greece is wonderful place to go out on a ride. Great post I enjoyed it a lot. Keep posting.
joystarbike
Friday, December 11, 2020 at 09:59

Very good article, thank you for sharing. Very good travel log. Makes me want to go out for a ride.
Roman
Tuesday, October 20, 2020 at 13:34

Hello, just testing comments
Von Waldburg Gabriele
Friday, October 16, 2020 at 20:36

Liebe Gerda
Bitte organisiere die Mystery Weinflache für Rainer in meinem Namen !
Damit das Weingeheimnis die Erinnerungen an jede Mystery Tour wach hält
Gute Fahrt
Gaby
Markus Hellrigl
Tuesday, October 13, 2020 at 08:31

....auch mein Herz blutet
Ich wünsche euch viel Spaß in meinem so geliebten Griechenland. Es ist schön, auf eueren Fotos Plätze und Straßen wiederzuerkennen, welche schon früher Teil von EBT Touren waren.
Καλό ταξίδι και παραμείνετε υγιείς!
Liebe Grüße, Markus
Manuel Marabese
Monday, October 12, 2020 at 14:23

Viel Spaß auf Tour! Die zwei echte Tour Guides sind sicher gut! :P
Der Rookie ist aber auch nicht so schlecht!
Have a safe ride!
Alfredo Malo
Sunday, October 11, 2020 at 16:33

Liebe Freunde:
Gaby, Gerda, Marlene, Klaus, Rainer, Stefan.
Unsere besten Wünsche für eine freudige und sichere Tour.
Wir werden es vermissen, jeden Tag mit euch zu fahren.
Wir bitten Zeus, unseren Zentaurenkollegen schönes Wetter und gute Straßen zu bringen.
Große Umarmung an alle.
Martha & Alfredo
Stefan Lebeta
Tuesday, October 13, 2020 at 11:48

Hi Alfredo, we miss you too. It‘s a very nice trip.
Best wishes to you and Martha.
Gerda & Stefan
Alfredo Malo
Tuesday, October 13, 2020 at 18:13

#1 !!

Alfredo Malo
Sunday, October 11, 2020 at 16:28

Lieve vrienden:
Gaby, Gerda, Marlene, Klaus, Rainer, Stefan.
Onze beste wensen voor een vreugdevolle en veilige tour.
We zullen elke dag het rijden met jullie missen.
We vragen Zeus om mooi weer en geweldige wegen naar onze mede-centaurs te brengen.
Dikke knuffel voor iedereen.
Alfredo
Alfredo Malo
Sunday, October 11, 2020 at 16:34

Entschuldigung, falsche Sprache im Google Übersetzer.
Martha
Sunday, October 11, 2020 at 14:30

Hi! I would like to be there enjoying with you! But thanks for sharing the photos, through them we accompany you. I send a big hug to Gaby, Rainer, Gerda,Stephan,Marlene, Carl and Michael.
Walter Frank
Sunday, October 11, 2020 at 05:01

Hallo Gaby, Rainer, Gerda ,Stefan u. alle sonstigen Mystery Kumpels,
im Bedauern, nicht selbst dabei zu sein, wünsche ich Euch auf dieser tollen Tour viel Freude, Spaß und auch ein starkes Feeling für die griechische Geschichte und Götterwelt.
Walter
Stefan
Tuesday, October 13, 2020 at 11:52

Hallo Walter, bis jetzt eine super Tour - und es wird noch besser.
Claudia - Nicole Wenhart
Saturday, October 10, 2020 at 23:45

Hallo zusammen,
ich wünsche Euch eine tolle Mystery Tour in diesen „verrückten“ Zeiten, genießt die Landschaft und die Kultur fremder Länder. Gute Fahrt, vor allem viel Spaß und kulinarische Highlights.
Liebe Grüße
Claudia
Von Waldburg Gabriele
Saturday, October 10, 2020 at 21:56

Liebe Gerda, Stefan , Gaby und Rainer
Mein Herz blutet ...
Stefan : kannst Du überhaupt fahren ohne meine Bremsleuchten zu sehen ??
Gerda ; bitte organisiere in meinem Namen die Mystery Weinflasche für Rainer !!!
Euch allen eine gute Fahrt , viel Spass und alles Liebe
Gaby 931
Stefan
Tuesday, October 13, 2020 at 12:03

Hallo Gaby, schade, dass du nicht bei uns sein kannst. Super Gegend, super Essen, super Hotels, super Straßen inkl. weggeschwemmte Brücken und sonstigen Offroad-Einlagen.
Mit einem Wort- it‘s Rainer - as we know.
Lg Gerda & Stefan


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