England, what do I make of it

I awake....

In a room that I call mine but its just a rented studenty property that looks like a million others in Oxford. Its 7am on a sunday and I have no food in the house and feel like shit. I get up and take my washing out that I put on, hang it out in the freezing cold and put another load on. I make a coffee using the rubbish pot of instant I bought in Greece in some desperate dash for nostalgia. I have been drinking beer and Ouzo all night at Jamie's house. I could hardly help but decide to get up and write something.

Riding off the ferry was probably one of the most strange experiences yet. For a start I have to drift over to the left, along with adjusting to the fact that I understand the road signs. As we rode up the A2 I felt nothing from the other drivers, as our GB stickers were no longer unique, funny or out of the ordinary.

I begin to feel unusual.

We are trundling along at our usual pace of 40mph but it doesn't feel right, some people are angry. I decide to pull over at a petrol station to fill up my back tyre. I've had a slow puncture for about 5 days so its pretty imperative. Here's why I hate the air machine I found myself with:

a) It costs 20p for 2 minutes. Anywhere else in Europe its free, regardless of your other purchases.
b) Its overly complicated. You have to set it to the amount of PSI you want and it does it automatically. Why? Can people not let air in and out until its as they require?
c) Its obviously not built for a C90 as I can't get the thing onto the valve within the 2 minutes, thus I lose 20p and have to pay again.

So...I kick the machine like a little frustrated child and call it various obscenities. Bon tells me I should have thought about how to get the nozzle on previous to paying, my response is equally childish as I tell him to f**k off (sorry Bon, we're all hurting).

We ride on. I can't help but notice the colossal amount of speed limit signs. We ride through smaller towns and absolutely everywhere, I mean everywhere, there are speed cameras telling you that you are getting a fine and you are doing wrong. I realise that my every move could cause me to get some sort of ticket.

As we come into London we pull into a sort of gated community driveway thing so have a quick stop and chat, there is a sign:
"Private property. By parking here you are agreeing to pay a £60 fine as it is now within your knowledge that this is private property"....or something to that effect. There are little pictures of video cameras everywhere and notices saying that the police monitor the traffic flow in the area. I feel totally at a loss. I can no longer cut across things or whizz up a one way road the wrong way just for a second, or ride on the pavement for absolute fear that I will be prosecuted. I feel more restricted here that all those places where I didn't even speak the language.

I continue to act like a total baby. I remember the ride down to Dover when some chav prick threw a magazine out a car window at Bon and it drives me to fury. I jump to a million conclusions and decide I hate England. On my arrival home Aiden (my housemate) tells me that the only thing worth noting is that somebody tried to steal his bike. Tom woke up (was staying in my room) so they fled but they cracked one of my bedroom windows on their exit.

Why can I leave a C90 with stuff strapped all over it with the keys in the ignition in Greece for as long as I please? Nobody would ever bother to steal it.

Jamie even said as we met him yesterday "remember to lock your bikes up lads, we're not in Greece now this place is full of pricks"

What's going on?

This is a right old whinge but I'm really really upset....the adventure is over.

Liam

Amiens....again

Right....very quick one because were back at our very first campsite on the whole of C90 dreams! Its come full circle and feels pretty weird. Our ferry is booked for Saturday....Jamie get the beers in mate!!!! Well be back about 4 or 5.

Lots to tell but this keyboard is a nightmare; it shall havt to wait!

zzzzz

all I'm able to say is that I'm more tired than I can remember ever being.... but it's been a properly ace 24 hours. Liam summed it up pretty well..
Progress has been good.
The petrol station was hillarious.
This morning was cold, but excellent.
The old bloke who ferried me round today is a good old boy.
Turin is nice.
Tomorrow will be more of the same...

Bon

Italy, ferries and road doggery....

Well....

Holding back tears from just watching Jamie's video (thank you for finding that tune) just then and reading his beautiful outro from his perspective...I now write to you from the perspective of myself and Bon.

I am sitting in a room in Torino (Turin, Italy) after a very early and interesting morning, but let me give you a quick run down. Obviously you know Jamie has now flown home. Bon and I toasted a can of Mythos to him that night sitting on our outside table of the hotel room and tried to hold it together. We busied ourselves for the next couple of days (the wind park is amazing Jamie, gutted you weren't there) in Milos and then got on the boat back to Piraues. After a hairy re-entry into Athens-ish mental nutcase driving land we found an overpriced campsite and settled. The next day we got to Patra in good time and boarded our ferry to Ancona Italy (nothing much happened other than a lot of sleep on the deck in sleeping bags).

The morning that we arrived we rode like the dogs we have become to Piacenza, loads and loads of miles. A slight shock from the usual lack of helmets, t-shirts and sunglasses as we get treated to torrents of rain. Rain that lasted for hours and hours and pummeled us worse than any other weather conditions yet. Oh how we laughed at the situation we found ourselves in, both of us admitting to individual dialogues within our crash helmets asking ourselves what the hell we were doing. When we arrived at our destination a hostel was promised from this land of sunglasses, stylish 14 year olds and loads and loads of money (it seems)...but the hostel did not deliver...it was full.

So we took some initiative while filling up with petrol at about 19.30 hours. There is nobody around and the obvious choice is to hunker down behind the petrol station over looking a prison, fuel ourselves with food and beer and wait for nightfall. When dark enough we set up a tent and chuck a sheet over the bikes. We're in our sleeping bags by 21.30 hours and just decide to get a super early night in our concrete hotel room and get up super early and bugger off.

Success! We wake up and get everything packed back up for absolutely no cash! We are however, freezing our nuts off. We ride off towards Torino (where we now reside in a more than comfortable hostel) in pitch black with rubbish C90 headlights and fog as thick as that cloud we rode through in the alps. No improvements in the weather until about 11.00....nightmare, wet and freezing again. During this journey the second ever technical problem occured as the fuse in Bon's battery popped without reason. It was yet another affirmation of humans in general as some local guy (knocked on his door) drove Bon to a local garage to find another only to find it closed. Some other locals were then involved and more garbled Italian/English/Sign language insued. It ended up with a tin foil improv session and away we went!

Torino (Turin) is massive, grand and huge all at once.

More updates to come....

Sorry this one was so factual but I had to cover a lot of ground. Jamie needs an update so I hope I delivered!

C90 Dreams

Some photo's from our c90 journey.

leaving Milos without C90

Smoking a cigarette on the deck of the ferry watching as Milos disappears in to the distance.

I'm at the end of an adventure, I'm no longer a road dog with my trusty C90 motorbike, I'm like everyone else here, a tourist on my way home after a weeks holiday on a Greek island. maybe I always was a tourist, but with a motorbike carrying your belongings and a map you can go anywhere, anytime, you are free to do what you want. You don't stand in line having your passport checked. I have been through England, France, over the Alps, Switzerland, Italy and Greece. No one looked at my passport, people waved me through borders. When I get to the Airport I will be back in the system, I'll be in line and I'll have my bottle of water taken away from me for my safety. 

I hadn't realised what an impact this trip had made on me until it was over.

I'd spoken to Liam about how easy it had seemed, both of us expecting the hardship to teach us something about ourselves and the world. what ever I have learnt is far more subtle and gentle than I'd imagined. 

 

I don't think this trip was difficult it just wasn't easy.

it took us a little over 2 weeks to get to Greece from Oxford on our little pizza bikes, it will take 3-4 hours for me to get back to England on a plane.

This trip has helped me understand and love the journey as much as the destination. Moving through beautiful landscapes and scenery, crossing countries the old way, taking time. It's an excellent way to travel and i can't remember feeling more connected with the world.

Jamie

Departure of a dreamer

Off goes Jamie today on the ferry to Piraeus. A weird moment as he films us ride off on our steeds away from the port and back to our now familiar temporary home on Milos. His bike probably being dismantled as we speak, he'll probably fill you in on that.

Its sad and the apartment seems quite empty just two of us, but we toast some cans of Mythos to that chap with the doom blue C90 and eat a simple meal of pasta with tomatoes, cheese and olive oil. Wednesday we ride like dogs across Greece again, back to Patra for (hopefully) a Thursday ferry to Ancona, Italy. Then our stamina will have to show its face as we pummel our behinds for about two weeks straight.

We are a man and a C90 down...

but we must push on....

must find a new home for C90

When we started this journey we all wanted the same sort of thing, we wanted to quit jobs that left us no time to do anything, and we wanted space to do something ridiculous and stupid, but most of all we wanted to ride Little Honda C90's (chicken chasers,steppy's,pizza bikes) from Oxford to Greece.

Well we've done that. We got here. And now because it's the end of the journey for me I've become a little distracted.
I've only ever thought about riding to Greece, I've never thought about riding home, so this is it.
Also my relationship with my bike has changed. I've been trying to sell it here in Milos so I can fly home, but everyone I approach about possibly buying it treats me with suspicion. One guy thought I'd rented it and was trying to sell it. People don't believe I rode it here.

I could think of no better home for C90 than on a Greek Island, I think it would be a good place for my tired old Knowledge bike from sussex to spend his twilight years.
People use stuff out here, I met this guy the other day with a beaten up old German bike.
I chatted with him about it, he informed me that he'd had it for 40 years! I asked him if it ever broke down, he simply answered "often" and smiled. That's it though people know how things work out here, if things break they fix them and get on with it, maybe for 40 years or more.

Anyway I must stop thinking about the end of things go outside and ride C90 to another beach.

laters

Greek Coffee

I sit in a touristy restaurant overlooking the sea. Tied up boats are bobbing on the water, though it is eerily calm for the most part. The chap comes over suspiciously, the place is all but dead apart from some Greek guys talking/shouting over some Frappe's and a shiny red English couple who don't seem to enjoy each others company that much, they are silent.

I order the cheapest coffee on the menu, a Greek coffee at 1 Euro 50. He asks if I mean a Frappe rather than a Greek coffee but I say "no thanks, a Greek coffee for me". It turns up in a little miniature bronze bedpan with a glass of water and a little almondy biscuit....yummy! I pour some out and sip it down, its thick, grainy and sweet which is why they have iced water with it, its sort of like a hot adults slush puppy. The biscuit and thick strong coffee combo is great but sends my head whizzing within seconds.

I sort of started thinking about Greece, its history and its present. Historically of course it was one of the most advanced civilizations in history, and brought us much of the basis not only for philosophy and ethical theory but also modern science. Many values determined by Plato and Aristotle have (in whatever capacity) influenced the way we Europeans live. It seems sort of weird that one of the the primary industry's in Greece today is tourism, often from the English or the Germans for some reason. We all know this but occasionally it surprises you when a 12 year old working in a market on an island miles away from England goes "thank you have a nice holiday!" and stuff like that.

The relaxed attitude to law in Greece in the present smacks of Aristotle's virtue ethics (wont go into why) and I sort of buy into it. To be perfectly honest I sort of enjoy riding around with no helmet, up streets the wrong way, having a cold beer with my lunch and riding down dirt tracks to get to some beach with no designated parking. There are elements we can learn a lot from as the English, that nation who will lie down (as Jamie would put it) to the law at the wave of a hand. There are laws here to wear crash helmets, obide by speed limits and not smoke in public buildings but honestly...nobody cares, they all do it anyway and Johnny law ignores it unless its an extreme case. There seems to be a trust to be responsible when its required which I like. It seems like a way of life that allows more freedom, more choice. Ryan, Efi and Eddie who all live and work in Athens report no problems with binge drinking and absolutely no problems with fighting, the height of confrontation being short shouting matches.

Make what you will of the comparison between Ancient Greece and Greece today, I dunno because I am just a tourist. Might pop to the bakery in a mo for a Spanikopida (spelling?), but they might call it a 'cheese and spinach pie' to me, what can I say.

There is however, something right here even if I can't quite put my finger on it yet.

Milos, general thoughts

We have arrived here on the island of Milos.

Our mission statement if you've read it says that we are riding to the island of Tinos, which is not far from here but let me explain.

We were aiming for Tinos to see some friends and possibly have a great big Greek party. We had a bit of an awakening after coming over the alps that this was not going to happen as they would already been on their return trip to Oxford by the time we arrived. The map was slung out on the floor and we discussed how possible it would have been to arrive before the 5th or 6th of September. The blow was that we were only about half way to Greece by this point and it would have been a handshake while passing through, which is not enough to smash plates, drink ouzo and dance. Dissapointed, we discussed other options.

Ryan and Efi had given us some great advice about other islands in the Cyclades and told us of the natural beauty and great beaches of Milos. They were not wrong. Its a tiny little island built for burning about on a C90 and eating Greek salads. The place is amazing. There are natural hot springs, amazing beaches, fantastic volcanic views, thrashing oceans one side and calm fish filled shallows on another. We shall stay for a week.

It feel very different doing something like this. Are we adventurers? Holiday makers? Idiots? Or have we done something more personally rewarding than any trip/holiday altogether? Not only do I feel a personal change since arriving on a paradise island (healthier, relaxed, some perspective gained) but also a sense of time and space that can be taken for granted in the hum drum of normal life. We have been through English and French countryside, sraight over the alps (including riding through a cloud), through extremely hairy Italian roads, boarded ferry's, through smokey cities, quiet villages and now on an island where finally nobody bats an eyelid at you ragging an old pizza bike around.

The important and most significant thing is that we have not stopped moving, we have never really arrived. Its all part of a process that you learn to enjoy all of, despite its highs and lows.

Bon and I must now plan our return, which I am already excited about as mad as it sounds. Jamie will have to bid us goodbye on Tuesday to catch a flight. This will mean our team is one down and a friend is no longer involved in the adventure, a prospect that is quite upsetting. The journey is over but in another way its only half way through.

Athens

Athens

We spent 2 nights in Athens and one and a half great days, largely due to the efforts of our hosts Efi &Ryan.
They put us up at their apartment fed us gave us beers, were generous and interested in our trip.
and took time to show us some cool spots around the city.

It was the first time we had been in a house since the first day of our journey, and it was strange not to be planning the following days route.

Italy-Greece-Athens

Where to start?

It's been a good few days since we left Italy and arrived in Greece.
We arrived in style via a 20 hour ferry journey, passing up the cabin option and taking the sleep outside on the deck option instead.

On arrival to Greece we purchased a map and spoke to some guy for directions to Athens. He was a warm and friendly chap who congratulated us on our trip across europe and pointed us in the direction of the old smaller road.

We set off riding through town and our bikes immediatly felt at home on the dusty cracked roads. It was also the first time on our trip that we had seen other Honda C90's, they were everywhere..

We rode round the coast road and found a beautiful campsite pitching our tent about 20 meters from the shore. We swam washed filthy clothes and later drank a few beers with our meal of tined mackerel. The sound of the waves and the stars over head soothed away the 2 weeks of riding, and we sat and talked nonsense. We were chillin in Greece.

The following day we carried on round the coast road to Athens stopping to chat with an old guy in a cafe about his knackered old C50 which he insisted we tried.
I declined politely but was informed by Liam and Bon that the ride was entertaining and difficult to stop.

Our one bike problem so far occured as we approached Athens.

I had a blow out on the back tire. luckily it wasn't a puncture but a burst inner tube, probably brought on by the bumps and train tracks we had been riding over.
We pulled the bike to the side of the road under the shade of a tree and Bon went about masterfully taking the wheel off and changing the inner tube.
Half an hour later and we we're back on the road.

We pushed on to Athens and arrived around 5.30 ish outside the Acropolis.
There could be no doubt, we had definatley made it to Greece now.

laters I've got to go swimming
Jamie

Greece

You find us hunched over a computer from 1998 on a 'superfast' ferry from Ancona Italy to Patra, Greece.

Decoding the text from Greek is a bit of a chore but we can't shake the feeling that we on on the very edge of completing our Greek Odyssey of riding a C90 from Oxford England to Greece. We have encountered many different terrains, mountains and plains, nasty horrible roads, killer drivers and beautiful picturesque postcard scenes. We've met people in garages, at campsites, in supermarkets who have expressed doubt, praised our efforts or simply cheered us on (usually out of a car window or on another motorbike). While we are not actually there yet it is within touching distance (another 10 hours or so on this boat).

C90's only appear to need petrol and the odd oil top up to carry you 1800 miles.

Next time we speak to you we shall be in Greece unless we sink

Off to Geneva today....

Yo geezies,

We're on our way to Geneva and out of France, exciting since France is pretty massive. Its wet today tho, boooo.

seeya off for pastries and coffee