Diary 9 from 10 -12 / 06/2017
Fuzina camping near Venice, place familiar from previous trips, in all my recent travels, here is where I am waiting for the ferry to Greece.
A neat, clean place with a restaurant and a shop. In the shop you can even buy a ready-made sandwich.
At this camping there is a bus stop (buses in Venice are boats), but I have no strength to leave and travel to Venice.
Suddenly somebody calls Jack, it is my friend Kostas from Greece, camping near by in a tent with his wife, he was supposed to attend the meeting but said that the cost of 110 euros a night is expensive so did not participate.
I sat with him and Helen his wife and showed them pictures from the meeting, also exchanged gossips.
Mosquitoes eat me in this camping, right in the middle of cooking soup, came a car spraying anti mosquito gas, when they saw me cooking they stopped spraying in my area.
The spraying only strengthens the mosquitoes. For me a mosquito bite causes swelling and itching for 24 hours in the area.
Now I'm writing this journal on the ferry and still scratching.
To get rid of mosquitoes I left early at 8:30 to the offices of the ferry, the ferry is scheduled to sail at 12:00. There were about 10 motorcyclists. Immediately the motorcycle talk and exchange of experiences.
3 Frenchmen a bit younger than me with bicycles with engine just like it used to be 40 - 50 years ago. On their way to travel to Greece. One of them looked at my motorcycle and asked in French if I was ready to change bike with him. I answered in my little French that my wife would be very happy if I made the exchange. We connected the entire journey.
We had to board the ferry on a very steep ramp, three stories high, the French came up before me and I followed them, in order to get on the ramp I had to grab momentum and continue. The French guys started to slow and began using the pedals. Almost stopped midway on the rise, I panicked but took the ramp safely.
For lunch I ate spaghetti with tomato sauce and cheese. The same goes for dinner. As an old experienced soldier the only food you can tolerate on this ferry is spaghetti. Breakfast eggs sunny side up with ham, butter and jam. Lunch back to spaghetti, now even when I piss I smell the cheese of the spaghetti I ate.
I translated and published the diaries and pictures. Rest and that's what the doctor will surely recommend.
Around 15:00 I was sitting on deck, the ferry cruising by the coast with high mountains probably in Albania. I closed my eyes, I open my eyes and the world was full of fog, lightning, rain began to fall, very strong wind, storm. I can see my motorcycle across the glass, while sailing we do not have access to motorcycles. Helmet with cover starts to get wet in the rain, I thought your head Jack this night will be enclosed in cold water.
Even the extreme cold weather suit "Hermonit" which I am supposed to wear this nights ride from Patras port in west of Greece to the port of Lavrio in east Greece was wet in rain.
Stopping in the port city in northern Greece Agonomista for lowering and taking vehicles and passengers I had access to the motorcycle and took off the helmet and Hermonit inside the ferry.
A motorcyclist with his wife was afraid to get down on his bike on the wet steel ramp brought down the motorcycle with his hand with the help of the guys.
At 23:00 the ferry docked in Patras. As an old fox I took the ramp down when I was sure that the ramp is completely free.
I wore jeans and a military flannel jacket, over that Hermonite and over that a storm suit.
It was raining and windy on the way. I stopped at the exit from the town at a bakery that opens all night and ate a cheese toast and a Capuchino.
For survival in the road at night driving after a truck at a speed of 80-90 kph, though the speed limit is 130 kph.
For me this is the only way to drive at night in the dark and rain to survive the rain and wind. The "Grand Finale of my trip.
Difficulty overcoming sleep, many stoppings to rest and to close a little bit my eyes.
I arrived to the port of Lavrio at around 6:00, the guy sitting at the port entrance during the beginning of the journey remembered me, I said I am desperate for coffee, is the restaurant open, he said he can make an order by the phone, I asked him to order on my account a sandwich and coffee for me and for him. When it arrived, he had not invited for himself.
He said the ferry shall not arrive in time because of delay in Cyprus.
The ferry would not arrive until noon, at 8:00 am he would call to see if he could get the motorcycle. I see that the office door of the company opened, I went there, got them to receive my motorcycle and I was free to go to the airport.
For about 4 years I have been following this path. I remember in all the bus trips that I pass those roads my eyes weighing a ton because of fatigue. I got to the airport, grab the nearest bench and sleep.
Words of Summary:
Very hard setting up a tent, and return the equipment's on the bike for one night, this is an operation of about 4 hours. That is why made me take very long trips to refrain from constructing and dismantling the tent every day.
With all my thinking I have yet no solution to this problem and all the equipment I carry with me on a trip in order to maintain a minimum life style during the trip.
Except for Moshe, everything functioned perfectly, My bike Africa Twin my first time with him on a trip abroad functioned perfectly and according to expectations.
There was a kind of disappointment that not all of my friends shared in this meeting. Would I take such a trip again, surely not next week, we'll see what will happen next year.
