Sithonia, the middle finger of Halkidiki… Nikiti to Porto Kofu to Vourvourou. Hills, baby!

The day started rather late which is becoming a pattern, probably not on the bikes till nearly 10 AM. We had a few miles of the main road traveling it was not very pleasant, it was a very very hot day. But eventually we got to a much smaller road parallel to beach, even maybe 7 km of dirt and gravel. Everybody did pretty good today, it was by far the most enjoyable day riding so far, the most beautiful views of the unspoiled rocky cliffs and periodic sandy beaches. Not much else to say other than it was a very very nice day.

We ended in Porto Kofu, a small town on a circular body of water that is an inlet from the ocean, very calm waters and used by fisherman as a port. The story goes that this port is so deep, that during World War II, the German Navy would hide their submarines here.

There is a thin layer of clouds that has rolled in in the late afternoon, I suspect we will have a couple of slightly cooler days ahead, and that will be good.

Had a great dinner at the restaurant a short walk from our hotel. Everyone except me had fresh fish of some sort, including whole squid, grilled octopus, and some whole body fish. Perhaps one of the best dinners we’ve had on the trip.

Some Bulgarian guy a couple tables over lighted up a cigar during our dinner, I have learned to be tolerant of such things when I travel, but Sheri and Rebecca were trying to get the guy to quit by coughing excessively. It didn’t work, perhaps he even smoked a little bit more. Funny!

Tomorrow’s summary:

Day 6 This route starts with a 12 km ride over the mountain down to the beautiful beach of Kalamitsi where you can have a swim and short rest. Next, we follow the main rolling coastal road passing through numerous small villges and we finish up in Vourvourou resort- an area with great beaches and views towards the Diasporos Island.

Cycling: 54 km, ascend/descend: 800/800m

After a good sleep, woke for breakfast and realized clouds had rolled in and by the time we were getting ready for departure, it was a very light drizzle. Not the sunny day we were hoping for!

We held at the hotel for nearly 2 hours waiting for what turned out to be a major storm to pass! Super High winds came very quickly, lots of rain and not much to do but wait until it passed. But we finally did get on the bikes. Late. I doubt that we will do all the miles today, will probably end up in the van at some point.

Well as it turns out, I am still a certified member of the refi club! Rode every mile today, I was lucky in that once the storm passed in Porto Kofu, I continued through all the way without a lunch stop. I accidentally got ahead of the van and the group for quite some distance and missed the lunch stop, Orlin caught up with me and said I should go back to lunch, but there was no way I was going backwards and especially downhill. So I continued on, lots and lots of climbing, over 3000 feet today, but eventually got to Vourvouro!

I immediately sat down at the café next to the hotel we were checking into and had a massive burger with a fried egg, barbecue sauce, grilled onions, bacon, chili peppers. It was a messy slippery thing that was very challenging to actually logistically eat, but it sure was good! The gang arrived a bit later, they got caught in some rain as they were running a little bit later in the day than I was. It was a great day! Other than the photo of us sitting and waiting for the storm to pass, I think I might have one or two photos of the whole day as it was overcast and near rain frequently, so I didn’t have my phone out very often…

PS, I am mentally already at the place where I realize oh my gosh, this trip is almost done! We only have two more cycling days! There are no days off, at the end of the second day, I will have to get up the following morning at 4 AM to get a ride to the airport. It seems like it was kind of a short trip, much shorter than most that I take. But so far has been a delicious and enjoyable trip!

Pss: One of the photos I took today near the end of the post shows Mount Athos in the background. It looks a heck of a lot like Pioneer Peak to me! Anyway, that is the island mountain that is off-limits to women as it is a monastery zone or whatever they call it.

Tomorrow summary: Day 7 On this day we cycle on mountain and coastal roads through small towns and villages whichwill take us to the third and most famous peninsula – Athos. Here we stay at Ouranoupoli village near the border of the Athos holy land – an autonomous state under Greek sovereignty with more than twenty Orthodox monasteries.

There is an option for a cruise trip to the monasteries.

Cycling: 70 km, ascend/descend: 900/900m