Loutra Edipsou

May 23, 2018

Rest day!!

Well, not quite a rest day; but about as much of one as we ever get - a lazy twenty miles along the coast ending at Lipso Edipsou, the ferry port back to the mainland and the ending point for this stage of the tour.

The day begins as a rest day should - restfully. We sleep in a bit and then walk down to the waterfront where we find a cafe and settle into a table in the sun by the bay. As we take our time over breakfast (cheese pie, spinach pie, a ham and cheese sandwich on seeded wheat bread, plus filtered coffee: 9.60 euros), we soak up the sun and the blissful ambience: a small fishing boat afloat on the bay, it’s operator casting his net; a trio of women at the adjacent table, softly but rapidly conversing continuously in voices that have the sound of music; a small black and white cat, almost a kitten still, that hovers appealingly under our tables, nudges against us, rolls on my feet. Pretty much a perfect way to begin the day.

Our neighbors, and the owner of the cafe

On the bay, with the mountains of northern Greece beyond. An amazingly calm morning.

The cleanup crew, seeking out fallen crumbs. In case you’re wondering, the discoloration is from the foliage, not the birds - we’re sitting under a mulberry-like tree with small, hoplike fruits.

With only an easy 20 miles ahead of us, we’re in no big hurry to get started. We finally get rolling about 11,with the aim of reaching Edipsou about 2, the earliest that we can check in to our room.

With only a flattish 20 miles, there’s not much room for drama; but we managed to find it when we veered off onto a very minor side road north of Rouvies. We were very happy with this road at first, snaking through olive groves just yards from the shore. Suddenly though we rounded a bend and came upon a small seasonal creek cutting across the road. We considered backtracking but decided it was easily fordable. For the next five minutes we shuttled bikes, gear and ourselves across the creek, barefoot.

Once everything was across, we put our shoes back on and prepared to ride when Rachael decided she was missing a glove. Perplexed, we looked around us, then back at the other side, and then finally the water where it lay soaking, wedged in the rocks.

So that’s it for the day’s excitement. It’s a rest day, so I’m resting. See you tomorrow.