Athens to London - Log #023# - (Ancona-Milan)

Dawn on the deck sailing the Adriatic Sea.

The Port of Ancona.

After 480 Km of fine Italian Autobahns and very kind weather conditions I arrive in Milan where I come across the familiar Boris bikes.

Castello Sforzesco the castle attraction in Milan. Used to be the residence of the Duchy of Milan and one of the biggest citadels in Europe. Now houses the city's museums and art collections.

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is a covered double arcade market. 

Duomo di Milano is the cathedral church of Milan dedicated to Santa Maria Nascente. The Gothic cathedral took five centuries to complete. It is the largest Gothic cathedral and the second largest Catholic cathedral in the world

Hotel Ambrosiana which initially looked like a dodgy semi-legal hotel, it turned up to be a fine and reasonably priced lodging. 

Daily Distance: 480 Km
Total Distance: 690 Km
Soundtrack: Teddy Thompson, In my arms

Vassilis Themelidis 

Athens to London - Log #022# - (Athens-Patra)

This one will be a speedy trip not focused on sightseeing but aimed instead to return as quickly as possible back home in London.

The trip is not going to be a jaunt to the countryside. Weather conditions will be a major dragging force, turning moto-driving into a real challenge.

So products from Milanese maker Tucanourbano  were ordered to keep me up and driving.

Driving to Patra was the most challenging part of the trip, not because of the light snowfall but due to gusty winds that continuously threatened to topple the bike. Even more dangerous than rain moto-driving with winds. 

You get rain - you slow down, you get winds - you have to actually curl on the bike and speed up to keep your trajectory.

First stop to Patra to take the Ferry to Ancona. A wall graffiti at the Bus Station.

Superfast Ferry will carry us to Ancona in 21 Hrs.

The port of Patra, with the Graffiti in the background.

Mountain Vodias snowcapped.

The Rio-Antirio cable bridge.

Dusk on the deck sailing the Ionian sea.

Daily Distance: 210Km
Soundtrack: Ryan Adams, Let it Ride

Vassilis Themelidis

Aqaba to Lavrio - Log #021# - Israel (the End)

After being banned from entering Syria I had 3 options.

First option was drive to Jordan, cross the Iraqi borders and then enter Turkey and drive to Izmir to take the boat.

Second option, drive to Egypt then Lybia and get the ferry from Tunisia to Sicily.

Third one was to sell the motorbike in Israel and fly to Athens.

After some search on the Internet a 4th option came up, a Cyprian Shipping Company that operates a cargo ship transferring melons from Haifa to Lavrio. The motorbike sailed to Lavrio and I flew to Athens.

Port of Haifa.

Pontos ship, she carries fruits and other cargo from Israel to Limassol, Cyprus and then Lavrio.

Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv named after the founder of Israel,first Prime Minister of Israel and a Zionist leader.

On November 7, 1911, Ben Gurion arrived in Thessaloniki in order to learn Turkish for his law studies. The city, which had a large Jewish community, impressed Ben Gurion who called it "a Jewish city that has no equal in the world."

Ben Gurion's views on the Middle East affairs are still instilled on Israel's national policy and moulded the thinking of many generations of Israelis.

The End.

Aqaba to Lavrio - Log #020# - Israel (Haifa)

After Haifa I drove towards the Jordan River crossing in order to enter Syria and carry on into Turkey.

But although I had taken precautions not to have any Israeli stamp on my passport (passports holders with the stamp of Israel are not welcomed in Syria) I was betrayed by a stamp in Arabic that made Syrian officer suspicious and finally sent me back to Jordan.

Below is the paper that Israeli officers are stamping if you explain to them that you are going to cross Syria and need an "clean" passport.

And this is the paper that Jordanian officers stamp so that there is no indication that you entered Jordan from Israel.

Back to Israel.

Haifa's Naval Museum.

Bahai Shrine and gardens by night.

Bahai Shrine and gardens in daylight

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This is a professional picture of how the monument looked before the conservation works that are currently on progress.

View from the Bahai Gardens. Bahá'í Faith is Monotheism 4.0 they accept all previous prophets (Abraam,Moses,Jesus,Mohammed) as messengers of the same god they add their own Báb and Bahá'u'lláh and pray for the coming of the Messiah.

Its religious background in Shi'a Islam is seen as analogous to the Jewish context in which Christianity was established.

Their prophet Báb was buried ander the domed shrine during the time that Haifa was an Ottoman city.

Haifa's skyline from mount Carmel.

Port Inn is the best place to stay in Haifa, and definitely the best Inn I have ever stayed in terms of services and environment.

Harerim Orthodox Party turned into a secular event.

The German Colony was established in 1869 by hundreds of German settlers The Templers. Templers were members of the Temple Society, a German Protestant sect.

The Templers were expelled from the church in 1858 because of their millennial beliefs. Their aim was to realize the apocalyptic visions of the prophets of Israel in the Holy Land

Shawarma Chazan the best kebab in Haifa whoever you ask..

Graffiti from the Ethiopian Beta community of Israel.

The Hope 6 popular Israeli band

Haredim Street Party

Pub event band starts with western tunes

and ends up with full oriental program

Haifa's promenade, music comes from the coffee shop's radio.

Eli's Pub the best rock n' blues pub in Haifa, and home of the Eli's Band.