At the Greek-Albanian border

CAIRO - 1 July 2017: The story repeats itself… In this trip, as well as in the previous one, a breakdown occurred during the second week and I returned to Greece to fix it. I was at the stunning spring of Syri i Kaltёr while I was trying to start the engine and I noticed that the starter outer had broken down. The electric starter was spinning without causing any effect to the motor. That was when the precious kick starter paid off for the first time! As I was just a few kilometres away from the Greek border, I decided to return to Greece and fix my bike. It is the first time I see such a breakdown on an XR 250. On my old XR, after 140,000 km (86,994 miles), the starter outer still runs without any problem. It seems like I faced a rare mechanical fault this time.


How could we resist a dip in the turquoise waters of Syri i Kaltёr spring - madnomad.gr

In the meanwhile, we enjoyed, along with John, the picturesque Gjirokastёr. There, while I was packing my stuff on the motorcycle, I left my cell phone on the rucksack for a while. We went with John to grab a bite and, when we came back, I realized I didn’t have my cell phone with me! I remembered I had left it unpacked on the rucksack I carry on my motorcycle. Of course, it was no longer there and it occurred to me that somebody had taken the wonderful present that Achilleas and Hrisa from Larissa had given me. But it wasn’t long before an Albanian waved at me. He was the one who had taken my cell phone and… hid it in my tiny tank bag. That man saved my day! He did not only put away my cell phone, but he also stayed there to keep an eye on it until I was back!


Walking through the cobbled streets of Gjirokastёr - madnomad.gr

We, then, payed a visit to a family living in the Greek-speaking village of Kalivia, from where we could see Corfu, Greece. That was our first mission, regarding our project named “You’ve got mail!”. So, there will be a special post about it.


The archaeological site of Butrint is interesting, situated in

After having visited the interesting archaeological site of Butrint, we shipped the motorcycles on the small barge that crosses the canal. After a few kilometres, we reached the border. That was when we separated with John, planning to meet up later on. I headed to Thessaloniki, where I am now, trying to find the spare parts I need for my motorcycle as soon as possible. Hopefully, I’ll be on the road again this week.


John crossing the canal on the small barge with our motorcycles - madnomad.gr

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