Today I was woken up by the school bell at 8.15am. It turns out the fenced basketball court I mentioned yesterday is an inner city playground and I was pretty much camping on their school field. I was not woken up from a heavy sleep however as last night was the night from hell.
I will firstly like to apologise to the barking dogs I have previously complained about as last night Scooby Doo scared off many kids that a. Kept me awake all night despite it being a school night with arguments which were probably just regular Greek conversations and b. Were undoubtedly planning some joke attack maybe an egging or a feta cheesing as I could hear their whispers but thanks to the howling dog I was up with the torch which probably scared them away before they got closer than 50 metres or so.
Then after the kids and Scooby went to bed it was the turn of the howling wind. Not just the wind outside unfortunately as well. I don't know whether to blame the Montenegrin sausages, the Albanian ham or the overpriced Greek chocolate but something if not all three combined, were creating the experience of laying eggs of gas every 5 minutes. Rotten eggs of gas more specifically and rotten eggs of gas that could've easily turned into broken eggs if I wasn't careful. Last night was a very sleepless and smelly night which was probably the underlying factor why the kids stayed clear.
I woke up extremely tired and fragile and methodically put things away in a controlled fashion with no sudden movements or mistakes. Today was a mission not enjoyment. I had to get to Thessaloniki contact a friend of a friend that may help me with experiencing the town for an extra day which would give me valuable time to decide what to do with Nigel. Firstly though, a toilet was needed.
I set off on a slow roll down the hill out of Edessa, more aware of any sudden bumps in the road then I have been before. One error of judgement and I'm rein-acting a James Bond getaway manoeuvre like a wacky racer oil spillage. I found a cafe, when cycle touring you get used to sussing out the WC sign early doors then making a B-line for it making no eye contact with the lady behind the counter because you don't want to receive a condescending look or worse, get roped into buying a pan eu chocolat when you know you have chocolate spread sandwiches on tap back at the bike! I saw the sign, far diagonal corner, typical! I went for it quickly, closed the flimsy shutter door behind me and turned to again find myself staring at a hole. At least I have paper I thought, so I took off my lower clothing completely as I still don't know how the locals do it and took up the position of "make myself into a ball"
After the deed was done i exited feeling very relieved which soon changed to embarrassment as i stepped into a cafe of people focused on the far diagonal corner of the building. Luckily I don't get embarrassed that much so you could call it stardom that everyone was so interested in who it was responsible for making the elephants noises behind the stupid flimsy concertina door. At this point, the best thing is a nod of recognition and another b-line to the exit. A bit of a shame that my second African wildlife experience after the zebra sighting in Albania turns out to be me/an elephant in Greece but they're becoming more frequent so I guess that's a sign I'm getting closer!
Nothing to say about the ride other than I absolutely went for it. Very average scenery on a flat road so i got my head down and did not want to stop again. 50 miles in 3.5 hours thank you very much, arriving in Thessaloniki just after 1pm. I was in the bar before it started to rain and at my destination in the earliest time so far.
Now here's the good part. Here's where my day turned into an absolute dream day and I have a lot of thankyous to include because of it so I apologise if I start sounding like a drunk man accepting an Oscar! I have a friend called Steve whose family I know are following my updates very closely and have shown unbelievable support so far and I know will continue to till I'm back in England. Steve found out I was heading to Thessaloniki and this is where some English generosity can enter the fray to add to all the other nations that I've experienced it from. Steve didn't just let this fact slip but he contacted another great man in Thessaloniki called Apostolis and told him about my trip. Steve said if i contacted Apostolis then i could at least enjoy a beer or two. I am more than happy with that, Steve is already promoting the ride on his company's website and donated to the two causes himself so he's done more than enough. Anyway, with nothing to lose and being stuck in a town I have no clue about that was my plan. When I arrived in Thessaloniki I found some wifi and emailed Apostolis and waited. What if he's not at work and what if he doesn't get it? Ill ring him after 10 minutes I thought. About 2 minutes had passed, (not even enough time for me to finish my arrow word!) I had a phone call from Apostolis. We had a quick chat about where I was, about the fact there was no camping in Thessaloniki and about Nigel being less than exceptional. He said, "Don't worry Chris, i'll make some calls and see what I can do. I will ring you back in 10 to 20 minutes." A pint and a couple of arrow words later (I was on a roll) and Apostolis rung me back. "Good news Chris, I have some friends that run a hotel called the Makedonia Palace, they say you can stay there for two nights free of charge and then I will pick you up later and we will see what we can do about your bike, ok?" Ok? OOKK? If it wasn't for my bowels still not being 100% I would've been heel clicking my feet down the promenade to the Hotel! Apostolis gave me the directions that turned out to be about a km down the road. I arrived at the Hotel and its plush, oh boy i thought, I do not belong here, the Ferrari outside told me that before I even set foot in it to be fair! I walked up to the desk and said my name and the man behind the counter said "you're the bicycle boy." The helmet may of given it away but with Beirdre all over the place with excitement and the marbled sweaty t-shirt/shorts combo, the whole package I was presenting may've helped with the assumption. "That's me!" "Excellent, you're in room 326 and buffet breakfast will be at 7-10, if there's anything else then we are always here for you. Enjoy your stay." I put Nigel in their safe cupboard and collected my bags and walked to the lift. When the lift doors closed I made a noise I don't think any man has ever made. A combination of hysterical laughing, buzzing excitement and the disbelief at where I was caused me to let out a squeal like a cheap firework! The room was perfect, this Hotel is the best in Thessaloniki! On top of all of that, I had a sea view balcony. Two nights ago I had a "bird view" balcony but the living area was a bit wooden compared to where I was 48hours later!
I washed myself and my clothes, relaxed a bit and I'm not going to lie, I spent along time walking around naked. First time in a month with a decent mirror and the comfort of my own room to tense the abs and quads and see what all this cycling and chocolate spread has done to me! Ive definitely lost weight but not so much that mum has to start sending me
food parcels so all good on the body department. Apostolis then rung me, he was down in the lobby with the Hotel sales manager Konstantinos and the assistant in corporate accounts Perry. They were very keen on my ride have been the guys behind putting me up in the amazing 5 star hotel that is the Makedonia Palace.
We had a quick chat and a drink and then myself and Apostolis put Nigel in the back of the car and took him to the only cycle shop in town that could possibly help. Apostolis had a contact with the cycle shop aswell and I didn't really know what more could be done but they agreed to have a look at him and I was more than happy with that. At the cycle shop I met George, this man clearly knew his way around bikes and George changed the bracket so it fixed to a much stronger, thicker part of the frame and hence stopping the chances of the frame breaking again where it did yesterday. This could've been enough for some busy people like George as he had two people waiting at one point. Oh no, not only did George adjust the bracket but he gave Nigel a full service and changed the chain and brakes aswell. After taking it for a quick ride that could've been that, wrong again, he changed the pedals as well! I felt a little embarrassed to be honest as I knew Nigel wasn't perfect and i have all these things in my panniers waiting to be changed when I absolutely had to. "Save them for Africa" he said. We were there for about 45 minutes to an hour and after all was finished George wanted a picture with me. Oh contrare! I want a picture with you sir! Money was exchanged but I don't know how much and it didn't come from my pocket so again, unbelievable thanks go to George from Bike Magic and Apostolis as Nigel is now as ready as I think he can be for the next leg.
In disbelief of the generosity that i have received and dancing on cloud nine I'm then treated to a gem of a restaurant for dinner, beers and a night of Greek history. Apostolis is a very knowledgeable man and we had a great conversation about Greece, Life and how my mate Steve should hire me as his PR man because he will regret it if he doesn't!
After eating my body weight in the finest cooked pork in Greece I got back to the room exhausted, not because of the time of night but because of the emotional roller coaster i had just been on ending in a carnival of generosity. I honestly can not say thank you enough to everyone involved in my day today. Yes I am riding alone, but today was a clear showing that I can't do it on my own and I have been truly blessed by meeting the people I now know as friends.
As the saying goes, it's not what you know, it's who you know. This can be enhanced by knowing very good people like today as shown (in England an Greece!)
Tomorrow is a rest day, I think I need it!
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