4/1/24
Another 5:30am start. The ferry to Rhodes would depart for Siteia at half past eight. We decided we should give about an hours leeway for our journey, in case anything went wrong. It was about twenty kilometres back to the port. We packed up and were out of the door by 6:15. It was a warm morning and there was a chance of rain.
By the time we got to Palekastro we were shedding our fleeces. It was at least 15C and we had to climb about 150m in one go. The road was quiet and it was a nice ride into the night. At the top of the hill we breathed a little sigh of relief, the main effort was done after five kilometres. We could see the city lights in the distance.
It was an easy ride as we’d already ridden the road before and the rain never showed. We arrived at the port just before eight and noticed two other cycle tourists in the waiting room. This was exciting. We’d barely seen anyone on our travels, these guys looked young and adventurous!
We went to say hello. These guys had been on the road for seven months! Fuck Brexit. We’ve had the pressure of 90 days the whole trip. It must be glorious to be able to explore freely. Stop wherever you like for as long as you like. Even take a job if you wanted to. It’s hard for us not to conclude that British people are morons.
Anyway, it was nice to have the company and we boarded the ferry hoping to spend some time chatting with like minded individuals. As we boarded to leave our bikes in the now usual place, there were two more heavily loaded Surly’s! One had a South Korean flag on the back and the other what looked like a Greek one. They looked pristine and in great condition, surely they hadn’t ridden that far?
We went up and sat with our new friends. It was just over eight hours to Rhodes. At least it won’t be night time. And no one was ill anymore. That was a hellish feeling of sleeplessness we didn’t need again. We sat talking for a while. It was fun to discuss route ideas and hear how other people had found the journey across Europe. Benoît and Orphélie were headed to Turkey too, eventually. They had time to linger.
We had lunch up on the ‘Panorama’ deck. It was covered up there and we were heading into the rain. There were some beautiful views of the islands that we were passing and stopping at. If only there was time to explore them all. Another trip, without bikes, would probably be better.
It was a weirdly fast and slow day all at the same time. By the time the ferry arrived we were certainly eager not to be cooped up any longer. We arrived at five o’clock, just as the Sun was setting, and it was absolutely pouring with rain. This was the hardest rain we’d been ‘exposed’ to on the bikes, but we only had to go 800m to the apartment we were staying at.
There was a cycle path directly from the port. Soon we entered the medieval city of Rhodes though. The streets here were made of cobbled pebbles. They were narrow slippy stones that the bikes didn’t enjoy. It felt like the bike would topple any second. To cap it off, we had no idea where we were going. The Garmin couldn’t find the street and using our phones was next to impossible.
When we finally found the correct street, there were ridiculously irritating barriers blocking the way. Worse than usual, it would be hard to even walk through them. We had to go all the way round to the other end of the street. We soon gave up riding, it felt too dangerous. When we finally found the house it was up a little flight of stairs and on a courtyard. It had looked lovely in the pictures but right now it was just infuriating.
We unloaded the rear panniers and carried the bikes upstairs. If anyone wondered whether it was possible to get soaked to the bone in less than 5 minutes, we can assure you it is. Once inside the flat we felt a little relieved but equally anxious. It was one of those days where we had no idea what we were even doing here. To cap it all off, it was that time of the month again for Frankie. Not ideal.
We ummed and ahed for a few minutes about whether Jonathan should find a Mini Market, but decided we could make do with our current supplies. We made some tea and sat around. We’d purposely taken this apartment as it had a bath which was good for soothing stomach cramps, but Jonathan enjoyed it too.
We watched Traitors, the new season. It felt daft on some level but if we waited till we got back then all the spoilers would ruin it. It’s strange how it attracts people not usually keen on reality shows. We ate some more of our fava with the bread we’d baked. Then had some porridge for dessert. We didn’t go to bed very early, it was hounding it down outside and we snuck the bikes into the flat. The bed was upstairs on a maisonette and we got to laying down around 11pm.
Surly They Won't Make It 