Day 10: Kalambaka - Karditsa

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Distance - 69 km
Total Distance - 679 km
Altitude Gain - 395 m

I don't often get to photograph myself! And before I get any comments, that isn't a beer belly but a money pouch!

This morning I cycled the road round Metora. The whole circuit from the campsite to Kalambaka was only 12 km and took me about one and a half hours. For six kilometres the road goes up very steeply (300 metres in 6 kilometres) then it plummets down back into Kalambaka. The ascent was stunning - I cannot find the words to describe it, I'll let the photos do the talking. I took my time going up, savouring every view and taking lots of photos. As for the descent, to do this on a bicycle you need concentration, a steady nerve and excellent brakes. I only wish I had one of those helmet cams - to try to film it with a camera would have been suicidal - perhaps I'll ask Santa for one this year. Without even touching the pedals I was catapulted to a very fast speed. Just how fast I don't know - I didn't dare take my eyes off the road! Good job too - at one point two dogs ran out onto the road - a good blast on my horn scared them out of my way. Then there were the buses and cars that came the other way. And that was really early in the morning - I expect it gets really busy on that road later in the day. But, boy, that descent was fun!
After breakfast in Kalambaka, it was off to Trikala. And for the first time since I arrived in Greece I found myself on a totally flat road and I was able to keep a pace of between 30 and 35 km/h. This road I found very good for cycling and I felt very safe. It was mostly two lanes and the traffic was very fast, but visibility was good and there was plenty of room for even the trucks to give me a wide berth.
I got to Trikala really fast and explored it a bit. This town surprised me. For one thing, it was much bigger than I thought it would be and had a large town centre with a lot of shops; also, it was much nicer than I was expecting - actually it did seem a bit "posh" with many elegant and expensive stores. I was also surprised by the number of bikes - I'd also seen a surprising number in Katerini, by the way. There were bikes everywhere - and it was a little chaotic to be honest, with bikes threading around with no apparent regard for each other or for the pedestrians. Still, it's good to see that in this country, where the bicycle hasn't traditionally been seen as a means of transport, people are starting to do some of their in-town transport by bike and leaving their cars at home. Could Athens one day resemble Amsterdam? Perhaps there's hope: with a bit of pushing from the pro-bike associations, the cost of fuel and the simple undeniable fact that cycling in town centres is faster and easier than driving, maybe the Greeks will adopt the bike - maybe the British and French will too.
Anyway, once I'd had enough exploring Trikala, I was on my way to Karditsa. I'd arranged to meet Panos there, one of the guys I met on a Greek Internet forum who'd helped me plan this ride. The road from Trikala to Karditsa was not as good as the one from Karambaka to Trikala. It carried the same amount of traffic, that was travelling just as fast, but it was a single lane road with less room for overtaking, and the quality of the road surface was not as good. I was glad it wasn't particularly busy. Still, I guess it's no worse than most of the "A" roads in southern England.
In the afternoon I met up with Panos and we ate together. We talked cycling of course and got on very well right from the start. After lunch, we were on the way to Panos' car when we witnessed a motorbike accident. I guy tried to drive onto the pavement with his motorbike and a passenger on the back! The bike slipped and both fell to the ground. The guy was only slightly hurt, but his wife had a nasty arm injury. Panos called the ambulance but the guy wasn't too happy - and tried to persuade his wife to get back on the bike and go home. When she refused, he tried to leave without her, but he was clearly in a bad way and fell off his motorbike again. He then phoned his daughter, who arrived and drove off with the pair of them before the ambulance arrived - leaving Panos to explain what had happened!
The rest of the afternoon I spent talking with Panos and his mother - and had a guided tour of Panos impressive cycling equipment - including a heart rate and blood pressure monitor. Apparently my heart rate is very low and I have excellent blood pressure - benefits of cycling around Greece I suppose!
Panos and his mother have invited me to the restaurant tonight. Tomorrow we might drive round Plastira Lake - and hopefully do some cycling together! The photos below are of Meteora.

Mirrors seem to be a theme with me this year!