I knew all the rules but the rules did not know me, Guaranteed.

I'm in the home stretch of the European leg of this adventure! December 14th is the last day I am allowed to be in the European Union before risking deportation or a temporary ban on my passport. I've heard from a number of people that the 90 day restriction isn't really enforced, or that I would more likely than not be fine if I overstayed my time. I don't doubt them, but better safe than sorry, right? Since last writing in Salerno a week and a half ago, I have made my way into Greece! I managed to make it to Bari by four in the afternoon on the 22nd, despite some mountains getting in my way! The ferry from Bari to Patras made BC Ferries look like a luxury cruis While there was an option to pay extra for a bed in a shared room onboard, I assumed the interior of the ferry would be similar to those l have been on in the past, in which case there would be an ample amount of space for me to get comfortable in on the 16 hour journey to Greece. Unfortunately, I was wrong. The deck passage ticket had purchased gave me access to one floor which had a reception area and lounge, and a restaurant/bar That was it. Fortunately I was got onto the boat relatively early and staked claim to a nice bench seat where I could lay out and get some sleep. As we cruised into the Patras harbour around 12:30 the next day, l had made a couple decisions about my immenent journey to Athens. First, I decided to scratch the plan of going to the place where the Olympics were first held to the south. Second, I was resolved to take it easy on the ~210km trip to Athens. Our afternoon arrival meant that I would not be able to get a full day of cycling in, meaning that I would be forced to take three days, or at least two and a half, to get to Athens. The campground l thought I had found 30km from the Patras harbour was closed, so I pressed on for another hour and a half before stopping for the night underneath a pine tree, beside an abandoned gravel pit. was left with ~150km to get to Athens. I reasoned that with an early start, and if I didn't push too hard, I would be able to cycle that distance. Slow and steady wins the race! I did make it to Athens with daylight to spare. I think I paid the price the next day when l hardly had the energy to get out and explore! Oh, part of that may also be attributed to the first fall of my trip thus far. was coming through a roundabout, about 130km into the day and just fell over. I can't really explain it I went down and came immediately back out to get out of the way of the traffic behind me I was fine, the bike appeared to be fine, so I kept riding. I wanted to get out of sight of the gas station I fell in front of before taking full stock of any problems I suffered a bruised ego, as well as what became a hefty bruise on my left leg, a couple carpet burn-like scuffs on my left forearm and that was it! My front rack took the brunt of the impact with the ground, but appears to have come out with only a scratch along the front left corner. As far as falls go, this one was about as good as they come! On the whole I enjoyed Athens I really liked the neighbourhood the hostel was in; it was always busy with people, always plenty going on. I explored the Acropolis a little, spe my fair share of time searching out coffee shops, and a good deal of time on at the closed rooftop bar taking in the hustle and bustle below. I left Athens on Tuesday and made my way north to Trikala. It took me three day cover the -320km. Again, I had thought it might be wise to take it slow and cover the distance in four days rather than three but this time weather considerations interfered. Tuesday and Wednesday were going to be mostly sunny, but Thursday was supposed to take a turn towards rain. Day 1 was shorter than most, only 94 kilometers. I had even considered stopping around 60 kilometers, was afraid that the opportunities for wild camping would disappear as soon as I reached the plais on the other side of the mountains I was also just tired from cyling uphill for 2 hours! I did manage to find a place underneath a fruit tree beside the highway. My tent was only partially covered by its leaves and I woke up to frost on the half wholly exposed to the late November air. Day two saw me cycling on largely flat roads in between mountain passes. At the top of one pass, as I was searching to refill my water supply for the upcoming evening, I ran into a guy from Langley, BC! It is a small world out here! The man, Peter, offered me a ride to Meteora, a kind offer but it wasn’t really feasible with his rental hatchback. I also have a bit of pride in the fact that I have only used my own power to transport me through Europe (besides the odd train/bus for in-town touristy things). I stopped for a second night just past Larnia, and also just past the 5000km mark of my trip! Yesterday I made it to Trikala after suffering only the second flat tire of the trip so far. I think it was a recurring issure of a little piece of wire lodged in the tire from the last flat l had in Italy. It isn't something that would normally punture the tube, but I allowed my tire pressure to fall a little too far and I think that allowed for the slow leak to occur. Anyways. I spent the morning reading and exploring Trikala today. I should do some stretching this afternoon. My hip flexor has been bothering me a little since lugging my bike into the forest on Wednesday night. I actually had a little trouble walking around town yesterday evening because it was bothering me. Tomorrow the plan is to check out Meteora, which is about 20km north of Trikala. I think I will just take a bus or a train rather than cycle up there. That way I'll have more time to hike around the monasteries. After that, the plan is to continue east to Turkey. It should be two days to Thessaloniki and roughly 650 kilometers in total to get to the Turkish border. I honestly haven't planned much for Turkey at all. Up until this point l have been acting on assumption that the countries l are similar enough in terms of culture and availibility of ammentities, that I can get by with virtually no planning. For some reason I have the feeling that Turkey will not be the same. The way the timing is working out l think I will stick around Istanbul for Christmas if possible. Then maybe Bursa for New Years? As my dad would say "it's too far away,” plans will likely change as time rolls on.