Day 171: Kesan to Alexandroupoli

Kali mera Hellas, our eleventh country — Greece

It was a hard ride out of Turkey. There was a 15 knot headwind and a straight road that kept undulating up and down all the way to the border. It was exhausting, but we got there.

Border control was the usual passport check and raised eyebrows as we cycled in. We were even allowed to go backwards through the process to get back to an ATM to get some Euros.

A fellow cycle tourer we met in no-mans’-land

Euros! That means we’re really in Europe now.

We’re in Greece

We’ve made our way straight to a beach now we’re in Greece, and the contrast with every beach before could not be more obvious. This is you standard Mediterranean beach (well, Aegean, but it’s the same.) There are umbrellas and loungers all the way along and cafés serving iced lattes. This is proper European beaching.

Snack on the beach

Swimming time

We’re also able to camp again. Classic campsite with a hedge around our site, rock hard ground and a load of facilities that aren’t open yet. Well, you can’t have everything.