Messolonghi (Cycle marathon & BBQ)

Pyxis
Karen & Richard
Sun 1 Aug 2010 22:58

Sunday 1st August – Messolonghi (Cycle marathon & BBQ)

38:21.668N 21:25.004E

 

Well, we haven’t heard any more about the TV interviews at the marina so maybe they changed their mind; it was due to be aired last night so maybe it would have helped if we had switched the TV on and tuned it in.

 

This morning Richard announced that the forecast was showing a slightly cooler day today than it would be for the next couple of days (32°C rather than 34°C degrees) and so we elected for a bike ride somewhere new.  We set off towards town and then around the salt flats.  It was very scenic looking across the still shallow water with the mountains in the background, and seeing birds wading.

 

As we got further away from town the sealed tarmac road petered out and became an unmade road and then a stony track.  It was hard going at times; that said, it was flat, no hills.  There was very little traffic; we did see a car at one point and it was driving along the salt bed rather than on the bumpy track and so we thought we may as well do the same, this made the going a lot easier.

 

We decided to keep going and try to circle around to Tourlida.  After what felt like a hundred miles we came to the coast and turned right to head back towards the canal.  Along the front, there were quite a number of houses on stilts that we passed, most of them occupied with summer visitors – they were very nice and all had a super view out to sea, right in the middle of nowhere. 

 

Needless to say, it was time for the unmade road to take its toll on the bikes.  This time it was Richard’s front tyre that gave way.  Fortunately he managed to keep it going by pumping it up every mile or so until we got back.

 

We managed to take a short cut through the salt works to the beach at Tourlida.  We had a drink and rested for a while and then cycled the 4km or so back to town and then around to the marina.  We arrived back at Pyxis exhausted, having cycled much further than originally planned – it was very scenic though, well worth the effort.

 

Being Sunday, tonight was BBQ night and we had a slightly larger gathering than last week.  It turned into a late night with Russ playing his guitar…

 

Messolonghi:  Lagoon

© Pyxis 2010