Dear all,
Today has been a crazy day but, I have good news and bad news. Good news: I made it to Greece. Bad news: I’m running out of ‘pepernoten’, please send more. It’s crucial for survival.
All joking aside, it really was intens. Let’s start at the beginning. I really saw a different side of Serbia today. Beautifull mountains untill the eye can reach, filled with the greenest trees you can dream of. It really was spectacular! I also found the first Serbian (is that right?) who speaks English! Woehoe, I had my first non-phone conversation with an actual human. He recommended me a delicious lunch snack, not sure what the name was but it sounded like ‘bghhggggjsj’. Also, what is up with people setting their crops on fire, it smells so bad and I am getting naucious again. Why are people putting gas in my car for me? So nice! And cleaning all the squished bugs of the windshield as well, thanks.
Then came Macedonia and the trouble. I drive into the border controll, handing them my passport, expecting a ‘Hi, where you going, ok, bye’ but instead got a question ‘Greencard?’. OK, it was more a statement than a question, she was not having a good day apparently and I was going to make it worse. I had no idea what she was talking about and trying to explain that in English. I get moved to the side and am to be returned. Ofcourse I start to freak out, what is going to happen? Am I going to get a fine? Can I even get through? Why are those people so super unfriendly? Like I am doing this on purpose, ofcourse not.
So I return to controll booth, I won’t go into the details because I’m not sure what happened exactly but let’s just say I payed the price and got let through. Now I’m just worried, how easy will it be for me to leave?
I enter Macedonia, nothing to declare. This declare guy is at least friendly and send me of to Macedonia with a smile. Only a few more kilometers and I will be in Greece.
Still driving down the A1 it slowly becomes more hills than flat road, suddenly there is blockage and a detour. Crap, I am no fan of detours.
And ofcourse it is a ‘highway’ in the mountains, those crazy people driving >130 km/hour there. My scared ass wasn’t going faster than 80 on the easy parts and 50 around the corner. Here are some pics of the view. Sorry about all the trash people aren’t very neat around here.
A bit worried about leaving Macedonia I decided to drive through the evening into Greece. It all went very smoothly at the Macedonia part. I showed my passport to the Greek border controll, all good. Ready to drive a way I make eye contact with some random dude sitting in a chair, he is in border control costume and calls me to stop the car. All I could think was ‘what now?!’. He started to ask me questions about my job (I don’t have any which might sound very suspicious?), how much money I am bringing (pointing at the mountain of receipts in the passenger chair), where I am going, what am I going to do there and why am I bringing so much stuff. So I explain I am meeting colleagues and showed him on Google Maps where that was. I tell him I am going camping and ask if he wants to take a look at it? He says no, enjoy and let’s me go. I only now realize that there was a blanket covering everything on the backseat and how weird that looked. Of course.
I drive into Greece, so happy I have internet again. Boy, did I miss that. But it really is a vacation when you have no internet without wifi, can’t understand (read or pronounce) the street names and when what day it is has no impact on your plans.
But now, it is 18:45, one hour later than in the home country. I am still a long way from finding a place to sleep. I drive on the highway, hoping to find a motel. Nope. Okay let’s search Hotel2night, Airbnb and Google maps. I find a motel on Google Maps and decide to drive there, 8 minutes, great!
Unfortunately, not so great. It doesn’t seem like there actually is a hotel there. Just an unlighted crappy road with nobody there. I thought, this might be the place to lure tourists and rob or kill them, awesome, let’s leave. But where to?
Thankfully there is a city nearby, Katerini, and it has a hotel! In the city center of course, 10 minutes drive, let’s go!
So this city is crazy busy, people everywhere, cyclists, cars, motorcyclists, people standing still in the middle of the road, you name it. No parking place to be found ofcourse. Let’s at least call the hotel and make a reservation! They say, park wherever. Hmmm, ok. Google maps says, no parking garages here. What now? Do it old-school! Follow the street signs. I am now parked I the smallest parking garage ever made and a 4 minute walk away from the hotel. Fingers crossed that nobody breaks in and I leave this place without scratches (on me or the car).
Today has been incredibly busy. Might need to take a day off from driving and just enjoy. Not knowing where to sleep is exciting but also a bit stressful, might book tomorrow in advance. Not sure yet. Thank you all for reading! Sleep now…. Zzzzz