The day before leaving Greece I had moved to a place on the coast called Artemida, about 10 km from Athens airport. I was watching BBC worldnews on TV, and they were talking about the fact that the EU had finally ended the austerity measures imposed on Greece almost a decade ago at the beginning of the financial crisis. 

I had spent about a week in Greece visiting many different areas, and I constantly ran into expressions of despair, no faith in the future, and little or no confidence in the government, amongst the Greek people. Young and old I spoke to would openly criticize the way things were handled in their own country, and tell me they just wanted to leave. In the BBC program I was watching, a Greek financial expert was interviewed. Asked whether Greece was better off after the  bailout, and whether it was now time for celebration, she gave a rather sobering view: in the past few years about 400.000 people - mainly young - have left Greece. Present overall unemployment stands at around 25%, but amongst the young population it is close to 50%. GDP stands at 25% less today than it did a decade ago when measures were imposed. It really is an uphill battle for the Greek.

Walking around the cities as a tourist, one can’t help get the feeling of neglect. Filth, rubbish, paper and plastic bags everywhere. Literally 1000’s of empty shops, factories and offices. Half-finished projects, overgrown with grass and foliage, graffiti on the walls. Needless to say that it also comes through in the way the Greeks interact with you as a tourist. Halfhearted and with no real enthusiasm for their country. Indifferent and not really interested in providing a service! They have their own problems to attend to. The question is: would Greece have been better off without the interference of the EU? In the pictures below I have included one of a Greek flag in tatters - I feel it portrays the state of affairs pretty well.

Well, the day finally arrived when I could drive to Lavrio Port to deliver my bike at Salamis Shipping’s offices - a 20’ container - and get the final paperwork done. Already waiting at the office were two BMW 1200GS, both with Israeli registration. They had been travelling to Sweden, Norway and Finland and onto Sct. Petersburg in Russia, and were now on their way back. One of them was a husband/wife team on one bike, and the other guy had travelled on his own. I spoke to them independently about the customs procedure to get the bikes cleared in Haifa, and it always surprises me how one can get completely opposing opinions. The single guy said it would be an absolute pain, and the couple that it would be a breeze, and that I would be able to get the bike already on Thursday when the vessel arrived. We will see tomorrow! They both gave me their contact numbers and asked me please to call them if I needed any help or advice. The couple lived in central Israel, and the other in the very south, close to Eilat. That’s bikers for you - always helpful.

After a 2km drive to the customs office in Lavrio where we got “stamped out of Greece” it was back to the Alexo at the port, final stamps at Salamis offices and I also, reluctantly, had to hand over the original registration certificate for the bike, to be returned to me here in Haifa. We all drove the bikes a couple of hundred meters down to the almost brand new Alexo, parked the bikes right at the huge loading gate of the vessel, handed over our keys to the person who would be driving the bikes onboard, and strap them down for the sea journey. I gave Hector a final hug, before putting him comfortably in the side bag, closing it gently and wishing him a great journey - his first, and I hope, only one as a stowaway. We were now all without wheels, and had to find our own way. Everything had gone off smoothly and efficiently as far as the exportation of the bike from Greece was concerned.

Next stop Tel Aviv, and I can tell you already now that I am in love with Israel!

Included a couple of pictures from Tel Aviv, where I stayed at the Abraham Hostel. Increased the average age in the place by a few decades! Had such fun in our 4 man dorm!