{"id":1532,"date":"2012-03-02T10:39:15","date_gmt":"2012-03-02T08:39:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.marusca.ro\/dev\/mtbtours\/?p=1532"},"modified":"2022-11-22T18:09:15","modified_gmt":"2022-11-22T16:09:15","slug":"pe-drumurile-de-pamant-ale-sithoniei","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dev.mtbtours.ro\/en\/recky-rides\/the-dirt-roads-of-sithonia\/","title":{"rendered":"The dirt roads of Sithonia"},"content":{"rendered":"

If the Romanian mountains are filled with sheep, rural Greece is the land of the goats. Both are generously equipped with equally noisy dogs, always angered by cyclists roaming around their premises. Their barking needs no Romanian (nor Greek) translation. However, this shouldn’t prevent people from cycling into the wilderness, enjoying the nature, the sun, the sea, the air, the view.<\/p>\n

We keep doing that in Greece, one week every late summer, for quite a while now. Be it in Thassos, in Kithera, in Lefkada <\/a>or in Sithonia, the effort of carrying the bikes on the rooftop of the car had been totally worth the while. The idea of being able to lay abandoned in the sun, to swim in crystal clear waters after a nice workout on the mountain bike was always irresistible. Almost anywhere you stop on the Greek coast or on an island, you are both in the mountains and close to some amazing beach.<\/p>\n

The most popular Greek destinations for Romanians who prefer traveling with their own cars are the Island of Thassos and the Chalkidiki peninsula. Start at sunrise at the Giurgiu custom point near the Danube and by sunset you might be savoring your first swim into the Aegean Sea, without needing WRC driving abilities or Stealth vehicles disguised as ordinary cars.<\/p>\n

ngg_shortcode_0_placeholderDespre Thassos pl\u0103nuiesc s\u0103 revin cu o poveste mai \u00eencolo, a\u015fa c\u0103 acum ne intereseaz\u0103 Halkidiki. Mai precis Sithonia. \u00cen materie de natur\u0103, peisaj, plaje s\u0103lbatice, nu exist\u0103 termen de compara\u0163ie \u00eentre Kassandra \u015fi Sithonia. Kassandra e mai plat\u0103, mai populat\u0103, mai \u00eenghesuit\u0103, mai aproape de Salonic, deci de aglomera\u0163ie. Sithonia, \u00een schimb, vine cu o ofert\u0103 de plaje greu de imaginat. Plimba\u0163i-v\u0103 cu Google Earth-ul pe coasta Sithoniei \u015fi r\u0103sfoi\u0163i imaginile Panoramio – dac\u0103 am avea noi la Marea Neagr\u0103 jum\u0103tate din plajele alea, ni s-ar umfla orezul m\u00e2ndriei na\u0163ionale instantaneu.<\/p>\n

\u00cen plus, dincolo de \u015foseaua de coast\u0103, asfaltat\u0103, nu mai e dec\u00e2t o mare \u00eentindere de p\u0103duri de pin, tufi\u015f\u0103raie uscat\u0103 prin care numai caprele \u015ftiu ce g\u0103sesc de ros. \u015ei drumuri, nenum\u0103rate drumuri de p\u0103m\u00e2nt. Dac\u0103 tot a\u0163i deschis Google Earth-ul, plimba\u0163i-v\u0103 pu\u0163in dinspre coast\u0103 spre interiorul peninsulei \u015fi ve\u0163i vedea despre ce vorbesc. Sunt mult mai multe drumuri dec\u00e2t arat\u0103 orice hart\u0103 am g\u0103sit, incluz\u00e2nd aici \u015fi variantele accesibile pe telefoanele mobile moderne, precum Google Maps, Nokia Maps, etc. De unde \u015fi avertismentul: dac\u0103 v\u0103 bate g\u00e2ndul s\u0103 bicicli\u0163i pe acolo – \u015fi ar fi bine s\u0103 v\u0103 bat\u0103 – atunci e musai s\u0103 ave\u0163i f\u0103cute temele de acas\u0103, respectiv desena\u0163i trackul \u00een Google Earth, exporta\u0163i-l ca gpx \u015fi \u00eenc\u0103rca\u0163i-l pe gps. Sugerez un gps dedicat (alde Garmin, etc), un telefon mobil cu posibilit\u0103\u0163i gps are pu\u0163ine \u015fanse s\u0103-l duc\u0103 bateria o tur\u0103 mai lung\u0103, adic\u0103 de vreo \u015fase ore. F\u0103r\u0103 track \u015fansele s\u0103 v\u0103 r\u0103t\u0103ci\u0163i sunt maxime, iar pu\u0163inii oameni pe care \u00eei pute\u0163i \u00eent\u00e2lni vorbesc foarte pu\u0163in englez\u0103. Cam c\u00e2t\u0103 vorbesc \u015fi ciobanii de pe coclaurile noastre.<\/p>\n

Noi am fost mai mereu \u00een Grecia \u00een septembrie. Durata zilei e mai scurt\u0103, dar num\u0103rul de ore folosibile e mai mare. \u00cen iulie \u015fi august vreo patru ore \u00een jurul pr\u00e2nzului sunt moarte. E prea cald s\u0103 faci orice. \u015ei s\u0103 faci baie e complicat, pentru c\u0103 trebuie sa ajungi la ap\u0103 printr-un soare de cuptor \u015fi printr-un nisip care-\u0163i pr\u0103je\u015fte, la propriu, picioarele. \u00cen septembrie, \u00eens\u0103, toate orele astea sunt timp c\u00e2\u015ftigat. Ne aranjam turele de a\u015fa manier\u0103 \u00eenc\u00e2t s\u0103 pornim diminea\u0163a \u015fi s\u0103 ajungem la destina\u0163ie, adic\u0103 la o plaj\u0103, c\u00e2ndva \u00een jurul pr\u00e2nzului. Acolo ne adunam cu restul echipei \u015fi \u00eentoarcerea la locul de cazare \u00eel f\u0103ceam de multe ori cu ma\u015fina, pentru c\u0103 dup\u0103 c\u00e2teva ore de soare \u015fi mare lenea e greu de \u00eenvins.<\/p>\n

Bine de \u015ftiut este c\u0103 mai toate tufi\u015furile care cresc din solul uscat al Greciei (al coastei Mediteranei \u00een general) sunt pline de spini. \u015eansele s\u0103 scapi f\u0103r\u0103 pan\u0103 sunt minuscule, petecele \u015fi camerele de rezerv\u0103 sunt obligatorii. La fel \u015fi rezervele de ap\u0103 \u00een exces, izvoare naturale sunt ca \u015fi inexistente.<\/p>\n

Bicicleta \u00ee\u0163i ofer\u0103 \u015fansa de a descoperi Grecia de dincolo de superficialitatea pliantului publicitar. O Grecie de o frumuse\u0163e s\u0103lbatic\u0103, aproape intimidant\u0103, o Grecie a satelor de munte str\u0103ine de frenezia turistic\u0103, a turmelor de capre, a migdalilor \u015fi smochinilor s\u0103lbatici, a golfurilor izolate cu nisip fierbinte \u015fi ap\u0103 cald\u0103 \u015fi curat\u0103. Etc, etc, etc. Dac\u0103 v\u0103 bate g\u00e2ndul s\u0103 v\u0103 c\u0103ra\u0163i bicicleta p\u00e2n\u0103 acolo, nu mai ezita\u0163i. Iar dac\u0103 nu v-a\u0163i g\u00e2ndit niciodat\u0103 la posibilitatea asta, poate e momentul s\u0103 \u00eencepe\u0163i.<\/p>\n