A short 65minute flight saw my arrival in Sydney Australia and an overnight stop at Rydges located so conveniently at the International section of Sydney Airport.

Next morning an unhurried start to a 30hr flight that was to cover half the world before arriving at Athens Greece a 12hr flight from Sydney under normal circumstances. Why? the only two answers I can give are Ask the travel Agent & Why not?

The first flight with Air Canda left for Vancouver Canada and a brief time in the transist lounge before resuming the same seat and onto to Toronto also in Canada. Perhaps this round about trip was to look down and wave to my friends in canada who I am returning to later in this trip and boy a good way to rack up air miles. A four hour lay over then a flight to Copenhagen in Denmark which greeted me with snow & ice still along the runways and a very bleak outside overcast sky. having never flown into Denmark that can be ticked off as the last visit was by road. The Agean flight is worth noting. Firstly before we even embarked one passenger was escorted back into the terminal and a verbal fist e cuffs took place, the airline agent won. Threats of "You wont fly"seemed to quieten him down. We boarded and it was a full flight bar one seat and yes tht was next to me! Not long after boarding the "ëscorted" man erupted demanding a special seat when better suited to a free parachute flight. Another man also on numerous occassions left his seat walked down to a woman passenger and make loud verbal remarks before he too was shown back to his allocated seat. People on this flight seemed not to care about about the seat belt warnings and just wandered at will.

During this flight we also had a "medical emergency"and when they asked for a Doctor 5 people volunteered so I guess we were in good hands? The passenger was still alive on arrival at Athens but again the passengers refused to adhear to the repeated requests to remain seated and allow a medical evacuation. Eventually they opened the rear door of the aircraft and bought portable steps and asked those at the rear to use them and bused everyone to the bleak,deary Athens terminal. I was in Greece but did the officials care well no as long as I walked out the gate saying EU countries no challenges were forthcoming. My driver was waiting as requested and soon we were in his Volvo headed to my hotel in the centre of Athens about a 40minute ride via the Industrial areas? Guess that was the quickest route but a poor introduction to Greece. He didnt know my Hotel but did have the address so as I knew the Hotel name it worked well. Typically at the hotel he just stopped in the line of traffic and I grabbed my bag and went into the hotel.

The next day a Sunday was a free day so I took the opportunity to relive the history of Greece by purchasing a Hop On Hop Off Red bus ticket and did the usually full route once before selecting those stops that appeared to be of most interest.

The iconic stop would be The Acropolis which I did from the outside having being inside on a previous visit and prior to the long ticket lines. The restortation works well what restoration? Greece appears to be trapped in about 2013 when the EU money & projects ground to a halt and bankruptcy loomed and has continued to cast a big dark clound on any real progress. Most public works just stopped be that roads, historic sites or public infrastructure. Along with that has come a decline in business with a feature of the street being empty shops all covered in graffiti. Not a single shop but whole complexes sit idle in ruin and littered with unemptied rubbish bins. Even in the still alive market places rubbish is piled in any place awaiting a maybe clearance that usually never comes.

Traffic is chaos to say the least with 000's of small scooters bashing and thrashing along overcrowded streets where most road signage is either covered with graffiti or non existent. Basically if you want to go just force your way and even if you dont someone will blow their horn to protest.

It was a sheer driving spectical to watch the large tourist coaches negotiaite their way along single alleyways and overhanging shop fronts.

The Police are ever present often 4 on a street cornor watching talking & smoking while doing nothing. Only once when I photographed a car left parked on a marked pedestrian crossing did a poice office move over and write out a ticket.

Monday dawned and Michael from Get Routed had organised a mini bus to take us from the hotel to the port to collect our bikes at 7.30am.

We assembled and waited, well in Greece you always wait & wait, finally not one but two modern Mercedes Mini coaches arrived and it was time to jostle away the Chinese tourists who dared invade our transport and half filling each we left for the 50mins ride to the Port. Arriving at the Port we circled around awaiting codes to enter, seems they were only expecting trucks & vans not coaches but eventually we gained entrance and waited while waiting we got out and looked at cars from the USA awaiting collection then yes our turn.

The container was opened, they would not allow the bikes out as is the usual practise in the UK so we waited while each bike was unloaded and then we matched our luggage to each bike only for them to realise then the bikes were hemmed in by the luggage so a rearrangement took place. Then each party identified their bike and it was taken off the shipping frame and moved to a different area again as the first was too close to the road.

Then having put our luggage onto our own bikes we were escorted (drivers only) to reception to present papers. Then ofcourse told "lunchtime for 90mins" lucky for us drivers there was a canteen at Reception so we had a cheap nice lunch. Sorry for the non drivers left in another part well away from food & water.

The first few took forever and then I think they realised might not get everyone done in one day so the "official"took our papers shoooed us away from the counter, yelled & ranted to our customs agent frequently then a piece of paper was given to each rider and again onto a different bus and back to the bikes. Initially mine would not start but a jump pack was produced and it went and restarted when I returned. We left in convey to the final clearance point and when I stopped so did the bike. An hour passed passer byes offered help a jump start etc no luck so a scooter rider offered me a lift then OH NO my papers got left back at secure area. Lucky he gave me a ride back and I found the same man on the gate that had seen my passport before and he allowed me back to retrieve the papers then off to an auto electrical shop. Yes Sir look at 8pm when close shop! About 7pm he relented and doubled me back to the bike where a new battery, the same as I had purchased in Canada to take on this trip but could not be found to pack, was installed paid for and off I went back to the hotel by 9pm a full day.

The next morning I loaded up and put my gear on and jumped onto the bike for a full day's riding. Pressed the starter button and nothing happened so much for needing a new battery! I googled up Triumph Dealers and found one only 1100m away so off I walked two hours later I arrived damn curved streets! Yes they would look at it later as long as I pushed it to the shop. Not likely too far, too much traffic and fully laden. So arranged a pick up by a specialist MC carrier who would come to the shop collect me go to hotel collect bike and return to dealership for $65. Off we went blocked all traffic while collecting bike and back to the sho, which has no rear entrance or unloading spaces bar the footpath which has all the new and customers repairs already. About 5.10pm after closing time I was given back my bike now with a new main electrical relay that the computer said was the fault.

I geared up not delighted to now be in peak hour Athens traffic thumbed the starter button and went no where!