#Anyways it was still fun to take them there and watch them autonomously ignore everyone else except each other 😊 my lil lovebirds!

[gothoffspring]

One of Riley's new goals is to show Monica all of his favorite spots in Strangerville before they potentially move away (they have started discussing it!). She's still fairly new to the area and is very excited to see where Riley grew up. First stop was the Strangerville Canyon Pool by @ladykendalsims! Riley spent a lot of time here when he was younger, up to no good of course. They swam, drank and maybe kissed a little bit, I gave them their privacy though. The night ended with them cozied up next to the bonfire. Overall a very successful little date!

[handelplayssims]

Reaper's Reward - Week 3

Time for another week doing quests for Grim! This time, we seem to be thinking about Lady Mimsy and her knowledge of ambrosia. ...wonder if I can head off to Windenburg for extra points.

Two quests, one to Learn from the Lady by reading a tome we unlocked last week, and another to gather the first ingredient. Also it’s Explosion Day! ...I live in the UK and this is as close to Guy Fawks day as I’ll go with. Traditions include, fire, fireworks, airing grievances, and art and music spirit. Alex loves fireworks and the arts while Venus likes the fireworks. All in this household ignore being mean.But first, let’s go read the introduction to the Green Lady’s tome. And then do gardening. I am definitely also going to be giving the Fyres family this tome. I associate them with the lost Lord and Lady. Also Moria would probably go for it. Right, introduction to the book says that it skills gardening, fishing, and cooking. We’ll see if that actually hold out.

Sending Alexander to school alone today, it’s time for Bella to work-from-home. Her goals are to get to know sims in Uptown and to write a letter. Good to know. Ah, Bella making her breakfast counted off the cooking. Ah well. Anyway, time to work and we’re taking Geoffrey with us. He wants to meet someone new in a third location and Uptown will work for that. It’s morning so...let’s head over to the Uptown library! ...why library instead of lounge, you may ask? Well, I decided to have the richest sims in each area control what lots get built. Fengs wanted something quieter.

I see someone at the chess table so time to say hi! And- ...wow. Goeffrey is completely done with Friend of the World now. He is skilled after all that so, fair’s fair! ...let’s go for Neighborhood Confidante then. That mostly relies on random phone calls, but we can go out and say hello to other folks and point and nudge them in specific ways. Bella’s gotten to know chess lady, Bjorn, and Geoffrey. Now let’s get some donations before we head back home. Right, off for Bella to go and write a letter. Done and dusted. Let’s see...she needs to go on dates, but I want to wait for Alex to come home and do garden- mm. He has chess practice today. Welp.

Right, ambrosia society newsletter tells us to catch an angel fish! ...welp! New goals are to fish with bait or to travel to Caster’s Alley. Oh fun! Now Alex is going to get into the funky stuff! ...also gotta say, getting the pomegranate grafting just instilled in me FEAR. Can only nab apples cutting and my cherry trees aren’t grown yet. Hmm. Well, we got the book quest done already with Alexander doing his gourmet cooking. Good for him!

Past 8PM so let’s set off some fireworks since it’s properly dark now. By the by, you can order those off the computer, in case you forgot. Fireworks exploded, now to finish art and music for those who don’t have it. Venus shall practice singing and Alex shall head to the pipe organ. Also got Guidry to go and give another 1000 simoleans to the cause. Deal with it, ghost! You drop by every day so pay the dues!

And with that, everyone headed to bed. It’s time for-

Neighborhood Watch!

Henford-on-Bagley: The Vega household has moved in.

Another day, some more gardening to do for Alex. ...might as well also set up a slumber party. Alex is going to be spending most of his free time at chess so might as well work on other stuff.

...WELL. Geoffrey walked in on Bella autonomously flirting with Guidry. Uh, I declined getting him the jealous trait, but uh, negative sentiments time. Gonna have him yell at Bella for that. And...hmm. She does have a sad sentiment for betraying her partner. A smooth apology immedately cleared the negative sentiment though. Welp. But at least Geoffrey still has the fear of being cheated on. And Bella has the hurt sentiment from being yelled at. Anyway, Bella has a whim to do volunteer work so let’s let her and Geoffrey do some good deeds today. Comfortably compatible lifestyles sentiment for Geoffrey. Weeeeelp, so much for negative fallout from cheating. Except the fear.

Anyway, let’s see about getting started with Geoffrey’s aspiration. I don’t really care about expanding the family or finding new jobs for premades sooo...let’s see. Why don’t we have Mei Prescott go and befriend Bjorn Begersen. They’re both gloomy so why not? Huzzah! That worked! Let’s do one of those per day.

Had Geoffrey chat and talk to Venus, he wanted to mentor a child so perhaps teaching her about saying please and thank you and helping with homework would count.

It’s slumber party time! Instead of focusing on goals, I’m going to have Venus tell stories from the sleeping bag. It’s apart of her next aspiration stage after all! ...I am aboslutely chuckling about her telling the story about the Mother Plant though. Heheh. And that is done! Next is playing games. Sorry, chess table, you are now done and dusted and it is Simbles time! Simbles done. Now it’s past 1AM! It’s time for these kids to get some sleep. The biggest goal of a slumber party!

...I am honestly surprised Geoffrey is up this early in the morning. -shrug- Might as well have him befriend Kendall the butler.

And it’s 5AM. Finally time for-

Neighborhood Watch!

Eliza Pancakes in the Pancakes household has died. Eliza tried fixing the toilet and it randomly burst into flames!

-trumpets ring out- HALLELUJAH! For so long Bob has been dead and now it’s finally time for Eliza to join him. But also! It means I can do something new with that home. I have astronauts in Willow Creek and it feels slightly wrong to simply have the rocket ship not be a public utility. I’m going to get a community lot and make it into a maker space! And place a rocket ship on it.

Seiji Kato in the Kato household has died. Seiji stuck a finger in a plug and electricity came out.

...you I don’t know. RIP.

Gardening with Alex and making his own breakfast. Grind those skills! ...let’s end the slumber party slightly early because I want to go to school with Alexander today. Gold event so we get money and a new sleeping bag! Nice nice. Also I nabbed a graft off of the apple tree. Can’t give it to a cherry tree though, alas.

To school with Alexander! Finally filling up that social meter with him. Got to know his chess teammate Molly Prescott...and immedately became good friends with her. Welp, nicely done, I suppose. Huh. Got an invite to prom as friends with Molly. Might as well! We’ll see if I remember by prom time. WAIT, HE HAS A DATE. That sounds like a bad idea actually. Let’s uh, actually check in with Maria first. And give her a proper invite.

...but first, fishing. But I can bring Maria with me, at least. Asked her to prom and she accepted, very enthusiastically. Enough romance! Time to fish! I immediately spotted an angelfish pop up of a fishing hole I was interested in so let’s go!

So pro-tip, you can see fish swimming in where they can be caught.

IT WAS LITERALLY MY SECOND CAST! Game is being generous. 3 more casts of the fishing line to see what I get. Pffth, keep getting kitchen appliances and an apple. Anyway, let’s get some food and then we’ll head out to the magic realm.

...Molly walked up and asked to go to prom again! No! Well, now she has the hurt sentiment and Alex thinks she- wait no, we still have closer from happy memories sentiment. -shrug-

Also Tane Ngata decided to say eat right next to Alex at the small amusement park where I got supper for him, might as well say hello. He’s a fellow nerd so why not? And might as well convince him to join in the chess team.

And now, to the Magic Realm! ...and getting in there automatically finishes off the quest. Week done! That was quick. ...I am still in fear about the potental grafting issues that may come. Though pomegranate is not the rare plant I should worry about, I suppose. I know I can get that off of groceries.

Anyway, I got loads of fish! Let’s go home and set up a proper fish tank to showcase them in!

Fish tank all nice and set up. Will keep the Angelfish fresh until it’s time comes.

Bella needs rest. Alex needs rest. Venus needs to head back to bed so she can be ready for school but might as well make a friendship braclet while she’s still up. And then send her to bed. Geoffrey...eh, let’s just advise our butler to make friends. That’ll do.

Neighborhood Watch!

Izzy Fabulous in the Fabulous household has died. Izzy heard a dad joke and laughed a little too hard.

Aww man! Rip our fabulously gay and slightly famous guy.

Emilia Lucas in the Lucas household has died. Emilia asked a rabbit if it wanted a carrot, but the rabbit chose violence.

Anyway, that’s this week! A pretty easy one, all things considered. See you all next week for more fun!

[peralta-guaranteed]

After that Jake-Mac-Rosa fic, you dropped this queen: 👑 Next time, a Jake-Mac-Holt piece?

Oh dang, THAT's where I left it. Thank you for that. 🤪

Grandpa Holt is always a pleasure to write, but let's try for some Dad Holt too...

"Is everything alright, Peralta?"

Jake has been sitting off to the side of the group for a while now, so Holt finds it necessary to inquire. He's not used to the eager detective being so closed off and quiet unless something is wrong, and nothing he can think of right now strikes him as 'wrong': they have been celebrating the end of a rather arduous case for Diaz and Boyle, and Peralta had been as helpful as he could be as a tertiary, which was not his preferred position at all. The first round at Shaw's had been paid by himself as Captain, obviously, and the next by Diaz, so Boyle has promised to shoulder the third, were it to happen. Ergo Peralta could not be thinking about his usual money problems, which have lessened anyway ever since Santiago took over his budgeting.

That means something else entirely must be 'wrong' in order for Jake to keep out of the conversation, only reply when he is mentioned by name, and drift off to a corner of the bar while the other congregate around the various game options of the room.

"I'm good, Captain, thanks." Jake answers with a smile and an obvious lie, so Holt doesn't even bother replying, just raises one of his eyebrows a quarter of an inch, which he knows usually gets him results with Peralta. The ensuing sigh shows that it is still working.

"It's just..." Jake shrugs and rubs the back of his neck, another tell of his discomfort. "This is my first night out alone since the baby."

"Indeed." Holt replies. "I remember your phone call to Amy to inform her you would be back late today."

"Yeah." His hand is still on his neck, the other one clutched around his half empty beer bottle. "She told me to have fun. But..uh... I still kinda feel like I shouldn't be here."

"Do you think having a child robs you of autonomity? I know I am not speaking from experience, here, but it does seem to me like you are allowed to enjoy time away from your family, especially if your spouse insists you do."

"Getting drunk at a bar while my kid might be crying at home doesn't feel like the responsible thing to do, is all."

"Ah, I see." Holt nods, and he does see - he actually sees a lot more than what Jake might be trying to imply in his statement. He remembers how he used to self-medicate with alcohol in the past, after ending his relationship with that defense attorney, or even before, while feeling heartbroken over Santiago. He also remembers anecdotes about his father's drinking, not from Peralta himself, obviously, but from the rest of the squad, whenever Jake would cancel on a promised night out after Roger Peralta's visits. As much as Holt hates idioms, one of his most despised is probably 'the apple doesn't fall far from the tree', and Jake seems to fear it as well.

"Here is my solution, then, if you are willing to listen." Jake looks up at Holt as he's standing in front of him, and his hand drops from his neck. "You make the beer you are currently drinking your last for the night, and spend some quality time with your colleagues instead, enjoying a few parlour games, and then you head home at an agreeable time and still see your child before he falls asleep."

Jake grins and takes a sip of his beer.

"Sounds like a plan, Cap." He nods, and Holt doesn't ignore the fact that Jake has been using this shortened nickname for him a lot lately, and how eerily similar it sounds to 'Dad' in his voice.

(An hour later, he receives a picture on his cellphone from Peralta: The man himself, asleep on his couch, with his infant son equally asleep on his chest. Santiago must have commandeered his phone, and Holt is glad for it.)

-*-

"Grampa!"

The sound of that little voice echoes through the hallway as loudly as the ensuing footsteps, and Holt feels something warm and solid wrap around his legs.

"Hello, McClane." He smiles down at the little boy currently clutching his knees, and he smiles back before raising his arms in an obvious demand to be lifted up. Holt obeys it immediately.

He notices Mac looks surprisingly tired for an otherwise very energetic two year old, and Amy, who's now following him to Holt's side, looks equally exhausted.

"Good afternoon, Captain. I'm so sorry, I should've messaged you that I have to bring Mac in for an hour, the babysitter cancelled and the day care couldn't keep him longer than-"

"It is quite alright, Santiago. McClane knows how to behave himself at the precinct, right?" He gives the little boy in his arms a look, and receives a strong and eager nod in reply, the curls on his head bouncing back and forth. If anyone were ever to question Peralta's parentage, that alone would classify them as an imbecile. "I can watch him for the time being, if you have paperwork you need to get in order before leaving for the day."

"God, Captain Holt, would you- that would be so- I was going to ask Rosa, because I know she's at her desk-"

Amy seems far more frazzled than usual, and Holt realises that her regular schedule must be in quite a disarray, considering she has been a single parent for about a week now. Mac must not have been making it easy for her, either, nor must the baby currently growing in her stomach, which has started to show about a month ago, at which point they finally informed the squad about it (when everyone had already figured it out just like last time).

"RoRo!" Mac yells, happily, almost leaning out of Holt's arms, but he quickly hugs him tighter.

"Your aunt Rosa is working, McClane, and we should not interrupt her. We can spend the time in my office, and you can draw if you would like."

"Roro working." He echoes like a little parrot. "Like Daddy."

"That's right." Holt has learned from the parenting homepages he's visited that you are to encourage a child trying to talk and string together a coherent topic, no matter how long it might take.

"Daddy's working away." Mac continues, and out of the corner of his eye Holt sees Amy's forehead wrinkle in worry.

"Yes, your father is in New Jersey for the week to work on a special case." It's not a dangerous case at all, rather a boring standard task that happened to involve some out-of-state suspects, but Jake had still been trying to hand off that trip to anyone who might be willing to help him out. Seeing his son with bags under his eyes and his wife with stresslines around her mouth and her hand on her belly, Holt understands why.

"He comes back." Mac says next, and it is a statement, but the look in his eyes makes it a question, and Holt is quick to answer. He's glad that he has a definite answer to that, instead of the empty promises and assurances he sometimes has to make as the head of a police department.

"Yes, your father will be back soon. In two days, in fact."

Mac holds up two grubby little fingers, and Holt nods with so much fervor it surprises himself.

"Very good, that is two. Only two days and two nights until your father is back home." The worry in Mac's eyes seems to dimish a little at that as he stares at his own fingers. "If we go to my office, we can check on the calendar exactly how long that is." He barely waits for another nod before taking the diaper bag out of Santiago's hands, who whispers a quiet, but relieved "Thank you" to him. He understands again that it means far more than to thank him for taking care of the child for an hour so.

(If he uses that hour to assure Mac several times that no matter what, his father will always find a way back to him with far more emotion in his voice than he'd usually use, well, no one needs to know. Peralta certainly seems happy about the picture he sends him of Mac with his captain's hat behind his desk.)

-*-

"Congratulations." Holt's hand on his shoulder is heavy, but not uncomfortably so, and it gives a quick squeeze before dropping.

They've done the whole customary introduction to the newborn baby, the apparently necessary picture round, and now Kevin is having an amicable chat with Amy in her hospital bed. They've waited two days for their official visit, to give the new parents a chance to get at least a few of their bearings. (Holt was there merely an hour after the birth, of course, with the rest of the squad, but that was a moment of joyful chaos and many voices.) Now the room is filled with an almost serene quiet, Amy's and Kevin's voices low and comfortable in the background as Holt watches the man he truly considers a son hold up his new granddaughter.

"Do you want to hold her again? I know you already did for the photos but-"

Holt only nods and takes the infant out of his hands with perfect ease. He's more used to a wriggling toddler now, but he still clearly remembers the days when Mac was equally quiet and frail in his arms. The little one in them now is asleep amidst all that is happening, her tiny mouth open just a fraction, and he feels her arm bump against his chest while she seems to be having a dream.

"She is as perfect as her older brother, Jake."

"Yeah." Jake smiles, and there's nothing of that boisterous, loud, cocky detective grin left in it that he used to know. It is soft and kind and full of love, and it might be one of Holt's favourite expressions. "Amy did a superb job again."

"As did you."

"I'm sure I don't gotta explain this to you, Cap, but I didn't really do much." Jake jokes, and Holt can tell he's trying to divert the attention to a simpler topic, but sometimes things must be said.

"You do a lot, Jacob." He continues, then. "Far more than a lot of fathers do. Far more than many would expect of you. And you do it all perfectly right, with heart and determination."

Jake nods, swallowing down a lump in his throat, it seems, and it might be a step too far for his already emotional state, but Holt feels like it needs to accompany his accolades.

"I am very proud of you, son."

Jake is very obviously fighting back tears as he replies.

"Thanks, dad."

The little girl in Holt's arms stirs right at this moment, and Jake seems to want to interject immediately in fear that she'll start crying, but she simply stares up at Holt with impossibly big, brown eyes for the first time. And he realises, just as he did two years ago when Mac's little hand tightened around his finger for the first time, that there is a child in this world that he would literally do anything for. There are four of them now, even if two of them have not fallen under the category of a child for several decades.

"Hello, Maya." He says to the little face that seems to be inspecting him. "I'm Captain Raymond Holt. Your grandfather."

He looks up at Kevin and Amy, who've stopped their conversation while Amy is lifting her phone in their direction, and then at Jake, who's looking at Maya as well with shining eyes. Then he looks back down at Maya, stretching her arms out of her swaddle as if she's reaching for him.

"You are a very lucky little girl."

[elastigirl72]

And so it was, a Greek Oddity

May 13: on the plane to Istanbul

And so it is. Clearwell>Athens. Done!

Not to dwell too much on Athens, but I loved it. What a city. I’ll be spending more time there in future. In fact, maybe the way forward is to fly there, buy a scooter and ride home along the route I’ve just done, taking in more of each place I visited...there’s a thought ☺️

Today, the buckle I’m doing up is my seatbelt and not my rucksack on a plane to Istanbul. I’ll be reflecting on this adventure for some time. It’s the longest by double, and my third unsupported. But sitting here waiting for the plane to lift off, and looking at the flight map, the plane is pointing directly at the route I’ve just travelled. To fly home, I’d cross two time zones, 3 seas, 11 countries and by air, would take 4-5 hours plus time to and from airports, let’s say in all, 9 hours each way. Flying would definitely be easier and quicker. A colleague of mine who has other interests doesn’t get it. Isn’t it obsessive? Boring even? What are you trying to prove? Let’s say you flew to Athens, you wouldn’t see, feel, hear, smell, sense in minuscule detail every metre that passed. You wouldn’t feel the elation of an unexpected mountain vista or the terror of a chasing pack of wild dogs. How could you see the vibrancy in millions of poppies coming into bloom alongside parched, arid fields? What chance would you have of seeing a snake poised to strike and 500 metres later, bright green Geckos just hanging out getting warm?

You wouldn’t have the opportunity of just getting through each day, eating for the miles you’ve either flown through or battled against, or met the people who will either leave a positive impact on your memory or something you’d rather forget. You wouldn’t wake up each morning trying to figure out where you are and what is happening that day, and whether in fact, you can actually stand, let alone move forward. Neither would you find out what you’re made of, both physically and mentally; what happens to the body when you put it under stress day after day? How does the mind deal with pain, stress, the unknown? How does your heart respond to something it’s never done before?

How do I feel today now I’m flying to work in Istanbul? With a day of rest, I could keep going. If I ever found myself in a situation where I’d lost my job or did not need to work anymore, right now, I wouldn’t hesitate. I’d be off as soon as I’d packed my gear, and work my way around the globe, probably in a westerly direction, simply because I’ve now done one continent.

Have I learned anything on this trip? I guess that will take me a while to realise. But I’ll start with a few things.

Flexibility really works. It takes the pressure off if that’s what is needed but in order to have flexibility, there needs to be flex room built in. When I originally planned this trip, I’d booked all accommodation from Calais to the Alps. If I’d stuck with that, flexibility would be gone and I would have an unbending, rigid timeline for mileage each day. Going into the trip, I was undertrained, which I was prepared for. What I hadn’t prepared for was how strong the headwinds I would face for the first 10 days. And then the rain and headwinds for an overlapping period which made for 17 days of tough conditions. If I had stuck with the original plan of prebooked stops, I would have struggled with both fitness and motivation more than I already did. In my head, I’d already mentally prepared that snow might be a real showstopper in the Alps, and painful as it was, to take a train from Zurich to Bellinzona (the crossing point was always flexible due to weather conditions and I was annexed whichever way I went), it was a lot easier to accept knowing it was a possibility. The total mileage was more than a direct route to Athens even with one leg train journey and this is how I consoled the decision.

When it’s possible to rigidly plan, then rigidly plan. After losing a day in Venice, after reaching Trieste, the weather, whilst far from perfect, was better. I had only one contingency day, and feeling rested and confident in Trieste, I booked the next 5 nights accommodation down the Dalmatian Coast. That got me to Herceg Novi on schedule to then decide whether I wanted to go mountains or coast to Athens, depending on energy and weather.

From Herceg Novi onwards, I freestyled all the way to Athens, sometimes just pitching up at hotels and asking if they had a room. On balance, there was only one stop that I wouldn’t stop at again, and felt liberated travelling this way.

I still trust too much. Two occasions, I got myself into sticky situations because I look for the best in people. One day I will learn, but with it I will become cynical and suspicious...which doesn’t fill me with happy anticipation. Tricky.

You really don’t need much stuff to get by. By the end of my trip, I had a couple of shampoo sachets, cheap travel toothbrush, toothpaste, sun cream, antihistamine medication, my glasses and contacts, razor, two pairs of knickers, a bra, zip-trouser/shorts, t-shirt, hairbrush and other than the cycle gear I wore, camera and phone, that was it.

I really found it difficult to digest as much food as I needed to eat each day, but paying attention to fuelling the next day’s ride I truly believe this was the key to success. I am sure I have as much of a belly as I had before I left! But i never once ran out of energy. Nuts and dried fruit are a better moving food choice than M&Ms but the latter are just such a guilty pleasure and great for motivation! 😆

The next thing that was affirmed (I knew this already from many other endeavours) is that even if people aren’t physically on the road with you, it’s ok to “shout” for support. I actively did this, and a whole community of helpers materialised. Even when I didn’t actively look for support, it was always there...and love it or hate it, for me, it’s one of the blessings of social media. The reality is that only very close people will be thinking of you occasionally as you pedal along. But those are important, and those that are kind enough to take time to respond and give you a little boost, regardless of how big or small, it’s like a triple espresso when you need it most. I thank every single one, whether avidly following me and with me vicariously, or just the occasional like or comment.

My heart is strong, but so is my head. I’ve never felt so switched on and alive for so long. If you take a 4 week period in life, it’s never going to be a non-stop bed of roses and quadruple rainbows, where the sun always shines, birds always sing and everyone loves each other. Being on this trip has of course highlighted this, but it’s also reminded me again how bloody good cyclists are at literally pedalling on and leaving negative stuff behind them and looking forward. I don’t believe you can be a happy cyclist unless you can do this.

Movement and motion become autonomic when your heart controls movement, so regardless of how tired you are, just mount your bike, look forward and just keep rolling...

I 100% acknowledge how fortunate I am, both in life circumstances and in health to have this incredible opportunity. It’s not for everyone, and it’s not possible for everyone, even if it’s a dream. I’ve no doubt hacked a few people off with my continuous stream of progress, photos and observations. But I hope in equal measure or possibly tipping the scales more towards somehow the positive: that a group of oldies in Canada might visualise and anticipate each post, that a sibling or child can think that they can do this, and along the road, like the two Albanian girls I saw watching in fascination as I regrouped after border control, when I grow up, I’d like to have a go at that. She looks cool and friendly and that looks like a lot of fun. Whatever you do and however you do it, you’ll come across people who will want to shoot you down. I’m glad I’m not wasting my energy worrying about it and doing it anyway.

How do I feel about achieving my goal? It’s hard to answer right now. There are people out in the world doing great and brave things, sometimes because they have to and sometimes because they chose to, like me. My achievement, compared to many others is really insignificant in the scale of the globe and time. And it’s hard for me to ignore that. I guess how I feel is that despite pain, danger, risk, weather, and unexpected behaviour, I’ve not let it stop me, and for that I feel stronger than I thought I was. I am better at being alone than I thought I would be, and probably more obvious to other people than to myself until this journey, I’m pretty stubborn and persistent - not always great qualities! But I feel happy, there is an element of emotion just tinkering away in the background there, and I’m not done yet.

So, what’s next? I had to sell my Time Trial bike to get my head around this trip and focus. It’s clear that I am a distance junkie, whether it’s competing or adventure. I think I have to wait for the dust to settle before I can see that horizon. At 46, whilst I’m no spring chicken, there’s miles in me yet. Just where, when, how, why, who knows?

Things that make me happy on the road:

The first sign for the destination I’m heading for that day

A washing machine

Fabric softener

Hair conditioner

Moisturiser

Bread before started arrives

When Google gives the direction “Stay on this road for 24km”

Good pillows

Home made breakfast, namely my porridge

A friendly welcome

Generosity

A quiet road

A surprise vista

As I do, I have several tracks that have defined this, my most epic two-wheeled adventure to date. Some cheesy, some emotional, but definitely the soundtrack to my transcontinental European two-wheeled road trip....

Moving: SuperGrass

Silver Lining (again): First Aid Kit

Arrival of the Birds: The Cinematic Orchestra

Re:member: Olafur Arnalds

Higher Love: Steve Windwood

Big Log: Robert Plant

Broken Land: The Adventures

No Surprises: Radiohead

Crazy: Seal

Titanium: David Gueta

Hibernate: Celine Cairo

Jingle: Tash Sultana

Last night as I was drifting off to my final Greek land of sleep, I received a call from someone called Nikos. I was reluctant to accept a call from someone I didn’t know, but did anyway...

“Hello, this is Nikos from Hotel *****, why did you give me a bad review?”...[click]

As we land, the plane flight video shows the land below and the shadow of the plane. You can see the contours on the ground but not the details all passing at high speed: pretty much summarises in Technicolour the difference between flying and what my adventure means to the rest of the world, and what my Odyssey meant to me....

Thank you for being with me on this journey. I hope it’s not my last, but if it is, it was an absolute blast 🤩. Enjoy your next adventure!