The proud snail – Transeurotrail Peloponnese Greece
Slowly, she made her way uphill, leaving nothing but a slight trail of kicked up dust and rocks behind. The rocks were bigger than anticipated for an inexperienced uphill snail and the going was tough. The hairpin bends were tight and the steep edges were not to be mocked with. At first her confidence was lacking, but after a few near falls that were carefully avoided, a slight hint of confidence started to appear on the horizon. While the city of Patras (Peloponnese, Greece) grew smaller and smaller, her confidence to stick to the track increased. She started to realise that, she might be slow, but also slow would get her up the hill. Her legs were dancing a jig with her Honda Crf250L moving steadily below her, her eyes were looking straight ahead and her brain started to accept that maybe those rocks weren’t so scary after all.
Higher and higher she crept, with the views after each corner more magnificent than before. Suddenly, slightly distracted by the endless vistas, she didn’t take the hairpin bend as intended and took the off-road riding to an unplanned level. Instead of sticking to the track, her wheels went straight up the hill untill her frontwheel went flighing. What happened next might remain an unsolved mystery, but, by a sudden touch of magic, she made a 180° turn on her back wheel and ended up back on the path facing in exactly the opposite direction. She had already been fully commited to falling and, bursting out in laughter, couldn’t believe that it were still her wheels on the ground instead of her head. Maybe, just maybe, this little red snail managed to stick better to the track than anticipated.
A red snail, alone with her companion and on top of the world. A red snail gaining confidence and rediscovering a love for off-road riding. The Peloponnese didn’t make it easy for her, but the marvels made up for that.
Having reached the top of the hill, the going didn’t get easier. With an elegant swirl the bike went sideways and with a thud echoing across the valley, her backside sat itself down on the stones. That was that, nowhere else to go and nothing to worry about as at least falling was no longer possible from this position. Her companion came to her rescue and picked her up to continue the journey.
After the initial track leaving Patras, the going got easier and the weather hotter. The Foloi oak forest provided shade and silence. The forests close to Sparti buzzed with life and insects. The smell of flowers was intoxicating and the olive tree orchards endless. The tracks turned into slight gravel and together with her red snail she started to gain speed. Was she fast? Never! But no snail could have been prouder to have made it all the way.
