European Drivers

On the way to Athens I rode through Marathon, eponym of the race. Thinking I would crush the world record with the mighty power of internal combustion, I took the circuitous route and made it in just over 28 hours. Probably the worst display of hubris ever committed in Greece.

I spent a week in Athens exploring and waiting on parts to arrive. Upon departure, Strom was sporting new off-road tires, skid plate, heated grips, and a statue of Hermes affixed to the front. Unfortunately, he was not of the highest quality, so I now have just the broken ankles of the god of transport epoxied to the front of the bike. Perhaps not the most auspicious of hood ornaments.

Athens is my favorite city so far, with nice shops and gritty alleys in equal measure, obscene amounts of history, a good couchsurfing community, and among the highest motorcycle ownership rates of any city in the world.

So after 2 months on the bike, some reflections on riding in Greece/Europe:

1. In general, European drivers are more aggressive but also more situationally aware and accustomed to motorcycles. On highways they are great about staying in the right lane, yet on two lane roads they refuse to pull over to let you pass.

2. European road signs are stupid, unintuitive, and often downright abstract. Take this line through a white circle: it's actually not from the MoMA, but is in fact a sign indicating that the previous speed limit no longer applies and that drivers should now follow the national guidelines to determine the appropriate speed limit. Said guideline of course depends on the road, setting, and vehicle type and varies by country.

3. Greek drivers understand this, and eschew traffic laws in general. For the most part they respect red lights and stop signs, have good situational awareness, and get over to the right when they see someone wanting to pass. In other words, they are the perfect drivers. However, the roads are often littered with potholes, gravel, olives (and consequently olive oil), so one must remain vigilant.

4. Greek is truly incomprehensible, but I can sound out most signs - thanks highschool calculus! You just take the derivative of the name to determine your exit.