August 22, 2023
Belisirma
A short but hilly ride with the added hindrance of a strong headwind. Nonetheless, still a mostly enjoyable one.
We got going late because the breakfast at the hotel was the best we have had so far and it was difficult to drag ourselves away. We immediately started the first of three climbs of the day and after a short patch of gentle undulating started the second.
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In Selime we spent a lot of time looking for the best views of the hill where scenes from Star Wars were shot but ended up backtracking when we found ourselves literally in someone's backyard - the town's houses merge into the hills, some of them being partly dug onto the hillside.
We skipped the Cathedral Cave because the thought of paying 10 Euros for a stiff uphill walk in the heat of the day when we still had a big climb ahead of us seemed a bit much. In retrospect we should have done it.
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The steep downhill into Belisirma had us wondering if we had chosen the right place to spend the night. For starters, we would have to climb out of it the next day. The campsites on offer only strengthened that feeling. They were all part of various restaurants which all seemed to be owned by a single extended family. We took the first one we found. It turns out that the "shower" was at another restaurant belonging to a "brother".
The restaurants were focused firmly on squeezing as much money out of the tourists, both local and international, as possible. And there was no shortage of suckers, amongst whom our number can be included. But at least our participation was due to lack of options.
Today's ride: 37 km (23 miles)
Total: 601 km (373 miles)
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8 months ago