Just in the door after a two-week Traincation in the northwestern part of Greece, in a region called Epirus. I couldn’t reply to all messages I received on my Insta-Stories in the last few weeks. I will use this post to talk a little bit about what we were up to.

In a pretty spontaneous act, we jumped on the chance of a Midsommer break that should lead us to a town called Sivota. Apollo has taken over the Sivota Retreat hotel and branded the place with their Playitas label. Giving the hotel the sporty approach of their flagship sports resort on Fuerteventura.

With several water sport options, gym and classes, we didn’t wait too long and booked the trip.

This excursion was a family vacation and not a training camp. However, I brought my TT bike to get some miles in and discover the surrounding areas. Countless training options on site made sure that the days were filled with training for my wife and myself. It was great having all the options close by and still be able to enjoy a proper and relaxed vacation as a family. The flawless sunshine and warm temperatures certainly helped.

Running in the high temperature is very hard for me. I get exhausted very quickly and it takes me a lot of time to recover even after an easy run. Knowing this, I only ran in the air-conditioned gym. This suited me well as I just could mix in the runs whenever I could or wanted. Travelling to the area during the time of the year that we choose means early wake ups to get outside runs in.

But there is so much more to do. For example, the swimming. I like swimming in the open water. It is even better when you swim in salt water, but also seeing the amount of fish and having such a clear sighting during the plunges was incredible. I regularly swam around the island that is in the front of the hotel and I also swam into Sivota to get an ice cream. There is so much to do and explore, even swimming into grottoes is possible.

A thing that absolutely surprised me was the cycling. If you are not scared of climbing, occasional sheep on the road or a pothole, riding around Epirus is so much fun. A lot of streets are freshly renewed and the possibilities to explore the mountains and the ranges are nearly endless. The region is popular by local tourists, seeing how clean and green this region is, you know why. Also, the amount of traffic is super low which makes riding a bike very much enjoyable.

Overall an amazing trip with plenty of training and plenty of quality family time. Bring on the next Traincation…  

Tune of the day: Evidence – Unlearning Vol. 1 (Full Album)