09.08.2023 – Day 12 – Çeşme to Piraeus, via Chios – 135 km (road) / 275 km (ferry)
7:15 a.m.
We set off early in the morning towards the port of Çeşme to take the ferry to Chios. Customs clearance from Turkey was swift. However, we each had to pay 30 euro cents in unpaid tolls. Turkey seems to be incredibly well connected, and information travels fast!
9:40 a.m.
We left Turkey for Chios 20 minutes late on board the Sunrise Lines ferry. Only three cars were on the boat. Space was extremely limited. Just a few centimetres separated the ID Buzz’s dock at the front and the back from the upper deck!
11:10 a.m.
Arrival in Chios. After a short wait at customs, we left the port.
On the advice of a customs officer and a ferry passenger, we followed a route lined with wildly romantic landscapes, secluded beaches, medieval villages and the famous Tampakika windmills – full of authentic beauty.
We took advantage of a stop to taste tears of Chios, the resin that has been extracted from pistachio trees on the island for centuries. We also took a few shots with the GIMS cube and spoke with some Chios forest rangers. We also met three elderly ladies from Pyrgi – a real highlight!
We rounded off our stay on the beautiful island of Chios with dinner at the Roussiko restaurant, just off the port.
10:20 p.m.
We boarded the Hellenic Seaways ferry to Piraeus. Boarding itself was rather chaotic. There was no clear indication of where our seats were. We discovered that they were numbered only after we had already made ourselves comfortable and were then politely asked to take our seats on the upper floor. Frank decided to make himself comfortable on deck on an air mattress.
Since the last charge, the battery level shows 60% (254 km) and average consumption of 19.4 kWh/100km.
Total distance covered: 4056 km – daily stage: 135 km, by ferry: 275 km in total
