The Idiot’s latest high-tech MedTrek hiking tool enables him to use the GEOS satellite network to send ten contacts a personal message with his precise GPS location. More importantly, it has a “Help” button to contact emergency assistance through the GEOS International Emergency Response Center and eliminates worries about spotty cell-phone coverage.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
Here’s where I wound up after today’s 38-kilometer MedTrek from chic Capo d’Orlando through sweet Aquedulci to sunset-on-the-seaside Caronia @http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=38.03442,14.44361&ll=38.03442,14.44361&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
Wednesday April 28
Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=38.04046,14.02825&ll=38.04046,14.02825&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
Message:This is where I am today on my counterclockwise MedTrek around Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.
Friday, April 30
Walked 41-K today from Cefalu towards Palermo and will take off tomorrow, despite the fact that everyone else in Italy is observing the May 1 Labor Day holiday http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=37.9797,13.70373&ll=37.9797,13.70373&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
Saturday May 1
Click the link below to see where I am located.
f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=38.10902,13.38049&ll=38.10902,13.38049&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
Message:This is where I am today on my counterclockwise MedTrek around Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.
I changed my mind and walked 43 kms to Palermo instead on this May 1 holiday . Check out my picture gallery as I walked on anything but “Some OF A Beach!” http://followtheidiot.com/medtrekking-the-mediterranean/some-of-a-beach
http://maps.google.com/maps?
Friday, May 7
Enjoyed Palermo and had to backtrek a couple of times — once due to completely vertical Cape Gallo and another because I was trapped at the Palermo Airport and couldn’t get to the seaside — before arriving in the gloriously scenic Lo Zingaro nature reserve. Here’s where I’m kicking off this morning, May 7.
Sunday, May 9
Had a delightful day tracking down Odysseus on the Egadi Island of Favignana where he barbecued goats shortly before encountering the Cyclops in Sicily. He moored his boat @
Wednesday, May 12
Had a slippery day negotiating the cliffs south of Agrigento but sometimes it’s better to just get wet and stay wet. Made it 25 K to Marina di Palma today.
Thursday, May 13
SideTrekked! I’m going to Pozzallo in southern Sicily today to catch a ferry to Malta on Friday morning. I want to spend some time with Calypso on the island of Gozo, though perhaps not the seven years that Odysseus did.
Friday, May 14
Check out my base in Valetta, Malta where I have the best views so far of the Med from my room on the 5th floor.
Saturday, May 15
The Idiot has stumbled, with absolute determination, upon Calypso’s cave on the Island of Gozo, Malta. Are her powers of seduction too much for The Idiot to handle? Will he be overcome by her charms just like his hero Odysseus? Read his post (when he surfaces) and upcoming sequel to “The Idiot and the Odyssey:Walking the Mediterranean” (for the rest of the tantalizing story) on his epic retracing of the steps of Odysseus.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=36.02671,14.29596&ll=36.02671,14.29596&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
Message: This is where I am right now on my May MedTrek stomp around Sicily and Malta.
Tuesday, May 18
The Idiot survived his brush with Calypso and after a wondrous weekend walkabout on Gozo is back in Sicily MedTrekking northward on the island’s eastern coast towards Messina. He went 35 kilometers along the seaside today from Portopalo di Capo Passero to Noto Lido today and managed to have dinner in Baroque Noto after briefly visiting the Roman mosaics at the Villa Tellaro. Here’s where you’ll find him kicking off early tomorrow morning.
Wednesday, May 19
Didn’t quite manage to make it to Syracuse today but wound up at one of the most delightful capes on earth @
Thursday, May 20
MedTrekked 29 kilometers from Arenella to the tip of Ortygia, where the Greeks from Corinth settled about 2,800 years ago, in Siracusa. Spent a few hours on the island comparing the old and the not-quite-so-old with the new @
Saturday, May 22
The combined Siracusa/Augusta ports, full of oil refineries and petrochemical plants, would test any MedTrekkers mettle and patience. But that too has passed and I’m now on the wonderfully sandy beaches on my approach to Catania @
Sunday, May 23
Made it past the Cyclops’ Coast without getting stoned today and am now in Acireale @ http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=37.61254,15.1701&ll=37.61254,15.1701&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
Wednesday, May 26
Made it past Giardini Naxos and Taormina yesterday and will continue my seaside march into Messina, where I should arrive tomorrow evening or Friday, from the lovely Cape Sant’Alessio @
Wednesday, May 26
Made it close enough to Messina today to get there in time to watch the remarkable cathedral clock do its stuff tomorrow at noon. Join me for the MedTrek in @
Thursday, May 27
Marched into Messina today to complete my seaside MedTrek around Sicily before I start climbing Mount Etna and exploring the Aeolian Islands next week. Want to Follow the Idiot? You might start and finish your circumnavigation of the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea @
Monday, May 31
Take a look at where The Idiot wound up on top of Mount Etna @
Wednesday, June 2
After climbing Mount Etna, finding Cyclops’ cave and playing with the Cattle of the Sun God I’m off to the Aeolian Islands tomorrow and leaving my squat in Taormina which is @
Friday, June 4
Had a delightful climb up Stromboli in the late afternoon and spent the evening watching the earth’s most majestic fireworks @
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Visually exciting walk around the island of Lipari provided me with great views of all six of the other Aeolian Islands and the Sicilian shore that I recently MedTrekked. A great spot to it all is @
Monday, September 6, 2010
The Idiot begins his counterclockwise journey around the Peloponnese following his sunrise appointment with the Oracle at Delphi Greece. His zany MedTrekking quest continues this month in Greece.
http://www.findmespot.com/mylocation/?id=3QUbB
Tuesday, September 7
The Idiot’s second day of MedTrekking in the Peloponnese was highlighted by loads of grapes, figs and watermelon that were ripe for the picking — which he did.
Wednesday, September 8
The Idiot, after much water walking and barefoot MedTrekking on the sandy coast, made it to Killini. He’ll take a sidetrek to the island of Zakynthos tomorrow on a ferry that sails from just outside his 35-euro hotel room.
Thursday, September 9
The Idiot walked almost forty kilometers up and over the Ionian island of Zaknythos to arrive at much-acclaimed Shipwreck Bay. The result? He’s taking a day off.
Saturday, September 11
The Idiot stepped back from the coast and listened to the stones speak at the Ancient Sanctuary of Zeus, and the site of the first-ever Olympic Games, @
Sunday, September 12
MedTrekked thirty barefoot kilometers, half of them shirtless, on a sandy and sunny stretch of nearly virginal and vacant Peloponnese beach before bodysurfing for half an hour and calling it a day @
Monday, September 13
Another 28-kilometers on the beach took me into my Kyparissia base camp @
Tuesday, September 14
The Idiot is nearing Nestor’s Palace @
Wednesday, September 15
The Idiot made it to King Nestor’s breezy hilltop palace about 17 kilometers north of Pylos in the Peloponnese.
Thursday, September 16
Had a 37-kilometer MedTrekking day on the rocky-then-sandy seaside to arrive at my current base camp @
Friday, September 17
Just concluded my 253-kilometer MedTrek down the western seaside of the Peloponnese peninsula/island (not counting the excursion across the island of Zakynthos) @
Saturday, September 18
The Idiot is standing at a temple dedicated to Zeus at the summit of Mount Ithome looking down on the glorious ruins of the once-walled city of Ancient Messini.
Sunday, September 19
The Idiot enjoyed a mouth-watering 25-kilometer panoramic mountain MedTrek and has set up a base camp @
Monday, September 20
Only an Idiot would MedTrek the last six rocky kilometers of this 34-kilometer hike to wind up @
Tuesday, September 21
The Idiot ended the day with a 1.2-kilometer boat ride through the mysterious Diros caves @
Wednesday, September 22
The Idiot made it to the southernmost point in the Peloponnese @
Thursday, September 23
The Idiot ended today’s MedTrek with a fabulous Greek salad @
Friday, September 24
The Idiot will be sleeping with Helen of Troy (aka the Queen of Sparta) tonight @
Saturday, September 25
After sleeping with Helen of Troy, and then visiting her tomb, The Idiot wound up at the citadel atop Mistras @
Sunday, September 26
The Idiot climbed Mount Taygetos to get a better view of the Spartan plain and met a British solicitor his own age @
Monday, September 27
The Idiot reached the highest point of the Palamedes Fort when he walked through Nafplio @
Tuesday, September 28 – Thursday, September 30
The Idiot is in non-MedTrek transit from the Peloponnese to Mount Athos in Macedonia. The next SPOT will arrive as he meanders amid the monks and monasteries on the Holy Mountain, the center of Greek Orthodox monasticism.
Thursday, September 30
The Idiot is about to ferry to Mount Athos and become a peripatetic monk from Ouranoupolis @
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=40.324,23.98204&ll=40.324,23.98204&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
Friday, October 1, 2010
Here’s where the Idiot is on his MedTrek and meander among the monks & monasteries of Mount Athos. Kalinikta!
Saturday, October 2
The Idiot continues to MedTrek and meander among the monks & monasteries of Mount Athos. Kalinikta!
Sunday, October 3, 2010
The Idiot concluded his latest MedTrek outing at the summit of Mount Athos.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
The Idiot set out on a month-long MedTrek around Crete and left Heraklion this morning to arrive @
http://fms.ws/4e11F/35.40324/24.9592
Easter, April 24, 2011
The Idiot walked 93 kilometers west of Heraklion in three days and woke up in Rethymno.
http://fms.ws/4fSPF/35.36726/24.4866
May 3
Have now walked 318 kilometers in Crete and slept here last night on the southwestern coast.
http://fms.ws/4j3EC/35.19828/24.07937
May 5
I reached the 8,000-kilometer mark on my MedTrek @
http://fms.ws/4kE-B/34.99486/24.74975
May 23
I reached the 8,376th kilometers on my MedTrek in Rhodes, Greece, on a nudist beach @
http://fms.ws/4stGn/36.3297/28.211
June 1
The Idiot concluded his April/May MedTrek outing when he reached the 8,460 kilometer mark in Kos, Greece.
http://fms.ws/4xZRu/36.90028N/27.285E
August/September 2011
The Idiot returned to Turkey to swim the Hellespont (http://goo.gl/r4SiF) and MedTrek to Troy (http://goo.gl/SJIOd), up Mount Ida (http://goo.gl/EqBRu) and through Dikili (http://goo.gl/rBeiX) and Candarli (http://goo.gl/sOJrE) to Homeros near Izmir (http://goo.gl/DsgkL) where he will conclude his next book “The Idiot and the Odyssey II: Myth, Madness and Magic on the Mediterranean.”
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