I’ve now MedTrekked 9,323 kilometers (5,793 miles) around the perimeter of the Mediterranean Sea during my ongoing 20-year walk (it’s year 15) in the footsteps of Homer and Alexander the Great.
The five dramatic moments described below are detailed in two books — “The Idiot and the Odyssey: Walking the Mediterranean” (2008) and “The Idiot and the Odyssey II: Myth, Madness, and Magic on the Mediterranean” (2013) – that recount my expedition and exploits (http://followtheidiot.com/purchase).
Cover of “The Idiot and the Odyssey II”
Cover of “The Idiot and the Odyssey”
1. My most embarrassing moment (France)
Although unsure what to do with my pedometer when I reached Le Cap d’Agde’s “Nudism Obligatory” beach, I walked completely naked through a seaside resort with a full backpack and tried to fit in with the unique hang-loose lifestyle.
There are dozens of naturist beaches on the Mediterranean but Le Cap d’Agde, the nudist community reputed to have something for everyone (and I mean everyone), is the largest and best known. The undressed population soars to 40,000 naked souls in July and August.
Arriving in Cap d’Agde (Boston Magazine)
2. My scariest moment (Italy)
Sometimes I run into trouble during my 16,000-kilometer walk around the Mediterranean Sea.
After strolling 34 kilometers on the Italian seaside south of Salerno, I decided to abandon the sunny sandy beach and saunter through a dense and shady pine forest scented with wild thyme. When I encountered a small tribe of noisy nomadic Roma, three of the younger gypsies started cackling at me. I realized that I put myself alone in the middle of the woods with a trio of taunting and intoxicated thieves.
“Domadoro, domadoro, DOMADORO!” they shout in a much-practiced threatening chorus as they approached me. “Give me gold, give me gold, GIVE ME GOLD!”
Consulting the goddess Athena after meeting the Gypsies.
3. My most dangerous moment (Morocco)
I peacefully MedTrekked more than 3,000 accident-free kilometers along the sandy, rocky and rugged coasts of France, Spain and North Africa. But in Morocco I found myself staring up at the sky from the bottom of a cliff.
I survived the fall but my head was bleeding, my ankle was badly twisted, my hand had a deep gash, and my entire body was shaking. Just above me a herd of Moroccan goats, whose curiosity brings them closer and closer, unleashed an avalanche of rocks. For some mysterious reason, all I could think of was that goats were symbols of fertility in ancient Greece.
The author and his son in Morocco.
4. My most romantic moment (Greece)
In my second book, I was given twelve tasks to perform by the goddess Circe. One was to sleep with Helen of Troy at the same place that Paris, the besotted Trojan prince, bedded the unfaithful Queen of Sparta before whisking her to Troy more than 3,200 years ago. Around midnight Helen, who still resembles the golden-arrowed goddess Artemis, appeared in all her splendor at the foot of my sleeping bag.
The exact spot I slept with Helen of Troy.
5. My wettest moment (Turkey)
Circe also instructed me to swim across the Dardanelles Strait – also known as Hellespont – that separates Europe from Asia. Completing the 4.5-kilometer crossing in the wake of Leander and Lord Byron was the most difficult labor that Circe gave me. Swimming in the strong current from Eceabat on the European side to Çanakkale in Asia certainly required more physical and mental preparation than most of my other footloose tasks.
Think I made it?
Preparing to swim the Hellespont with two Australians.
Text and Photos: Joel Stratte-McClure, Boston Magazine (1), Desmond Baum (1)
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