Hello, this is Estonian volunteer Robin. A few days have passed since the end of VulcanicaMente’s ESC Euro Bike Tour, but the feelings are still strong. As I reflect on the adventure, I wanted to share a diary of the tour. First of all, before we started the trip, we were separated into three teams. A communication team, a data team and a backstage team. Each team was responsible for specific tasks during these eleven days we would spend together. Communication team members were responsible for interviewing different people during the trip (regarding cycling and European values), the data team had to collect information about our trip (such us how many kilometers we completed each day, towns/villages we visited etc.) and the backstage team, in which I was a member, had to interview the other bike tour members throughout the trip. Day 1 (Oct. 4): Lecce to Melendugno We set off on Monday morning. Our start began with the first event in Cicloofficina Popolare Knos which was an open call for anyone who wanted to join us in our first kilometers. Despite the early hour, some cyclists came to wish us good luck, even Lecce Municipality’s counselor for mobility. Some of the well-wishers decided to join us in the bike ride and, as you can imagine, we spent our morning not only cycling, but also speaking with them. It was really interesting to meet locals, share our cycling experience and inform them about European opportunities. Day 2 (Oct. 5): Melendugno and surroundings Our first stop was Melendugno. After our first reflection moment and night together, we woke up in the wonderful Tenuta Calitre immersed in nature. We had a bike ride around the local area, visiting the natural pool Grotta della Poesia and the Torre dell’Orso beach, where we engaged in some local actions: a beach cleanup and promotion of our Euro Bike Tour to locals. After that, we biked to Xòra, an interesting sustainable living project. Our hosts, Matteo and Giusy, prepared lunch for us with local products and invited some musicians to perform for us. It was a pleasant surprise! It was really empowering for us to listen to their stories. They had moved from cities far from Puglia to the countryside in Melendugno to live a more fulfilling and eco-friendly life. Additionally, they are building their own sustainable house made of clay which is truly inspiring. Day 3 (Oct. 6): Melendugno to Otranto Our next destination was Otranto, a beautiful city on the seaside. The weather started to change and, unfortunately, before arriving we got some rain but it didn’t prevent us from getting to our next stop. In Otranto, we refreshed ourselves and had the chance to visit the town thanks to local guides who were happy to show us around in exchange for an intercultural chat. After the evening’s daily reflection, we experienced a really nice dinner prepared by Karin and Giulio from their food project Guakamole Fatti a Mano. They love to cook for people using local products they grow themselves, including vegetarian and healthy meals. They believe the way food is grown and prepared can really make a difference. Day 4 (Oct. 7): Otranto to Marina Serra This day started with rain. We waited for a while for it to stop but it didn’t, so our guide, Ernesto, decided it was safe enough to bike even under the rain. At the beginning, it was not easy because the trip had some ups and downs with many challenges. We enjoyed the breathtaking coastline from Otranto to Marina Serra, full of watchtowers, bays and unforgettable nature. Finally, we arrived at our third stop in Marina Serra's Celacanto Bene Comune. Members of Celacanto hosted us in their wonderful venue, cooking dinner and explaining their project. I was surprised to learn that in the middle of "nowhere" under the rain, there is this organisation that promotes beauty and horizontal subsidiarity of ecological, solidarity and citizenship practices! Of course we interviewed them since they had so many amazing stories to share about the place, the NGO, and the different EU+ projects they host. Day 5 (Oct. 8): Marina Serra to Leuca After Marina Serra, we spent three days in a countryside summer house near Santa Maria di Leuca (Ernesto's place). We arrived there on Friday evening and immediately started preparing our next event, Scopriamo l’Europa, which would be on the following day in Tiggiano. It was organised by Celacanto and local young people. Day 6 (Oct. 9): Leuca to Tiggiano and back On the fifth day of our tour, we biked to Tiggiano, a really small town. There we had the chance to present different European opportunities to young people who came to participate in our Scopriamo l’Europa event. We also asked them three questions about European values and cycling so they could answer and debate among each other. More specifically, volunteers Salvatore, Laura, Dimitris and I talked about Erasmus+ youth exchanges, while volunteers Goiko, Leire, Dimitra, Annika and Larisa spoke about the European Solidarity Corps and volunteering opportunities. We took the time to share our experiences on previous Erasmus projects as well, as there’s nothing better than personal stories. In the end, we were glad to see that the young people were so happy to learn about these opportunities and motivated to start participating in such projects. We left the place with a warm feeling because, although not so many people showed up to the event, we knew that the few who chose to come were the right ones. We realized how difficult it is to engage young people in small contexts and how much our presence was needed to inspire the few of them who are trying to do something in their communities. Day 7 (Oct. 10): Leuca After so many continuous days of biking and activities, the seventh day was one of rest and relaxation. We slept in late, washed our clothes, had chit chat and explored Leuca on our own. At the end, Ernesto took us on a short trip in his sailing boat where we had the lovely experience of enjoying the sunset on the sea. Day 8 (Oct. 11): Leuca to Alezio On this day, we had a very long bike ride which began under the rain. We biked almost 60 km to reach our next accommodation, Ostello del Salento in Alezio, a truly international place. At the ostello, we had the chance to recover, enjoy a warm, hearty dinner and speak with the locals there. Day 9 (Oct. 12): Alezio to Seclì and back After so many rainy days, the sun actually accompanied us to the town of Seclì where we visited Luna: Laboratorio rurale. For me, Luna oversees a truly important thing: social farming. What a wonderful place! It also serves as a venue where each room conducts a different workshop, from woodcrafts to painting projects with natural colors and more. Personally, I fell in love with sun painting. Traditional products like marmalades, seed bombs, dried peppers, etc. give off a wonderful aroma to the air in Luna. Meanwhile cats, dogs and fascinating people interact and cohabit! Yuri, a member of the Luna society, explained his surprising project in which he is growing microgreens–basil, lentils, chives–indoors using special led lights. He then sells his products to local restaurants. In the beginning, I thought the products were only used for decoration but was pleasantly surprised to learn that they are considered superfoods. Before we left Luna, we interviewed another member of their society, Sara, and she briefly explained the organisation’s story, future plans and upcoming projects. Day 10 (Oct. 13): Alezio to Porto Cesareo On our way from Alezio to Porto Cesareo we had a pleasant surprise. We made a stop in Nardò to conduct a sharing moment with the local youth organisation Collettiva Nardò to discuss EU opportunities. Additionally, we met Alison, an American from Colorado who offered us an aperitif and the chance to talk about cycling culture in the US, as well as tips for what can be done in Italy and especially in Salento to improve cyclists' experience. It is always great to see people with open hearts get so passionate about cycling and offer such amazing hospitality without even knowing you. Day 11 (Oct. 14): Porto Cesareo to Nardò After spending the night in Porto Cesareo, we moved on to Nardò’s Le Fattizze agricampeggio, a place in the middle of the woods and a nice retreat for meditation. The bike tour’s mood was strange because we knew our trip was almost finished. We did our last reflection in a circle and it got really emotional. Day 12 (Oct. 15): Nardò to Lecce and San Cesario di Lecce The last day of the Euro Bike Tour was cold and rainy, forcing us to readjust our plan according to the weather conditions. We returned the bikes to Ciclofficina and then reached our final destination, San Cesario di Lecce, where our last event took place. Our arrival coincided with Erasmus Days (Oct. 14-16) so we decided to combine the European initiative with the finale of our tour. We were greeted in the main square by some local residents who came to applaud us for completing the tour and then treat us to a much needed espresso. Thinking back on these 12 days, I become nostalgic. During the tour, it was easy to get caught up in the moment and neglect to feel. After the completion of the tour, all the feelings finally flooded me and I realized what an amazing and enlightening trip it had been, full of unique experiences, knowledge and sharing moments. I learned that it’s true what they say: it's the journey that matters, not the destination.
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