"I like adventures so when I couldn't fly home I decided to go by bike."
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#1 Kleon managed to cycle 2,000 miles from Northern Scotland to Greece
A student who was homesick and longed to be with his family but stuck under the coronavirus pandemic lockdown managed to cycle 2,000 miles from Northern Scotland to Greece and safely reached his family.
Credit: Kleon Papadimitriou
Lockdown countrywide was announced in the UK in March. For students like Kleon Papadimitriou, the academic year was effectively over so he wanted to return home to sit this one out with his family.
#2 Kleon decided to take the epic journey to reach his family
The problem here was that he is studying at the University of Aberdeen and his family lives in Melissia, near to the Greek capital of Athens. But this was not enough to dampen the spirit of 20 years old, who deiced to take the epic journey to reach his family.
Taking on the journey, Kleon arranged a tent and supplies of peanut butter, bread, and sardines, and set on his long journey. The journey took him through the entirety of mainland Europe, before he eventually arrived in his homeland.
Credit: Kleon Papadimitriou
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#3 His journey included carrying 30kg traveling equipment on his back
So, he left the UK on May 10, grabbing a ferry to Holland before pedaling his way through Germany, Austria, and down into Italy.
Not to forget that this journey was with 30kg of traveling equipment on his back.
Credit: Kleon Papadimitriou
From Italy, he hopped onto another ferry to Patras in Greece, before heading on down to Athens and arriving seven full weeks after he started his journey.
The young man was welcomed by his family with a laurel wreath and a lovely banner that read ' Welcome Home Kleon: One more challenge accomplished!'
Kleon told the Mirror: "I like adventures so when I couldn't fly home I decided to go by bike.
"I had a lot of punctures and had to put up with snow, hail and intense heat along the way.
"Sometimes the bicycle tire burst two or three times a day, and that not only cost me a lot of time but it wasn't good for my morale either.
"It was a lesson I had to learn to manage.
"I'm a bit saddle sore but it was worth it."
#4 "Summited at 5895m!
We guess traveling through many countries and covering a distance of 2000 km will definitely leave you a bit sore.
Now, Kleon plans to make his way back to Aberdeen via more traditional means once the flights resume, and he can head back to his electronic engineering degree.
Kleon is doing electrical engineering and is there in Aberdeen since September 2018.
Credit: Kleon Papadimitriou
Kelon is famous for enthusiastically taking on odd challenges. In September 2019, he climbed Kilimanjaro. On Facebook, he wrote: "Summited at 5895m!
"Kilimanjaro was one true challenge I was not confident I'd be able to complete. Thank you to every single one of you who supported my cause and helped me make this trip possible!"