Stranded In Scotland Because Of Lockdown, A Student From Greece Cycled 3,500km To Get Home

It’s an understatement to say that COVID-19 has impacted the whole world in an awful way. The pandemic, which has already claimed an incredible number of victims, sometimes in awful conditions, has pushed governments all over the world to take extraordinary measures, such as implementing a compulsory lockdown that lasted, or has lasted, several weeks. Public spaces were closed as well as restaurants, cinemas and of course, public transport and airports…

A true epic

While several countries have already implemented a second lockdown, many people have found themselves stranded in a foreign land with no way of getting home… such as exchange students for example. Like Kleon Papadimitriou for example, a 20-year-old Greek student who was spending his third year studying at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. In light of the strange, unprecedented situation that swept the world last March, Kleon decided it was time to go home and quarantine with his family. The problem was, every flight was being canceled. For those of you who have had to deal with cancelled flights, it’s worth knowing that it is possible to be reimbursed…

But that didn’t stop him. Kleon decided he was going to get home whatever the cost and he came up with a solution: go by bike. The student who competed in a bike race back in 2019 wasn’t scared though and had to travel a whopping 3,500 kilometres from Scotland to finally reach Greece. After installing an app that tracked his location, at his parents request, the young man set off on his journey on 10th May.

With only a sleeping bag, a tent, spare equipment for his bike and food, the student had quite the adventure indeed. Travelling between 50 and 120 kilometres a day, Kleon crossed England and the Netherlands before following the Rhine through Germany. He then continued on through Austria and eastern Italy before taking a boat to the port of Patras in Greece. In total, the journey took him 48 days, during which he either camped out or stayed with friends he had in the different countries he passed through.

Kleon Papadimitriou finally arrived in Athens on 27th June to the applause of his family and friends… as well as strangers who had been following the young man’s journey attentively. A few days later, the student said he still finds it hard to believe that he did it but recognises that, thanks to what he has achieved and experienced, he is now ‘more confident in [himself]’ and ‘more confident in [his] abilities.'