Week 1 : Bike Maintenance, My Cousin's Workshop

My cousin Alekos is the sole proprietor of this machine shop in my grandfather’s hometown. Here we do basic bike maintenance. Behind a glass window in his office he proudly shares with us a number of patent certificates bearing his name for mechanical inventions including a skydive simulator, an olive/ branch separator and his current geothermal heating/ cooling building systems. ‘We are defined by our work,’ Alekos reminds us as John and I reflect on how the experiences of this bike trip will shape us. In this town George’s heart reminds him this is a part of where he is from. In these hills, like blood returning to the heart, I revisit this place to be rejuvenated.