George Makrinos and John Foley bike across Europe; chart journey from Athens to London on the web

George Makrinos’ love of bicycling and sense of adventure finds him biking  a 4,000 kilometers tour through the continent of Europe this summer.  Makrinos, a Virginia Tech alum and adjunct faculty at the Washington Alexandria Architecture Center (WAAC), last summer completed a 56-day, 14-state bicycle tour across America.  For “bike-EU” he is joined by an equally avid rider and enthusiast, Virginia Tech architecture alum John Foley.

Due back in Alexandria, VA, mid-August, Makrinos and Foley began their trip in late June by attending a family wedding in Athens, Greece. 

From there they began riding through Albania, Italy, Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands. The last lap of the journey is the United Kingdom, where Makrinos and Foley will fly home from London.

On their blog, Makrinos and Foley share a daily log of real-time experiences, including their personal thoughts about the journey, interactions with people they meet along the way, photos, and You Tube video footage. Readers are invited to post their comments on the site.

Makrinos and Foley are riding not only for personal fulfillment but to raise money and awareness for three causes that are important to them: the Washington Area Bicyclist Association which creates a healthy, more livable region by promoting bicycling; the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, dedicated to preserving the health and habitat of the Chesapeake Bay, and Face of America Bike Ride, which sponsors wounded American soldiers for a two-day, 110-mile bike ride.  Information about contributing is also available on the blog.

 

Posted July 30, 2009