With flights canceled due to the coronavirus, 20-year-old Greek college student decided to bike his way home to Athens — from his school in Scotland.
Kleon Papadimitriou’s 48-day, 2,175-mile journey began May 10 and took him through England, Holland, Germany, Austria and Italy before wrapping up at parents’ house on June 29, CNN reported.
During that period, Papadimitriou said he rode 35 to 75 miles per day, and subsisted on a diet of sardines and bread while spending overnights camped out in the woods.
Papadimitriou said his parents — adventurers in their own youths — had only reluctantly supported the trip after he agreed to download an app that allowed them to track him at all times.
When he arrived home, dozens of friends and strangers who’d be following his progress were there to celebrate.
“It was very emotional,” Papadimitriou told CNN.
“Coming from a family from two parents that were very adventurous in their younger years, seeing me kind of follow in their footsteps, I think is very emotional to them and obviously gives me a lot of meaning,” he added.
“But I think if anything, they felt relief.”