DESTIN — Tom Catanese says his four children are mystified at his past few vacations.
Last year, he bicycled in China. A few weeks ago, he returned from a month-long bicycle tour of Greece.
Catanese, a 55-year-old real estate agent in Destin, pedaled 1,650 miles for 25 of the 30 days he was in Greece, traveling 60 to 65 miles a day.
Most of the time the 11-person group Catanese traveled with would separate and journey to the next stop at their own pace. They would meet up at hotels or campsites at the end of the day.
View a photo gallery from Catanese's trip to Greece.
Catanese tried to treat himself to a dip in whatever cool blue body of water they stopped near after a long day on the road.
“I saw the best parts of Greece,” Catanese said. “Seventy-five percent of the roads I traveled on had no cars.”
Many of his destinations would be difficult to get to in a car, Catanese said. Cycling allowed him to see more than just the bigger cities.
There was a new adventure every day, he said. He saw wayside churches, small villages full of welcoming people and, of course, picturesque views of the sea.
“You can see it in a picture, but to experience it coming off a road on top of it, there’s nothing like it,” Catanese said.
There also was a new challenge every day, he noted. Some days he would cycle up three or four of the many mountains in Greece. Other days, a herd of sheep or pack of dogs would be right around the corner.
“It seemed like I always had headwinds,” Catanese said with a laugh.
It was a trip of a lifetime, and he said he still misses the country.
“It’s hard to leave something so beautiful.”
Catanese hasn’t started planning his next trip quite yet, but he would love to cycle across Canada someday.
His China trek was 1,000 miles, so Catanese wants to continue cycling farther with each trip.
“There’s nothing like seeing this world on two wheels,” he said.
Daily News Staff Writer Lauren Delgado can be reached at 850-315-4445 or ldelgado@nwfdailynews.com. Follow her on Twitter @LaurenDnwfdn.
