Here in Spain, nobody wears motorcycle boots. With the scooter clan, you might - just might - get flip flops, as opposed to bare feet. With bigger bikes, the best you'll get is trainers. Doesn't anyone crash? When I was knocked off, the only thing below my left shoulder, not to be mangled, was shins, ankles and feet. I was wearing proper motorcycle boots. I realise that it gets hot here but boots are just not a done thing. Not a judgement, but just an observation.
I was thinking recently about my riding on Crete (in 1990). Rethymnon to Chania and back in swimming shorts and trainers (not even socks). Kind of makes me wince to remember. But previously I'd gone across the island with a full face on my arm, because it was too hot, and got repeatedly hit in the face by June Bugs - not fun at ~70mph! So I put the lid on. And it was too hot. It was too hot to be fun. Like it even gets here sometimes. It's too stupid to ride like I did on Crete age 29. I conclude that riding motorcycles and Mediterranean temperatures only work with that long ago pre-safety mindset of drivers not doing seatbelts up and bikers protesting helmet law (and echoing still in driving while on the mobile). Because fully kitted out it's too uncomfortable to concentrate.
It's interesting - the helmet compliance is 100%. I guess that is the law and everybody seems very law-abiding. You get somebody on a scooter and some scooters have big engines, easily capable of maybe 90mph, they will have on a helmet, but little else. Quite a personal preference, but I think that I prefer the UK climate, with coming here for trips. My life is crazy, though. Out of the hundreds of thousands in my compensation pot, I've asked for £1500 to buy Premium Bonds. I'm not even allowed that unless I can find some way of circumventing the system of me logging into my account to buy PBs. That's not allowed, so I give up. The compensation money is history. The only solution is to die cheaply and then my descendants get it! But die cheap!
