The bus ride to Kito was picture postcard as we hugged the coast for much of the time.
Contrary to my earlier claims, it appears that a standard gauge railway is under construction and on completion, it will be a very picturesque coastal journey, but will serve, only Athens to Partas - the remainder of the line, which circled the upper part of the peninsula, will have to contend with the busses which serve every nook and cranny and as a result travelling is slow and laborious.
All along the coast were small resorts dotting the shores of the Gulf.
We took a taxi to the Ephira hotel - Trip Advisor hadn't given it great reviews but for a 3 star, we found it excellent. We probably would not have booked it, based on Trip Advisor's reviews, were it not for its convenience to the train station and tomorrow's early departure for the Thessaloniki train.
As we were in Corinth, we decided that we had to see that major feat of engineering, the Corinth canal.
It is not in Corinth but in Corinth - Isthmia some 7 km from Corinth, where the KYEL bus station is.
It was most impressive though narrower than I had expected. No large ship was going through but we did see a small yacht. Our taxi driver told us that it cost small boats €30 per metre to sail through!!
A view out to sea with the new railway bridge and motorway in view
A view inland - the old disused railway bridge in the foreground
Prior to our visit, I thought we might get a trip on the canal but that is only possible if one takes an evening cruise, which required advance booking.
Later the taxi took us to Loutraki, a playground for the Athenians. It was a typical seaside resort though very quiet for a Saturday night- even if it was off season. Again there were the closed up shops and hotels to be seen.
The sun was setting over the Gulf of Corinth as the taxi plied its way back to Corinth, with a brief interruption for the lifting of the suspension bridge to allow a ship pass through the canal.
This morning, we had to quit the hotel at 08.15 to catch two connecting trains to reach Athens, where we will board the train to Thessaloniki at 10.18 hrs. The transfers were seemless even though the first connection had only a two minute interval.
The journey took us over the Corinth canal once again:
leaving the Gulf of Corinth for the Aegean Sea, which the train travelled by.
Oil rigs dotted the Aegean Sea.
It was a beautiful morning - at 0830 hrs, it was already 22 degrees. The weather has been glorious since Tuesday, the day we visited Olympia.
We arrived at Athens station. Its location is unusual in that it is in the centre of the city, with apartments blocks acting as sentries on both sides of the track.
The train left on time at 10.18 hrs and our ETA in Thessaloniki is 15.41 hours (€34 one-way with assigned seats). Our journey takes us from south to north of the mainland via Thiva, Larissa and Katerini from where it it takes a coastal route for part of its journey to Thessaloniki, otherwise we take valley routes through the mountains.
Having travelled for 2 1/2 hrs, the mountains were rising in stature as we travelled:
we tunnelled through mountains, crossed steep gorges.
and proceeded on an elevated track above the manicured landscape below:
We passed many towns nestled on the southern slopes of the mountains:
At 1300 hrs, we decided, for research purposes only, dear reader, to lunch on board.
The menu:
How is your Greek?
Yes €7.00 for 3 courses. The chef translated the menu in a fashion!! Pot luck it was:
Starter:
Roasted peppers or a salad of perhaps celery ,
Followed by :
Moussaka and Chicken and potatoes (other choice spaghetti) Followed by:
A honey drizzle cake and a ground nut cake.
The bottles of wine, which I'm sure didn't escape your notice were €1.00 each!!!! Total bill €16.00 !!! ( Iranrod Eireann match that !!)
The train arrived at Larissa and changed from a diesel to an electric engine. We were already behind schedule. Somewhere between Larissa and Katerini, the engine broke down. Thankfully it started up again after 15 minutes or so, at present, were are 1 1/4 hours late!
The skies are darkening and we had a short rain shower!! By the time we reached Thessaloniki, it was raining constantly and the ground was interspersed with pools of water. It must have been raining for a time or else they really are paddy fields!! Do they grow rice in Thessaloniki?
We adjourned to a railway cafe to book a hotel we had seen in our guide book. We booked it, took a taxi to the historic house- once the Ukranian Embassy and now a hotel. We arrived by taxi before the booking came through!! It is called Colours and indeed its name is very
appropriate!
Til tomorrow then ....... we're off to enjoy the nightlife Thessaloniki has to offer .....
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