dick staying in Diakofto

Friday 16th April
Diakofto and Korinth
Almost the only thing we achieved today was that Alec stood above the Korinth Canal and was able to marvel at the engineering of it. Nero started trying to build it in the 4th century AD, but didn’t get very far. For two millenia they dragged the boats and cargo on rails overland to the sea on the other side. It was finally finished in the late 1800s and is very impressive. Sadly although we waited on and off for about 4 hours no ships came through the canal whilst we were there. We didn’t even see someone bungee jump off it either so it could be described as a ‘quiet day’



Central Corinth near the
entrance to the canal.







Looking over the bridge down

to the canal below.

Most of the day was spent getting there and back firstly by bus, then a train, a bus, another train and a bus yet again. Fascinatingly, manners and queuing are clearly not taught in Greek schools because as soon as the train doors opened the hordes waiting on the platform began forcing their way onto the train, allowing no opportunity for the people on the train to get off. How senseless are these people!! They are digging up the railway and it took over 2 hours to travel about 70 miles. However, we could not have done it by bike as the road is dreadful so it was worth it.
Our steak from the butcher was large enough to feed us for a second night and we had passed a van loaded with globe artichokes so we bought a bundle and they were delicious - and this time we got the wine right!

Our new mates - the Artichoke men!!

Chickens - fast food!

Saturday and Sunday 17/18th April.
Diakofto and kalavryta
Luckily we were fairly organised by the time Dick arrived at 10.30am as he had left Athens pretty early and had a good run here. We had a lovely day out, driving up into the mountains to explore the area Around Kalavryta which is a renowned beauty spot. We decided against taking the rack railway as it was pretty limited on times so Dick very kindly drove all day. We climbed up and ever upwards with stunning views down into the Vouraikos gorge which legend has it was made by Hercules when he cut the mountain into two halves with his sword.

So high it makes your toes tingle, Vivi stayed in the car!

The almond blossom was in full bloom on the mountain side and the whole area has a very alpine feel.

Almond blossom.


Not entirely surprising as it is a ski resort. This winter has been so mild the snow has mostly gone. I made Alec wear long trousers and winter gear instead of his usual flip flops and shorts as I thought it would be freezing. It was boiling so he muttered a lot about being too hot. Fortunately he was in the back of the car, as I feel sick on windy roads so we ignored him! At the very top of the mountain stands the Monastery of Aghia Lavra . It is also known as 961 Monastery as it was built in that year and had 961 monks in it for some time. It is of national importance as this is where the Greek Revolution against the Turks started in 1821.

Dick and Vivi under the tree where the Greek anti Turk revolution began.

Monument to the revolution.

Some of the swords and arms used in the revolution are on display along with other ancient books. It is an odd feeling to be in a monastery surrounded by weapons. We wandered around it being closely watched by a couple of monks (women are only allowed in if they are not wearing trousers or ‘provocative clothing’) Well, I was in jeans so I wrapped myself in a long apron type piece of cloth by the front door, not wishing to offend, but felt very self conscious as all the other women were clad in jeans every bit as tight as mine, so dispensed with the apron pretty quickly. Strangely the monastery didn’t have a religious feel to it at all, which was a bit disappointing but this may have been because most of it is very modern as it had been burnt down a few years ago. On the top of the neighbouring hill is a memorial to all the brave Greeks lost in the revolution. They also had one of the worst atrocities of the 2nd world war here when the Germans massacred all the men from the village and burnt the town.
We had a leisurely drink in the town square and headed back down the mountain,

A refresher after the monastery!

stopping at the honey stall and then for a delicious lunch at a taverna on the side of the mountain with stunning views.

Dick's idea of a great view!!

A roadside Honey shop.

When we got home feeling exhausted we lay on the beach in the sunshine, Alec swam, the others were too wet!!

We decided to stay in for supper and had arranged with the butcher to collect a chicken later. When Dick and Vivi went to fetch it he enquired as to whether they wanted anything doing to it. No no thanks they said - just as it is. Within a split second he had a huge meat cleaver out and had chopped it in half, they were so surprised they only just managed to stop him from quartering it! So we didn't have quite the English roast we were expecting but it was very good.

Dick's flat was by far the largest so we decamped to his place for supper; this was fine but he is an extremely bad influence on both of us and when we finally rolled into bed at about 3am the dawn chorus was already starting.