Sunday, April 28, 2002 12:32 Weather: Sunny, some light scattered cloud and haze. Location: Internet cafe in Nafplion. We got to Nafplion yesterday at about 3:35. Pascale and I walked together into town. She’s travelling with the Greece Lonely Planet, which has rather more detail than my own LP, which covers all of the Mediterranean: […]
15:05 Location: Myloi (Mili), 10 km from Argos. A collection of rusting steam engines sit on a side track in the fragmented light of the sun through the trees. They have probably been there for 20 years, certainly 10–grass grows on some–but they wait patiently as our more modern train moves by, like cows put […]
12:55 The train is winding its way through the hills, crossing small bridges and passing through little tunnels. It’s a modern two-car commuter train, in style at least, though we’re actually going quite some distance, inland, and then northeast towards Argos and Athens. The bright green of the olive trees and darker green of the […]
Saturday, April 26, 2002 09:32 Weather: Sunny & clear. Location: Cafe Athanasiou in Kalamata (again). A beautiful morning. I packed up and left Lela’s dhomatia, passing the old lady herself on the way to the bus stop. She wished me bon voyage. The bus came on time at 8am and hauled me back to Kalamata. […]
Friday, April 26, 2002 16:52 Weather: Partly cloudy, stormy in the upper mountains. Location: Internet cafe in Kardamyli. Oh my aching feet. Spent a lot of time hiking today, up the mountain above Kardamyli and down the Tagetos Gorge. More details when I’ve caught up to that point from yesterday. Ok, I had no trouble […]
Thursday, April 25, 2002 9:35 Weather: Sunny. Location: Cafe Athansiou–“flavor of sweet history”–Kalamata. I got up early and caught the 7am bus back to Kalamata. I’m headed for Kardamyli, 37 km south of here, but the two buses per day leave at 5:30am (gah!) and 13:10. Since my bus got here half an hour ago […]
Wednesday, April 24, 2002 18:24 Weather: Partly cloudy Location: “Pizzeria” in Finikoundas A very relaxing day, partly marred by a slight hangover from last night. Very pleasant nonetheless! Turns out I was wrong about being the only foreigner in town, of course. At a waterfront bar I sat next to a group of about 10 […]
Tuesday, April 23, 2002 16:38 Weather: Sunny, high scattered cloud, 21c. Location: Bench by the Finikoundas beach Well, I got very skeptical about Rick Steves when every other tourist in Cinque Terre seemed to be carrying his Italy guide, but he’s certainly come up aces with Finikoundas. ‘Course it helps that I’ve somehow seriously beaten […]
Greek words to remember for today: yasu/yasas (Hello) andio (Goodbye) sas efkharisto (Thank you) signome (Excuse me) milate anglika? (Do you speak English?) 18:37 We changed trains in Kyparissia and are now on a smaller commuter train to Kalamata. This last leg cuts across the Peloponnese, leaving the coastline behind and skirting some tree-covered mountains […]
4pm Location: onboard the Patras-Kalamata train, just past Kavissila. It’s a beautiful day, and I’m getting a good introduction to the ways and tempos of Greece. The train I’m on is ancient but clean, winding down the west coast of the Poloponnesian Peninsula, past vineyards and orchards of oranges and lemons. The country seems on […]