A wonderful Train Journey from Diakofto to Kalavryta

Temperatures have been up and down over the last few days.  The sun has been out and reaching 18°C but night temperatures dropping to 8°C, so we were glad to be staying on the camper stop at Ancient Corinth and to have electricity.  In fact, we didn’t want to leave and ended up stopping 5 nights.  Once we had seen the ancient ruins and castle, we spent the days wandering around the town, enjoying lovely meals out.  Then took a couple of scooter rides to the beach and generally just chilling. However, with our ferry booked from Patras to Ancona on 14 December it was time to make tracks.

So, with all of Sonny’s ablutions done we said our goodbyes to our German and Brit friends and headed west to Diakofto, making sure we avoided the toll road – it’s ridiculous the toll fees the Greeks charge, maybe it's so they can clear their national debt!

We took the coastal road all the way and having not been on the road for 5 days in the motorhome we needed all our focus on the crazy Greek drivers.  Their road sense is appalling – they pull out of side roads without looking - usually on their mobile phones, they overtake on double white lines, scooters and mopeds weave in and out, very few wearing helmets. and on some roads they decide to make 2 lanes into 4 as they beep you to move over onto the hard shoulder, as they overtake.  I would be surprised if half of them haven't passed a driving test.  Rant over!
The coastal road was pretty, but the sea was rough and poor old Sonny took a soaking most of the way.

Struggling to see through Sonny's windscreen as it gets covered in salty sea water.

We eventually arrived at Diakofto and parked up at the train station, ready to catch the train (Kalavryta Express) the next day to Kalavryta (N38.19152 E22.19896). On the grounds of the old railway station sits an old locomotive - number 8003 and is now preserved as a monument having served the route for 70 years back and forth to Kalavryta.

In the old train yard sits even more old railway carriages.

The railway line is an old rack and pinion line built by the Italians between 1889 and 1896 to bring minerals from the mountain to the sea and is one of the narrowest railways in the world (75 centimetres wide). The trains travel all year round, regardless of weather but there are only 3 a day, so we opted for the 11.30am journey out and 3.30pm return. A return ticket costs a whopping €19 but believe me it's worth it!

Eagerly we boarded the train and got a seat right at the front.  It headed up through the dramatic Vouraikos gorge, that follows the river of the same name most of the way into the mountains.  Climbing from sea level to 720 metres - a journey of 22kms that takes about an hour, as it cuts through the gorge, through tunnels, over bridges and passed waterfalls. For most part the train moves on conventional rails at speeds of about 30km/h; however, when the gradient exceeds 10% it moves on the toothed rack using rack gears and slows to between 6 to 15 km/h.

Old iron doors remain.  The narrowest part of the route and once only opened to allow the trains through and blocking access to walkers

Kalavryta is a small hillside town, that sits below Mount Helmos.   It's a ski resort, one of the largest in Greece and we spotted snow on the hilltops.  Luckily we were wrapped up warm.

It is hard to comprehend the atrocities that took place during World War II.  When 77 German soldiers were taken prisoner and executed by the Greek Resistance, the Nazis took their vengeance out on the town of Kalavryta.  On 13 December 1943 they rounded up the inhabitants and locked the women and children into the town’s school.  All males over the age of 12 were taken out to Kapi hill overlooking the town and shot.  Over 1,200 males residents of Kalavryta were gunned down.  The German’s then went on to burn the town to the ground.  They managed to escape by breaking down the doors before it was burnt down.  The school house where the women and children were locked in is now the museum. Being a Monday, the museum was closed, but we had read a lot on the internet about the history and for us it was more about visiting the memorial on Kapi Hill.

A woman with her children dragging her husband's dead body to a grave.

The clock on the church remains fixed at 2.34pm - the time of the massacre

Inside the rebuilt church are 6 remaining pillars of the old church, that stand a few feet short of the roof.

Memorial on Kapi Hill.  At the top sits a large cross, underneath is the date of the massacre.  At the bottom a sculpture of a hurt mother next to the underground cemetery where there are small oil-lamps - one for every family.  There are columns that surround the spot with the names written on of the families of the victims.

The large white cross overlooking Kalavryta

We have visited a lot of memorials over the years but we found this one the most moving and reduced me to tears. We headed back to the town and walked the cobbled street that is lined primarily with ski and hiking shops.  Along with umpteen cafés and tavernas.  We weren't that hungry so just opted for a gyros (which has become our favourite Greek fast food snack) and then headed back to the station.  We did not want to miss that last train back!

The last train back to Diakofto sits in the station at Kalavryta

On the journey back we decided to sit in the end carriage and had it all to ourselves

It was an amazing journey and one we will never forget.

Sally x