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Published: January 10th 2007
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Kalavrita Express train
the train that travels from Kalavrita to Diakopto, Greece. UPDTATE: pictures added 14-January.
(Lynne here) Well, I completely forgot to mention in yesterday's blog entry that Mark's concert on Thursday went very well. The group received a lot of compliments, and were asked to play again at the final concert in Athens.
On Friday (January 5), we spent some time in Kalavrita. We hemmed & hawed over the opportunity to go to Olympia, but we decided that because they would run a second trip to Olympia on Saturday, we'd take the Saturday trip instead. The Friday trip was full of conference members, and we liked the idea of resting and enjoying Kalavrita instead of spending 6 hours on a bus.
We spent Friday in Kalavrita, doing a little shopping, hanging out with friends, and taking it easy. We wanted to talk with others who went on the Olympia trip to find out how it went, as we heard from others who took the trek in past years that it would be very difficult - winding mountain roads for 3-4 hours each way. We were surprised when everyone who returned said that the driver took very easy roads, and while it was a long day (3 hours driving
each way plus 3 hours at Olympia), it was absolutely fantastic and worth the time. We looked forward to going to Olympia on Saturday. The only regret our friends had was that there wasn't enough time to really spend at Olympia - they highly recommend spending more time at Olympia if possible.
Then, they changed the schedule on us. We were told after dinner (around 11:30pm) that there would be no bus to Olympia on Saturday. We were so disappointed, as this would be our only opportunity to go. Since it was out of our hands, Lynne decided to spend Saturday in Kalavrita while Mark would take the Kalavrita Express train.
(Mark here): The Kalavrita Express train goes between Kalavrita and Diakopto. This was a nice little excursion and break from the festival for me. We took the Kalavrita rack railroad train down through a gorge to the town of Diakopto, on the Gulf of Corinth. It was a nice ride down some relatively steep terrain, with some amazing views.
As the trip was scheduled, we were supposed to spend only 10 minutes in Diakopto before boarding the train back to Kalavrita. Luckily, a trio of students
had purchased tickets on the later train that they decided not to use, so my two friends and I bought them and were able to spend a few hours checking out the town.
We started by heading toward the beach, where we arrived just in time to witness the special Epiphany ritual that they do here. This involved a priest chanting and throwing a very ornate cross (which he had blessed) into the water, where a group of several teenage boys were waiting on the back of a boat. The moment the cross hit the water, they all jumped into the (unbeleiveably cold!) water and swam after it. Apparently tradition has it that the one who succesfully retrieves the cross recieves special blessings and good luck for a year. The crowd went wild when the kids jumped in, and were ready and waiting with dry towels when they came on shore. The priest then blessed the boy who had retrieved the cross. I hope the kids that didn't get the cross get something for their trouble.... that water was really cold.
After the ceremonies were over, we headed up the street and stopped in a little restaurant for
Epiphany Ceremony in Diakopto
A Priest chants and blesses the cross before throwing it into the water at the port of Diakopto. lunch. It turned out to be a tapas style restaurant, and we were very pleased to find our waiter spoke English. The meal was excellent, and included the best calamari any of us had ever had. It was amazing.
(Lynne here) When we returned, Mark was surprised to learn that the festival had decided that he would perform with two groups at this evening's concerts. He hurried off to rehearse for what we hope will be a great evening of performances.
We're not exactly sure what's on the schedule for tomorrow. The plan as of a couple days ago was that the festival was taking everyone to the Kalavrita Ski Center. However, there isn't enough snow to ski, so I think they're taking us up for the gondola ride. There are rumors about that they also will be taking us to the monument from the 1943 massacre in Kalavrita, and possibly to Cave of the Lakes. I have a feeling we'll find out once the busses stop somewhere. That seems to be the way things operate here - we find out what's happening just about when it is to occur, and the schedule still may change. It sure
Emerging from the Water
Young men emerge from the chilly water, one carrying the blessed cross. makes it interesting!
Until tomorrow... it's time for chocolate crepes 😉
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