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    Kalavryta

    My Dear Readers Kalavryta !

    I do apology  for my long silence … I know … it’s a very long time that I am not updating my blog with new posts…. BUT I think  I have a very good explanation and excuse :)
    I am expecting a little small italo – greek princess …. and in the evening I have been very very tired in the past few months ………..

    But today I feel very well and ready to write my next post concerning a trip I did in  October in Kalavryta !

    Some info about Kalavryta    – ελλ. Καλάβρητα
    Kalavryta is a nice town located in the north of Peloponnese, on your way from Athens to Patras.
    You can reach Kalavryta both with the car of with a train (COG train :) )
    It’s about 2 hours by car from Athens ! Frankly they say that there is the highway until Diakofto …. still from Corinth …. the highway is still under construction …… so …. you know … be careful !

    Nowadays it is mostly famous for his Helmos Ski Center   – located only 15km from the small town. Many friends of mine are now going there to ski :)
    Still Kalavryta is also unfortunately famous for a very sad episode that happened at the end of the  II World War – the Holocaust that happened 13 / 12 / 1943

    Let’s go to my trip
    Beginning of October we decided to spend a relaxing weekend up in the mountains ….. you won’t believe me …but I really needed a break from the sun .. from the sea … and I had a strong need to see “my mountains” …. ok  … I come from the Alps …. so pretty different from Peloponnese and from Kalavryta mountains … still I can confirm that it has been very nice !
    Kostas suggested me to spend a weekend at Kalavryta – even if it was low season – and mostly to enjoy the nice trip with the COG train from Diakofto

    I was so excited ! I already knew this destination since most of my friends here go frequently there for ski !

    One Saturday Morning we left Athens for a relaxing weekend :)

    Since it was low season and we couldn’t of course ski – Kostas suggested to do the very extraordinary trip with the COG train ! Believe me it was like going to Gran Canyon ! So exciting and mostly unique! I read somewhere that it is considered as one of the 6 most beautiful route in the world …..

    After a couple of hours we arrived in Diakofto – that is where you take the  COG train, we bought  our tickets and …. we started our little journey through  the Gorge of Vouraikos, at an altitude of about 720m   – destination Kalavryta !
    As I stated before the trip is unique ! it was really fantastic – we went through really impossible and beautiful places ! we could’t stop taking pictures ! and at every corner we were even more surprised !
    We even saw people that were walking on that valley – following the train railways ……
    The trip is pretty long for the distance that covers .. since the train goes very slow ….. Once arrived in Kalavryta we visited the center, had lunch and then back to Diakofto !

    ps the cost of the ticket is pretty expensive – If I am not mistaken return is about 32 euros per person – and frankly the most beautiful and unique part of the trip is the first half  – where there is also a Train Station and Restaurant. If it is Spring / Summer Time I suggest to buy the ticket only for the first stop and then come back on foot! I guess it is the best way to enjoy the beauty of this place !

    Back to Diakofto we went (again) to Kalavryta.

    The next Morning we visited the Museum of Holocaust of Kalavryta …… that is right on the main road, where the School was located ……. Well … be ready for strong feelings … for listening to sad stories of families destroyed by the atrocity of the War ……
    On Saturday 13th December 1943 the German Nazi troops entered this small town ….. looking for Greek partisans. Since they didn’t find anybody …. – they gathered the WHOLE population ….   they gathered the men on top of the hill and shoot at them, one after the other  … while tried to give fire to all children and women that they closed inside the school of the town …….. Fortunately women and children escaped …. but the male population  …. did not survive …
    Germans before leaving burned the entire town ……..

    There is a statue in the garden of the museum where you see a woman with her children … that went to take the dead body of his husband …. if I think about this I still cry ……
    On your way to the ski center you will also find the hill … where there is the commemoration of the Holocaust.

    After the first day of pure relax and fun ….. we left Kalavryta a little bit … sad ….. there were even shops in Kalavryta with articles, signatures collected to ask Germans to pay for what they did in Greece during the II World War … it seems that they still haven’t paid their debts …….. at least in Greece …….

    I strongly suggest to go to Kalavryta in Winter for ski and in Summer for relax ! and I strongly suggest to try the COG train !

    filakia !

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