To Diakopto on the Peloponnese

We leave Ilia early and drive to Loutra Edipsos to go to the mainland via another ferry route. We booked in Diakopto on the north side for 2 nights of the Peloponnese. There we look further into where we are going exactly and whether we have to flee further west for the heat. In Edipsos we can board the boat fairly quickly and 45 minutes later we are in Arkitsa. There we take the highway E75 which brings us in a few hours past Athens on the way to the Peloponnese. We only stop to refuel but otherwise nowhere because it is too hot outside and the air conditioning in the car is doing fine.

We stop at the Corinth Canal but here it is almost 40 degrees, too. But there is a nice sea breeze and we walk to the bridges over the canal. Four years ago we were here too, but it remains a special sight, that channel that is cut 70 meters deep in the rocks. Already in the 7th century BC. the then ruler of Corinth attempted to build a channel and Emperor Nero made another attempt in 66 AD. but it was not until 1894 that a ship could finally pass through it. The canal is more than 6 kilometers long and the water 8 meters deep.
At the top, the channel is 24.6 meters wide and 70 meters lower it is 21.3 meters. The limestone walls are therefore very steep and sometimes pieces fall of it. And then it is located in an area where earthquakes regularly occur. The canal has therefore been closed several times and the large container ships of today can't use it, they are too wide and still have to cover the 700 kilometer longer trip around the Peloponnese. Not the channel is not really a success, but we do have a spectacular view.

We stop on the way at a beach in Sykia where we know the way, in 2014 we have been there for a few days. Then we experienced our first mini-tsunami and all our stuff was flooded, including 2 cameras. Today it is fairly busy but that is not too strange with this high temperature. After about 2 hours we continue and stop in Krathi for something to eat. At the end of the afternoon we arrive in Diakopto but we can not find the hotel. We walk around and eventually encounter an Australian who is rather stoned but very nice. He has lived here for a number of years and can ultimately point us to where we need to be.

Friday 30 June 2017, we stay near Diakopto

At the station of Diakopto we have breakfast in the already warm sun. The station is best known for the train that goes through the Vouraikos gorge to Kalavryta, a spectacular ride of 22 kilometers over deep gorges and steep slopes. In the past steam locomotives were used of which one from 1891 is still behind the station, but now diesel-electric trains are used. We notice that the tourist season has already started because it is very busy at the station and the train is completely full. We will skip the ride this time.

We drive around a bit today but it is too hot to do something and we are looking for a beach. There are a few larger beaches in the area but they are really full and there are thick boulders on most beaches. Eventually we find a place on a deserted road where it is a bit quieter but after half an hour a family comes sitting right behind us while there is so much more space on the beach. The family is quite noisy and pretends that the whole beach is theirs. We do not understand that behavior, why did not they sit 20 meters away? There is lots of space. We move a couple of meters a few times but it is as if their range is also increasing.