Off the Beaten Path, Gytheio, Greece

 

Southern Peloponnesus (from Wikimedia Commons)

Gytheio is a quintessential Greek fishing/commercial seaport, with a busy and active bund (if that term is appropriate to sea water), commercial buildings facing the sea, and people coming and going as they do their daily business.

According to Wikipedia,

Gytheio was the seaport of Ancient Sparta, which lies approximately 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of it. It is the site of ancient Cranae, a tiny island where, according to the myth, Paris and Helen spent their first night together before departing for Troy.

Gytheio used to be an important port until it was destroyed in 4th century AD, possibly by an earthquake, though its strategic location continued to give it a significant role in Maniot history. Now the seat of the municipality of East Mani, Gytheio is the largest and most important town in Mani.

My daughter and I stayed a night after our long drive through the Mani (see the previous article). I cannot recall how we found a room or inn. Possibly we stopped at the first lit sign that said "Hotel."

A welcome evening arrival in Gytheio

Room with a view, morning in Gytheio

Greek seaports always have interesting architecture along the waterfront, old, new, restored, messy. 

The obligatory mellow Greek fishing boat picture (yes, it is a cliche)

The octopus fisherman

This gent was catching octopus off the seawall. While I was off looking for breakfast or a grocery, he caught one and offered to my daughter. Breakfast, perhaps?

Ah ha, the baker's truck. That suggests a bakery, coffee, and maybe juice nearby. You can't go wrong with the food in Greece.

We only stayed one night in Gytheio. I had been here before, but I can't remember exactly when. I probably have some Kodachrome slides of the town. We proceeded north to Sparta.

I took these photographs with a Sony DSC-W7 7-mpixel digital camera.  

Railroads of Greece 9: North Coast of the Peloponnese (Greece 2019-05)

The Piraeus, Athens and Peloponnese Railways (known as S.P.A.P., or in French, the Chemin de fer du Pirée-Athènes-Peloponése) was founded in 1882. It owned and operated the 1 m (3 ft 3⅜ in) (metre gauge) railway system connecting Piraeus and Athens to various destinations in the Peloponnese region of Greece.

Peloponnese system map, from poster in rail museum in Diakofto

Service on the 1-m system was abruptly discontinued in 2011 during the Greek economic crisis. Small towns in the central Peloponnese were abruptly left without train service. My family and I were fortunate to take the old train in 1997 from Kato Achaia to Athens. It was slow and rather smelly, a throwback to an earlier era.

Currently, the Athens Suburban Railroad runs from the Eleftherios Venizelos International Airport (ATH) through the northern suburbs of Athens, across the Corinth Canal, and as far west as the town of Kiato. This full gauge rail system is being extended to the western seaport of Patras. In mainland Greece, the new rails use a different right-of-way, but along the narrow Peloponnese coastal plain facing the Gulf of Corinth, the new tracks have buried many stretches of the old single-track line.

During my 2019 visit to Greece, I tried to follow the old 1-m line and see how many railroad stations and work buildings were still standing. In 2011 and  2018, I photographed the railroad station in Corinth, so there was no need to revisit. For this survey, I started further west, near the town of Nerantza, and drove west along the coast.

This was a workshop or possibly a small station near the town of Nerantza. In 2005, the 1-m track was still in regular use and I was lucky to photograph a diesel work car chugging along the line. In 2019, the building was still standing and still intact, but slowly being covered with vines.

In the main town of Xilokastro, I could not find a depot or rail yard. But further west, in the little resort town of Lycoporia, I stumbled on the former depot. It was clean and well-painted.

Diakofto rail yard, 1998 (Kodak Panatomic-X film, Leica M3 camera, 20mm ƒ/5.6 Russar lens)

Workshops at Diakofto, Greece

Unused water tower for steam locomotives, Diakofto, Greece

The town of Diakofto (Greek: Διακοπτό) is the lower terminus of the popular Diakofto–Kalavryta Railway, an 1880s 750 mm gauge Abt rack system that threads the dramatic Voraikos Gorge and ends at the mountain town of Kalavryta. I wrote about the ride in 2012. The 1950s or 1960s-vintage depot is still in use for the 750 mm tourist train, but much of the rail yard has been dug up and rebuilt to accommodate the new full-gauge railroad.

750mm gauge steam locomotive, mgf. by Cail in 1891, in poor condition, Diakofto, Greece

Workshops with 2009-vintage diesel electric Stadler Rail cars on the left and 1960s Deaucaville trainsets on the right 

One traditional stone workshed at Diakofto was clean and fresh. I found neat little workshops or storage sheds like this throughout the system. Many were freshly maintained before the system shutdown in 2011.

A few miles west of Diakofto, I tried to trace the rail line using Google maps. At the town of Elaion, I found the old depot, but the tracks and bed were completely gone. A dirt road that had once been the railroad right-of-way went off to the west, but it was not suitable for a sedan.

Elaion was my westward limit on this excursion. Below a photograph of the former Patras rail station in 1997, when the 1-meter system was still in use. The station was a bit grungy but active. I have not been there recently.

Patras railroad station, 1997 (Kodak Tri-X Professional film, Rolleiflex 3.5E with Xenotar lens) 

The 2019 photographs are from Fuji Acros 100 film, which I used in my Leica M2 camera with 35mm and 50mm ƒ/2 Summicron lenses. I added green or yellow filters on some frames to lighten foliage or enhance the sky. The photograph of the Patras station was from my old Rolleiflex with a 75mm ƒ/3.5 Xenotar lens.

The next post is about the handsome train station in Tripolis.

By the Sea, By the Sea, By the Beautiful Sea* (Greece 2019-01)

Stomio, Greece, with Gulf of Corinth in background. Kodak Ektar 100 film, Yashica Electro 35CC camera 

Dear Readers, winter has descended on much of North America. Ice storms covered the eastern states with perfect timing for the Thanksgiving Holiday. People are thinking of Christmas (and another storm). While the snow is swirling and wind is howling, thoughts wander to summer. What could be more summer-like than a vacation by the sea? What could be better than the sea in Greece? This will be the first of a series of posts about my August 2019 sojourn to the 'Med.

Beware: "pretty" pictures follow (I warned you all some time ago that I might start posting more pretty snapshots. But do not despair, grunge and urban decay will be following).

Vouliagmanis west of Loutraki, Greece. Kodak Ektar 100 film, Yashica Electro 35CC camera

Fresh octopus and lemon juice - what could be better (maybe a Greek coffee?)

The Limni Vouliagmani (Λίμνη Βουλιαγμένη Λουτρακίου (Κορινθίας) is called a lake but is really a sea-water bay west of the city of Loutraki on the Perachora peninsula. The bay is almost completely enclosed by limestone cliffs and has a narrow opening facing the Gulf of Corinth. The bay has become a popular destination for Athenians, who come here to swim, water-ski, and eat at seaside tavernas.

If you drive around the head of the Gulf of Corinth and continue along the south shore, you reach the little town of Nerantza. Here the beach is mostly cobble, but there is sand offshore. Time to sit and have a Greek coffee - and read a law book(?).

Lunch at Kogia Restaurant, right at the beach. Yes, the ingredients are locally-sourced. Yes, the chef prepares and grills or roasts everything to order. Yes, it is delicious. No, there is no vile corn syrup or other crap in the food. Why do so many American restaurants serve such offal while the most modest Greek restaurant will prepare a delicious and healthy meal from scratch for you?

Stomio, Greece

Mixed salad (not refrigerated, made fresh), Stomio, Greece

A few kilometers further west along the south shore of the Gulf of Corinth is Stomio. Purely by chance, I stopped at a small taverna after a few hours of exploring and had another superb meal.

This is the Gulf of Corinth from the Monastery of Panagias Korifis, situated on a spectacular cliff overlooking the coastal plain and the town of Xilokastro. The light color water contains silt from stream runoff. So much rain fell during the winter of 2018-2019, streams overflowed and farmers experienced local flooding. The sea inshore was more turbid this summer than usual.

This ends our short overview of summer at the sea. More Greek articles will follow.

Another visit to the Farmers' Market in Vrahati, Greece (with Ektar 100 film)

Whenever I travel anywhere, I try to check out local markets. My brother-in-law took me to the farmers' market in Vrahati, near Corinth, in the Peloponnese region of Greece. We have been here before, but this time I had a film camera (my little Yashica Electro 35CC) and, of course, I could not resist. The light was glarey and unforgiving, but the automatic exposure system in the little Yashica handled the conditions well.

Map from ESRI ArcGIS software

The market is set up on streets in town. I am not sure if the stands are here every day of the week or if the vendors need to take their umbrellas and tables away on certain days. Parking is a real mess - typical Greek village.

Most shoppers buy vegetables and fruit. I did not see as many vendors this time with inexpensive plastic goods, utensils, and clothing as I did in 2008. Then, I saw more Roma and Albanians selling miscellaneous inexpensive goods, but maybe they have moved on.

 The fish looked good. Some is locally caught, some comes in frozen from the Atlantic Ocean.

The tomatoes are locally grown in the rich soil of the Peloponnese. All the vegetables here taste like they are supposed to.

I have written before about other markets. If you are interested, type "market" in the search box, or try the words Athens, Kathmandu, or Rangoon.

I took all these photographs with Kodak Ektar 100 film in my little Yashica Electro 35CC camera with its fixed 35mm f/1.8 lens. The color balance tended towards red because of the many orange umbrella covers. Better color balance is one big advantage of digital capture, but I still derive more reward from film.

Railroads of Greece 6b: The Lost Locomotives of Myloi (with Tri-X film)

Myloi is a sleepy town on the west side of the Bay of Naufplio (Nauplion), which is at the north end of the Argolic Gulf in southern Greece. The narrow-gauge (1.0-meter) Peloponnese railroad passes (more accurately, passed) through town. The main line from Athens comes in from the north via the town of Argos. Heading south, the line runs along the coast to Myloi and then turns west, ascending the mountains towards Tripoli. I found some Tri-X frames that I took in 2016 in Myloi at the old rail yard. Here, steam locomotives had been parked and semi-forgotten for decades. I presented some digital frames from Myloi before.

The old locomotives are rusting away slowly, although with Greece's dry climate, the deterioration is not nearly as severe as it would be in a rainy climate. Giant eucalyptus trees loom over the tracks and old locomotives.

The label of "mouseío" indicates that at one time, this locomotive was to be used for some sort of display or museum. What happened to that plan? I would not be surprised if the economic crisis that started in 2008-2009 dashed hopes for a rail museum.

This is the depot, which, as of 2016, was secure and in good condition. Many of the tracks had new ties and bedding. Status of the Peloponnese railroad and all this equipment and infrastructure: unknown.

Water spigot for steam locomotives, Myloi, Greece.

These photographs are from Kodak Tri-X 400 film exposed with a Rolleiflex 3.5E twin-lens reflex camera with 75mm f/3.5 Xenotar lens. The negatives are rough. I did a poor job with developing, and the film was thin and had spots and lint. I cleaned the lint with the heal tool in Photoshop CS3. I scanned the negatives with a Minolta Scan Multi film scanner, operated with Silverfast Ai software.

Railroads of Greece 7: Corinthos Train Station (Ektar film)

Corinth is an ancient city at the east end of the Gulf of Corinth, a long, narrow body of water that separates the mainland of Greece from the Peloponnese region. The Peloponnese was developed with 1-m narrow gauge rail in the late-1800s. Corinth was one of the first cities that a traveler reached on his rail journey from Athens to the Peloponnese.

This railroad station on Dimokratias Street is rather severe mid-20th century architecture, possibly 1950s or 1960s construction. I do not know how many older stations on the site were replaced by this building. Fortunately, it is not abandoned. I saw modern computers and office furniture inside, so someone is using it as office space. It may have been painted since I last visited the site in 2011.

Kodak Ektar 100 film, Yashica Electro 35CC camera, polarizing filter.

The modern Athens Suburban Railway, Train OSE, is a regular-gauge commuter line that enters Corinth on a totally different right-of-way. Therefore, this older 1-meter system is currently unused. The rail yard is unused and grassing over. Some rolling stock that I saw here in 2011 has been pulled away.

The Ektar film does a nice job emphasizing the red of the roofs, graffiti, and rust.

These old spigot arms are still in place, even though steam locomotives were phased out decades ago.  Some of the old locomotives are rusting away in Myloi, a town on the west side of the bay of Naufplio. When the family and I took the train from Kato Achaia to Athens in 1997, we rode in self-contained diesel-electric cars (meaning not pulled by a locomotive).

The KTEL bus station is across the street. On the day I was there, a modern and clean Athens-bound coach pulled into the street and picked up a few passengers.

These photographs are from Kodak Ektar 100 color negative film, exposed with a Yashica Electro 35CC compact rangefinder camera. I used a Canon brand polarizing filter to cut glare. This inexpensive little camera has a very fine 35mm f/1.8 Color-Yashinon-DX lens, maybe marginally lower resolution than my 35mm Leica Summicron lens, but not far behind. These Electro 35CCs are a bargain on the big auction site. Update: like many other film cameras, these 35CCs have gone up in price and sell for over $100, mostly from Japanese vendors.

The picture of the WC door with books is from a Moto G5 mobile.