41. Vouraikos Gorge

41st Day: Yesterday afternoon we arrived in Diakofto to buy tickets for the Odontos Rack Railway. This was a good decision because the rack railway, which was built over 120 years ago, is fully booked this morning.

The train covers the roughly 22 km long route from Diakofto to Kalavryta, through the Vouraikos Gorge, in about an hour. We go all the way up and explore Kalavryta. There wasn't much to see behind its tourist facade. Then we take the train back to the middle station, Mega Spileon, which is about 10 km away.

From there, we walk back to Diakofto, following the railway track. We were quite curious because the trail is classified as "difficult" in my hiking guide. Especially when it becomes clear during the uphill journey that there is not enough space for both hikers and the train on a good part of the track. However, with a little arithmetic, we can roughly calculate when the "collision" will take place. And it works out well, but the adrenaline level rises significantly before that. The tunnels and passages of the "bottomless" bridges add to the excitement.

However, the most important part of the trip is the natural scenery. The author of the tour description on Alpenvereinaktiv describes it as "spectacular". We can only agree! And it is also diverse and exciting (see above). In some sections, it reminds us of the "Congost de Montrebei" and Zion. But the pictures speak for themselves, despite suboptimal lighting conditions (April weather).

In the evening, after a rain shower, we enjoy a colorful sunset at "our private beach".