Stuck In A Train In Napflion
Wednesday, April 10th, 2002
Train Trip to Nafplion
The next morning we walked to Syntagma Plaza to took the metro to the port at Piraeus for departure to some of the Greek islands by ferry. But we had just missed the ferry and since the train station was next to the metro we walked over and bought a $3 ticket to Nafplion 100 km down the coastline of the Peloponnese peninsula of Greece. Bob said he felt like he was on a train ride in Disneyland because the wheels had such a narrow gauge and the train jerked toy-like back and forth around the curves.
When the train stopped at the end of the run Bob debarked while I finished writing in my notebook and gathered up my baggage to follow him out. But just as I got to the door it slammed shut! Knowing how fast these trains had been arriving and leaving I urgently began banging on the window on the other side of the train where I saw a man standing-but he just stood and shrugged his shoulders! Then I turned back to the debarking side and saw the conductor so I banged on that window too. He looked up and laughed-apparently thinking it quite funny that I was stuck inside the train-and with some difficulty and after some seconds he finally got the driver of the train to reopen the doors. Bob, meanwhile, half a block ahead was oblivious of the whole thing! Some travel buddy!
But we were soon all laughing again when, as I walked up to Bob, a very funny Greek lady took all my baggage off my back and put it on Bob and told him to carry it for me. When he refused she repeated the gesture. Finally Bob-unable to communicate his displeasure- dropped my luggage and walked off. She ran after him insisting that he pay me one euro for making me carry my own baggage-to no avail of course. We laughed again as we waved goodbye-thinking that we liked this country!
Nafplion
Looking at the map I saw names I recognized from the Bible-and from Ancient History and Lit in school-Mycenae, Corinth, Olympia. Nafplio on the east coast of the Peloponnese, is tucked up against a Venetian fort high up an acropolis, the Palamidhi, and is approached by 899 stone-hewn steps.
Charming as the town was all the signs were in English which is a tell-tale sign that everything is adjusted for the tourist. We walked around for awhile and sat at the Napoli di Romania Cafe on the Boubulinas and watched the sun go down over the Guld while I drank a double Ouzo and Bob had a Cafe Frappe. You could see some ruins on an island a short distance out into the Gulf that later became a hotel for a time. A guidebook says that Melina Mercuri claims she consummated her first marriage there…
About 8 pm, when we walked into a totally empty restaurant, we thought it was closed. But it was open and exactly at 9pm Greek residents started rolling in for dinner. By the time we left at 10:30 pm the restaurant was full of noisy Greeks talking, eating laughing and listening to Bouzouki music.
The train back to Ireus was a riot-full of noisy young Greek soldiers going to Athens on leave. There were not enough seats; four German tourists had to stand but seemed to be thoroughly entertained by the bedlam.
Landed in Eletherios Venizelo airport and everyone clapped as is often the custom around much of the world.
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