Day 12 - 21 September 2016
Patras.
Well today was a bit of a wasted day. The first bus to Patras was only at 13:15. I slept late, just as I promised myself and eventually left the hotel at 09:30 (€50.00 for two nights). Went to the coffee shop for breakfast again. Yesterday it cost €4.00 to go and this morning it cost €6.10 sit down. I wasn't going anywhere so I paid the €6.10.
BTW, that pastry is delicious. It's about 1 million calories but worth it. You can taste the butter in the pastry. And you bite it and it flakes and the soft melted cheese oozes out. It's all I've had to eat today, other than a slice of spinach pie in Itea.
I bought my ticket. I asked for Delphi to Patras (€16.80 ticket and the distance travelled is 118km) and she gives me Delphi to Antirio, about 20 minutes away from Patras. Old cow was totally nonchalant about the matter and said I could pay for the last part on the bus. Not the point really!
The bus eventually arrived 10 minutes late. We all piled in and off we went. Conductor tells me I have to get off at Itea and take a connection to Patras. NOT ONE SOURCE mentions this. The drive was hair raising. Hairpin bend after another. At one point, we took a hairpin bend, crossed a bridge, another hairpin bend and then under that same bridge.
We got to Itea at 13:50 and the connecting bus arrived at 14:30.
It was a very long ride and we passed small town after small town. Eventually we crossed the Rio–Antirrio Bridge, officially the Charilaos Trikoupis Bridge after the statesman who first envisaged it, is one of the world's longest multi-span cable-stayed bridges and the longest of the fully suspended type. It crosses the Gulf of Corinth near Patras, linking the town of Rio on the Peloponnese peninsula to Antirrio on mainland Greece by road, drove into Patras and got to the bus station. We passed my hotel on the way, so I knew where to go. It was only 4 blocks away. Bonus - the bus station for my next trip is in the next lock! Booked in. The Patra Palace Hotel is a rather plush 4 star hotel and I have a lovely sea view.
Arranged to have my laundry cleaned - 6 T Shirts, 3 shirts, 6 boxers and 4 pairs of socks cost €45.00. They will wash, iron and drop off tomorrow morning.
I settled in and then went off to dinner. What with the €60.00 taxi and the €45.00 laundry bill, I decided to have an economic meal. I had a gyro and a Fanta orange for dinner.
Cost €8.50 and was worth every cent. It's tomato, onion, tzatziki, chips, a toasted pita and then a HUGE mound of meat. I literally can't move. It was from a fast food type of joint, so no free dessert. Well, that's all for me today. off to bed and an early morning tomorrow.
Food
Delphi
Itea
Bus Trip - Itea to Patras
Patras Palace Hotel
No comments:
Post a Comment