Day 34 – Athens, Patras
Another replacement bus service to look forward to, this time between Kiato and Patras, where it appears the narrow gauge railway is being replaced with standard gauge.
Yesterday we bought our tickets and booked our seats on the 0806 service from Athens Larisis. The trains speeds towards Kiato on the standard gauge track completed in 2006, crossing the impressively deep and narrow Corinth canal too quickly to take a photo.
The switch to road transport is uneventful and we head west along the coast where perhaps the most notable sight is the Rion-Antirion bridge that crosses the Corinth strait, connecting Peloponnese with mainland Greece. Completed for the 2004 Olympic games it is the longest cable stayed bridge in the world with a continuous deck of 2,250 m, longer than the Golden Gate bridge (1,966 m).
Shortly afterwards we arrive in to Patras, a little late. We have been told it holds little interest for the traveller, and since I have blogging to catch up with, we settle in to the cafe between the station and Gate 3, from where the ferry to Bari departs.
We board at 1530 for the 1730 departure. It feels like the holiday season is over, with few passengers, mainly long-distance lorry drivers.
