Kalavryta...

Yesterday’s travelling took its toll on us and today neither of us wanted to do much other than sleep. But with the brilliant view from the house it would have been a disgrace to stay in bed.

So after some time Maria, Grigoria and I wandered down into the village which was just as pleasant as it looked from above (the house is to the side of the mountain, higher than the village).

The village has a rich history; it featured prominently in the Greek war of Independence and suffered terribly during World War 2. The town has fortunately maintained some of its old charm, especially the main church (whose bell rings every 30mins) and the primary school building. With a population of 2000 – 3000 typically everyone knows each other families, which means that I inevitably caused a bit of a stir (a good one of course!).

Today Kalavryta is the hub of 64 local villages so it is the main centre for banking, administration, police and the judiciary. Along with these amenities the town also is home to many small grocery supply shops, stocking fresh pasta, mountain herbs, honey and the famous Kalavryta feta cheese.

After an hour of walking around we decided it was time for me to try a typical (if not overloaded!) Meze platter, joined by Grigoria’s Mum and Aunt Tina.

Some time later the siesta beaconed and I found myself napping for a staggering 3 hours, it seemed that the Greek lifestyle was catching up on me! I think I can get used to this in such a peaceful town.