Planes TRAINS and Automobiles

Today's plan is to drive to Kalavrita, take the train from there to Diakoftko and back. The guides say this is one of the best train trips worldwide, famous for running on cogs at times due to the steepness. So wouldn't you think it would be featured and well marked?? Not so. We had to ask twice and turn around several times. When we found the station the only small sign says Diakoftko so we think we have found it. As it's leaving shortly we quickly buy tickets and hop on. We slowly take off through the town then fields- Bruce wonders where these cogs are and suggests maybe we are on the regular local train. I get nervous until finally the mountains rise above us, we start a steep descent and civilization disappears. We wind our way down through a narrow canyon over many bridges and through tunnels; it is simply awesome. We just cannot believe they don't promote this more. Maybe Greece could pay off their debt if they did more promotion of their amazing sites. We noticed that Mystras had no signage to speak of either. In North America we'd have websites, marketing, signs miles before you get there and the commercialism that comes with it. This is just a train the locals use and share with the tourists lucky enough to find it! Oh well it certainly has local flavour.
Tonight we are staying at the Achilion Hotel a 5 min walk to the town square, cost only 45 euros. Kalavrita is a ski town so summer is their off-season.
I chose it as the reviews said clean, new hotel with larger rooms with balconies and the one reviewer was from Tilsonburg On!! We don't have the view that the last place did but it is sort of interesting listening to locals in their back yards and watching the local dog explore the vacant lot below us. Mountains do surround us in the background. Oh yes, we have a queen bed again; " super-dooper firm " must be a featured mattress choice in Greece.
We notice that English is not popular in this town, but they are very helpful.
We had dinner in one of the numerous cafes on the main square under a huge PLANE tree. A lovely town to visit but it has a sad history. In 1943 the Germans shot all the men and boys in the village,1200 ,who are memorialized by a large cross, and a museum. Unbelievable what people had to live through.