When we awoke, Nick said he had a sore throat. I usually come down with health issues when we travel, but not this time. I offered Nick several things from my “Just-in-Case” meds, and we prepared for our day. We would be heading south, crossing the Gulf of Corinth to the Peloponnese. We were supposed to take “a scenic cog railway ride past the waterfalls and caves lining the …narrow gorge.”  However, Angelos learned that there had been mudslides that made the railway ride impossible.  Plan B was to go up to the mountain village of Planitero on our bus.  Hearing this, I and my fellow motion sickness sufferers each took our meds.

I haven’t mentioned that there are rest stops every two hours that give the driver and  us tourists a break  to stretch our legs. The rest stops in Europe are much more interesting that those in the US.

Our bus took us further up the mountain. We stopped at a village that had a very touching WW II memorial. The Nazis entered the town and took all the men and boys over twelve years of age out of town, and killed them. There are photos of the women of the town trying to bury their murdered husbands the next day.

After  more hours of going up the narrow,  curvy mountain roads we arrived at a level expanse that was a farm. Sheep and goats greeted us as we got off the bus.

By lunchtime, Nick was feeling fine. Our lunch menu: Greek salad, tzatziki, fried cheese, French fries, greens, and bread to dip in olive oil. All of those were the appetizers. The main course was freshly caught trout. Angelos had told us in advance that  he would demonstrate how to  debone the fish, which I had never done before, and it was actually easy to do.  It had been prepared with olive oil and oregano, and was truly delicious. Dessert was walnut cake that had been doused with liqeur.

The woman next to me at lunch was a pathologist who was traveling with her sister-in-law. She had been to every continent except Antartica. Her sister-in-law had never traveled before. Her choice for her first trip was Greece.

Soon we were back on the bus, going still higher into the Menalon Mountains to Lagkadia. Angelos offered to  take  us for an optional walk to the cemetery before dinner.

For dinner we enjoyed Greek salad, spanakopita, grated carrots, “mac ‘n cheese,” and roast lamb with potatoes, all so tasty. Dessert was apple slices dotted with honey and cinnamon, which was just right after such a big meal.

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