To wander about alone, as I had
done in other countries; indeed, I was warned here in Calamachi not
to go too far from the harbour, and to return before the dusk of the
evening.
26th October. We did not start from Lutrachi until towards noon, by
the steamer Hellenos, of one hundred and twenty-horse power.
We anchored for a few hours in the evening near Vostizza, the
ancient AEgion, now an unimportant village, at the foot of a
mountain.
27th October, Patras. That portion of Greece which I had already
seen was neither rich in beauty, well cultivated, nor thickly
inhabited. Here were, at least, plains and hills covered with
meadows, fields, and vineyards. The town, on the Gulf of Lepanto,
was formerly an important place of trade; and before the breaking
out of the Greek revolution in 1821, contained 20,000 inhabitants;
it has now only 7,000. The town is defended by three fortresses,
one of which stands upon a hill, and two at the entrance of the
harbour. The town is neither handsome nor clean, and the streets
are narrow. The high mountains pleased me better; and their chain
can be followed for a considerable distance.
I saw grapes here whose beauty and size induced me to buy some; but
I found them so hard, dry, and tasteless, that I did not even
venture to give them to a sailor, but threw them into the sea.
