Farewell Mathraki and on to …………………….. Ioannina!

Even though I was leaving Mathraki this morning, I still hadn’t decided on my next destination. Of course, I’d need to return to Corfu first, but after that – where? (though the clue is in the title!)

I began the tedious chore of stuffing my belongings into the bag in preparation for leaving. Even though the port is only a five-minute walk away Chris said that he would pick me up in the golf cart. Unexpectedly, I heard the Evdokia’s horn announcing her arrival. This was way too early. I walked out onto the terrace and could see her approaching the port. After having a moment of panic, I realised that this was her only her first call into Mathraki today. She doesn’t usually sail at the weekend but after the cancellations due to the storm, she was playing catch up. Yesterday was Othonoi’s day. She sailed Erikousa-Othonoi-Mathraki-Othonoi-Erikousa-Corfu, the usual Thursday schedule. Today, Sunday she is following Friday’s schedule and it’s Mathraki’s day where she will call in here a second time after sailing to Othonoi. The Evdokia always calls into Erikousa first and last. Confused. Yes me too! Anyway, I breathed a sigh of relief that I still had time to finish packing.

I whiled away an hour or so on the beach before Chris appeared to collect me. He presented me with a paper bag with two jars of Ksenia’s homemade jam – how lovely. I’ll have to practice making banana bread as good as Ksenia’s to go with it!

My luggage was put into the back of the cart and we took the short drive to the port. We still had ample time so Chris suggested that we go into Dolphin Taverna for a coffee whilst we waited. The cafe was bustling with people, some of whom were waiting for deliveries, some who were about to catch the ferry to Corfu and others who were just there to socialise and catch up on the news. We joined several others at a large table. Introductions were made but it was a lot of names and new faces to take in. Some were friends, some were family and some were visiting the diaspora. I got the sense of a really close connection between everyone.

I wondered how the island organised itself in terms of how it was governed and who were the elected leaders of the island. Chris told me that there were three representatives and pointed out two of them in the cafe. Several minutes later he said “And here’s the third” as a gentleman arrived into the narrow channel of the port on a motorboat.

Soon the laid-back locals begin to shift in their seats. Through the taverna windows on the terrace, I could see the Evdokia on the horizon. She’ll soon be here. I’ve formed a real affection for this little ship. You can’t underestimate the service that these vessels have in providing a lifeline to remote little islands like the Diapontia. Their sole purpose isn’t to get us visitors around.

Evdokia sailed across the entrance to the narrow channel and then swung around and then back on herself. I wonder why she does that. I guess only the captain and crew know the answer to that.

I say my farewells to Chris and board the ship. There were a few minutes of frenetic activity where the locals piled onto the car deck to retrieve their deliveries or drop things off. I left my luggage next to a stack of organic Othonoi eggs making their way over to Corfu. I then climbed onto the deck to watch the departure. This is as busy as I’ve seen the Evdokia. I’d heard that in a few days, she would go into dry dock for maintenance. It seems the islanders are taking the opportunity to do last-minute business and shopping whilst they can.

Evdokia pulled out of the harbour and on towards Erikousa. Despite having pangs of sadness at leaving, I got the sense that I’d be back. Farewell Mathraki – for now.

Down below I found a space on the vinyl padded seat located around the edge of the salon. A couple of elderly ladies had sprawled themselves out to sleep. It would take three and a half hours to reach Corfu so they may as well make themselves comfortable. I was delighted to see several people that I recognised from Othonoi. The moustachioed man who had helped translate for me in Suzy’s Supermarket and who used to wave as he passed on his motorbike. There’s also Mr Kosmas the owner of Taverna Το Steki Tou Mourouna. They both said hello. Soon after the moustachioed gentleman introduces me to another man – it’s the father of Tonia, my host on Othonoi! It is nice to recognise people and be remembered and this only seems to happen on small islands like this.

Soon after, Evdokia made her final call to Erikousa. A handful of the crew and several travellers from the neighbouring islands climbed up onto the top deck to watch. The string of visiting yachts that had been there ten days ago have gone. Maybe they left before the storm. At the end of the harbour wall are just a couple of cars waiting to load or unload goods. I turned to the moustachioed gentleman and commented on how pretty the island was. “Yes, and expensive” he replied. He then asked me which of the Diapontia I liked best. Now that put me on the spot! I found it much easier to knock Erikousa out of the running than to decide between Othonoi and Mathraki. They’d been completely different experiences but both were wonderful in their own ways. It’s definitely a 50-50 split between the two.

As we pulled out of Erikousa harbour I felt a little pang of regret that I’d only given the island two days. I hate to ‘hit and run’ on a place and had I stayed longer, maybe it would have been a three-way tie. I’m quite intrigued by the island’s interior. Maybe I’ll go back one day.

Now onto important business. Where am I going to go next? There were three options on the table. One was to stay in Corfu Town and visit more of the island. The other was to go to Paxos and the third was to head over to the mainland to Ioannina. I’d do all of them at some point but it made sense to head to Ioannina first. I hadn’t yet booked my flight home but would probably fly out of Corfu. If I did this I could gradually make my way back in that direction. Looking on the ferry app I could see that a boat would be leaving Corfu for Igoumenitsa an hour or so after I’d arrived so that worked out well. I then scouted around for accommodation as close to the lake as I could find. I booked the accommodation and also my flight home so now I could relax and enjoy the rest of the journey.

The sea was flat as glass and the whole journey was spent under a blue sky with smatterings of white clouds. However, as we sailed through the Corfu straight, a thick blanket of something a bit more ominous-looking hovered over the island. The tip of Mount Pankrator, the island’s highest peak was completely enveloped. There had been weather warnings for today though it seemed to be very isolated.

Soon we were approaching Corfu Port and I was joined on the deck by several of my fellow travellers. Moored up in the cruise terminal were two cruise ships, one of absolutely monstrous proportions. I’d never seen anything like it. A gentleman who had joined us at the Dolphin Taverna told me that it was a new ship, only a year old. I Googled it – the Norwegian Viva holds 3195 people plus a crew of 1506.

My travel companions and I exchanged looks, raised eyebrows combined with a bit of head shaking. I think we were all in agreement that this vessel gets the proverbial thumbs down. Given the choice of all the trappings that come with a luxury cruise liner or the authentic experience of travelling on a local ship such as the Evdokia – well – it’s a no-brainer. It’s Evdokia all the way!

After disembarking, I had to fathom out where the next ship would be departing from. Corfu Port is huge. I called in at the ticket office to ask and was directed further along the harbour. I found Agia Theodora on the Marine Traffic app – she is on the approach to Corfu. Five minutes later, she appeared along the edge of Vido Island. She’s a busy ship and it takes a while for the cars, trucks and passengers to disembark. Equal numbers of cars are waiting to board.

The Agia Theodora is a bigger sister of Evdokia. The seats in the lounge are comfortable with good views, though I only breeze through to buy tea and a pastry from the shop. My natural habitat on board a ship is on the deck where I have panoramic views – and excellent views of Corfu Town they are!

We sailed along the straight between Corfu and the mainland, both almost within touching distance and giving that sense of connectivity. The journey only takes 1.5 hours and before long the Agia Theodora is pulling into the port of Igoumenitsa. The landscape is just breathtaking. I must admit, I’m looking forward to this next leg of my travels. I’ll be swapping the islands and the beaches for the mountains and a lake. How exciting!

Ten years ago I holidayed in Sivota and during that stay, I visited Igoumenitsa looking for a tour to Meteora. It was out of season and all of the tours from Sivota and Parga had stopped. Thankfully our host in Sivota arranged for her uncle, a taxi driver to take us. Yes, it was expensive but as Meteora had been on my bucket list for so long, I wasn’t going to miss the opportunity. I was so captivated by the landscape which skirted very close to Ioannina, that I decided that one day, I’d come back to explore further. And finally, I’m on my way!

I retrieved my luggage and disembarked as quickly as possible. There was a bus leaving for Ioannina in thirty minutes and if I missed it I’d have to wait another three hours for the next one. Google Maps guided me to the bus station just in time. It’s busy and full of students heading back to university for the new term. Luggage is loaded and once boarded, the bus set off out of the town following the Egnatia highway towards Ioannina. Last year I’d been at the other end of this ancient route as I travelled to Kavala, Xanthi and Alexandroupolis. One day I’d like to travel the full length of it staying in different towns along the way. Now that’s a plan for retirement!

A short while into the journey, the bus exited the main highway and took a road to a village called Paramythia. There are cars parked as far as I could see. It soon became apparent that there was a large market taking place. There were stalls selling rugs, pans, bedding, patio furniture, fresh produce – almost everything that you could think of. I Googled it later and read that Paramythia is part of the prefecture of Souli and is located on the slopes of Mount Korila. It acts as a regional hub for the surrounding rural villages and one of its claims to fame is that it was the birthplace of luxury brand founder, Sotirios Bvlgaris. He established his first silversmithing workshop in the town.

During the first week of October, Paramythia holds a week-long bazaar which is one of the oldest and biggest of its kind in Epirus. It dates back to Ottoman times and was not only a place to buy and sell goods, but a social occasion where people from the local villages would come to meet and spend time with friends and family. Unfortunately, most of the photos that I’d taken through the window of the moving bus were blurry, but you get the gist.

We are soon back on the road to Ioannina. The one-and-a-half-hour journey went quickly. The lowlands are agricultural with acres of olive groves and huge polytunnels for the growing of produce. I’m fascinated by the modern bridges supported on tall pillars that link one hilltop to another enabling an efficient way to travel. They are a marvel of engineering. Further into the journey we leave the olive groves and the flatlands in exchange for a mountainous landscape covered in fir and oak, a sign that we are slowly ascending in altitude.

As we approached Ioannina itself, the bus made a few stops before pulling into the bus station on the outskirts of the town. After retrieving my luggage, I thumbed the apartment into Google Maps and headed towards the centre. It took about 25 minutes for me to reach it. My host had sent me instructions on how to access the keys to the apartment, so it was all quite straightforward.

The apartment called Irida by the Lake is located on the first floor in a quiet residential block. The space is ample with an open-plan living and dining area and kitchen. There’s a washing machine which is always a nice bonus, a balcony overlooking the street towards the lake (which can just be seen through the trees and a nice modern bathroom and bedroom. For a last-minute booking, I think I’ve chosen well!

By the time I’d unpacked, it was dark. I was desperate to begin exploring and did attempt a walk into the Kastro but I was overcome with exhaustion and hunger. I decided to give it up and find the nearest place to eat. I also had a hankering for some wine – lots of it! At the back of the lake, there’s a good selection of lively of bars and restaurants with all types of menus. I got the sense that whatever type of food I wanted, I’d be able to find somewhere in the town serving it.

There was a real buzz about the place as groups of students spilled out onto the streets. The contrast with the Diapontia couldn’t be more stark. The Diapontia with no children, no schools, no ATMs, and very few (if any) open tavernas in October, to a town with lots of young people and everything on offer. I know for sure that one difference is that here in Ioannina, I will be anonymous. Nobody will know me or remember me and I won’t have the same faces greeting me in the morning. But that doesn’t matter. It’s the same when visiting any big city such as Athens or a large island. It’s just different, and that’s one of the fascinating aspects of travel – the contrasts and the different experiences. I’m not going to lie, I’m very excited to be here!

The interestingly named Anthrax Grill is very close to the apartment so not far to fall. There are plenty of empty tables so I decided to eat there. I ordered a Dakos salad, grilled sausage (I am partial to a bit of Greek sausage!) and some cool, refreshing and sleep-inducing retsina. The prices here are noticeably cheaper than some places I’ve visited so far on this trip. I guess that comes with being part of a university town – I’m not complaining! Further explorations will wait until tomorrow. ❤️