4 week itinerary – This Northern Greece Carnival itinerary covers Florina, Edessa, Thessaloniki and Sochos by bus and train. Experience authentic Greek carnival traditions including the extraordinary Koudounophoroi bell-wearers of Sochos, Edessa’s spectacular waterfalls, Naoussa’s Genitsaroi carnival, and the thermal springs of Loutra Pozar. Best time: February-March. No car rental needed.
Towards the end of my stay, there was a definite sense of seasonal endings. When Alexandros Taverna ‘shut up shop’ this felt like the catalyst for that sense of closure. Although other tavernas were still open, Alexandros felt like the beating heart of Lakka which is a testament to the incredible family that runs it….
My six nights on Paxos was nearly at an end. Before I headed back to Corfu I really wanted to visit Antipaxos. It would be ridiculous to get so close and not make it. Thankfully I’d found a boat that would enable me to visit Antipaxos for the day – not a tour boat to…
Lakka has some fairly easy and yet interesting walking routes most of which I stumbled across with a little assistance from Google Maps. One circular walk that I did a couple of times started in the square of Lakka and followed what I called the western road (pink) as opposed to the eastern road (yellow)…
Today, Jackie (who I met at the port) and I have made plans to spend the day in Gaios. We’ve decided to put our faith in the local bus service again (despite yesterday’s experience) and we waited at the square in anticipation. The timetable was still pinned to the notice board which gave us a…
I threw the balcony doors open to be greeted by a bright beautiful morning and the smell of freshly baked bread. The sweet heady aroma wafted its way up from Robolas Bakery which sits just below my balcony – what better alarm clock! A couple of locals were already sitting outside drinking from steaming cups…
I was in a bit of a quandary of where to go after leaving Ioannina. I’d now booked my flight home from Corfu so it made sense to head back in that direction. I don’t think day trips ever give you a real sense of a place so I decided to go back to Paxos….
The time finally came to bid a fond farewell to Ioannina and it was a wrench! It was a bucket list item for ten years and after finally making it, it didn’t disappoint. In fact, it far exceeded my expectations – whatever they may have been. As much as I adore the islands, I found…
Woooah! After 10 action-packed days in Ioannina there is still so much to write about so I’m going to whistle through a couple of things I haven’t yet included in previous posts. I think this may be my penultimate post about Ioannina and I may have to resign myself to the fact that I won’t…
Zitsa is just short of 30km northwest of Ioannina. For those like me who prefer to explore by public transport, it’s an easy trip from the KTEL Intercity bus station at a cost of 1.70€ per person per way. The bus runs 4 times a day. Zitsa is a traditional village known for its wine…
Before arriving in Ioannina I’d originally thought about spending several days in Metsovo. Unfortunately, the bus service from Igoumenitsa was limited to just one bus a week. On my explorations around Ioannina town, I came across a travel agency called Kassaros Travel which runs a service to Metsovo every Sunday. It’s an unguided tour and…
Southeastern Citadel I must admit that on my many visits to the castle, I didn’t approach my explorations very methodically. It was all a bit haphazard, and I found myself wandering around the site without any particular plan – that’s just the way I roll. However, I will try to describe the layout in the…
