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…
Ioannina is a place that needs to be savoured. Even during my 10 day stay, I left feeling as though I’d barely scratched the surface of the place even thought I crammed in as much as I could! The Castle of Ioannina dominates the old town and this alone would take several days to see…
Whilst in Ioannina, one of my ‘must do’s’ was to visit the Zagori National Park. I’m a real chicken when it comes to driving in Greece so this was never going to be an option, especially where precipitous mountain passes may be involved. For so long I’d dreamt of seeing the atmospheric stone bridges and…
No visit to Ioannina is complete without a visit to the Perama Cave. I’ve visited a number of caves in Greece over the years. The Caves of Antiparos (several times), The Cave of Lakes in Kastria in the Peloponnese, the Dyros Caves also in the Peloponnese and the Dryopida Caves on Kythnos. Many years ago…
Here I am in Ioannina, pronounced ‘Yannena’ but if you listen to a local say it, there is a very gentle “ee-oh” at the front of it. Ioannina is a vibrant university town and one of the four regional units of Epirus and also serves as the administrative centre for the region. My route here…
This morning I awoke feeling exhilarated realising that I was finally in the place that had been on my bucket list for 10 years. I’d always thought that places like Ioannina were inaccessible without a car. I’d never been a fan of driving in Greece – my unfortunate driving escapades are well-documented. However, getting here…