I immediately liked the feel of Ioannina. The modern part of
the town seemed much like any other, but the narrow old streets leading down to
the medieval castle walls had a pleasant buzz, old style charm meets student
energy – Ioannina is a major university city. This was our base for the coming
few days, from which we planned to explore the wider and wilder region.
We stopped for lunch at a restaurant in an old stone house
at the foot of the mountains. Our elder kid charmed the waitress and Chris' papou complimented the tasty local dishes. I
felt the initial symptoms of a bug coming on, but did my best to shrug it off
with a paracetamol and some local wine.
We drove on a short distance, before parking up at a sudden
break in the mountains. This was the entry to the famous Vikos Gorge. By some
estimates the deepest gorge in the world, measuring at points half a kilometre
deep. This was another level of beauty. Ahead and rising sharply up above were
a parallel set of green-clad cliffs, split by the cobalt blue rushing waters of
the Voidomatis river. There is nothing quite so refreshing as the sight, feel
and taste of fast flowing mountain streams. I just wanted to dive in. Instead,
I climbed atop a traditional stone foot-bridge which crossed the river at the
opening of the gorge. The region is famed for these precariously curvaceous,
arched bridges, which have an air of Rivendell. Gazing up the gorge, a couple
of rainbows set off the scene.
Moving on, we passed along another wider valley and up to
the town of Konitsa. A pretty town nestled into a mountainside and giving great
views of the cultivated river valley that spreads out beneath. It is also a
centre for adventure sports. My big tip for those looking to climb,
white-water-raft or take on other similar adrenaline activities in a stunning
out-of-the-way place, is come to Konitsa in Epirus. With its setting and
natural resources, it really could be the Queenstown of the Balkans.
As we set off for the final leg of our journey back to Ioannina,
Epirus gave a gift. Driving down the winding road from Konitsa, I caught a
glimpse of a huge bird circling. I ground the car to a halt, jumped out and
stared in wonder. Crossing in front of me was as big a bird of prey as I had
ever seen, golden-brown in colour. It was a Golden Eagle, a bird I had wanted
to see ever since reading animal books as a small kid. It soared above the
valley beneath us, swooping further and then nearer, passing right in front of
us. A fantastic sighting.
Completing the circuitous route, we headed back to Ioannina along
a high ridge road, providing magnificent views of the valleys and ravines below.
Just for effect, double inverted rainbows crossed the landscape. Not a bad end
to the route.
BUG RIDDEN NASTINESS
With traveling you have to take the rough with the smooth.
The next three days in Ioannina were rough. Soon after arriving back from our
big day on the road, I spiked a temperature and flu came on with a vengeance. I
could barely leave my sweat-ridden bed for the next 48 hours. Not an ideal
situation when you are travelling with an 8 month year old and a 22 month year
old. In a word, it sucked.
Fortunately, the others were still fine the next day and did
another big drive through the mountains of the Tzoumerka region to the south of
Ioannina. From the rave reports from the trip and resulting photos, I can
confidently say it is well worth a trip. High mountains dropping to isolated
valleys, populated with a light scattering of age-old villages and a host of
wild and semi-wild animals. It was great to see Nikos so excited. He had
wished to visit Tzoumerka for years.
By the time they arrived back, our small one was ill, then
Christina, then Vasilia, then our elder one. Great times. Instead of adventures in
the mountains, we were quarantined in a small hotel room with 2 small ill children.
The few times we did get outside we were caught in a constant cold drizzle
reminiscent of England in the worst of February. Miserable.
Nola made the sensible decision to drive Nikos and
Vasilia back to Athens before Nikos caught the flu, leaving Christina and me
and the kids to salvage what we could of our holiday.
RECOVERY AND A
GLIMPSE OF THE PAST
After a full three days, we had mended sufficiently to take
a few tentative walks around old Ioannina. Thankfully, the weather had also
turned. Winter was giving way to the gentle sunshine of early spring, which
helped our spirits.
We walked along the shores of the lake beneath the high
medieval walls of the castle. In the daytime there were many birds, at dusk
thousands of bats flapping around over the water (and overhead as Chris found
out on our first night when one pooed in her hair!). Through high gates, we
entered the old castle. Via winding alleys, we made it to each of the two
citadels which sit at opposite ends of the castle. These retain remnants of the
Ottomans, who ruled the region for nearly 500 years right up until 1913. The
Greeks have destroyed most traces of their over bearers, but thankfully, the
castle of Ioannina still contains the Fethiye Mosque and Aslan Pasha Mosque,
now housing museums.
Visiting these buildings gave a glimpse of a time so
purposefully forgotten. A time of despotism, but also enlightenment and learning.
Where now there is predominantly Greek homogeneity, there were once Turks,
Greeks, Jews and Slavs living not as equals, but in relative calm.
Looking out from the top of the citadel walls over the lake
to the mountains beyond, I was struck that Ali Pasha would have stood in the
same spot, looking over a domain that once encompassed most of Albania and
North-West Greece. Now it is a pretty back-water.
Largely back in the game, our next stop was the famed
Zagorohoria...
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