Ioannina, Greece (6-7 Oct 2012)

Ioannina is a castle town located on the banks of Lake Pamvotida and is our last stop in Greece before we cross the border to Albania. We arrived on Saturday and since we make it a point to only cross borders on weekdays, we had two days to walk the streets of Ioannina.

The city is very pretty with lots of old trees lining the banks of the lake and colourful rows of shops and houses. The city is lively with many cafes and restaurants to while our time away.

 

Byzantine medieval fortress

Outside walls of the medieval fortress

 

Leisurely drive from Athens to Ioannina, Greece (1-5 Oct 2012)

We left Athens and made our way west, driving along the coastal road towards the city of Patra. At Kamari beach near Kineta, we camped for two nights and whiled our time away swimming in the cool waters of the Gulf of Corinth, reading, studying our route and watching locals fishing. Mum and dad took long morning walks along the beach taking in the clear waters and beautiful people. Mum made pancakes for breakfast and we ate them with honey we bought in Turkey. Next, we made our way to Lykopria, Diakoplo, Kamares and Rodini.

Beach front houses facing the Gulf of Corinth.

  Dad chit chatting with a local family near Rodini

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Athens, Greece (30 Sept 2012)

Today we spent the day in Athens, a city that needs no introduction. Our first stop – The Acropolis.

ACROPOLIS:

When we arrived at about 2pm, the place was swamped with tourist, coupled with the very hot weather meant that we did not enjoy our time here as much as we would have liked to. Every little bit of shade is occupied by tourist seeking a time out from the blistering hot sun.


Dad busy taking photo at the bottom of the staircase leading up to the Propylea.

Live music and archaeological findings in Delphi, Greece (29 Sept 2012)

Today we made our way to Delphi. We passed cotton fields and olive plantations on the way. 

Here are some pics en route to Delphi.


Came across this kantina on the roadside at noon. Since it is lunch time, we decided to try out the food.

Greek Orthodox Monasteries in Meteora, Greece (28 Sept 2012)

METEORA AND GREEK ORTHODOX MONASTERIES:

We arrived at Meteora, a UNESCO world heritage site, and was greeted by steep cliffs and interesting rock formations. Meteora is home to more than 20 Greek Orthodox monasteries built centuries ago; only six remained today. These monasteries were built high on the rock cliffs only accessible by long ladders as the monks in those times found the rock cliffs to be safe from threat. When they felt threatened, the long ladders would be pulled up, cutting access to the monasteries by any unwelcomed visitors.

The Monastery of the Holy Trinity on top of a cliff – built in 1475 and was remodeled many times in 1684, 1689, 1692, 1741.

Thessaloniki, Ancient City of Pella, Vergina Tombs and Dion – Greece (26–27 Sept 2012)

We spent 26th September travelling from Kavala to Thessaloniki. In the village of Amfipoli, we came across the Lion of Amphipolis.

LION OF AMPHIPOLIS:

Tobacco and Ancient Aqueduct (25 Sept 2012)

TOBACCO PLANTATIONS

The next morning, as we drove near the village of Polyanthos, we came across large fields of tobacco plant. At first, we did not know what type of plants they were. When we spotted a farmer and his wife working on one of the fields, we stopped and went to have a look. It was only when the farmer told us what it was that we knew. He was so excited to show us the simple machine he used to pull a string through the collected tobacco leaves, ready for drying out. 


Tobacco plant.