We were heading for Ioannina today and the easiest and
quickest route would have been the motorway but we wanted to go on the old road
that travelled through the mountains. On the way out of Igoumenitsa we stopped
off at a supermarket for supplies and it was very handy as it was almost
directly opposite the archaeology museum. There is no parking at the museum but
we could leave the van in the supermarket car park whilst we visited.
The archaeology museum is very good and is well worth a visit. On display in
uncluttered display cabinets were finds from local sites and there were
excellent information boards in Greek and English.
As soon as we were out of the city, we encountered our first tortoise of the
holiday ambling across the road. It almost certainly was going to be safe as we
hardly saw another vehicle on the first part of the journey. When we first came
to north western Greece, this was the main road from Igoumenitsa to eastern
Greece, Turkey and other countries. It was a very busy road with many lorries
and, given the nature of the terrain, it made for a slow journey. This time,
the lack of traffic meant that we had plenty of time to enjoy the views and to
stop wherever we wanted.
We arrived in Ioannina and made our way to Camping Limnopoula, situated right
on the side of Lake Pamvotida. We have been here before and were very happy to
return. The campsite facilities are fairly basic but the location is excellent –
quiet, lovely views of the lake and mountains and with easy access to the city.
We took a short walk from the site and found what we were looking for – a café selling
gyro. We ordered two pita gyro – sliced pork, onion, chips, tomato and tzatziki
wrapped in a pitta bread. We asked for a bottle (500ml) of Retsina (wine) and
were delighted to be asked if we want it neat or with coke. This combination is
common in northern Greek and we first came across it in Thessaloniki many years
ago. We enjoyed tasting that rather strange beverage again and the gyros were
excellent. Total bill €14 (approx. £12.50)!
Photos: Free range cow, complete with bell, on the old road to Ioannina; View
from the campsite as the clouds hang low over the mountains.
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