Parts of Italy, Kosovo, Nth Macedonia, Greece, Albania, Poland and Germany.

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Back from the island

Ioannina has a long history of conflict and also boasts an impressive castle whose site has been used as a fortification dating back to the 3rd century BC (depending on what you read).

Ioannina Castle - Wikipedia

The area within the walls overlooking the lake, contains the Glikidon mosque being refurbished and a vast fortification area with the Byzantine Museum, Treasury and Silversmith museum.
Ioannina’s Silversmithery Museum: A Gem to be Admired | GTP Headlines


Vast grounds



View from the wall



Looking towards where the silversmith museum is housed

 

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Within the silversmith museum



















The exit we took enabled us to gauge the volume of the wall

 

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Day 3 Central Zagori

The Zagori is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heriitage list as a cultural landscape. The spectacular Vikos Gorge is it's heart, and today we explored the Central Zagori, it's villages of Kipoi, Koukouli, Kapesovo, Vitsa and Monodentri, perched on the mountainsides, and the stone bridges which link the villages across the gorge. There were also spectacular high viewpoints over Vikos Gorge.
We drove past Kapesovo & our first stop looked out to the Vradeto Steps walk- of course Ioannis had completed that many times, but not today!-approx 1,350 steps!



We worked our way to the Plakida -Kalogeriko Bridge & its 3 arches-bone dry below the bridge at the time of our visit. Kalogeriko bridge: The historical monument in Zagori spellbounds -
There was a nearby statue- a sad story of a lady left naked in the winter to survive after all her family were killed

 

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Ioannis then had a hidden hike for us off the main trails- a look down over Kokkorou/Noutsou stone bridge & then we drove down to the bridges.(one modern road bridge & the historic bridge).

Bridge of Noutsos or Kokkoros | Stone Bridges

Looking down on the bridges roughly centre of photo











View from the stone bridge to current traffic bridge


Ioannis had a GoPro and recordered our trip with him-photos & some videos. At the end of the trip he gave us a jump drive that also had some Greek recipees he makes

 

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Next stop was the Oxya Viewpoint for magnificent views over the gorge. Vikos Gorge | Greece Aerial 4K ���� Cinematic Drone Video - YouTube






From there it was a stop at the Stone Forest-males display their love by building highest rock collection-my excuse was all the good flat rocks had already been used
ΠΕΤΡΙΝΟ ΔΑΣΟΣ, ΜΟΝΟΔΕΝΔΡΙ, ΖΑΓΟΡΙ. STONE FOREST OF MONODENDRI, EPIRUS, GREECE. - YouTube




General village scenery from the day

 

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We next visited the Church of AyiosMinas and then had lunch at Monodendri under maple tree. We also visited a ladies craft group/education centre.





Coincidence that they were working on a koala at the time of our visit




Our last stop on the drive back to Ioannina was the Monument Zagorian Women Pindos-. It honours the enduring spirit and contributions of the region’s women throughout history. The monument features a woman carrying socks for troops in her hand & amunition & food on the her back.

The Woman of Pindus monument by Desolation Road - Desolation Road

District View from that lookout


It was a fantastic day for us

Just as a bit of background, Ioannis spent his last 7yrs of milatry service as the trainer of the Greek Presidential Guards. This was an interesting read I thought The Evzones - the elite Greek Presidential Guard | Greece Travel Secrets

 

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Ioannina to Syvota
We incorporated the transfer from Ioannina to Syvota to include the ancient Greek Temple of Necromancy, The Venetian Castle of Parga and a great coastal drive through to Syvota. We did this by using Ioannis & again his knowledge of the area was excellent.

Oracle of the Dead-Necromanteion – The Ancient Temple of the Dead | Ancient Origins

 

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Parga- obviously it was not peak time but still busy & many people were frying themselves on the beach. Apparently there are 4km traffic jams in peak times & parking is at a premuim. There are certainly plenty of stores & restaurants to cope with the hordes. We climbed to the top of the Castle, (somewhat easier than when first seen) & enjoyed the excellent views from the strategic location. Parga Castle - greeceindex.com

After a casual lunch near the beach we then had a short drive through built-up areas mixed in with olive groves. After our stay we could confidently say Syvota was a nicer/relaxed/"less packaged" style of place than Parga so that suited us for this holiday



Castle looked a bit of a slog looking from here

 

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The Small Wooden House Syvota- used airbnb for this one, a 3 night stay. This was the description:

Detached wooden house, spacious and fully equipped, with private parking, ideal for couples.
It offers relaxation, tranquility and rest by combining wood, stone and green in a bathing destination.
Just 1 minute from the picturesque port of Sivota, from where you can reach the famous famous Pissina beach by boat, a 10-minute walk from the unique beach of Bella Vraka and 5 minutes from Gallikos Molos beach.
It consists of 2 bedrooms with double beds and wardrobes, living room with comfortable sofa, satellire TV, free WiFi, fully equiped kitchen with everything you need for a comfortable stay and a large fridge, bathroom with shower and washing machine, iron & ironing board. It has air conditioning in the living room that covers all areas and fans in the bedrooms.

Certainly enjoyed the stay & all was as described & all worked as expected.
Shower saw a bit of an annoyance- no shelf/caddy for soap/shampoo etc & no wall mount/holder for the shower wand. We noticed this in a few places in Greece














Air con reached both bedrooms but had fans available

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Syvota

Syvota - Wikipedia

A 3 night stay in the little wooden house was designed mainly as leisure time with some walks seeking out local beaches, enjoying food & drinks. Sivota harbour is the centre of activities & we are only a minute walk back on a quiet side street. Still a sleepy fishing village, the locals are a very friendly bunch and walking from the bay is relatively flat with plenty of olive groves on display. We walked 20 minutes or so the Dei Beach-crystal clear but rocky to enter, good shady area with day beds available for 5 Euros each. Not many amenities but great quiet spot. Also walked towards Bella Vraka-uphill from the village & we turned around before the final walk through shallow waters to reach the beach. Some fantastic homes along here with enviable outlooks.









Dei Beach-best shade options










A very caasual palce that suited us fine. Plenty of supermarkets/shops/tour booking/food outlets all within minutes walk. Bottled booze from the supermarkets was more expensive than all our previous stops

 

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More Sivota






Walking towards Belle Vraka








Downhill on the way back!


A pretty typical menu


Corn for sale-back off the main promenade


Some more cafe/bistro settings back a couple of blocks

 

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Lovely sunsets

 

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Lovely sunsets

Those were the best sunsets of our trip- a few more for you!

 

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Those were the best sunsets of our trip- a few more for you!
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Thanks

 

[Cossie]

Sigh, good stuff, all these photos makes me want to go and see the places we missed this time.....

 

[Scash]

More Sivota
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Walking towards Belle Vraka
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Downhill on the way back!
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A pretty typical menu
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Corn for sale-back off the main promenade
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Some more cafe/bistro settings back a couple of blocks
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Amazing photos...particularly love the sunset ones.

 

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Sigh, good stuff, all these photos makes me want to go and see the places we missed this time.....

Yes this forum always comes up with some new spots to see-getting plenty of ideas from your trip

 

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Syvota to Paxos

Used a day cruise for the transfer & stayed off the boat at Gaios. The cruise was Syvota/Syvota via anticlockwise around Paxos with an hour or so moored for swimming at Anti Paxos then a few hours in Gaios for a look around over lunchtime. Was a great option-allowed us to view all of the west coast with it’s magnificent harsh terrain and a look at the beach scene at Antipaxos. From Gaios we caught a cab to our apartment at Lakka for a 4 night stay.


















Swimming at Antipaxos-basically every boat reverses in, ties up with a rope & the hordes pile into the water. Many can't swim or float & rely on noodles & are soon back on the boat. Four other large boats tied up with music blaring while we were there so it wasn't a highlight but the trip around the island was excellent



This is similar to the vessel we were on

 

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The Beach House Lakka Paxos

Another Airbnb booking. Description was “If you want to wake up and face the beautiful view from the picturesque bay of Lakka or have your dinner on the balcony looking at the lights from the sailing ships that look like stars in the sky then this beautiful house is for you!!”
The photos showed a house located above a restaurant on the bay of Lakka but didn’t have any reviews - the host had another listing that got great reviews & there were half a dozen photos of the internals of this place which had just opened after a conversion of the upstairs space and a “renovation”. The location was excellent, the views from the balcony great, but the actual living experience was ordinary. The restaurant had outside tables set up right at the base of the stairs, there was no internal sitting space, the bedding & towels were basic. The balcony was ok but way too hot most of the day with one of the wind-out awnings totally useless as it was long broken from rust. The bathroom was small & made worse by no formed shower & just a curtain, so the whole floor got wet. The kitchen was tiny. I think the lack of cleaning up after a haphazard wall painting exercise during the renovation probably summed up their commitment to turning a dollar rather than providing a nice stay.















The views made you be a bit forgiving