I’ll keep this brief today, because I’m getting behind on sleep.
After yesterday’s tough ride to Metsovo over Katara Pass, today’s ride was much easier as we start dropping west out of the Pindus Range. There was only one climb of significance, of 1,500’ in about six miles. It wasn’t a severe climb, but felt harder than you might think: heat, a terrible road surface for climbing, and I’m sure some weariness from yesterday’s ride all had an effect.
Almost the entire ride was on the very quiet, marginally maintained old highway and had the same wild, park like feel as the ride over Katara Pass. This whole fifty mile length of highway has been all but abandoned by the new highway, the A-2. The A-2 is good for everyone: for drivers, it reduces the drive from Thessaloniki to Ioannina from five and a half hours to about two, according to our host this evening; and to those that want to go slow, it leaves an abandoned highway that can’t be beat.
We arrived in Ioannina early, at about three. Most of the morning it was sunny and quite hot, but it gradually clouded over and just as we were arriving in Ioannina it began to rain lightly. Later in the evening this turned into a real rain that brought out the umbrellas, but by then we were safe and dry.
Our approach to Ioannina had some of the same dramatic feel as yesterday’s dramatic approach to Metsovo. Like then, we first saw our destination far below us almost ten miles before arrival, and spent the next miles circling away from and then back to it as we gradually lost elevation. Today, these miles were spent circling the northern end of large Lake Pamvotida that Ioannina is sprawled against the western shore of.
We enjoyed our stay in Ioannina, spending part of the afternoon exploring the ruined fortifications that crown the rise above old town - this is another of those strategic spots that has been occupied by many different cultures and societies over the millennia, and it’s ruins reflect this. The entire old city is walled - this is the oldest Byzantine fortress in Greece. The city is large sprawling now, but prior to 1611 the entire population lived within the walls.
Ioannina is probably the largest place we have stayed on this tour - it’s a real city. We took advantage of this by dining at a more contemporary restaurant with a more diverse menu this evening, getting a break for a day from the traditional Greek diet.
We leave here tomorrow for a three day loop through the Zagori villages, and will return to Ioannina Sunday night.
On leaving town, we found this fellow standing in the road. We’re visiting a very quiet place.
To get a better shot, I crossed the road and came forward beside him. He followed me, and then we had a face off of sorts. I think he was protecting his turf, and seemed serious. His tail was gyrating rapidly like a propeller. Time to move on.
The new highway below, the old road above. This set my cadence for most of of the day, as I whistled or sang the Bonnie Banks of Loch Lomand like a mantra.
Scott AndersonTo Bill ShaneyfeltThanks, Bill. I was lucky. I was watching him crawl out of the shadows into the sun. I shot this as soon as he got here, and immediately afterwards he fell off. Clumsy bug!
Hey, I don’t have a CGOAB account now so I can’t comment, but you might let Tim know he’s not the only guy on a Bike Friday in Greece. We missed each other in Thermopylae by just two days. Reply to this comment 6 years ago
This is the Arachthos River, running down from the East Zagori region that we’ll visit in the next few days. Our route traverses it, dropping about a thousand feet to its level and then climbing out the other side.
So the video below is an experiment in capturing some of the sounds here. I don’t really know what I’m doing with this yet, but every now and then the sounds are transfixing enough that I’d like to remember them. I don’t know why it took me so long to figure out that I could just use the phone and take a video. This is shot from the same spot as the photo above, looking down at the river five hundred feet below. Other than Rachael and I chattering, the primary sound is of the sheep.
The old bridge crossing the Arachthos. The roadbed consists of iron plates. Some of the gaps are wide enough tha5 you could drop your wheel into them.
Andrea BrownOne of the many, many gorgeous and oddly shaped ornamental sages, this is Salvia pratensis, common name Meadow Clary. Reply to this comment 6 years ago
Fethiye Mosque, well preserved amidst the ruins of the castle area. Remodeled by Ali Pasha in 1795, this is the newest version of the mosque that was first built in 1430 after the Ottoman invasion. I think the wire structure in front is the tomb of Ali Pasha.
