Greece 2021

Tuesday9November

Waking up in Neokesaria. The 1st floor of our Airbnb rental gives us a very nice view of our program for the day. Behind the mountain ranges facing us, hide the Vikos Gorges.

Here we are at the starting point of a small walk that will take us to Beloi, a nice viewpoint on the Vikos Gorges.

Duel of looks between this bovine and me...  

Here are the gorges.

The Voïdomátis River flows at the bottom of the gorge.

"Vikos is listed as the deepest gorge in the world relative to its width by the Guinness World Records" © Wikipedia

A little geocaching in passing...

We now pass to the village of Koukouli, a small picturesque village a few kilometers from the gorges.

Ha, another well hidden geocaching...

The old door of the church of Koukouli.

Near the village, a pretty stone bridge holds as if by magic above the now dry Voidomatis river. The bridge is dated 1750.

Right next to it, the bridge over which cars pass.

Inserted in the middle of the bridge, the inaugural plaque from 1850.

A little further, another stone bridge with three arches from 1814.

And hop, another geocaching!  

At the Vikos gorges, there is the village of Vikos. QED   A path leads to the belvedere giving a very nice view of the gorges.

The Voïdomátis River enjoys a guard of honor in autumn colors.

Lunch under the pergola of the Karpouzis restaurant in Vikos.

We finish the evening in Monodéndri with its traditional stone houses. The path leads to the ancient monastery Agia Paraskevi located at 350 meters height on the cliff edge...

The monastery dates from the 15th century.

The very small basilica.

Night falls, it is time to return to the fold.

Wednesday10November

New day where the Sun is still part of the game! Here we are in Ioannina to visit the Perama cave. For now, we are at the end of the Goritsa hill, in front of the monument commemorating those killed in combat at the end of the Second World War between the communists and the government following the departure of the Germans. The country will experience a civil war until 1949.

The view from Goritsa hill over Ioannina.

The entrance to the Perama cave which extends under the Goritsa hill for 850 meters.

Erosion began its work 1.4 million years ago.

The stalagmites have joined the vault studded with stalactites.

Everyone recognizes more or less obvious shapes in the stalactites or stalagmites. Here, jellyfish stuck to the ceiling?…

After a short half-hour visit, here we are on the other side of the hill. We will be able to leave the region to join the island of Lefkada (Leucade in French), accessible by a bridge.

Here we are in Vasiliki, a small port in the north of Lefkada. Our goal is to book a place on a ferry to reach the island of Kefalonia. Alas, we are out of season and there is no ferry for the next few days... We therefore decide to skip the island and make the big detour via the mainland to the next stage: Olympia. But for now, we will continue exploring Lefkada, going to the very south of the island point, which is only 15 kilometers from Vasiliki.

Here is the southern tip of Lefkada which shrinks like a shagreen skin into thin cliffs carrying the lighthouse that guides sailors in the Ionian Sea.  

The Lefkada lighthouse.

Yes, here too, a little geocaching was waiting for us...

The pretty cliffs of Lefkada.

Opposite, the islands of Ithaca and Kefalonia.

We leave the lighthouse, the opportunity to admire this pretty leap of land which will enjoy the sunset...

"From Ancient Greek ?e???da, Lefkáda, name of an Ionian island in Greece where the Cape of the Lady or Leap of Lefkada (72 meters high) is located. Legend has it that, in ancient times, to cure oneself of lovesickness, one threw oneself from the top of the Leap of Lefkada into the sea. If one did not die, one was cured of one's love. According to mythology, the poetess Sappho killed herself there because of Phaon." © Wikipedia  

We pass back near Vasiliki which also enjoys the sunset.

After 3 hours of driving, here we are well seated in front of stuffed mushrooms, at the Pinakio restaurant in the city of Agrinio. Tomorrow, we will join Olympia, the ancient city of the games of the same name!