Ioannina – Ioannina

26th day

Tuesday, May 5, 2026 – 26th day Camping Limnopoula (Ioannina)

Ioannina has turned out to be quite a discovery. Yesterday we were super surprised to see what the city was hiding, and on the way back home, I did a bit of research. It turns out that besides having churches notable for their architecture, it has mosques and the largest synagogue in Greece. A city of “three cultures” like Toledo, where Christians, Muslims, and Jews lived together in harmony.

until the destruction of Asia Minor and the annihilation of the Jews in World War II. Currently, despite being predominantly Christian, they never discarded their roots, and still walking through its streets, you can find four mosques and the synagogue I mentioned earlier.

This morning, it dawned with a dense fog covering everything, so T had to delay his excursion, and since we had some time left, we made a delicious breakfast of eggs with ham.

As soon as the streets cleared, T and Beast headed towards the Pindus Mountain Range to look for more snow to get stuck again. The range is known as the backbone of the country and is

filled with winding roads, wild landscapes, and traditional little villages, as well as high peaks and dense forests with impressive views of the Ionian Sea. It’s a motorcyclist's dream. The natural park also has a circular route that delights hikers. The Kokkoros Bridge is a famous stone structure in the area, built over the Voidomatis River to connect villages, and at the time, it was essential for promoting trade between the towns. It consists of a single arch and is built with stone, so it blends into the rocky landscape of the gorge. It has undergone several

restorations and today it is one of the most significant in the area. In fact, Thorsten encountered a school trip and had to wait to take the photo because the area was full of children. This time they had no mishaps, but they couldn't reach the snow no matter how hard they tried. They were back around two-thirty in the afternoon, and well, I gave T a little break to get his feet back on the ground after having climbed almost to Mount Olympus, which, by the way, is not far from here... but we are not going to go even though they say it’s impressive because it’s too far north.

As I mentioned earlier, the walk through Ioannina has been very revealing. We delved a little deeper into the interior of the walls and walked through those streets to discover one of the mosques, the castle, which is the oldest continuously inhabited Byzantine fortress in Greece. The Ottoman baths are one of the oldest monuments in the area and have been recently restored with funds from the European Union. The mosque building, a religious school, and the Turkish library form a significant educational and cultural complex.

Following the route, the Heroes' Park appeared, a commemorative space dedicated to the memory of those who fought for Greece's independence and freedom. It houses important monuments including the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the historic clock tower.

This morning I stopped by the butcher to buy some lamb chops for dinner, but they weren't very good, to be honest. What we really enjoyed was the “tzatziki,” the Greek yogurt sauce with cucumber or dill or garlic… or all together, which is super good. Good night… I’ll keep you updated.