SEGMENT 2

As the beach started to become more populated, we left and started heading inland.
We were ready to explore some of the lesser known areas of Greece. Most everyone is familiar with pictures of sparkling coves dotted with white houses climbing up the cliff, or excavations of ancient sites. What many people don't know is that Greece is 80% mountains, and we were going to explore some of these areas off the beaten path.

What Greece has a lot off: churches (pic01) - every little village has at least one and even in the middle of nowhere you will often find yourself facing a church when coming around a turn. Many churches belong to monasteries, sometimes no longer in use.

We started by ascending the first mountain range and then followed a valley. We found a nice place below huge sycamores to stop for lunch. Although we were quite high up in the mountains, temperatures reached 30 degrees C (86 F), and we were glad to find a beautiful river which created inviting pools to take a dip in - the rather cold water reminded us that we were in mountain territory! Then we pushed on to Ioannina, a city picturesquely located alongside a large lake with a fort-like old town, an old mosque (Greece was long occupied by the Turks) and fancy bars and cafes shaded by gigantic trees along the lake. Just about 32 kms (twenty miles) south of here lies Dodona, an ancient site which originally housed the most famous oracle in Greece - people would come here to request answers to everyday questions, and the priests seated below a giant oak tree would read the responses from the leaves' rustling and the movement of the crows living in the oak. Later they also built an amphitheatre (pic02) which seated 18.000 people. It is just about the same size as the famous theatre in Epidaurus.

Just north of Ioannina we visited the cave of Perama which claims to have the largest variety of stalactites and stalagmites of all caves - but then every cave we have visited so far claims some sort of record (pic03). It was very impressive, although we didn't understand a word of the tour held exclusively in Greek.

We continued north and pushed up higher into the mountains to visit Vikos Canyon, which has a Guiness Book of Records entry as the deepest canyon in the world BUT this is the depth in relation to the width - not sure how this relation is calculated.... Definitely it is a beautiful place, and just before sunset we had the dramatic lookout point right at the edge all to ourselves! We cherished the views, then turned into an amazing camping spot (pic04) where we enjoyed a dramatic thunderstorm display before calling it a night.

Well rested, we made it into the local village of Monodendrion after patiently waiting for our turn in a major traffic jam (pic05). Monodendrion is one of the "Zagora villages", thus named for this region, which are known for their unique stone architecture. Its main sight is the monastery Agia Paraskevi, perched right at the edge of the canyon and offering unique views. From here, we followed a narrow footpath carved into the mountainside, which locals used to seek shelter from marauding enemies. Halfway along this path, they built a stone wall from which they conveniently shot every unwelcome visitor. Even without this perspective, the walk alone along the steep drop was exciting enough (pic06)!

Continuing north, we passed countless bee yards - Greek honey is a world-renowned delicacy. After winding our way up 19 hairpin turns, we were ready for a dip in the amazing natural pools near Megalo Papingo (pic07). While the first one had attracted a few tourists, we followed the stream upwards and had our own litte waterfall all to ourselves! By now, the usual pattern had established itself: while it was very hot during the majority of the day, thunderstorms started to move in late afternoon, and although it hardly ever rained, it cooled off quite a bit. This was usually welcome, but here in this shady gorge, it made swimming in the fairly cool water rather uncomfortable. After enjoying this tranquil spot for a few hours, we continued along the winding mountain road for another hour and set up camp alongside a rushing river - we will be hard pressed to name our favorite campsite after this trip, competition is fierce!

The next day was overcast which made for a perfect day of cruising through the most mountainous part of this section - we even reached 1775 meters (5800 feet) and passed an extensive skiing resort! Our goal for this day: the famous Meteora monasteries!

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