DAY 10 - TRANSFER TO IOANINA
It is Day 10 of our Greek cycling tour “Ride with the Gods” and we have reached the midway point of our trip where we move from the coast to the mountains. Today we transferred, via bus, from Syvota on the Ioanian Sea to Ioannina, located on Lake Pamvotis at the foot of the Pindus mountains. The Pindus Mountains are known as the spine of Greece and run from the Albania border to the Peloponnese. Tomorrow we begin our climb into the mountains, where we will ride for the remainder of our trip.
Ioannina is a beautiful and old city with roots from the Byzantine through Ottoman period. It is a university town and packed with young people and a vibrant spirit.
The old castle/citadel has museums and lots of sites to visit. There is also an island in the lake where you can visit several old monasterys and the museum of Ali Pasha. About half of us took the ferry over to the island and walked around, returning just before the thunderstorms began. Others stayed within the citadel visiting the mosques, Byzantine museum and the Silversmith museum.
Our hotel is within the Citadel walls and several of our rooms sit atop some excavated ruins. It’s a treat to see the excavations right through the floor. Too bad we don’t have a bit more time to explore but tomorrow we begin our serious climbing!
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