19th May 2014 Ioannina

After an amazing breakfast at the Metropolis Hotel we set off on foot to explore the ancient town of Ioannina. The imposing Castle of Ioannina, which is the main attraction in the town overlooks Lake Pamvotida with it’s own tiny island, which you are able to visit by boat. The fortress is the oldest Byzantine fortress in all of Greece and was first built in 528 BC. We spent quite some time inside the fortress walls, followed by a boat trip on the lake visiting the tiny island which had numerous cafes, restaurants and small shops and stalls selling local wares. As the weather was still unusually cool for late May there were not too many visitors in the area. Apparently during peak times in July/August the town of Ioannina and the surrounding sites becomes extremely crowded. We were quite fortunate as the weather was pleasantly mild during our visit. In the evening we dined at a local Italian restaurant called Spuntino, which was recommended to us by Dora, one of the friendly hosts at the Metropolis Hotel. Apparently it is her favourite restaurant!!! For us it was a nice change to have some Italian food which we found to be quite enjoyable. The young chef and the staff were very friendly and professional which made the evening a memorable experience for us.