18th May 2014 Thessaloniki Marina (Aretsou) Kalamaria to Ioannina

With ongoing generator problems on the Tangaroa, finally it was discovered we had to order a part to rectify the problem. Unfortunately we were informed by the mechanic that it would take well over a week for the part to arrive from the factory in another part of Europe. Rather than wait around the marina, we made a conscious decision to hire a car and take a trip to inland Greece. With luck we met a very helpful and interesting local travel agent who highly recommended us to go to Ioannina for a few days and then go on to Papigo in the mountains in central west mainland Greece near the Albanian border.

The drive through fertile valleys, surrounded by snow covered mountains on an incredibly new and highway, made the 400 km trip very safe and extremely enjoyable. We passed wonderful scenery of lush fields and hilltop villages and the most picturesque snow capped mountains in the distance. The highway was funded by the EU and no doubt there was an absolute fortune spent on it. Being a very mountainous area there were tunnels every few kms with some being many kms in length.

On our arrival at our destination in Ioannina which is a delightful ancient town with a lake and a castle, we proceeded to find a hotel for a couple of nights. With amazing luck we found the wonderful Hotel Metropolis which turned out to be quite incredible accommodation. The hotel had been recently extensively refurbished and every last detail had been done to perfection. Our hosts were extremely welcoming and the room rate was quite reasonably priced which included parking nearby. Our room had a central bed with 2 balconies overlooking the street. By chance the building opposite was all mirrored which gave us some unusual selfie photos!!! We enjoyed dinner at the hotel in the evening which was delicious and well prepared.