SATURDAY
Our departure point is at Larissis Station at 6.30 a.m. and our trip is about to set off! We will have two rapid rest-stops for coffee, snack and wc.
Our first destination the Paul Vrellis Greek History Museum. It is a museum, whose form bears resemblance to old, urban, fort-like building of Ipiros of 18th century in style and shape. The artist Paul Vrellis has tried to respect the tradition, the nature and the visitor. We will admire exhibits from the pre-revolution, revolution and modern period of history. Later, we will continue towards the town of Ioannina, a vivid town with mosques, monasteries and memories reflected in a shimmering lake. After arriving at our hotel, we will settle in and have lunch in the restaurant of our hotel! Afterwards, free time will be available to admire the magic town of Ioannina. The lake Pamvotis is a 20.000 year-old attraction. City-life revolves around this romantic lake. We can stroll around, have a short boat ride, whoever wants could row and of course have a drink or a bite on the lakefront. After a short boat ride, we will arrive to the island Nisi, known as the “island of Kyra Frosini”. We can walk and meet the byzantine culture and its monasteries and whoever desires could visit the museum of Ali Pasha. Our next visit the historical castle of the town, the Kastro, a melting pot of religious and cultures. We will have time for a walk in the center of the town. We could enjoy our coffee and do our shopping, such as handmade jewelry, as Ioannina are famous for the fine art of silversmiths. Also, we could have dinner and return to our hotel for an overnight stay.
SUNDAY
After our breakfast at the hotel, at 09:30 a.m., we will depart with destination the wonderful Perama Cave, a mere 4 klm. from Ioannina. We will experience a unique tour in one of the most important caves of the world. Its age is dated at 1.5 million years old, a cave with 19 different types of stalactites. We will be totally impressed by the large “hall” of the “mythical palaces”, the Statue of Liberty and a chamber with subterranean pools. We will move toward Metsovo, a town, which does not look like other towns of Greece, in fact it looks like a mountainous village of Ipiros, with tradition in architecture and textiles. Our first stop is the Katogi Averoff winery. The tour of the winery includes multimedia guidance, introducing the visitor to wine production and the history of the winery. After our short visit at the winery, we will move to the center of the impressive town of Metsovo for lunch, walk and shopping. We will taste the traditional ipirotic cuisine, widely known for the pies, the dairy products and the meat. Also, we could enjoy our coffee in one of the cafeterias with a view of Pindos and of course buy wood carving objects, handmade textiles, wine and dairy and cheese products.
At 17.00p.m. , we will set off back to Athens having rapid rest-stops!
