First trip to Ioannina - part 1

[ If you've reached this post via a Google search for IKEA in Yanina (Ioannina) - you can contact me for a more detailed description of where it is and how to get there. ]

A journey of discovery, not far, to rediscover mainland Greece. The last time we drove in Greece proper was back in 2001 when it was part of our drive from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia to Amsterdam. So we were going to recreate the last few kilometers of that trip to Igoumenitsa in reverse! Plus, of course, there was the added incentive of visiting the newly opened IKEA and getting some goodies in addition to visiting the ancient town of Ioannina.



First pleasant surprise was how easy it was to get the ferry from Corfu. We arrived at the Kerkyra Ferries kiosk at 9:20 a..m. and were soon on the 9:30 ferry.



























Some different views of Corfu from the sea added to our joy of being on our way so quickly.






































A little bit of Chinese told us of the origins of the ferry!!














And true to the timetable, one hour twenty minutes later, we were docking in Igoumenitsa.

First Christmas in Corfu

Very quiet so far. It's the norm at this time of year that workers get paid extra in Christmas bonuses. That in turn affects the shopping etc. Also the last Sunday before Christmas is a day when all the shops open, normally they are closed on a Sunday. Last Sunday, all the shops were open, but very few customers showed up. All a sign of the austerity measures now beginning to strike home.

Talking of strikes, the garbage collectors in Corfu Town have been on one - the result being uncollected piles of rubbish which in turn attracts rats etc. Fortunately our local "demos" or council has had enough money to pay out salaries and bonuses, so our garbage is being collected - not so for the poor people of Corfu Town.

We don't see much of the demonstrations that have been hitting Athens and the large cities in Greece. As I said before, Corfu is a sort of law unto it's own, thus its charm.

Our main concern is that the bridge we use to access the main road is all but wrecked. The bridge crosses a normally dry stream bed which in the last deluge became a torrent that lifted the tarmac from the bridge and the approach road and left it in a rather fragile state.


A week or so ago someone came along and strung up some plastic netting that delimited the safe part of the bridge. We now squeeze our car across the bridge, hoping all will be well with the concrete substructure. The alternative is a 5 mile detour.

We're still driving over it, as are the bin men in their truck!!

The first real post about Greece

Corfu isn't really Greece. In fact many people in Greece consider it a semi-autonomous island that owes its loyalty more to Italy than Greece, some even think that loyalty leans more towards Britain. A little history come in handy when talking about these things so....

Here's Corfu's basic timeline

1. Korkyra - Phaeceans ... 735 BC - 229 BC
2. Roman Corfu ... 229 BC - 565 AD
3. Byzantine Corfu ... 565 - 1386
4. Venetian Corfu ... 1386 - 1796
5. French Corfu ... 1796 - 1799
6. Russian Corfu ... 1799 - 1807
7. French Corfu ... 1807 - 1815
8. British Corfu ... 1815 - 1864
9. Greek Corfu ... 1864 - Present day

So, it's had a varied set of occupiers, the last being Italy and Germany in WW2. The Venetians left the biggest mark on the place (in my humble opinion, that is) and built the huge Palaio Frourio or Old Citadel which dominates Corfu Old Town. Then there is the New Citadel which is huge also. It's a place that has been fought over for many years!!

Today it is peaceful and the nearest we get to any kind of dispute is when the bin men go on strike and the rubbish lies around for a few days. Not quite the Turkish army laying siege to the island.

We live in a very sprawling village called Pikoulatika, the center of which I'm still trying to locate! It's probably the most laid-back place I've every lived in, and I've lived in quite a few places. So, life is very pleasant, if a bit quiet.......

More to come when something happens.....

At last.....

The ferry sailed into Corfu as we passed Pantokrator which was being pummeled by lightning!

Fortunately the sun shone on us as we disembarked and set off homewards, just fifteen minutes drive from the port.




Well, the wonderful thing that awaited us when we arrived home was a fridge full of semi-rotting food. Since we had rushed off at such short notice we hadn't had time to clear the fridge by eating our way through it all. So, we left it to providence that things would be OK on our return. It seems that one of the storms had caused a power outage that in turn had flipped the fuse for that part of the house where the kitchen is! Bang went all our frozen stuff and whatever had been edible in the cool part. Fortunately we had raided Sainsbury's before leaving the UK, so a quick trip to Sconto for some chicken and a jar of Mrs Patak's best saw us OK for dinner.

The next day we picked up the cat from our vet and finally thought we were back home!!!