Ιωάννινα, a lake-side town

Spending 3 months in the Zagori mountains means I also spent some time in the capitol of the region, Ιωάννινα. In English, Ioannina. Some people pronounce it "yawn-ee-na" and others "yo-awn-ee-na" and others even put a gamma (g/j) in front! The name means "city of John" or something to that effect. Regardless the name is deceptively simple. About 1 hour down the mountain from Papigo, Ioannina is where Nefeli and Atho go to school and where I go if I need to replace items or visit a doctor, etc.

Four years ago I went there with my mum and sister but it was all by the seat of our pants. This time I was able to spend quite a few afternoons in Ioannina and got to retrace out steps from 2010 and explore the city at will.

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Lake Pamvotis

The city is on the lake Pamvotis (Παμβώτις) and is often foggy because of it! Originally founded by Justinian in the 6th century, Ioannina began as an Byzantine city (meaning it was eastern-Roman if you will). Justinian was one of the last emperor to speak Latin officially and sought to win back and revitalize the western Roman empire. Ioannina flourished as a Byzantine city but was conquered by the Ottomans in the 1430. It was not until 1913, after the Balkan wars, that Ioannina became part of Greece. Their independence day is February 21st! Ioannina has a rich history as a city of enlightenment and the city has always been home to a large Jewish population (since the 1st century CE) as well as Muslim communities.

The citadel, located on the lake side and built up like a small acropolis, is an historical castle fortress that is easy to get lost in (apparently intentional to help capture enemies) and has museums and private homes. Inside you can see the Byzantine museum, Aslan Pasha Mosque, and the Ethnographic Museum. The citadel is usually quiet so it is a peaceful place to walk and see the city and lake. You may get lost, though, as I said the alleys are winding and more than a few of them lead to dead ends!

 Street in the citadel/fortress/castle!

 Walls of the citadel

Ethnographic Museum on the left (with very tiny, short doors) and the mosque is on the right. There are monuments/shrines to wars throughout the courtyard here.

The historical area of Ioannina is home to cafes, shops, bakeries, and two places I miss already: Motley and a dried fruit and nut shop. I first went to Motley with Katerina, Clara, and her family just before Christmas. Needless to say that on (nearly) every trip back to Ioannina following I stopped by Motley and slowly went through their menu.

For me, Ioannina turned into the place where I go to have a slow paced (but a little productive), coffee and sweet induced day full of "me time" and maybe meet a friend. I certainly was not able to see all of it, being on foot, but I now know that there is a biking/running path along the lake to check out for next time!