An odyssey on the Greek mainland

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One of the joys of being in Corfu - whether you live here or are on holiday - is that it is so easy to take a trip to the mainland.
An island-hop of one-and-half-hours gets you to the port of Igoumenitsa where you drive down for coffee in Syvota...
 ...before heading up the Egnatia Odos, a motorway that goes as far as the Turkish border, and roads leading off it, to places like the beautiful and unspoilt Zagori...
 
...or the ancient site of Dodoni, a magical place I have mentioned before... 
...or Ioannina, the largest city of Epirus...
 ...or Metsovo, the home of snow, wine and cheese.
Well, after an extreme bout of painter and decorator's elbow and oleander pruning fatigue, we decided to take a trip along the highway and beyond, going through Epirus, Macedonia and Thessaly. We've just come back after an incredible five-day journey, visiting the beautiful village of Nymfaio...
...and then on to Edessa for the most amazing waterfalls...
..and on to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Vergina (said to be the final resting place of Philip II of Macedonia, the father of Alexander the Great)...although no photos from here because they won't allow it, so here, instead, is Medusa from the brilliant museum at Veria, with its superb collection of grave goods which are more than two thousand years old...
...then south to the highest mountain in Greece, Mount Olympus, home of the gods...
 ...and then on to Meteora where six Greek Orthodox monasteries seem suspended in the air...
 
 
 
 
 
 
...and then home again to Corfu on the ferry...
...and back to Agios Magikades in time for an ouzo...
...and a lovely lunch...
That's about it.

Love Maddie x

Comments

  1. Jim14 March 2013 at 17:17

    Glad to see you're visiting some of the best parts of Greece! Hope you liked the Zagori.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. maddie14 March 2013 at 17:38

      As they say, what's not to like? A very special part of the world. It was a brilliant trip, so many highlights. On a small scale note, I loved the Veria museum. There was jewellery in there Maria and I would have worn and people would have thought we bought it yesterday. Beautiful.

      Delete
  2. katie eggeman14 March 2013 at 22:18

    What a wonderful journey, I would like to take Mr BC to Greece. I was there in 2002 Athens and the greek isles,and Istanbul with my mom.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. maddie15 March 2013 at 07:13

      Ah, BC,you must return. The Greeks need you!

      Delete
  3. Gail Is This Mutton?15 March 2013 at 08:31

    Lovely pics! We really don't hear much about the Greek mainland. Underrated. It's worth scootling over to Albania too to see the Unesco heritage site at Butrint, though I'm sure you probably already have.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. maddie15 March 2013 at 09:21

      Thanks Gail. The Greek mainland is a whole new world. I would thoroughly, thoroughly recommend the places we visited. We haven't been to Butrint yet, but it is on our list. Looking forward to more adventures.

      Delete

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