Northern Greece, Albania & Macedonia: Ancient Lands of Alexander the Great Day 7

Day 07 - Monday, October 16, 2017 - Drive to Metsovo; Explore Mountain Town; Cooking Lesson & Lunch at Local Taverna; Visit Ioannina Metropolis of Knowledge; Drive Into Zagoria

Our morning began with the news that the Broncos lost to the Giants in American football - bummer! Our son told us he was glad that we were not home to watch the game.

However, the sun waking up the peaks of the Meteora was so lovely that we got back into our moment and enjoyed the last hours of Kalambaka. At 8:30 all of our bags were loaded and we thanked our hosts at the Doupiani House. The resident fox even made another appearance to see us off.

During our journey up the mountain road we saw even more spectacular fall colors. While we climbed, Anna talked to us about the religion of Greece. The church and state are very closely linked and the church influenced the politics of the country.

We scaled the Pindus Mountains, the spine of the country and an extension of the European Alps. As we rounded a sharp curve Tasoss had to stop suddenly for a herd of goats that were crossing the road.

Anna began a game of “It’s All Greek to Me” to test our knowledge of all of the words we knew that were derived from the Greek language. We began with the letter A and progressed through the alphabet. Not surprisingly, we came up with hundreds of common words. Who knew we were so fluent in Greek?

Our morning learning and discovery was in the village of Metsovo at 4,068 feet of altitude. Anna turned us loose for 90 minuets so we could explore the quaint little town. When we came out of the bus we noticed several older men sitting in the sun.

Anna helped us talk to them. All retired and widowers, they told us they were solving the problems of the world and looking for new wives!

As with our past trip to Greece, we saw many cats where ever we went. Metsovo was the same; cats everywhere and the people took very good care of them.

Because we are not shoppers, we walked the main street greeting the shopkeepers and taking photos. Gennie went to the post office to buy stamps for her post cards. One of our travel companions came out of a bakery with a piece of Baklava dripping with honey.

Of course, we had to try one also. The pastry was excellent but sticky. The proprietor gave us extra napkins and even offered to let us wash our hands and faces, an experience well worth the mess.

At 11:30 we joined our group at the designated meeting place and walked to a beautiful churchyard for a view of the valley below. The fall day was gorgeous with a temperature of 76 degrees and a light breeze.

Back in the main area of town, we went to the Arhoutiko Taverna, a family owned and operated favorite establishment in the community. We had a cooking lesson learning how to make an empanada like meat and cheese pie.

Donning hairnets, gloves, and aprons, we all made our own pie. As the pies baked we were served the starters of bread and a vegetable stew. Another huge lunch, we always say OAT feeds us well - too much food, for sure.

We thanked the family and walked back to our bus. Our drive to Ioannina took only an hour. When we got to the city Anna gave us 30 minutes of free time to walk off our lunch.

Some people chose to walk into the old city, but we strolled around Lake Pamvotis on the promenade. At 3:15 Tasoss picked us up for a short ride to the silversmith center.

George, our host and the artist, met us in the parking lot and took us up to the Cyttaro Alternative Jewelry Workshop. He explained the combination of silver and copper that made the sterling silver stronger.

The design was drawn on paper and then transferred to the silver plate. Using a very fine coping saw, the design was cut from the silver plate. George actually demonstrated the steps he followed in making the flower pendant.

There was time for a few people to shop and then at 4:15 we left Ioannina to continue another 90 minutes to Zagoria for the next 2 nights. Tasoss had stopped at a bakery and bought Baklava for all of us.

The warm afternoon sun coming through the west windows of our bus was an invitation to close our eyes and doze for a few minutes.

It was almost 5:30 when we arrived at our small mountain retreat in one of Zagoria’s mountain villages. The air was clear and cool at 2,218 feet.

Our dinner was at the hotel at 6:30 and by 7:30 we were back in our room getting caught up on our photos and the journal. After a long day, we were ready to get our reflections posted and then rest for another eventful day tomorrow.

More about the food and agriculture in Greece:

Fresh fruits and vegetables play a large role in the Greek diet. With its long coastline, Greece also relies heavily on fish and seafood. Meat tends to play a less important role. Crops of oranges, olives, dates, almonds, pomegranates, figs, grapes, tobacco, cotton, and rice abound in the areas of lower elevation, primarily in the east.

http://www.foodbycountry.com/index.html

Accommodations: ARISTI MOUNTAIN RESORT - - - Meal: B, L, D