My first trip on my current bike (September 2007 Ioannina - Tzoumerka - Zagori)

I keep reading that this was almost 17 years back and I can't believe I still have the same bike. Even more impressed by the fact that it still runs that strong. Can't praise enough the Japs that made it. So, here I am an age ago at the end of a Greek summer with my brand new bike, taking a trip to break it in. First time I ever had to as all my previous bikes were Nth hand (not even second) and one of them was a DIY I made on my own🙂

I decide to visit Ioannina for my first time and that means I'll have to ride West around 200km, then do the Rio-Antirio bridge and ride as much North to make it to this beautiful city. Beautiful by Greek standards at least cause the country is wonderful but its cities are not like the Italian ones at all.

I arrive at Ioannina at noon, earlier than I expected despite the fact that I still follow the manual's restrictions for breaking in the engine. No plans at all so I first go to the local lake and see what is what - I really like it!

(As in my previous old trips that I published recently for the first time, don't forget to praise AI for making these 2007 cell phone images presentable 17 years later.)

I go back downtown to search for a place to stay and I find one that looks attractive to me though not cheap at all. They also allow my bike in (which was critical point to say yes) which I roll in this yard riding over that red carpet you see on the to right corner - quite a treat for my new ride🙂

Except that gross brick wall and the tent, the view from the balcony of my room could date back many many years ago:

My bike's safe, my place is nice, time to walk the city. That's the first park I find on my way:

The local statues are not exactly honored by this bare misery around them:

I really like this bar though:

Today it still has the same name (Presveia which means embassy) but it is a restaurant. It's got good reviews so here it is in case your around.

This is the fortified wall of the Castle that's next to it:

What a contrast that makes today since it is surrounded not by enemies but from what I call "industry of leisure" which is heavily supported by the students of the local university.

I take a walk around the lake:

It's so lovely with all these clouds reflecting on its calm water.

Typical traditional houses around downtown:

Next morning the weather is humid and (almost) rainy which is not a surprise at all for this part of Greece. I start riding circling the lake clockwise from its North side and I really like the view despite that there's not enough light to highlight this beauty at its full extent:

I am riding on the E92 heading East to Metsovo and the view of Tzoumerka mountain on my right is simply impossible to ignore:

Seems that I am not the only biker feeling that way, that tiny figure in the background on the right is a guy on his BMW 1200GS:

He stops at me when he's done with his pictures and we have a little chat. He came all the way from Germany and put his wife in a flight. She'd meet her later in Thessaloniki. It happens when tastes in a couple don't perfectly match but relation is strong enough to not make them a deal breaker🙂

I am near Anilio (which means sunless in Greek, speaks for its mountainous location) and I have the luck to witness the new Egnatia road (number 2 on the map) being constructed in front of my eyes:

Amazing project with bridges and tunnels all the way, this road transformed North Greece as it crosses it from East to West.

I arrive at Metsovo, also for my first time and I must say I am impressed by how well the tradition is kept here. Even the local filling station is a wood house but I didn't picture that unfortunately as I was busy riding. Here's the main square where my baby iron horse rests under this huge plane tree:

It's all pleasantly traditional here:

The statue of the local patron, E. Averof, is here too:

Still cloudy but fortunately not rainy, yet at least:

Metsovo is also well know for its top agricultural products (top cheese and wine being some of them) but I'm not into shopping at the moment plus I gotta take advantage of the day as long as it is dry.

So I ride North and make a stop at the artificial lake of Aoos:

Weather in the North doesn't look that friendly but that's where I want to go to. I first head West and stop at Zorika lake:

"Lake" is a bit of overstatement but it's a lovely spot in this forest nevertheless:

I head up North in a beyond fantastic route in through the forest with zero civilisation and zero traffic where I later meet Aoos river itself:

As you see rivers in Greece are often dry even in places like this. The local National Park of Valia Calda is heaven on Earth but I have no idea how this gravel route goes later plus I have other places to see as well so with a heavy heart I leave it for another time:

I mean, look at the road I have ahead:

Time to go:

I arrive at Vovousa where I am not a first timer. I was here 3 years ago on my previous bike and I totally loved it. Look at it's iconic bridge:

Built in 1748 and still standing. The area is full of them, here's another one at the South end of the village:

The view from that bridge which by the way is called "La Puntika" is not bad at all:

If you cross it to the other side it leads you to that miniature:

Time to explore more:

I can ride all my life around here. Have a bite of the East Zagori mountain as I head back South:

"Camber Aga" bridge is among the best ones around:

The sign doesn't do justice if nothing else, I hope there's a better one today there:

The view from the bridge is also lovely:

As I told you the Greek rivers are often rather dry and the local one is no exception:

A little further South I am again lucky to see another part of Egnatia under construction, this time at Baltuma bridge:

See how it is finished to make a comparison:

(source)

I'm back now at the city of Ioannina and it's time to fill my stomach after I filled my eyes - here I sit having lunch by the castle:

I love it so much riding under the shade of the trees right by the lake:

Weather looks lovely now from my room:

After a good night sleep I wake in the morning in sweet weather conditions and hit the road again. Needless to tell you how it feels rolling my bike out of this guesthouse over that red carpet every time🙂 I ride South West to enjoy more beauty from the Tzoumerka mountain and boy I do - look at that old destroyed bridge at Tsimovo:

Impossible to ignore hence the stop. I walk on top of it for a little while:

It used to bridge Araxthos river:

As you can see not that much of water as this is its driest time of the year.

The "new" bridge is still in tact so I continue East on this lovely winding route which gives you plenty of views to the wild beauty of this unique area:

I am looking for Sirrako village and when I get my first view of it after countless tight bends I know it definitely worth seeing:

I think my new ride likes it too:

It's all so wild and beautiful at the same time here:

I'm back at Ioannina after a wonderful ride like this and keep thinking how lucky this city is. Not only it's a picturesque one but has so many nice places around in such a short distance. I rest my eyes at its lake:

The old part of the city around and in the castle definitely worth a walk, it even has a mosque to remind as that the Ottoman Empire left its mark here:

Here's the clock of Ioannina:

This beauty was built in 1905 and this picture proves that a century later in September of 2007 it was working. Hope it still does.

Next morning is one more lovely day and this time I decide to head West since I have covered the rest of the headings, sort of cause this area is too rich to claim you did it all. Halfway between Ioannina and the NW end of Greece I see this beautiful church/monastery on a hilltop:

Pity the picture can't do justice but even AI has its limits trying to beautify 17 years old cell phone images.

I make it up to Sagiada, one breath away from Albania and that marks the most North West I've ever been in Greece. This record still holds basically cause...that's almost as NW as you can go - have a look:

Super calm water on this lovely day as you can see, no one around here, couldn't ask for more.

On my way back I follow a different more SOuthern route which takes me to the levee of Kalama at Gitani:

I'm back at the lake of Ioannina once again, enjoying the view to its North sore from the top:

I find this lovely place to enjoy my lunch near the water:

Pure heaven. I'm back in the city of Ioannina where I accidentally (or maybe not?) I park my bike next to one like my previous which makes it an "out with the old - in with the new" shot:

Δύσκολο να αποφύγω ένα σχόλιο στα Ελληνικά βλέποντας αυτή την εικόνα. Πάνω δεξιά βλέπεται τον γνωστό σε όλους μας ΓΑΠ να ατενίζει χαμογελαστός το μέλλον. Ή "αγναντίζει" όπως είχε πει κάποτε ο Έβερτ σε μια ακούσια γλωσσοπλασία. Είναι λίγο πριν τις εκλογές του 2007 οι οποίες δεν τον έκαναν να χαμογελά και τόσο. Αυτό που δεν βλέπεται στην εικόνα και προφανώς δεν ακούτε είναι ένα τοπικό πασόκο να λέει με πλέρια βεβαιότητα "η δεξιά τελείωσε". Βάλτε με το μυαλό σας τι μπορεί να ψήφισε αυτός το 2015 και πόσες φορές "ξανατέλειωσε" η δεξιά και έχετε συμπληρώσει το παζλ.

My time at Ioannina is over I take my last delicious breakfast in the guesthouse and hit the road. I decide to take the long way back to Athens so I head East to Meteora which I only picture from far as I have no time to visit them:

I continue South after Kalambaka and now my engine has finished the break in mileage so I chase top speeds to see what it's got. I read 195km/h on flat straights. I make a deviation later to visit the artificial Lake Plastiras near Karditsa. Never been there so I can't resist, and rightly so:

I find company for my bike of the same age though not the same displacement:

I tour the lake around which gives plenty of nice views:

This is the local dam:

And this is where the water would flow without it:

I make my way back home in Athens after a long 700+km riding day and at night I ride again to meet friends for a drink. This speaks for how much more comfy my new ride feels compared to my previous one though the later was of larger displacement (YAMAHA XTZ750). Size doesn't always matter😉

This is probably my last salvageable old trip but I'll keep searching my files so...you never know. Thanks for reading anyway - see you on the next one!