Greece 30 - Ioannina - Ali Pasha the Lion of Ioannina /

---

We felt a sense of déjà vu as we headed out on the road to Ioannina . We had travelled this road on our first day in Greece after leaving the port of Igoumenitsa. Today it felt sort of normal. A few weeks driving in Greece make anything feel normal

The city is one of the biggest in Greece with a population of over 70 thousand bolstered by a large university presence and the military. It is a touch rough, ready and rather shabby. Bustling and busy with cars were everywhere , coming out of side streets, unable to use roundabouts correctly, scooters and motorbikes weaving their way through the traffic. It was rather dirty and uninviting in a way. It is the capital of Epirus and stands on the Lake of Pamvotis. It came under Turkish control in the 15th centuries and had that man Ali Pasha as its sultan in 1788. We have heard very different stories about the man. A benevolent man who tolerated Christians. A man who tried to rape his sons mistress and when she refused his advances he had her weighted down and thrown into Lake Pamvotis. Her haunting voice is still heard from time to time coming from the lake or so the story goes .

Glenn had found us the perfect parking spot from the Camperstop book. Right in the heart of the city, close to the lake and near the walls of the old city. The cost was 8 euros for a day parking and 12 for an overnight stop. As we sat there a german VW camper turned up, drove in at breakneck speed and parked next to us. The driver walked to the young guardians of the site and they exchanged pleasantries . He refused to pay the 8 euros and drove off in search of something cheaper. He must have found what he was looking for as we bumped into him and his wife in the museum . We were perfectly happy to pay the price knowing Suzy was safe and well cared for. We did not intend to stay the night as although it was safe it would have been terribly noisy.



Outside the fortress walls is the modern uninteresting city – . Some of it was razed to the ground by Ali Pasha with the rest by 1960’s builders . Inside it was a haven on peace. A different world. A boat sailed on the lake taking passengers on a trip around the area. The silversmiths worked in their tiny workshops creating silver goods much as their ancestors had in the past. It had the feeling of going back in time. A Turkish feel to the town rather than a Greek feel. The whole vibe of the place was different to anything else we had so far seen.

We walked up to the museum which is housed in the Aslan Pasha mosque complete with minaret. The mosque was built in 1618 . On the way we passed the Muslim Library a building that looked interesting but sadly was fenced off and was off limits to visitors. It is a shame that such monuments are not seen by the public. This one was falling into decay and needed some love and attention which it clearly was not going to get .

Up the hill we climbed . Always upwards we eventually went through the museum gates passing cannon balls in cases along the way . Ruined kitchens lined the route. A series of arches used to have fountains in them for believers to ritually cleanse themselves. Now they are filled with Arabic inscribed gravestones. The site was formerly an Ottoman graveyard and two tombs remain. The medresse was the house where Muslims learned the Koran in readiness for high office . As we entered the mosque above our heads was the date of erection, the name of Aslan Pasha and the usual words that there is only God and Muhammed his prophet. The mosque stands on what was an Orthodox cathedral destroyed by Aslan Pasha after a failed revolt.

We paid our entry fee – a couple of euros and entered the museum complex first . Quite small but perfectly formed it housed a collection of Christian artifacts including guns, weapons, ethnic costumes and examples of silver goods – jewellery and belt buckles . The jewish section held examples of clothing , of religious texts and fabrics used in the synagogues . The final collection was a series of Muslim furniture items including walnut and ivory tables and shoes for the ladies to wear in the baths.

The mosque itself was highly decorated with the mihrab pointing to Mecca, the pulpit where the iman preached the Koran from . He stood on the seventh step representing the seven heavens.

From the mosque we followed the ancient walls heading for the Fetiye Mosque passing the usual reminders of the fate of the Jews of Ioannina. A metal work of art tells the story of how all the community ended up in the gas chambers. A story echoed around all of Europe.

The castle itself was heaving with schoolchildren . None of them were interested in anything the teacher was trying to tell them nor were they interested in the exhibits. They just talked and shouted and had phones glued to their ears. We had to push past them to enter the small museum complex . Our ticket cost 3 euros combined a visit to the museum, the mosque and the silversmith museum. Our visit museum held a small but interesting collection of Byzantine art and icons. The schoolkids gave these short shrift leaving us the place to ourselves . We could take our time looking at the icons even if they showed no interest at all.

Further inside Its Kale the inner citadel we saw the tomb of Ali Pasha, his first wife and son. No marker to show who was buried there but the whole structure was covered with an elaborate iron framework. Again the teenagers sat about shouting and taking no interest at all.

Our last stop was the Fetiye mosque . Prettier to look at than the Aslan Pasha Mosque but with nothing inside bar the mihrab heavily decorated and a dome written all over with arabic words from the Koran.

From here we walked back down the site to the silversmiths museum. This one housed cases of silverwork ranging from bucklets to fine jewellery. Other cases full of silver bookbinding the quality unbelievable. Crosses made of silver and carved wood . In one corner was the workshop of a silversmith all set up with his machinery and tools of his trade.



As we left we realised that Thessaloniki is the only city we have missed on this trip. We stopped to pick up cakes for dinner and ate them in Suzy. Afterwards we headed up town and mingled with the young teenagers and the folks of the town doing ordinary things . We were looking for a bank as we were running rather short of money.

We have a day to hang about and are heading for Drepano Beach for our last night of camping. ACSI site it has the better reviews of somewhere to stay near to the port. It will do for our last day in Greece. .

---