Gianina in Ioannina

Hello, my name is Gianina and now I'm a student in Ioannina, this is a city in Greece. I'm an Erasmus student, for the third time and unfortunately for the last time. My name and the name of the city is the same, pretty cool right?

I've chosen this city because it's different from what people think when they hear the word: Greece, like summer, hot, beaches, sea, parties, swimming and others. It's true Greece is great for this things, but also Ioannina is great because it's a city surrounded by the mountains. The view is just breath taking. To wake up every morning, seeing the mountains, now with snow still but so amazing! The weather is better than most of the people expected from here. They said that Ioannina is like "London of the Greece" because it's raining most of the time and it's not so hot and typical for Greece. But since I'm here the weather was so great, now is the end of March also, and it's really beautiful. Even 22-23 degrees, really warm, sunny and a good day for a walk, or a coffee outside to read a book or just spending it with friends.

The city is quite small comparing to other cities in Greece, like Athens or Thessaloniki, but it has everything, from coffee shops to restaurants to little fancy greek stores to the big brands we know ( as Zara, Bershka, etc) and so many other stores and places to make your life so much nicer and easier.

About buying... Ah I love shopping really! Two ways that I like to spend my money on are traveling and shopping. They have here in Ioannina the small greek boutiques with clothes and shoes and accesorize that I only saw here for the first time. Greece has a typical fashion and I love it, it's different than the rest of the countries. I just love buying all this things <3

I wish I had more money, but as many I will have I'll spend all of them, hahaha

You can walk a lot in the city, because it's not so big and you can get almost everywhere by foot in an optimal time. But the best way to travel if you study and live in campus at the university as I do, take the bus till city centre. It will take around 15-20 mins and the price for a student ticket is 0, 60 cents one way. Better buy this in the city centre at kiosks (in the bus can be 1 euro or 1, 20). Saving money is really smart especially when you are a student with limited budget.

Another beautiful thing that I like about Ioannina is that it has a lake Pamvotida, which is so nice and somewhere there is also an island. A very beautiful place where you can go spend a day out, visiting, having coffee, but there is no car allowed there, because the island it's so small, only people. It's pretty small, but it's so special. They have some monasteries on the Island, but the one I have been into was Monastery of Agios Nikolaos of Philanthropenoi, it was really interesting. The ESN students took us there and explained us about the island and this monastery. An interesting was that this monastery was build for people to come and pray and have a relationship with God. But the special thing about this place is that, when you enter, the first room is so different than all the other monasteries everywhere. Why? Because they build this room and they painted instead of saints, intelligent people and popular like Plato, Aristotle, Archimedes. I think they were around 7. This room was at the beginning of the monastery and pagans or other people who were not religious could enter here in this room only. They couldn't go further in the other rooms, only christians. This thing really captured my mind and I never heard something like this. Usually when you visit monasteries you expect to see saints painted and Jesus Christ and His followers, but not "normal people" like these philosophers. Then I went inside the monastery, it was so beautiful painted, so amazing and all those details, incredible.

Another fact that we heard is that, during the Turkish-Greek war, because if you read in the history, Greece was rules by a Turkish, and in this area the Turkish name was Ali Pasha; people went inside the monastery, prayed and did a weird thing. They scratched the paint from the walls of the saints and Jesus and eat it or mixed it with water. They believed that this has the power to heal or do miracles for them. It's odd right? Well, I can't tell why people did something like this, but it must be a reason.

One last thing about this monastery is that during war, people were not able to be educated it was also forbidden I think. So in this monastery they had "a secret room" where they could teach and educate people from monastery, priest especially, so they could preach and speak to the people from the Bible.

Here you can see above in the photo, the first room I was talking about.

I really enjoyed this experience here at the monastery, really interesting place, with an odd but also special history.

Another place we have been on the island was the house of Ali Pasha, now it's a museum. The entrance was 2 euros for students and we could walk inside and see his rooms and history. The history says that he was murdered in his house when we was upstairs somebody shoot him through the floor and killed him. Inside the house you could see the spot, and the bullets (or at least the way it was) where he was murdered. There were so many interesting things about Turkish culture and history. It's a good place to go and visit, see his house, learn about the history of greeks and turks.

You might say now.. hmm, but the island doesn't seem so small now. Well yes, all this things and more are there. Shops where you can buy silver jewleries and souvenirs, etc.

Also restaurants and coffee shops. After visiting the island that day we just went to find a place to eat and we stoped at this taverna, where we ordered food. This taverna offered a diverse selection of food but they also offered frog legs, different type of fish and other cool stuff if you want to try. For me it was the first time trying these frog legs and it was an interesting experience, the frog legs tasted like chicken but somehow also like fish, weird but I guess you should do "weird" stuff in your life, it makes it so much interesting and funnier. I have ticked that of my bucket list now.

It was a beautiful day on the island and for sure I'll go at least 2 more times again so I can discover more, and also to shop. They are also selling baclavas and wine, tsipouro and greek traditional food and drinks. You can have a sample there, to taste if you like it then you can buy it.

I forgot to mention, when you want to go to the island you need to go all the way down though the city, walk around 15-20 minutes from where the bus leaves you (bus 16) then all the way down, straight, pass the castle till you see the lake. There are severals boats that can take you there. It cost one way 1, 5 euro for student. So basically 3 euros to go and come back. I really recommend to go on the island to visit it and go around, have a coffee or something. Visit the museum of Ali Pasha and the monasteries and other places around.

In Ioannina, they are known for having the best desserts and silver, I have tried few deserts, different type of baclavas and sweets and I'm planning to have more on my staying here. A lot of bakeries, with goodies. Also silver, I have seen so many nice jeweleries but I need to decide what I want because they have so many so beautiful and unique. I love buying as a souvenir for me or for my friends something typical and beautiful that you can use or wear. Than after my experience I can use it and think about it, it's a nice reminder of the time you spent in that place.

One of the shops that sells sweets but also coffee and food is Motley's, this place is divine really! So many sweets, different kind of cakes, waffles, pancakes, ice-creams and more than you can imagine is there, waiting for you to come and to be delighted! It's one of my best places in which I to go and eat sweets. It is in the city centre, close to the bus station and close to the important and populated streets in Ioannina (if you read the article I posted about "People Cafe" this place is next to Motley's). If you are coming to Ioannina, you have to go to Motley's and just have a piece of cake and a coffee, your day will be so much better after this! Really! It might be my favourite place here in Ioannina. Most of the Erasmus students are going there so often and you know why, because it's so good. Even the day I was at Motley's, it was so crowded. They also serve food like pizza, salads, greek food, etc. It's perfect also for eating. Maybe I'll try the food next time. The prices for cakes are around 2-3 euros till 4-5 euros. The coffee was around 3-4 euros also. The average is around 3-4 euros, I paid for mine 4, 2 euros. It was a big slice though and really feeling. I wasn't hungry all day after this.

I'll also attach a photo here, so you can see for yourself that what I'm saying is true! :)

This was a snickers cake, full of caramel and peanuts and chocolate and and and... goodies! and the coffee was perfect too, latte is my favourite. They like to drink here cold coffee, like frappes. Good for summer but for them good anytime! I also tried the frappe cappuccino 2 times already in different places and it's so delicious but for now when it's still cold outside I'll go for normal cappuccino or latte.

In Greece they care about their coffee, like a lot, so for sure it's good! Another interesting thing about food is that in every restaurant they bring you for free water, first thing when you sit at the table, and sometimes even give you like free desert (like the one next to the snickers cake). I love sweets and when they give it for free i'm all in, it doesn't matter if it's with chocolate or other flavours, as long as it is sweet, perfect!

So many fancy coffee shops, different style, because they like to spend their time there, like for hours, can drink and talk drink and talk! :) I love this, good coffee and quality time! Greeks love this, quality time, that's why they have so many nice restaurants and coffee places next to each other, all good and most of them packed all the time! :) Few of my favourite coffee places are : People Cafe, Art Astratta, Hogwarts Tales And Spirits, Motley's and Mikels. I'll add more when I'll try other places.

P. s I already wrote 3 articles about People Cafe, Art Astratta, Mepaki, if you want to check them out, here and then go grab a cup of coffee and enjoy your day!

Food is also sooo good, they have greek restaurants in which they offer traditional greek food, like gyro, tzatziki, greek salad, feta cheese, cooked in different ways and so much more. Which by the way is so tasty. I don't know what kind of food you prefer, but for sure you will love greek food. I wish I can post so many photos of food and sweets because I do have for sure lots!

Food makes us happy so we need good food! And I am in the right place! so lucky!

In the weekend I love going out with my girls, my lovely girls that I'm friends with, I met them here and they are amazing and easy going, we laugh a lot, we thinking alike, we love coffee and food and sweets (so many things in common already, hahaha) and we love quality time. So every Saturday or Sunday we check a place and then we go there. We've been already in a super nice and traditional Greek place, but I don't remember the name (we will go there again soon so I'll just update this information later on) and then another nice place "No Ties" it's close to the Castle which is in the city centre, also the other one. This one was a mixture between greek and Mediterranean food. I'll write a review in a new post about this tasty and yummy places.

Everyday I'm discovering more and more about Greek culture, food, places, things to do, and of course I have started a greek language course. I love learning new languages, I'm passionate about this and it's also practical to learn so you are able to communicate with the people here everywhere. Greek alphabet is so different than the one we use (we I mean most of the people, except China or other countries). It's so interesting, I find it really cool and after a month here and a bit, so much easier to live when I came here I couldn't read almost anything, now I can read and speak basic. I'm so into it and I hope that by the end of the semester to be able to speak A2 level at least. It's a beautiful language and when you think is one of the oldest one so it's pretty amazing when you get to know words that the meaning of them and roots are in greek, from my language or also from other languages too.

When I visit a country even for a weekend or more, like Erasmus (from 4 months to 12 months), I like to know the basics. It makes me feel more comfortable and ready to discover more and more. I'd like to order food, coffee or practice it every time I have the chance with the greek people I know or in the shops. This is one of the best ways to learn and say the words because people will understand you and also you will become more confident in speaking and learning other words and phasers.

Ioannina has it's own airport, even though it's small they have flights to different places but especially inside Greece, like Athens. And not so expensive, depends of the time:) Also bus station, so you can get really easily to the places you want to go by bus or by plane. The greeks said that the bus transportation is the most practical one and used by most of the people. When I came here I came by bus, from Thessaloniki to Ioannina, almost 3h30min, but really smooth and the trip was relaxing and quite short. I have paid around 30 euros, but with a student card from Greece (PASO) everything is half price, so 15 euros.

To get at the airport, from the city you need to take a taxi, it's around 10 euros, but I think there is also a bus that goes there. It's kinda out of the city, so that's why you need to take a taxi or a bus to get to the destination you wish for.

I have been only a month and almost 2 weeks, but I can say that I already love this city! really! It's perfect to have your Erasmus here, but also for traveling and visiting! You should come and visit it! So many things to do, activities, places to visit, it's closed to Corfu also, so in the summer you can go and visit it. I haven't been there yet but it's on my list!

Ioannina is full of history also, they have churches, museums and if you are into this it's the perfect place to come. Also have a cave called Perma, it's really beautiful inside, unfortunately I can't post a picture because it's not allowed to take any but it was great, we went inside and stayed there for almost an hour, because it's so big and long and so deep. Close to Perma cave there is a small village, it's beautiful and a great place to spend a day out, visit the city and then go in one of the local restaurants or coffee shops to have a refreshment.

I love cities that have a castle and fortunately Ioannina has one, it's in the city centre, close to the lake and close to restaurants and shops.

One of my favourite pictures is this one, that I took from the Castle of Ioannina which was built in 528 AD by the Emperor Justinian, and was an ambitious expression of the might of the Byzantine Empire. It is the oldest Byzantine fortress in Greece with significant influence over the history of the town. They have this beautiful castle, and inside is like a small city. Long time before when Greece was ruled by Turkish empire, one of their leader called Ali Pasha lived here. He was a symbol of the Ottoman empire and around Ioannina you can find more about him, his history, also his house is now turned into a museum. There are also some other things inside beside the houses of the people, like historical places, churches, Turkish churches and tombs. It's interesting, and of course such a beautiful view, like this one.

I really like taking pictures everywhere I go, because they are so precious to me after the time that I'm not there anymore. Also, just to admire, it really looks like heaven. Amazing right?

What about this one? I believe that everywhere you go can find beauty and uniqueness. This is my goal when I travel to find amazing things and unique that will change my life in a good way. So I can invest in myself and see the world from a different perspective.

That's why traveling makes you different than before, every place you go, will change you somehow, the way you speak, think, cook, love, enjoy life... a bit of everything will create a new update for your personality. Somehow make you new, but still being yourself. I guess the purpose of traveling is this, at least mine is, to be a better version of me everyday in every place, every time I have the opportunity. I know it requires courage and faith that things will turn out the way you expected or they might turn better than that. As it happened here to me. Before I came here I had all this questions in my mind : " how is going to be like?, what am I going to do there, will I love the place, will I find persons that I can communicate, what, why, where, when? " Things like this, but when I arrived here I was so surprised and my expectation were higher that I expected in many aspects.

For example I was really concern about my accommodation, I'm living in the campus of the University of Ioaninna. Wasn't sure how things will be like here, but when I enter in my room I was so happy that I had my own bathroom and the room was quite big for a single room and clean and new. This was such a surprise and I was happy that I can have this place to stay till the end of my Erasmus. Sometimes you expect something and it's just the opposite. I'm so pleased with my room and a bonus, there are this really lovely ladies coming every week to clean our rooms. How cool is this? I love this place and the way it's organised. Even better is the price, just guess... I've never paid this amount of money for what they offer here. It's 65 euros per month. Crazy huh? It's so nice and clean and spacious and perfect for living here. Then you can save a lot of money for traveling or shopping or whatever you like to do. It's great!

I know there are many other things to discover here in Ioannina and also around Ioannina and Greece, but for now I really love the spots that I have discovered.

Also around Ioannina are so many beautiful small villages like Zagoria, Aspraggeloi and many others.

Till now I had the chance to visit Aspraggeloi with an incredible experience. I have done something very different than my normal visiting and enjoy a new city and that's Paragliding. I always wanted to do that, but I didn't have many chances, so when I saw this opportunity I really went for it.

It was one of the best experiences in my life, really, full of adrenaline and fun and excitement, really really amazing! Even now when I think about it I'm smiling and I would do it again it I'll have the chance in the future.

So, what do you think? yeah, that's me! flying, somehow...

It was the best place to do it here, in Ioannina's village Aspraggeloi, which I think they said the meaning is "white angels" so, yeah, really cool. You basically run and jump from the mountain and all of a sudden you are in the air and it's such a cool sensation and feeling, that I have never felt before. I could see everything from the top and I was so amazed really! So yeah, cool activities here in Ioannina, totally safe, really good place to do this kind of stuff and creating memories for ever.

Ioannina is a perfect place for me to discover myself and to update the way I am and see things.

I'm so happy that I have the chance to be here with Erasmus programe and live my dream everyday, everywhere fully! This means to be a student, to enjoy your life and make it better with every opportunity.

If you would like to see and hear more about Ioannina and my travelings, I'll keep you updated here!

Be the best version of yourself!

P. S Check my profile for other places around Ioannina or different ones! :)

• -coffee places here in Ioannina
• -my experience in Thessaloniki
• - my journey to Thailand ( and more to come about Thailand)
• - Syvota - a cool beach close to Ioannina!

All this posts are on my profile so check them out!

and... MORE TO COME! <3

Thanks for reading! and don't forget to travel as much as you can, invest in yourself! Best investment you can do in yourself and others! :) Travel and then say cool stories in your own words!

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