Greece > In the Footsteps of Ali Pasha

I start the day with the daily challenge. In the bathroom, I try to get the shower to the right temperature. If I turn the tap slightly to the left, the water becomes scalding hot. A tiny turn to the right gives only cold water. By turning the tap just a very small amount, I try to find a suitable temperature. An added difficulty is that the temperature only adjusts a few seconds after turning the tap. I succeed in the challenge and step into the shower. I think back to Cecile’s story from yesterday. After breakfast, we drive down the Metsovo mountain pass again. The driver descends very cautiously. In my opinion, slightly too cautiously. Is he driving so slowly to prevent the heavy bus from gaining too much speed in the hairpin bends? On the highway below, the struggle continues. It seems as if the bus has no power to go faster. Mantos moves onto the emergency lane. I estimate we’re going at only twenty kilometers per hour. Other traffic speeds past. The problem doesn’t seem to improve. A new problem soon appears. A tunnel without an emergency lane. The problem is solved “Greek-style.” Mantos simply drives the bus into the tunnel. At a snail’s pace, we go through the tunnel while the traffic behind passes on the second lane. The action doesn’t go unnoticed.

Greece - The bus broke down just outside Metsovo

A red cross appears above the lane, and the maximum speed is reduced. Outside the tunnel, the road authorities signal that we must stop. Further along is a kilometer-long tunnel. We can’t pass through it like this. The bus stops on the emergency lane on a viaduct, about sixty meters above a valley. Help must arrive. Meanwhile, the driver and the road authorities tinker with the engine—unsuccessfully. After more than an hour, the mechanic and a replacement bus appear practically at the same time. It seems to be a computer malfunction. The mechanic connects his laptop and fixes the problem. In our own bus, we continue shortly after to Ioánnina. The replacement bus drives a short distance behind us, just in case. Due to the delay, we arrive later in Ioánnina. It is decided to first visit the island and then the citadel, instead of the other way around. At twelve o’clock, I board the boat on Lake Pamvotida. In about fifteen minutes, I am brought to the island. Officially, this is the only inhabited Greek island without a name, but in common parlance, everyone calls it Nisi, which simply means “island.” Nisi became famous due to the flight of Ali Pasha in 1822.

Greece - By boat to the island Nisi in Ioannina

Ali Pasha had declared himself Pasha of Epirus in 1788. He lived in his palace in the citadel of Ioánnina with hundreds of women. His realm quickly expanded. The administration in Constantinople saw this expansion as a threat and decided to attack. The city was besieged for two years. Ali Pasha retreated to Nisi Island into one of the monasteries. Upon his capture, he was murdered, and his hands and feet were cut off. The limbs were displayed in the Citadel of Ioánnina. Even today, seven monasteries stand on the small island. The Monastery of Filanthropinon is the most remarkable. In addition to the overwhelming frescoes, there is also a mural depicting the Greek philosophers Plato, Aristotle, and Plutarch. Normally, only clergy and saints are depicted in monasteries. I leave the magnificent monastery and turn left toward the lesser-known monasteries. I pass through a small gate onto a deserted courtyard. The doors to the church are closed. I follow the signs to the Transfiguration Monastery, the most remote monastery.

Greece - The monastery on the island Nisi with images of Greek philosophers

I follow the sign and walk onto a yard. Laundry hangs out to dry, and several dogs bark—fortunately, all from enclosures. I think I recognize a monastery in the building behind. A lady cleaning shouts from the veranda that this monastery is closed. I take another route back to the harbor. I pass mostly white-painted houses with slate-tiled roofs and wander through the narrow streets. The entire island is car-free. At the lake, I settle down for lunch. At least I was able to see the most beautiful monastery from the inside. Back on the mainland, I walk into the walled old town of Ioánnina. Narrow streets lead to the Inner Citadel, the highest point of the walled city. Here once stood Ali Pasha’s palace, now largely destroyed. The Byzantine Museum, housed in a modern building in the citadel, is closed on Tuesdays. A small church, however, is open. The caretaker turns on the lights just for me. Following the city walls of the old town, I return to the harbor and the bus—ready for the final stretch of today to the island of Lefkas. Lefkas is an island in the Ionian Sea, connected to the mainland by an eighty-meter-long pontoon bridge. For the next two nights, I will stay in the capital of the island: Lefkada. The boulevard of Lefkada is full of cozy restaurants and bars—a perfect place to relax.