Welcome to Baros Pass
I can't describe how impressive it is up close.
This time we started a bit differently.
Starting very early in the morning, to avoid the very high summer temperatures,
we were already on our way for a tour
of one of the most enchanting parts of the country.
If Greece were a huge garden,
then Epirus would certainly be one of its rarest and most beautiful flowers.
For those who love the mountain, this area might be
the cover in an album full of images, where man and nature really become one.
Mountain ranges, gorges, stone villages, rocks, tunnels, rivers, bridges..
Everything there is combined with such harmony
that if you go even once, I promise you will never forget it..
Of course we chose mountain routes
that did add some more hours of driving
but the roads and the places we would pass were sure to compensate us even more..
The best part of starting your journey so early,
are the colors of the sunrise. Look at this...How beautiful..!
With the rising of the sun, the need to wake up,
made us stop in Lamia for a coffee ..
My sleepy eyes look like buttonholes...
Let's go for coffee!
... "on some beach..."
Half an hour was enough for the coffee to do its job, at least for me.
From here onwards the mountain routes began, the first and best
being the bends of Tymfristos..
Now, what can I say about Tymfristos?
It is essentially the gateway to the famous Agrafa.
With Evrytania having the largest percentage of forest
of all the prefectures of the country,
wherever you turn your head you see greenery
nature, fir trees, beautiful villages and a huge history..
Now we are driving to Karpenisi and from there we will go up to Lake Kremaston,
and from the mountain roads we will soon reach the city of Arta.
The route to Tymfristos is what one would expect and even more..
Winding roads, among the fir trees, invite you to enjoy the drive
but also to get a little closer to ..bucolic situations!
The next two hours found us passing by some well-known places from our past trips,
such as the impressive metal bridge of the Megdova river, which as if natural is drowned in greenery.
For me, although it is a route that many would not prefer to move west or northwest,
if you have the time it is definitely worth passing through.
The roads in the western part of the county are somewhat difficult and you will spend some time to cross it,
but the scenery will definitely reward you.
Having entered the prefecture of Arta
and with the heat having greatly increased the difficulty of the journey,
Arta seemed the ideal stop for a rest.
And now, it's time for a history lesson,
which goes back more than 2000 years.
The Emperor Octavian gathered the inhabitants of the neighboring cities
to found a new city near Arta, Nicopolis.
However, this city gathered so many inhabitants that the need for drinking water became enormous.
And then, he ordered and built a monumental project for the time,
an aqueduct that would bring water from the Louros river, about 50 kilometers away,
to Nikopolis. And to understand the magnitude of this work,
you have to go where we are going now...
About 6 kilometers after Philippiada,
in Agios Georgios, take a sharp right turn
and you will see this...
I can't describe how impressive it's from up close..
Anyway, this whole setting here reminds me of a video game...
It could very easily be a setting for Tomb Raider..
It's frozen..!
I always say that traveling on the country road
is another story, completely different from the closed highway.
And this here is another proof.
If you find yourself between Ioannina and Arta, do prefer the old national road
and you will remember me. The speed and safety of a modern highway is also good,
but you will not see this here on Ionia road..
On the contrary, what you will often find in these part of Greece
is the rapid changes of the weather.
And because a motorcycle trip without rain is not tasty,
the clouds in the sky showed us early on what would follow in a large part of our trip.
I have been to Ioannina many times, and every time is the same as the first.
The imposing Castle, Lake Pamvotida and the Island with the small ferries
remain the hallmarks of the city.
But beyond these, Ioannina is a city full of history, romance, tradition, colors and vitality.
The cuisine of the locals is known to everyone, with its delicious pies and ravani.
And if someone is looking for the ideal student town, then this city is definitely the first thought in their mind...
After all, I don't think there is a student town that isn't nice..
So we sat down for one last stop
before starting to climb Pindos.
I kept having Zagorochoria in my mind, I knew what I would see, I knew the beauty of Pindos.
And like a magical call, as I got closer to her,
my impatience kept growing...
And now I have to stop admiring this here to talk to you. Oy, well..
Zagorochoria!
One of the greenest parts of Greece, a special corner with over 45 settlements
right in the heart of Epirus.
You need weeks to see everything. You come once and fall in love with it.
You leave and you want to come back. This is how it is here..
Having already traveled many hours on the motorcycle,
our final destination for the first day was Chepelovo.
Tired and suffering from the heat and rain, all we wanted was to get to our hotel.
We chose "To Farangi", a traditional guesthouse in a nice spot,
with a view from the balcony and comfortable rooms
I would say, a perfect choice !
Without wasting any more time, we went out to walk the streets of the village,
and then, I understood why Tsepelovo is considered one of the most beautiful of all Zagorochoria..
This is the church of Agios Nikolaos from the 18th century..
Here every August and across the square a festival is organized and people come from all the villages.
Like all genuine Epirus villages,
Tsepelovo is a traditional settlement where stone plays the first role wherever one looks.
From the centuries-old sycamore tree located in the village square,
a trek begins in a network of uphill cobbled streets of the village,
bridges, mansion gates and house gardens full of flowers and trees..
You definitely want to eat blueberries, don't you?
- They're not blueberries... - What are they?
- I don't know..
- Well, don't eat them then..
Apart from being the largest village in terms of population,
Tsepelovo has the shape and aura of a traditional settlement
that characterizes the history and architecture of the entire region.
Like this building with blue windows that over the years was transformed
from a pharmacy and post office, to an art space today.
And if someone asks me, I will say that together with Aristi and Papigo
they are the villages you want to see or even stay.
In the evening the temperature dropped sharply
so I would suggest you plan for that.
Even if it was preceded by a hot summer day.
We returned to our hostel to rest
and get ready for the next day.. For the main course of the two days trip!
Having enjoyed the hearty breakfast offered to us
by Katerina and Diomidis at their guest house,
we left Tsepelovo behind to cross central and eastern Zagori.
With the logic of choosing a few points on the map and "stop where we like"
until night falls, we made for the second day of our tour
a typical route that includes the most well-known points.
[ VRADETOU STAIRCASE ]
This is the first of the three points where you can have a view of the gorge (of Vikos).
The first one is here, the second one is in the position "Oxya"..
.. and the third one is from the village itself, Viko.
Those stairs, they start at the bottom..
.. and go all the way up there.
.. all the way up.
And over there, where the sign can be seen, way down..
.. that's where I'll die if I start climbing.
From here it obviously continues to the steps that go up
There's no way I'm doing this.
anyone who dares has done it, write comments below, leave a link to a video..
I'm not going that far!
Explained, spoken!
I wanted make a video to show you some things. If you want me to get killed... no...
Generally the ruggedness of the area,
the physiology of the soil in these places with the many rivers and streams,
forced the locals to build bridges,
and here you'll find many bridges.
Some three-arched, others single-arched.
And in those years the way for the rich to show off their money
was not villas in Mykonos and iPhones with strassies,
but to finance the construction of these bridges.
Fortunately for us, that is, they gave us the opportunity to admire these unique constructions today.
Gefyri Kalogeriko (or Plakida as most people know it)
is located just before the village of Kipoi.
It is one of the most famous bridges in the area, which is distinguished by its three almost identical arches.
With a length of 55 meters and a width of 3m, it is one of the most impressive bridges in the region.
But it is not only the way of construction and its size.
What for me makes it stand out from the rest of the bridges
is the fact that the curves that follow its three semi-circular arches
give you the impression of a moving caterpillar moving through a wonderful natural setting.
Look at the scenery..
As we were close to Kipi village,
we made a quick coffee stop. In my opinion Kipi is not one of the villages that will impress you,
but it keeps the character of the area and is a good place to stop.
Half an hour later, we continued on our way to find, just two kilometers up the main road
, the most famous of all the bridges in the area.
This bridge, which is also known as the "Nutsos Bridge",
was built in 1850 and in place of the current bridge
there was another bridge that was used to punish
animal thieves.
I don't know in what way, but..somehow, for sure!
It is a single-arched bridge, about 24 meters wide
and 13 to 14 meters high.
Let me say here that we all understand
that an area like Zagorochoria, Valia Kalda, Tzoumerka...
there is no way you can cover them all in 2-3 days
, even if you do them separately.
And of course we won't stop at what we just saw.
I have a lot more to show you. We will go to the Voidomati river..
we will walk to the picturesque Papigo with the Kolymbithres
we will discover the life of the Srakatsani in Gyftokambos
we will go to monasteries on the edge of Vikos, in the gorge..
we will walk to Monodendri
and then the route says off to Metsovo and the capping of this excursion...
The Baros pass, the highest road pass in Greece
and with weather that will probably be difficult for us..
If I tell you that I'm not looking forward to it, I'll be lying to you........
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