Day 07 - Ioannina & Dodoni

Day 07 - 16 September 2016

Dodoni (Greece) - Was a prehistoric oracle devoted to the Earth-Mother Goddess identified at other sites with Rhea or Gaia. The shrine of Dodona was the oldest Hellenic oracle according to the fifth-century historian Herodotus and in fact dates to pre-Hellenic times, perhaps as early as the 2nd Millennium BC. Aristotle considered the region to have been the most ancient part of Greece and where the Hellenes originated. Priestesses and priests in the sacred grove interpreted the rustling of the oak (or beech) leaves to determine the correct actions to be taken.

Yesterday I asked at the hotel front desk about how to go about getting a taxi to Dodoni. It's very remote and the bus service does not favor tourists at all. Anyway, the lady arranged a driver for me at €35.00 for the trip, but he would give it to me for €29.00. He would fetch me at 09:00 from the hotel, drive me there, wait for me and then bring me back into Ioannina. I think that's a real bargain.
Perfect time as well. I could sleep a bit later, have a nice breakfast and still be ready by nine. Well I overslept and I barely had time for a coffee and he was there. Very nice guy, good driver. Pointed out landmarks etc. we got to Dodoni at 09:30 and there were 4 other people. We basically had the entire place to ourselves.

It was so quite and peaceful. All you could hear was birds singing and a shepherd walking his flock out to pasture. It could just as well have been 2000 years ago! The site itself is very nicely laid out with a stone path leading you ever forward. Everything is signposted in Greek and English which really helped a lot. There was still dew on the grass and the cyclamen and crocus are starting to flower. It really was beautiful. The most extant piece of the complex is the amphitheater.

It can seat 17 000 people and is still used today for performances on summer evenings. That is something that I would loved to have experienced. 

Once I was done, back into town. I went to the archaeological museum, because everything found at Dodoni is at the museum. Again, not very large, but new and beautifully laid out.
I had no cash left, so I had to look for an ATM. I used the Bank of Piraeus machine which was attached to the bank. The reason being if something goes wrong, you simply walk into the bank for assistance. I chose the local currency exchange option. The other option is to choose your home currency, but that always works out much more expensive as each bank seems to have its own rate.
By this time I was very hungry so I went for lunch. The restaurant I chose was called To Manteio. I had the traditional pork gyro for €8.00. Was it good! You get a dinner plate full of meat, pita, tzatziki, tomato, lettuce and the obligatory chips. I asked for the bill and they brought me a portion of Kataifi. On the house. Tummy was full. I went back to the hotel for a bit of a lie down. If you rest, you rust, so after a while I went to the lake front for a coffee. There was a nice cool breeze so I walked right to the end of the promenade and back. I found a seat in the shade and sat back and listened to music while watching the world pass by. Can life be any more wonderful.

At about 20:00 I went back to To Manteio and had moussaka. They are made individually. The dish is about the size of a breakfast plate and about 10cm deep. Stuffed to the brim. You also get another identical dish filled with chips. Got free dessert again and it all cost €8.00. I walked around a bit more, had coffee and off to bed.

Dodoni