For my long haul flight back home from Athens my connecting flight was on Air Canada. Athens had a nice medium sized airport and I was rushed thru getting to my gate which was already boarding.At the boarding gate they were checking passports again for North America passport control to avoid airlines getting fined for passengers without proper documentation. I had an interesting exchange with the airline official.She asked where I went so I replied Skopje, Ohrid,...

This morning I was finally leaving Greece and Europe after my two week adventure. Breakfast was supposed to be at 830 but due to our early flight the receptionist came extra early to prepare breakfast for us at 730.The last time I was in Greece in 2005 I took a ferry to the Greek Island of Kos from Turkey. A couple of locals were a bit rude maybe thinking I was a Turk.This time on the mainland everyone was very friendly and hospitable.The airport is a 30 min walk...

This afternoon having explored the tourist sights in Ioannina we now had leisure time on our last day walking around the town, looking for souvenirs, and for something to eat.Ioannina is quite proud of its two Mosques and they feature heavily in the tourist shops. This is surprising considering Greek nationalism and historic hostile relations with Turkey over Cyprus.The old quarter is walled off by large fortified walls and a watch tower with the Greek flag.Just ...

Inside the Citadel grounds the most striking landmark is the Fetiye Mosque. Outside is a strange gate shaped object. This is in fact the Tomb of Ali Pasha, the celebrated local warlord who rebelled against Ottoman rule in the region.Yesterday we had also visited his castle in Gjirokaster Albania which also detailed his history and that of the region in the castle museum (see entry http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-en tries/londone7/31/1447181288/tpod.html )Ent...

Today I was leaving Albania and heading back to northern Greece. After the early morning bus to Gjirokaster yesterday and early morning flight home tomorrow I was looking forward to the chance to sleep in a bit today.The hotel had a gourmet fresh made breakfast including date jam, fried eggs, and sausages. We left the hotel, headed down the long hill climb and went back to the highway to catch the bus to the Greek border.Yesterday when we had arrived we asked loc...