Carnival Trip - Day 2 - Visiting Florina, Agios Panteleimon and the Ioannina Festivities

There is a certain feeling of peace and relaxation that those mountainous landscapes bring to my heart. It felt wonderful to wake up in such a serene place, in the small village of Drosopigi.

We began our new day with a journey to the town of Florina, as we've heard from our host that it was definitely worth seeing, especially by some architecture students as ourselves. He was not wrong! I only wish we could've stayed longer, but we had to follow our schedule to get in time to Ioannina.

One of the first buildings we've noticed in Florina was this marvelous church. We instantly had to park somewhere nearby so we could spend some time around it. It was so nice that I have to show it to you from three different angles, though I have done many more photos of it.

It was the perfect beginning for this day, with the church being bathed under the sun's warm rays. Architecturally speaking it was a very pleasing building, with vertical accents done by the two towers, with beautiful arched windows and the contrast between the stone and the red bricks and roof.

Another detail nearby made me stop and take a picture. It's not daily that you see such a nice mosaic, at least if you're not living in Florina.

Through this mountain town passes a river, and people made sure that it is properly treated so that everyone can enjoy the sound of water, slowly flowing downstream.

Another surprise was a house for ducks on the same river I was talking about. Not sure if they can get out of there if they want to, but people are nice to them and they seem happy as well :) They might just be the stars of this place!

Seeing how time flies, we had to do the same as well. The great thing about renting a car is you get to stop for photos pretty much wherever you want. As soon as we saw this little church we had to take a break. It was by doing so that we managed to see the breathtaking landscape once again.

On our way to Agios Panteleimon I saw the most weird and intriguing monument, sculpture, call it what you want. Thankfully, my camera focused on time, because I'm not sure how many people would have believed me back home, just from the stories, that I saw a huge rat made of metal playing on a cello.

Arriving on Agios Panteleimon beach we were again witnessing some of the most stunning views, this time with a large lake in front of us. There used to be an old stone road that looks like it went straight ahead, where the lake now resides. I found it fascinating and my imagination flew all over the place with what could lie beneath the water.

There is something about the next photo that makes me really appreciate it, and I'm not sure if it has to do with the fact that I've been in that place and it reminds me of that, or if it is just the way the mountains seem to just float on the water.

One more noteworthy photo is this one, where you can see the sky again, but thanks to the contrast created with the help of the tree.

We left this amazing place and moved on to our next destination, Ioannina. On our way we stopped one more time to get a look at the sunset, which left me speechless.

Late at night we got to the big event, the carnival in Ioannina. We heard there were bonfires lit all over the city. We managed to see a couple of them, but mostly we were overwhelmed by the fantastic and joyful atmosphere!

People were truly dressed in all sorts of costumes, all showing more and more ingenuity. Music was as loud as it can be, groups were partying around with complete freedom, cars and motorcycles were participating in the whole event with their horns.

We saw a street that was really crowded and we thought it would be a good idea to go through there. Oh boy, were we mistaken :)) It took us so much time to swim through, but the music and energy made it seem like seconds in the end.

Overall it was a fantastic experience. It showed us what we've never witnessed before. The Carnival is truly lived with passion here in Greece and I am happy that I managed to see it :)

As the carnival party ended, so must this post. I hope you've enjoyed the photos and experiences and maybe felt a bit like walking through those places as well :D I will see you very soon with a new post, with more adventures!

And as always, have a great day, friends!