Nisaki

So, off of Ioannina there lies an island which is called "Nisaki." You might be thinking that this is a nice name. I mostly think it's funny that they named the island "little island." I mean, it's a bit literal, isn't it? I feel like this isn't a good naming pattern to follow. Next thing you know, they'll be naming mountain ranges "large mountain range" and "medium sized mountain range" and lakes "big lake" and "little lake". And then where will we be?

Anyways, Catharine and I went there via ferry, and spent a day wandering and buying souvenirs and having picnic lunches. It was quite nice and idyllic. Nisaki contains many, many monasteries. They were generally very pretty and very closed, so we didn't actually go in to any of them, but they were nice from the outside.

Painting from the outside of a church. Considering the state of repair that it is in, I'm going to assume that this church hasn't been in use in the recent past- most of the churches I have been to are kept in very good repair.

The village on Nisi! It was a nice place, though very small. Ioannina is generally known for its silver production, and the island is full of very many cheap silver shops. This was nice, in that I bought many Christmas gifts while here, but also vaguely irritating, since you get attacked by anxious shop owners trying to convince you to look at their wares. Seriously. To get away, it is sometimes necessary to run a bit. Or feign total incomprehension.

On the plus side, I've been told that my face of total incomprehension has improved greatly over the past three months. I'm now able to not react at all when people speak to me, even in languages that I actually understand.

Since Catharine and I were feeling like stretching our legs, we took the path that goes around the outside of the island and enjoyed the nice views of the lake and the mountains. It was also very windy on this day.

This is inside the enclosure where Ali Pasha was killed. Next to this building is the building where he was actually shot, which is now a museum. Apparently they still have the bullet riddled wooden floors and stuff. Unfortunately, this museum was closed, which was tragic. Perhaps because it was off-season.

And that, my friends, is the end of my fall break. After this, we returned to Athens, which was nice, since by this time Catharine and I were willing to go back to our apartments, sleep in real beds, and shower. Also to change clothes. And stop living out of backpacks. And not eat gyros for a really long time. It was an adventure, and I'm glad we stayed in Greece.