Zeuphoria

Our entrance into Greece was another rather interesting border crossing; getting in late due to our bumpy ride through Albania, we slid back into the EU and back on to high-speed motorways. The result was that in half an hour we had covered almost as much ground as we had in an afternoon of driving - not quite in time for us to reach Kalpaki, where we had aimed to be for the night, before around 11 o'clock. Ringing fruitlessly at the door of a guesthouse we found, we spent an enjoyable several hours being directed round in circles by very friendly (but not so helpful) locals until we ended being pointed back to the very same house we had stopped at; this time however they answered and we ended up with a room for the night.

In the morning we headed into the hills of the Zagoria region - commencing with what had to be the most memorable meal of the trip; a simple and extraordinarily tasty Greek breakfast: freshly-made marmalade, crusty bread and delicious local cheese all washed down with thick greek coffee as we looked out over the stone villages clinging to the side of the hills and canyons.

Soundly reinforced, we wandered our way to and through the beautifully quiet villages, until we found ourselves overlooking the Vikos gorge, arguably the largest in Europe.Whether it is or not, I don't think I'm misusing the term when I say it is breathtaking; I'd challenge anyone to stand at its edge and not hold theirs involuntarily for at least a few seconds.

Gawping and gasping done with (and it took some time), it was time for further fortification; a restaurant on the town square duly presented itself, with a terrace under vine leaves. It had only taken half a day of being in Greece again to remind me just how amazing the place is; the people, history, food and stark natural beauty of the place all combine to make it an absolute pleasure every step of the way. In this case, lunch in the Zagori village of Mikro Papingo, all of those attributes were amply on demonstration; a delicious greek salad the highlight, with delicious (and cheap!) local wine, beautifully barbequeued meat and some delicious accompanying sides. Heaven would be shadowed by this, particularly with all the plunky harp music (and probably crap wine).

The afternoon saw us winding our way eastwards through the countryside, with a few stops to admire some of the beautiful old stone bridges in the region, and to walk the more irresistible paths we came across. The topic of discussion: how soon we could come back with allies to continue our pleasurable campaign across the hills of northern Greece.