Ioannina Shopping

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Handmade items from silver is a tradition in the region of Epirus so at Ioannina you can find a lot of them, especially at Averof street where many little stores trade pieces of work that are great for decoration, like serving trays, shields, knifes and many jewellery of course. Some say it’s too touristic but it’s unique and different from china products :) For one more time, the folkloric drawnings on the decorated plates will remind you of those in Turkey because of the ottoman influences (like in sweets etc).

Other interesting souvenirs are traditional guns (pic 3, like the ones used during the greek revolution war in the 19th century) and komboloi (pic 4), a toy that many (especially old people) use as a fidget toy that has no meaning but some people buy it as a souvenir as a typical greek item. It consists of worry beads that are made from bone, amber, glass, wood or coral and they are conjuctive with a string and you just move slowly every bead and rolling them eternally one against each other. I know it sounds silly but that’s all! :) Although it reminds komposkini(for the orthodox) or rozario(for the catholics) it has not any religious significance. No need to tell you that you can find komboli in Turkey too.

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Some great sweets, a dozen of great sweets! If you are familiar with the Turkish delights like mpaklavas, saragli, ekmek, ravani and so many other you will be surprised that every one of them is here and sometimes they taste even better. Like in many other sides of daily life (words, architecture etc) the ottoman influences are rather strong in the greek kitchen.

So you have two choices, the first one is to visit one of the many patisserie and eat as much as you can. The typical sweet is mpaklavas of course and you can try it with ice cream.

DIETHNES is my favorite place, there is one at the square, another one at Molos(Mavili square) and in some other parts of the city. You can sit and choose or buy some for the house or as a gift.

KOLONIASOS is a good alternative, also with some great sweets (the same products, different sizes etc) and I used to take some from there too :) I found one at Averof & Mitropoleos and another one at Karamanli 39 (Molos).

What to buy: close your eyes and choose! :)

There's a cluster of jewelry and gift shops opposite the walled citadel. Typical selections of metal work (and also water pipes) may be found at Politis Douvflis, Plateia Yioryio 12, or at Nikos Gogonis, Odos Karamanlis 13. At two shops on Odos Averoff, 56 and 65, George Minos Moschos offers a somewhat more unusual selection of silver, jewelry, and older secondhand objects ("antiques"). Here and there you may see embroidered clothing or woven socks, but this is not a region known for delicate needlework.

What to buy: silver, jewelry, and older secondhand objects

Dry Red Table Wine

Varieties:
Cabernet Sauvignon, Agiorgitiko.

Characteristics:
A complex red with deep, attractive highlights. A distinctive bouquet arises from a balanced blend of the various fragrances with that of the oak. In the mouth a soft fullness accompanies the rich aromatic qualities provided by the varieties and a long maturation in barrels at low, stable temperatures.