After such a busy, wonderful weekend, we have both hardly had a moment to sit at a computer, much less blogging away amidst so much beauty, so apologies all around, but the wait will have been worth it!
Friday morning we took off on the first leg of our adventure, to find a number of important additions to the greek home, mainly new mattresses and pads for all the beds. We got our goods and arranged to have it shipped to Paros on Monday, since there was a strike on Saturday and Greeks never work on Sunday, we got it on Tuesday after much hassle, ahh commerce!
Then we had arranged to stay with a family friend who runs the Athens Centre, an art school for students studying abroad. She had a spare apartment used for students and stayed only about 10 hours as we were headed to Kalambaka, a 4 hour bus ride away, at 7 in the morning.
Upon dragging our tired heads from bed to a very hot and cramped bus, we finally arrived in the town of Kastraki where our hotel was. Upon entering our room, we were reinvigorated by the beauty of our view and the beckoning of a very comfortable bed.
Room with a view indeed
We spent the first night exploring the adjacent town and noticing how quiet it is even in comparison to Paros. Few cars passed on the road and only a couple of families sight seeing were around. The majority of the people go to the more populated Kalambaka, on the other side of the mountain you see above. We got to bed early and woke ready to tackle the famous Meteora monasteries.
While I was not quite sure what to expect, what we both came to find, exceeded our expectations. The monasteries, 24 in all, are perched precariously on the top of massive rocks that somehow seem to stand upright. Separated from the majority of the mainland, these monasteries can only be reached by climbing stairs carved into the rock, or in the olden days, a giant basket attached to a large wooden crank.
The first monastery we visited was the Agia Triada (Holy Trinity), the least visited one of all since it is the most difficult to access. First, one must walk all the way to the bottom of a ravine, then hike up some 300+ steep stairs with little headroom carved into the rock. Or if you are feeling brave, you can take the highly modern sky lift seen below.
Go on, I dare you to jump in this floating shack.
Town of Kalambaka view from the Agia Triada
The views seen before us that day can't be done justice in photos. The scope and 360 degree view from a scenic little monastery is something that takes the breath away and, once you realize how high you are, sends chills down to your knees.
Next, we made our way to the Grand Metoreon, the largest of the clifftop monasteries and also the most popular, as we could tell right away by the number of tour buses parked by the entrance. Such a difference, from nearly no tourists, to crowded hallways in every exhibit. From browsing the historical exhibit that told the story of fighting against Turkish occupation in the War of Independence and against Nazi occupation, the monks and greek soldiers had fought valiantly to protect the priceless heritage items that were kept within the monasteries.
Then we made our way to the Varlaam Monastery, which probably held the most significant structural challenge of not falling off the face of the cliff. We had to cross a narrow bridge to access the carved rock entryway.
See the tiny bridge in the middle of the left side?
The views from all of these locations were just remarkable as the mountains and towns in the distance seemed surreal. The great lengths that the founding architects went to build these monasteries was ridiculous at the time, but as they grew over time, became holy sites and were lavished with tributes and gifts from numerous saints and emperors. Today, with the exception of the largest monasteries, they are still operated and lived in by monks.
How we had our breakfast each morning.
Jen has many more fantastic shots than I, so come back later for more!
