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Magnificent Meteora
We are up early to hoof it to Avis, a 15 minute walk away. Mind you, we’re lugging our suitcases, so this is when we’re very happy to have carry-on only. Tom doesn’t complain about my lack of wardrobe variety and hopefully I’m not wearing the exact same thing in all my journey photos.
Anyway, renting a car seems to take a really long time. Like an hour or more. We have no idea why since we had a reservation. A side note: the drivers in Greece seem to take speed limits, road signs and actual lanes as suggestions, rather than road rules. The speeding especially contradicts their lifestyle, as meals will take hours, folks will sit for coffee and talk for hours, seemingly in no hurry. But driving is another story. Maybe that’s the key, to hurry up and get to the location where leisure is.
Back to the car, it’s pretty small. That’s a good thing here, since the roads are quite narrow and parking could be an Olympic sport. Tom is up for the challenge and we drive straight on to Meteora, the land of ethereal monasteries. Meteora is blanketed by two towns: Kalambaka and the even smaller Kastraki, which is where our Hotel Doupiani is located.
The view from our balcony is magnificent.
The hotel is lovely and we definitely recommend it for a quiet stay with the nicest view. We walk into “town” for dinner and encounter not only the ubiquitous cats, but some stray dogs as well. The people of Greece leave out food and take care of the stray animals, which is sweet but even better if they could find a neutering program that works, although I think they’ve tried.
Even though the forecast calls for some rain the day we will explore the monasteries, we are hopeful. Morning dashes our hopes. The columns of rock are barely visible through mist and pea soup fog.
This is an excursion well worth the €40, a small tour of 11, a knowledgeable guide, and a dry, warm van to shuttle us between churches. We still get soaked. In actuality, the mist adds an ethereal component to pilgrimage.
We start our tour at the Varlaam Monastery, which is magnificent but seemingly crawling with tourists. It’s so crowded and noisy, which seems blasphemous somehow. The tour buses in Meteora are like cruise ships to Santorini.
We skip the Great Meteoron monastery since it is closed on Tuesdays. The guide then gives us the option to visit the easily accessible St. Stephen’s or the arduous climb to the Holy Trinity monastery. You guessed it, we opt for Holy Trinity along with another couple. The rest of the tour goes the easy route.
The climb to Holy Trinity is worth the effort. At one point, we see a working gondola/pulley-basket sending its basket to another rocky column, but seemingly sending it out into The Nothing. I take more video, when a monk taps my shoulder and tells me it is forbidden. Yikes! I am embarrassed, especially since I took video of the first chapel. In my defense, the throngs from the tour bus we’re taking videos and pics galore. It’s truly remarkable that until the 1980s access to the monasteries was achieved by being pulled up in a basket. Surely even an atheist would be a praying during that ascent!
Our third monastery is actually now a nunnery. Roussanou (also known as The Monastery of St. Barbara), a nunnery dating back to the 16th century. Today, it is still a working nunnery with more than a dozen nuns who reside there and tend to a church and reception halls. Compared to the other monasteries in Meteora, Roussanou is easily accessible due to its lower elevation. Here is where we espy an icon artist at work. Incongruent earbuds amidst the centuries old setting.
We retreat to Kastraki for lunch at a place our tour guide recommended. It’s good enough that we return for dinner. One of the wonderful things about traveling to smaller, destinations is how easy it is to connect with the locals. Or maybe that’s just Greece.
We loved our visit to Meteora and we highly recommend you visit when in Greece. Maybe it would have been better with clear skies, but we kinda like that our experience was different. Next up is Nafpaktos, where Tom is reunited with a friend from 1978.
That is magical ! The monasteries and Nunnery must have filled your souls.
I am so glad you made the trip off the beaten path!
Definitely on my list of places to visit!!
Safe travels on the roads I do not think you will see some what sane driving until Germany. Keep us posted!!
Maryann
Yes, Meteora was a spectacular sight, even in the mist. You’d love it, Maryann ❤️
Absolutely fascinating! I agree the “mistiness” adds a nice dimension…at least to the photos. Good choice! If it makes you feel better we’ve waited that long for a car in CA!
Absolutely fascinating! I agree the “mistiness” adds a nice dimension…at least to the photos. Good choice! If it makes you feel better we’ve waited that long for a car in CA!
Oooh I loved the misty pictures in Meteora! I think “patience is a virtue” would be a good thing to remember while traveling in foreign countries.
I am loving your descriptions of all you are seeing. Can’t wait to hear how Tom’s reunion goes!
Hi you two! What an amazing adventure you are having in Greece…. Julianne, you are a master of the descriptive narrative, and combine that with the photos and we feel as if we are on the trip with you! Wish we could be there , but I doubt my knees would hold up with all of the hiking and “climbing”, so am very glad you are braving the landscape for us! Looking forward to your next post and more updates! Have fun with Tom’s friend in Nafpaktos….hugs!
Oh Rory, the climbing has been incredible. I need to burn extra Valerie’s since I’m eating all this delicious food!
This is my new thing – climbing! Well, actually it’s not that new (ask Justin or Melanie).
On this trip so far, if I see a castle or a palace or even just some stairs, I say “let’s climb it!” I’m pretty sure Tom is tired of this. 😜