Rocks!

Thursday 12 June

Kalambaka is a lovely small town nestled at the foot of an amazing collection of enormous rocks.  This morning I went out early and walked through some of the back streets where pretty houses and small apartment buildings are decked out with flowers - roses, geraniums, wisteria featuring prominently. As I walked my gaze was constantly drawn towards the towering rocks with the early morning sun shining on them.  At the top of a couple I could see buildings - no doubt the monasteries that we were to visit during the morning.  The puzzle was how we were going to actually get up the sheer cliff faces to access these places.
About the Meteora. Formed during geophysical upheavals some 60 million years ago, the sandstone rock columns were separated from the Pindos Mountains by erosion and today stand 400 metres above the Thessaly Plain making an astonishing sight.  Since the 11th Century hermits and monks have lived on these almost inaccessible piles of rock and it is generally agreed that without the continued activity of the monasteries here during the 400 years of Ottoman occupation much of Greek culture and history would have been lost forever.  Today, as we were to discover, a road leads up the hills behind the rocks and gives visitors access to the monasteries - still a lot of steps to climb but at least we didn't have to be hauled up in baskets or climb rope ladders as in times gone by.

Part of the Meteora viewed from the town of Kalambaka

After my early morning stroll and breakfast we all piled onto the bus and drove up to the first of the monasteries that were would be visiting - the Agios Stephanos which is actually a nunnery - not a monk in sight but 29 lovely nuns, including one Australian.   After a photo stop the bus let us out near the monastery with a relatively easy walk to access the main entrance.

Spectacular view on the road to Agios Stephanos Monastery

On arrival those of us women who were wearing pants or short skirts were obliged to don long wrap around skirts provided by the nuns before we were able to enter.  This monastery is stunningly beautiful, having been rebuilt quite substantially after war damage, but of course in the traditional style with lovely stone walls, tiled roofs, timber windows and gorgeous little courtyards filled with flowers - the roses are magnificent!  Our local guide gave us a short history and then we entered the chapel which is highly decorated with icons and frescos.  After absorbing the peaceful atmosphere inside we lingered on the terrace with its fantastic views over Kalambaka, the plains  and the mountains.  Breathtaking!  The gardens here are exquisite - I want to take them home!  The monasteries are self funding so we had the opportunity to buy some of the soaps, incense, oils, handcrafts and icons made by the nuns from their small gift shop.  They work tirelessly in between their religious devotions to keep the whole place in a pristine state.  Lots of cute little cats lolling about in the sunshine too.

Agios Stephanos Monastery

Beautiful courtyard at Agios Stephanos

And of course the views from the monasteries are pretty spectacular - across the Thessaly Plains and to the Pindos Mountains.  Perhaps a lovely area of Greece to explore in the future?

View down to Kalambaka with the Pindos Mountains in the distance.

Although suffering from sensory overload we continued on our tour of the Meteora with a visit to a second monastery, Roussanou, or St Barbara.  Only six of the original monasteries are occupied today.  This time we walked down through a beautiful forest path to the entrance - pines, cypresses and oaks and then emerged to more spectacular views as we had ventured further into the area of rock columns.

Another of the precariously perched monasteries of the Meteora

  The views were just as spectacuilar and the buildings just as charming but the landscape was even more rugged so not as many gardens.  We spent a pleasant time looking about this monastery which is older and has needed less restoration than Aghios Stephanos.  Again we were all quite blown away by the magnificent scenery of the Meteora - it is spell-binding.

View from the road which winds through the Meteora and back to Kalambaka

Reluctantly we boarded our bus and retraced our route south across the Thessaly Plain (with a truck stop lunch break again) to Lamia, stopping close to the motorway at Thermopyles, site of a huge battle between the Spartans and the Persians in 480 BC - greatly outnumbered the Spartans led by King Leonidas were defeated by the huge army of Xerxes.  There is a statue and a remembrance wall at the foot of the mountains.

The rest of the afternoon was spent travelling over a high mountain pass and then on to Mount Parnassus and the town of Delphi.  What a spectacular drive - not for those who dislike heights!  Such wild and rugged country with isolated villages here and there, clinging to the mountainsides.  One such village is Eleonas which overlooks a valley of olive trees, the oldest plantation in Greece.

Whizzing past Eleonas olive plantation after an exciting drive through the mountains

Delphi is also perched high on the mountain with great views out to the town of Itea and the waters of the Ionian Sea.  It is a small town, not particularly attractive and filled with souvenir shops.  Our hotel was very traditional with great views out to the coast.  We had a bit of a stroll around the village, another "tour" dinner and then fell into bed - a long day of sight-seeing and travelling.