Greece. Meteora

  On our small trip to Greece, we also visited one of the most fantastic places - Meteora. It's a whole complex of monasteries located on the peaks of cliffs in the historical region of Thessaly. We followed two routes, one in the evening of the first day and another the next morning, visiting the two main monasteries - Megalo Meteoro and Saint Varlaam... Map of routes...

  After arriving by train from Athens to the town of Kalambaka and settling in a guesthouse at the foot of the mountains, we immediately went for a walk around the surroundings...

  Climbing from the settlement to the viewing platforms, gaining about 450 meters in height, we enjoyed the evening views...

 The Meteora monasteries are harmoniously spread across the cliffs... 

 

 The male Orthodox Monastery of the Holy Trinity towers on a cliff above the settlement... 

  The female Monastery of Rousanou or Saint Barbara...

  The rocks of Meteora appeared about 60 million years ago, when instead of a plain, there was an ancient sea in this area. Under the influence of geological forces of water, wind, and temperature fluctuations, massive stone "pillars" gradually formed, as if suspended in the air. Actually, in Greek, "meteora" translates to "those that hover in the air"... Later, people made efforts to build important structures for themselves on the peaks of these incredible cliffs...

   In the evening, the monasteries are closed to visitors, so we just walked around some viewing platforms and descended to the settlement of Kastraki, finishing our evening walk along the mountain route and heading to our apartments in the nearby village of Kalambaka.

  The next morning, we immediately followed the route leading to the main churches of Meteora...

  It is still not established when exactly the first ascetics appeared on Meteora. It is believed that the first settlers settled on the rock of Saint Stephen in the 12th century. But the first attempt to unite the monasteries belonged to the monk Nilus, who in the 14th century united the monks who lived in isolation in the caves of the cliffs around the skete.

 The Monastery of Saint Varlaam got its name from the monk, the first settler, who climbed the rock in the first half of the 14th century and built a small church. It is also known that the monk Varlaam was a contemporary of Saint Athanasius of Meteora, the founder of Megalo Meteoro...

  Having climbed 117 steps to the monastery and paying 3 euros for entry tickets, we found ourselves on its territory...

 There is also a small museum on the monastery grounds for tourists, featuring ancient icons and holy texts handwritten...

 

  The Monastery of Saint Varlaam and Megalo Meteoro...

  Megalo Meteoro is located on a fairly large rock, it is the largest and oldest Orthodox monastery among the Meteora, founded at the beginning of the 14th century by the monk Athanasius...

  Rumors about the monk Athanasius quickly spread - in the first 10 years, many young people climbed the rock to find solitude. Then the brothers decided to establish the first Meteora brotherhood - a coenobium - where the brothers received not only food but also clothes, etc., from the monastery according to the abbot's orders, and in return, they gave all their work and its results for the common needs of the monastery... Athanasius's disciple and successor, Saint Joseph, is considered the second founder of the monastery...

 Inside, there is a very beautiful atmosphere. Frescoes and museum sections with ancient icons and handwritten bibles, as well as a very atmospheric chapel. In most places, photography is not allowed...

  The former monastery kitchen...

  154 steps lead to the top of the rock where the monastery is located...

  Having received a very pleasant impression from visiting the Meteora monasteries and descending to the settlement of Kastraki, we went to a local tavern to taste Greek salad and moussaka, which classically consists of baked layers of eggplant, lamb, tomatoes, and béchamel sauce...

  After lunch, we had a train back to Athens. The distance to Meteora from Athens is quite large, about 360 kilometers by train, with a transfer... But overall, the journey takes a little less than 4 hours, and this place is definitely worth the effort...