From Delphi we decided to take a drive north to visit the interesting region of Meteora. The drive through the mountain range was long and winding, but very pretty scenery, with lots of green hills and valleys full of scenic little red-roofed villages. It took us most of the day to get to Meteora, an area which is known for it's unusual geologic formations and monasteries.Here we found unusual rock formations, towers and pinnacles abruptly sticking up 400 feet above the valley floor. Teetering precariously on the top of several pinnacles we could see buildings. These buildings turned out to be monasteries, some accessible only by and antiquated little cable car.
The scene from the valley floor is startling, and as we drove up into the mountain area to investigate, we were even more amazed at how steep and dramatic and inaccessible these structures are.
The first monasteries were built here in the 1400s by monks who were looking for isolation and spiritual salvation. Today there are still 5 active monasteries remaining, although at it's height this region once hosted 24. The EU has had it's fingers in the monestary pie too, building driveways for access to these places where the residents don't want any visitors, and refurbishing stairways and other access methods. So now hundreds of visitors stream up the mountainsides and enter these remote and serene sanctuaries, but the remaining few monks are courteous hosts, providing unsuitably dressed women paper skirts to slip over their slacks during their visit.
Since we arrived fairly late in the afternoon we were just able to drive up the hillsides to check out the locations, visiting hours and conditions of the available monasteries before returning to our hotel for a glass of wine and a snack.
The following morning we were dismayed to see drizzle and clouds in the sky. We were hoping for brilliant blue. We drove up the mountain road again and Don went in to visit one of the monasteries. We walked down the EU cobble road, around about 6 switchbacks, and then Don mounted the stone steps, leading to a hole in the rock, and then on to more stairs. Up and up he marched until he reached the top, where he looked around at the chapel and the views. He saw two elderly, crusty monks who still live there.
The scene from the valley floor is startling, and as we drove up into the mountain area to investigate, we were even more amazed at how steep and dramatic and inaccessible these structures are.
The first monasteries were built here in the 1400s by monks who were looking for isolation and spiritual salvation. Today there are still 5 active monasteries remaining, although at it's height this region once hosted 24. The EU has had it's fingers in the monestary pie too, building driveways for access to these places where the residents don't want any visitors, and refurbishing stairways and other access methods. So now hundreds of visitors stream up the mountainsides and enter these remote and serene sanctuaries, but the remaining few monks are courteous hosts, providing unsuitably dressed women paper skirts to slip over their slacks during their visit.Since we arrived fairly late in the afternoon we were just able to drive up the hillsides to check out the locations, visiting hours and conditions of the available monasteries before returning to our hotel for a glass of wine and a snack.
The following morning we were dismayed to see drizzle and clouds in the sky. We were hoping for brilliant blue. We drove up the mountain road again and Don went in to visit one of the monasteries. We walked down the EU cobble road, around about 6 switchbacks, and then Don mounted the stone steps, leading to a hole in the rock, and then on to more stairs. Up and up he marched until he reached the top, where he looked around at the chapel and the views. He saw two elderly, crusty monks who still live there.
Don & Geralynn this article and pictures are absolutely stunning. These mountains remain me of the mountains I saw in China on the Li River. It's really amazing what extreme measures these priests went to have their privacy.
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