Meteora, literary still in the Clouds

Meteora, there are so many fantastic things to see and write about, so there is no problem making post number two. In the previous post, I wrote about how to get to Kalabaka from Athens and how to get around. I also wrote about St. Nicholas Anapafsas and Yapanti monasteries. Now I will write a little about the rest of the monasteries open to the public.

From Kalabake, there is a pleasant walk track up to Holy Trinity and one award, Roussanou. I did not try the last one. They could have made more apparent signs on the routes and where they went.

The remaining monasteries

• St Stephen
• Holy Trinity (my favourite)
• Rossanou
• Great Meteoron
• Varlaam
• Eremitus (strangely not open to the public)

St. Stephen

This is probably the monastery I enjoyed the least. It is large and is one of the monasteries that can be seen from Kalabaka. The church inside was fantastic, and a beautiful garden. The main reason I did not like it so much was that the buses could drive to the gate, and this was one of the buses stopped at on their round. So, to enter the church, all the groups had to stand in a long line. Thankfully, I could sneak in between as a single tourist, but still too many people.

When I visit a popular tourist attraction, I must accept that not all like travelling like me. But when I see 15-20 buses lined up outside, I know I am up for a battle. This sounds negative, maybe, and I am not saying this to put people off going to Meteora. However, it is worth the effort, and try to avoid the high season.

The Holy Trinity

You can see the cable car between the road and the Holy Trinity monastery. This car was not for the public but for transporting goods and maybe the monks. To enter the sight, you had to walk somewhat down before climbing the stairs again. This was my favourite monastery; most buses did not stop there, and maybe some people would find there were too many steps. For these reasons, there were few people there. The large and beautiful garden and outdoor areas were also worth the visit. I think this is the one not to miss.

Rossanou

This is also a great monastery and has a beautiful setting. Also, if you are frightened of heights, you might find the bridge over to the entrance a bit airy. When it comes to classifying the interior and art in the different monasteries, I find it difficult. Even though I admire church art, I always find the overburdened walls and all the Icons a bit much to my protestant modesty upbringing. For this reason, I will not classify them based on the amount of art but on my overall feeling of the place.

Varlaam

I can go on and on about how incredible these monasteries are, and so is Varlaam. You can see all the other five monasteries from here, a beautiful sight. The drawback is that the buses stop close by, so it can quickly get crowded. If you walk up from Kalabaka, you will pass the small village of Kastraki; from here, you can walk a dirt road and come out on the main road close to St. Nicholas. If you cross the road here, you see a track that takes you between the rock formations and up to Varlaam and Great Meteoron. It is a nice hike, but still hot in the shadow of the vegetation.

Great Meteoron

This is the largest monastery in the Meteora. The Great Meteoron also has the most extensive manuscript collection. This also seems more like a museum than a live-in monastery. You have so much to look at here, so you need time there. However, it is also on the bus route. But worth visiting because of all they exhibit here. I have to say, being an atheist, it amazes me again and again what people have done to glorify the story they believe in.

Eremitius monastery

It was just by coincidence that I discovered this monastery. It is not marked on any maps, and I just walked around. Suddenly, in a far distance, I could see this circle on the rock wall. And I tried to get closer; I did find the road that took me into the valley, but suddenly, the road was closed with a gate and a closed sign. I did meet a local guide and asked him what this place was. He said it was called Eremitius, and the monks there did not want to be disturbed. I can understand that. The picture is not the best since it is from a far distance.

Mikio Cafe

I recommend a cafe in Kastraki, this small village next to Kalabaka. There are few cafes here, but Mikio is worth visiting. It could be on the way to some of the monasteries or down again. I had read about it; it was a lovely small cafe. I tried this cheese pie with honey, and it was very nice. It also reminded me about Seadas from Sardinia. Once, I tried a milkshake here, and the other time a coffee. And when they started to play Yes Sir, I can boogie, by Baccara in 1977; I was back in high school.

After many years of planning, I finally managed to visit Meteora. It was worth the wait, and I do recommend it. Unfortunately, my pictures can not compete with some drone pictures out online, but I hope you get a feeling of this fantastic landscape and impressive monasteries.