6 April
2025 – Meteora
Miles
driven today = 0
Total Miles
to date = 2,919
When we
have returned from our previous European trips we have often been asked where our
favourite places were.
It’s difficult to put one experience above all the others over a three month period.
Up until today I would have said that last
week’s visit to Delphi was probably the top of the list for this tour so far, but
we have a new leader.
We got the
bikes out of the garage this morning and started climbing the steady uphill
road out of Kastraki, following the signposts for Meteora.
I was a little dubious whether, even with the
electronic assistance, it might be a little too challenging but oris, our Swiss
neighbour of the other night, told us that she had managed it without
any issues and she’s got a few years on both of us.
So off we pedaled, stopping a few times to
take in the scenery.
We decided to
start at the top and work our way down.
Our
first port of call was therefore at the Holy Monastery of the Great Meteoron
which stands at an elevation of 615 metres above sea level.
The word “Meteora” literally means suspended
in mid-air and we could immediately see why with the monasteries perched on
seemingly impossibly steep sided rock pinnacles.
Bridges, steps,
and in some cases tunnels, were only built to access the monasteries in the 19
th
Century.
Before that
the only access was by ladder or by baskets which were winched up by hand.
Here the old winch tower still remains.
The Great
Meteoron was the first monastery to be built here in the 14
th
Century.
It was founded by a chap called
Athanasios and his work was then expanded upon by a geezer who went by the name
The Blessed Ioasaph.
Both of their
skulls are apparently on display but we somehow managed to miss them.
The
monastery is built around a central courtyard surrounded by the monk’s cells
and chapels.
There is a strict dress
code for visitors.
No shorts are allowed
and ladies have to wear skirts, which are available to borrow if you haven't brought one along.
Only part
of the katholikon is from the original 14
th Century structure as it
was extended significantly in the 15
th and 16
th centuries.
There were
some exceptional frescoes inside but unfortunately no photos were allowed in
there and likewise in the museum which had some interesting garments and
tapestries.
The carpentry workshop has been retained with old wooden barrels and other wine
making equipment in the cellar.
The kitchen
area dates from the 15
th Century and has been reconstructed to
appear how it might have done back then.
There are a
couple of great viewing platforms.
This is
looking down over Kastraki.
The van is
down there somewhere.
I know a lot of
people consider electric bikes to be cheating but there is no way I could have pedaled
up that sort of gradient on a normal bike these days.
Distant snow
covered peaks.
We aren’t that far away
now from Ioannina where we spent a couple of nights at the beginning of our
Greek adventures.
It’s just the other
side of those mountains.
We timed
our visit to the Great Meteoron perfectly and were just coming away as the
first coach party arrived and started snaking their way up the stone
staircases.
Very close
by is the Monastery of Varlaam.
Named
after the Saint who built a hermitage on the top of this rock shortly after
Arthanasios set up his place next door.
The current monastery dates back to the 1540s.
It’s supposed to be very beautiful but we
didn’t fancy climbing any more steps just yet so we got on our bikes to take in
some of the views of the monasteries.
At one
point there were as many as 24 different monasteries in the Meteora area but
only 6 survive.
You can see four of them
here in the same shot with Grand Meteoron and Varlaam top right with Ayiou
Nikolaou Anapafsa and the convent of Roussanou further down the hill.
Ayiad
Triadhos (Holy Trinity) Monastery is probably the least visited.
According to the Rough Guide there are still
3 monks in residence here.
It was also
used as a location for the James Bond Film “For Your Eyes Only”
At the end
of the road is St Stephen’s.
It’s
reckoned to be the least interesting as it was bombed during World War II but
it is the only monastery which doesn’t involve climbing any steps to access so
it’s very popular with coach parties who were queueing out the door, so we didn’t
bother going any closer.
Instead we
doubled back to the Roussanou Nunnery which is perched on near vertical rock
faces.
The approach
to the entrance is via a narrow bridge from an adjoining rock before clambering
up the final staircase.
Around a
dozed nuns still live here.
I bet they
are glad they don’t have to winch one another up in buckets anymore.
We spotted
a rather rickety looking ladder leaning against one of the walls.
Probably rather more for effect these days.
Again photography
is forbidden but nobody seemed to be policing the ban particularly vigorously
here so I took a few sneaky shots.
Looking up
into the dome of the katholikon.
A lot of
the frescoes seemed to be unnecessarily gory with depictions of decapitations,
amputations and all sorts of other ways in which martyrs met a grizzly end.
We
continued on down the hill with views of Ayiou Nikolaou Anapafsa.
More interesting frescoes to see here but not
worth another 150 steps for our jelly legs.
One more
shot of those almost impossible rock formations was well worth another stop before we freewheeled
all the way back down to Kastraki.
The smell
of barbecue lured us in to the first taverna we passed as we entered the
town.
I ordered chicken souvlaki while
Lisa had pork.
I’m aware that we must
appear to have terrible diets from our last few meals out which have basically
consisted of meat and chips.
In reality
we do order salads and we’ve become addicted to aubergine dips.
But these usually turn up first and have been
demolished by the time the main course arrives so they don’t make it into the
photos.
We were so
lucky with the weather this morning.
No
sooner were we back at the van as the clouds started to come over and the
temperature dipped noticeably.
I’m not
sure if I believe tonight's snow warnings but it seems that the whole of Northern
Greece is in for an unseasonally chilly spell for the next few days.
It’s warmer back home in Blighty at the
moment than it is here so we are going to head back towards the coast for our
last few days in Greece in the hope it will warm up a little before we head
north again and into Bulgaria.
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