Honeymoon Day 12 & 13: Meteora!

After saying goodbye to Thomas, we walked slowly down the street to our rental car, our legs aching and our bodies re-acclimating to the lower elevation. We had left the rental car in a small parking lot near a government building (we felt that was probably safest); despite this, we were both a bit nervous about leaving the car there for that long. Fortunately it was there, in the same condition we left it, waiting patiently for our return. We grabbed a couple gyros for the road in a small gyro shop across the street and took off for Meteora.

“Meteora” itself is not a town or an area of Greece – it is a complex of Greek Orthodox Monateries, in the town of Kalambaka. The impressive and historically fascinating monasteries perched atop perilous cliffs dwarf any other tourist draws that exist in Kalambaka itself. Meteora means “middle of the sky,” “suspended in the air” or “in the heavens above” in Greek. When looking at these impressive monasteries, the first thought is why is it necessary to build these on the top of cliffs? Other monasteries in Greece are much more accessible and are just as beautiful and imposing. Touring the monasteries and taking in the history quickly answered the question. Around the end of the 14th century, total Turkish occupation of northern Greece was a likely possibility. In response, monks who felt increasingly threatened by such an invasion built their monasteries on the top of – at the time – inaccessible rocks. Indeed, getting to the monasteries at the time required placing one’s life on the line. Long rope ladders or nets were used to access the monasteries, and their replacement was left entirely up to God’s hands – the ropes were re-applied whenever the ropes broke and someone died by crossing the monastery entrance. The original straw that broke the camel’s back. So to speak.

We arrived in Kalambaka in late afternoon, utterly exhausted and incredibly dirty. Neither of us had showered for 4 days, and the only silver lining to such a state was we each smelled as bad as the other, so our offending odors just cancelled each other out. We drove through many small Greek villages and towns on our way to Kalambaka. It was incredible to see the remaining remnants of the economic crisis that had delivered such a blow to Greece just a few years earlier. There were numerous closed storefronts, abandoned buildings, “for sale” and “for lease” signs, and plenty of “going out of business” sales. The economic issues Greece was so desperate to move on from did not seem quite done with them yet.

What was thriving in Greece, however, which Andy and I had no problem contributing to, was the tourism industry. As a result, as we had already seen before arriving to Kalambaka, the hotels were beautiful and luxurious, with friendly staff and affordable prices. Our hotel in Kalambaka was the Divani Meteora Hotel, located right at the beginning of town. The hotel had a gorgeous front lobby with modern, posh furniture, large conference rooms, a huge outdoor pool, and a welcoming staff.

We were so tired that day, all the energy we had was spent hanging by the pool. It was a hot day so the cool pool felt nice. Don even joined us.

I made a point to send postcards to our family and friends from each area we were in. Shopping in Meteora was limited, so Andy stayed behind in the hotel to take a quick nap and I toodled down the main street to find some postcards and stamps. When I got back, I took a shower, and Andy and I settled into bed. At this point in the trip we had figured out that Greek cable television was surprisingly lacking; we couldn’t find any mainstream television shows that had large followings in other European countries like The Big Bang Theory, Friends, and Seinfeld. This hotel’s cable, however, had Two and a Half Men on with english subtitles. It would do. It felt nice to see a little glimpse of America.

Speaking of things “lacking,” Greece had a little issue with their plumbing (I promise, this is where our complaints of Greece end). We figured out the hard way that Greek plumbing, which has not been improved since the 1950’s, is not intact enough to allow people to throw their toilet paper in the toilet. Seriously.  At the beginning of the trip, I noticed that every bathroom had a small garbage can next to each toilet. I presumed that these were sanitary napkin disposals, but Andy indicated that they were in the men’s bathrooms too. We figured out, about half way through the trip, that these were toilet paper disposals. You were not supposed to put the toilet paper in the toilet bowl. We clogged a few toilets before discovering this phenomenon.

Anywho……we went to bed that night after clogging our toilet. The next morning we’d explore the monasteries (and try not to clog their toilets).

We got up the next morning early; we had determined from the guidebook that the monestaries became heavily populated by mid afternoon by large tourist buses, clogging (we’re keeping with the toilet theme here) up the roads and parking spaces. We took our rental car and weaved our way up the long, seemingly never-ending road up to the many monasteries that perched on the cliffs above Kalambaka. 

Most of the monasteries had large signs in front of them depicting numerous rules and regulations to enter, the most important of which were the dress codes. As I learned the embarrassing way at the monastery at the bottom of Mount Olympus, it was important and respectful to dress conservatively. I made a point to abide by the regulation, as did most people who made their way up to Meteora. The few who didn’t were promptly, and justifiably, turned away.

If you attempted to enter the monastery without appropriate clothing and were not opposed to looking a bit ridiculous, the larger monasteries offered over-sized pantaloons for men wearing shorts, and smock like skirts for women to tie around their waists. If you make it to these monasteries and are not wearing proper attire, just succumb to looking idiotic for a few minutes – the beauty of the monestaires is worth it!

The first monastery we stopped at was the Monastery of the Holy Trinity. This one was the hardest to get to, as it involved multiple staircases and sat on the highest cliff in the area. It was also at the end of the long windy road. We went here first and spent the most time here as this monastery was made famous by the James Bond Film “For Your Eyes Only,” one of Andy’s favorite movies. The monastery was beautiful and exclusive. The difficulty in reaching the top discouraged more sedentary tourists; even Andy and I half way up the stairs wondered why we decided to do this after climbing Mt. Olympus.

The inside of The Monastery of the Holy Trinity was gorgeous. The inner area had fantastic artwork and long elaborate hallways.

The outer back area of the Monastery had some of the most beautiful views I had ever seen. At the far end of the back area was a huge white cross. It was incredibly spiritual and humbling. To the side of this section was a small garden the Monks maintained. It had numerous vegetables and herbs.

The second monastery we went to was the largest and oldest of the group, called the Great Meteoron Monastery. It was founded in the 14th century by a Monk from Mount Athos, and contained seven main areas or sections worth noting, the first being Platys Lithos, or the “Broad Rock,” which is the rock that this monastery sits on. It’s about 2,000 feet above sea level.

The second notable area was the Church of the Transfiguration, built in 1388 with a cross floor plan and beautiful frescos of icons. Unfortunately this section of the monastery did not allow for pictures. We enjoyed its beauty and magnificence, relying on faith and humility to remember the moment instead of our cameras.

The third and fourth “areas” were the nave and narthex frescoes and the frescoes of the katholikon  depicted throughout the monastery; beautiful pieces of old artwork depicting Jesus, the Saints, and the 12 Apostles adorned the walls. 

The fifth area was the large refectory with a museum, carved crosses, and religious manuscripts. This area as well forbid photography, but trust us, it was magnificent.

The sixth area was the kitchen, wine cellar, and carpenter’s shop, which housed the area where the monks make wine, repair sections of the monestary, and cook their food. These areas were not as expansive or elegant as the other areas, but it allowed us a glimpse into the Monks’ daily life. 

The seventh area was the southeast corner of the monastery with beautiful views.

The monasteries were humbling and incredible. People’s faith in the Lord and their unwavering dedication to their religion showed in every area of these churches. We felt so blessed and fortunate that the Monks allowed us the opportunity to experience them.

Tomorrow….off to Corfu!