Views from the Top

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

After breakfast we got back on the bus for our last day in Greece. Today we are visiting the site of the geological wonders of Meteora, on top of many of which are perched monasteries or convents. The site of Meteora falls between two mountain ranges, between which was once a deep ravine, where a river once ran depositing silt, mud, etc. The plains that now exist adjacent to the mountain ranges were in fact once a lake, which coincides with the accounts of Herodotus who described the area as unsurpassable in the 5th century B.C. Then when the water withdrew, the lime dissolved and compact masses were formed which over time were shaped by the winds and the rain into the amazing geological formations we see today. The name Kalambaka was given to the area by the Turks and means “Wow, the fortress!” because when they came to the area the rock faces looked like great fortresses. The name Meteora comes from a Greek word meaning “suspended” which accurately describes the site of the once 24 monasteries that stood atop the rocky peaks. Currently there are only 7 visible monasteries (and the ruins of several others), only 2 of which are working monasteries. Several of the monasteries have been converted into convents. We visited two such convents, Saint Stephens and another.

After touring the two convents and multiple photo opportunities we headed back down to the town of Kalambaka where we had our lunch. We had lunch in a restaurant called “Restaurant Meteora”. This was one of my favorite meals in all of Greece. When we arrived they shuffled us all back into the kitchen where there were giant pots full of amazing smelling food and “Mama Kate” told us all about her cooking and then dished it up on to your plate. I must admit, there was something nice about getting a home cooked meal from “Mama Kate”, even though she may not be my “Mama Kate”.

After a delicious meal we got back on the bus for our long journey back to Athens. We arrived in Athens between 6 and 7 and luckily, Irini, our tour guide had informed us that we could take the bus and it would drop us directly opposite the Holiday Inn at the Airport for only 3.20 Euros each. This was good news as the metro was on strike yet again today, and a taxi would have cost us close to 50 Euros. So we arrived at the Holiday Inn near the airport around 8:00 and had dinner. I have to admit it is so nice to stay at a Holiday Inn, and I must say it is by far the nicest hotel we have stayed in thus far, they even have electrically operated curtains (don’t worry, being the hotel nerd that I am, I photographed them as proof!). It’s a shame we won’t enjoy this hotel for long as we will be leaving tomorrow at 2:45 a.m. to head for the airport for our 4:25 a.m. flight to Budapest.