Meteora, Greece

On Wednesday, we drove most of the day to the town of Kozani, where there are a few manuscripts in the city library. The drive was open highway for a couple of hours but that quickly tuned into winding mountain roads. After several hours of riding on twisty roads dotted with little towns, we made our way into the town square and were met by an assistant to the mayor. He escorted us into the library and we were soon seated at a long table examining the ancient documents. We were served a cold Frappe' and some water, which was refreshing after the long drive. We stayed in the library until it closed at 9PM and found a place to have dinner. We ate a great meal in a small taverna while the locals watched Greece play against Spain in a European Cup soccer match. After dinner we headed out on a long drive through the mountains to our hotel in Kalambaka at the foot of the rocks of Meteora (Mee-Tee-ORR-Ahh).

Thursday morning we awoke after a short and hot night of little sleep. But today we were going up to the monasteries of Meteora. This place is indescribable. Huge mountainous pillars rise from the plain thousands of feet. Atop these rocky pillars sit several monasteries. The monasteries look as if they are a natural part of the mountain. It almost has the look of a fantasy scene as each monastery is molded to the top of these giant cliffs. Seeing this was a big highlight of the trip. We visited one of the larger monasteries that has a collection of manuscripts. We walked up the long, narrow stone stairs to the entrance. Then we made our way through a narrow tunnel followed by more steps. After we made it inside, we found the manuscript museum and were able to view some of the manuscripts they have on display. After the visit at the monastery, we made several stops down the mountain and I went into another monastery that is perched on another cliff. I took a lot of pictures as I walked the paths around the area and looked at the awe inspiring view. All in all, it was well worth the long hours spent in the car.

One of the large monasteries of Meteora.

Standing high above the cliffs.

Below me is the second monastery I visited and in the top right corner is another larger monastery.