Greece – Meteora (En)
Meteora is a rock formation in the regional unit of Trikala, in Thessaly, Greece, hosting one of the largest and most precipitously built complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries, second in importance only to Mount Athos. The Meteora Monasteries are located on top of rocks carved by erosion, at a height of around 600 meters and inhabited since the 14th century, and have been listed as a World Heritage Site by Unesco since 1998.
We stayed at Camping Vrachos (39.713299, 21.614401 lat, long) in the village called Kastraki. I will give it only 3 stars because the swimming pool is still closed and it is where you find the best views of Meteora. The facilities were ok but the women’s shower water was not warm enough (Ben says the men’s was good) and the staff explanations to visit the monasteries were not really useful, we had to ask a German guy staying at the camping. In general, it was pretty good, with a Greek Tavern very cute, barbecue areas where you could cook with tables and sun umbrellas and really cute black squirrels. The best is its location, as it is in the village and the bus to go to the monasteries is just at the camping door. The bus is only 1,60 euros, and the views are amazing!
The first thing we visited was the village of Kastraki as we were there. It is a charming village full of typical Greek taverns and restaurants with fantastic food, a small church and shops. Of course, we had lunch in one of the beautiful taverns. We shared a typical dish of stuffed peppers and the typical moussaka with beef minces, potatoes, peppers, cheese and bechamel. Both were delicious and we have it with a good rose wine, all for 31 euros! and they give you ice cream free for dessert!
There are 6 monasteries in Meteora. The first monks who discovered this area lived in the holes and fissures of the rock formations. It was not until the 14th century that they began to build the first monasteries as we know them today. We took the bus and got off at the one that highest of all, which is the Great Meteora Monastery (Megalou Meteorou) which is the largest and most famous for which there are a lot of tourists. It is located on the highest rock in the valley at 613 meters above sea level. By the way, you cannot go in with shorts or a tank top and Ben was wearing shorts. The views are impressive although it is very dizzying, and you have an incredible view of the Varlaam Monastery, the second largest and most visited monastery, although with about 150 fewer stairs to climb than the Great Meteoro. The bus left you in a square where you find a lot of stands selling all kinds of things and a food truck.
The other 4 monasteries are the Roussanou Monastery where 15 nuns live and preserve several frescoes; the Santísima Trinidad Monastery which is the most difficult to access; the Monastery of St Esteban and the Monastery of St Nicholas which is the closest to Kastraki and where we decided to go on our motorcycle. To go in they made me wear a long skirt on top of my leggings, all women have to wear it doesn’t matter what they are wearing. The views from the monastery for me are the best even when it is the lowest and has beautiful frescoes.
Then we went to have lunch in another of the beautiful typical taverns of the village where we shared a platter of stuffed tomato and pepper and a souvlaki of pork, with local rose wine and free ice creams for dessert, all for 23 euros!
And our next stop will be in Agios Serafim beach which you can see in the next post!
