:Floating above the clouds like
something out of a fantasy genre are the monasteries of the Meteora - one of
the great sights of Europe.
Built as hermetic retreats during medieval times they cling to the summits of titanic monoliths inducing vertigo in all but the strongest of travellers. There, reached once by nets and ladders, they house chapels, breweries, gardens, cloisters, meditation cells and sweeping views over an astonishing mountain range. But there was something utterly Greek about them – the medieval stone walls contrasting with the sheer rock, the bearded monks themselves and the frescoes and icons. The Meteora is another world of spirituality with just that touch of bleakness and otherworldliness.
The Meteora is one of the most famous and impressive tourist attractions in Greece. The landscape is mind blowing and is a mix of precariously perched medieval monasteries with vertigo inducing rock pinnacles. There are hundreds of plinths and titanic volcanic plugs dotting the landscape. The eye cannot take in the size of these titanic grey cylinders. It's a chaos of pinnacles - thousands of feet high - cones, plugs, and stubby rounded cliffs. It was as if someone had plucked a set of asteroids from the sky and fitted them on earth. Why this area was chosen to build reclusive orthodox monasteries is obvious. The rocks humble man in the presence of Gods wonders.
Strangely enough, there is no Greek myth of these rocks and historians tend to ignore them. The wildness and inaccessibility of this terrain made it a refuge for those fleeing invasions. And later on, during medieval times, they provided refuges to religious hermits and later, monks who foresaked the world hoping to commune with God more clearly in the high air of the mountains. It's this experience that tourists visit the Meteora for today. The chance to experience what those medieval monks did - a sense of awe in one of the most spectacular places in Europe.
Built as hermetic retreats during medieval times they cling to the summits of titanic monoliths inducing vertigo in all but the strongest of travellers. There, reached once by nets and ladders, they house chapels, breweries, gardens, cloisters, meditation cells and sweeping views over an astonishing mountain range. But there was something utterly Greek about them – the medieval stone walls contrasting with the sheer rock, the bearded monks themselves and the frescoes and icons. The Meteora is another world of spirituality with just that touch of bleakness and otherworldliness.
The Meteora is one of the most famous and impressive tourist attractions in Greece. The landscape is mind blowing and is a mix of precariously perched medieval monasteries with vertigo inducing rock pinnacles. There are hundreds of plinths and titanic volcanic plugs dotting the landscape. The eye cannot take in the size of these titanic grey cylinders. It's a chaos of pinnacles - thousands of feet high - cones, plugs, and stubby rounded cliffs. It was as if someone had plucked a set of asteroids from the sky and fitted them on earth. Why this area was chosen to build reclusive orthodox monasteries is obvious. The rocks humble man in the presence of Gods wonders.
Strangely enough, there is no Greek myth of these rocks and historians tend to ignore them. The wildness and inaccessibility of this terrain made it a refuge for those fleeing invasions. And later on, during medieval times, they provided refuges to religious hermits and later, monks who foresaked the world hoping to commune with God more clearly in the high air of the mountains. It's this experience that tourists visit the Meteora for today. The chance to experience what those medieval monks did - a sense of awe in one of the most spectacular places in Europe.
Imagine being a monk in a medieval
Meteoran monastery...
You would wake before dawn, in a freezing cold half
light. Matins said at six o'clock and continuing at regular intervals all day.
All meals taken in silence - and as all food was winched up from below was
pretty basic. An aura of silence permeating the monastery only broken by the
sound of chanting from the chapel. And those winter winds whipping up from the
plain of Thessaly. One wonders why be a monk at all?
Then you see the treasures these monasteries contain. The silverware, the gold embossed bibles and most of all the exquisite frescoes in the chapels. The 14th century icons looking down from domed chapels, the saintly relics, vestments, church vessels and manuscripts written on gold embossed vellum. The monasteries are a little time capsule of medieval life. It is still possible to indulge in travel to a time when life was much simpler and the whole otherworldly bleakness of the mountains adds to the atmosphere. A fascinating and eerie tourist attraction set amongst spectacular crags.
Then you see the treasures these monasteries contain. The silverware, the gold embossed bibles and most of all the exquisite frescoes in the chapels. The 14th century icons looking down from domed chapels, the saintly relics, vestments, church vessels and manuscripts written on gold embossed vellum. The monasteries are a little time capsule of medieval life. It is still possible to indulge in travel to a time when life was much simpler and the whole otherworldly bleakness of the mountains adds to the atmosphere. A fascinating and eerie tourist attraction set amongst spectacular crags.
Only six monasteries are open to the public and the
most popular are Varlaam, St Nicholas Anapavas and the convent of Aghios
Stefanos. Each one is perched on a vertical crag with spectacular views over
the Pindos valley and Kalambaka below. Most open in the morning and charge 2
euros entrance. Most monasteries/convents are still in use by monks/nuns and
you will encounter them on a visit. But a visit to even the smallest one will
show you something of the struggle of a hermit/monks life - their loneliness
and discomfort contrasting with moments of awe and illumination. Facets
reflected in the landscape of the Meteora.
Part of the Meteoras charm is its remoteness. For hundreds of years
there were rumours of floating monasteries and inaccessible mountains. During
the second world war they were used by the resistance against the Nazis, and
the communists used them in the Greek civil war. And although known to TV
documentary makers and travel writers they really didn't get know until
featured in a blockbuster movie back in 1981. When Roger Moore, Topol, and
Carole Bouquet arrived in Kalambaka to make For Your Eyes Only.
They discovered a unique cinematic location which soon became world famous and
part of the Greek tourist circuit.
Two trains a day arrive from Athens' Larisa station
on journey of five hours. The station is in the southeast corner of Kalambaka
and the bus station is in the centre of town. The buses direct from Athens take
about six hours and also connect with nearby Trikala, Ioannina, and Volos.
There is no airstrip or runway in the Kalambaka/Kastraki area. I usedwww.chatours.gr which does overnight trips to the Meteora for about £100 including
four star accommodation.
When you get there reaching the monasteries high up in the Pindos mountains is difficult without your own transport. Local buses drive up to "Great Meteora" and Varlaam monastery in the summer. From there you can follow the tarmac looping roads or cut across country on some of the exhaustive walking trails. There is a trail that runs between Varlaam and Rousseau but it is quite strenuous involving precipitous descents and ascents. An easier one is from Rousseau monastery back to Kastraki village which leads directly through the pine forests and olive groves.
When you get there reaching the monasteries high up in the Pindos mountains is difficult without your own transport. Local buses drive up to "Great Meteora" and Varlaam monastery in the summer. From there you can follow the tarmac looping roads or cut across country on some of the exhaustive walking trails. There is a trail that runs between Varlaam and Rousseau but it is quite strenuous involving precipitous descents and ascents. An easier one is from Rousseau monastery back to Kastraki village which leads directly through the pine forests and olive groves.
No comments:
Post a Comment