Meteora is a unique place in Greece, where there are high rocky towers and monasteries that rise high above the ground. This incredible scenery has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, attracting thousands of visitors every year. And we're going to be one of them today.
Meteora - Varlaam Monastery
Today we have a wake-up call before 8:00, the schedule is packed to bursting. Apart from Meteora, today we have to get to Thessaloniki, where we have our last accommodation. Thanks to such an early departure, we will only catch the sunrise from Metsovo today.
Good morning, Metsovo
Once we loaded the car, we set off on an hour-long journey full of curves and views of the surrounding countryside. The temples are located near the village of Kastraki, where some still pop into the local babushka to buy a snack for the day. After shopping, we move by car to the first monastery, Agios Nikolaos Anapafsa (St. Nicholas Monastery), which is a good starting point if you want to do a walking tour around a few monasteries like we did. There is a small free parking lot near the monastery, but since this isn't the top spot, people don't hang around much and there is always a place to park.
We will enjoy the views of the surrounding landscape and the columnar rocks and then head up into the clouds to our first monastery. There is a charge of 3 Euros for each entrance to each monastery. For that reason, we only go to the unpaid parts here, as we save the 3 Euros for the better monasteries and this one, as we later find out, is really miniature.
Meteora - Agios Nikolaos Anapafsa - Entrance to the monastery
Meteora - Agios Nikolaos Anapafsa Monastery
Meteora - View from the monastery on the village of Kalabaka
Meteora - Agios Nikolaos Anapafsa - Three Graces
The next monastery on the agenda is the now abandoned monastery of Ypanatis. You have to walk about 2 km to reach it. This is also the reason why there is a minimum of people here. The best view is from the rock opposite, where there is a concrete cross.
Meteora - Ypanatis Monastery
We sit here for a while and then continue along the dirt road to the largest monastery in Meteora called the Great Meteoron. There is also a tarmac road leading to it, where you can drive up to the gate. This is also why there are crowds of people here. We wanted to visit this monastery, but we found out on the spot that it is currently closed to tourists. Hence we move on to the next monastery, Varlaam.
Meteora - The Monastery of Great Meteoron
It is situated on a rock that is 373 m high and this is how I would imagine the Eagle's Nest from Game of Thrones.
Meteora - Varlaam Monastery
Here we go. Women here must wear a long skirt or have a scarf wrapped around their waist, which they sell you at the checkout. There's a lot of people everywhere, so taking a picture without a single person is really an art. We spend about half an hour visiting here, and then we follow the forest trail back to the parking lot to our car, thus completing the entire 5 km loop. Just a funny story, while descending from the monastery, you come across a waste pipe that is leaking and its liquid contents, flowing down the trail you have to follow. And considering the number of people that visit the monastery, it's a non-drying stream.
Meteora - Varlaam Monastery, the way to the main entrance
Meteora - Varlaam Monastery
Meteora - Varlaam Monastery - Work in the Clouds
Meteora - Descent to the parking lot from Varlaam Monastery
It's three o'clock. We've been here almost all day and we haven't seen half of what's on display. You could really spend two days here. But we are now getting in the car and heading towards Thessaloniki, with a small stop in Grevena for lunch and then a shopping trip to Lidl, because tomorrow is Sunday, and I kind of suspect (and confirm) that they will definitely be closed.
Grevena - Lunch
To get to Lidl we used the navigation, which pointed us to a dirt road full of potholes and steep hills. So we had an adrenaline rush before shopping.
Grevena - Dream trip to Lidl
After the shopping we get on the highway and continue towards Thessaloniki. On the way we stop at a gas station to refuel with LPG. That too was not without a funny story. After filling up, the car still showed an empty tank, even after driving a few meters. First we complain about it but after confirming that the gauge would correct itself along the way we went on our way. Eventually turning the engine off and on again helped. Around eight o'clock we are in Thessaloniki. The GPS has guided us unnecessarily into the centre, where a football match is about to start, so the streets are full of cars, people and the resulting traffic jams. Eventually we fight our way through the city and reach our destination. There the owner hands us the keys, we unpack and finish the evening with board games at Ouzo on the balcony of our apartment overlooking Thessaloniki at night.
Soluň - Evening Ouzo party
Tomorrow we will relax at the Pozar Spa, visit the waterfalls of Edessa and finally explore Thessaloniki in the evening.
Useful links:
Hotel Asteri Metsovou
More hotels in Metsovu
Official webpage of Meteora
Comfort Luxury Maisonette
More hotels in Thessaloniki
