Meteora, Greece 03 September 2023
The Meteora is a rock formation in central Greece hosting one of the largest and most precipitously built complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries, second in importance only to Mount Athos. The six monasteries are built on immense natural pillars and hill-like rounded boulders that dominate the local area. Between the 13th and 14th century, the monasteries were established atop the rocks. Meteora is located near the town of Kalabaka at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly near the Pineios river and Pindus Mountains.
Meteora was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1988 because of the outstanding architecture and beauty of the complex, in addition to its religious and artistic significance.The name means "lofty", "elevated", and is etymologically related to meteo.
Beside the Pindos Mountains, in the western region of Thessaly, these unique and enormous columns of rock rise precipitously from the ground. But their unusual form is not easy to explain geologically. They are not volcanic plugs of hard igneous rock typical elsewhere, but the rocks are composed of a mixture of sandstone and conglomerate.
The conglomerate was formed of deposits of stone, sand, and mud from streams flowing into a delta at the edge of a lake, over millions of years. About 60 million years ago during the Paleogene period[8] a series of earth movements pushed the seabed upward, creating a high plateau and causing many vertical fault lines in the thick layer of sandstone. The huge rock pillars were then formed by weathering by water, wind, and extremes of temperature on the vertical faults. It is unusual that this conglomerate formation and type of weathering are confined to a relatively localised area within the surrounding mountain formation. The complex is referred to an exhumed continental remnant of Pangean association.
The exact date of the establishment of the monasteries is widely believed to be unknown, however there are clues to when each of the monasteries were constructed. By the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries, a rudimentary monastic state had formed called the Skete of Stagoi and was centred around the still-standing church of Theotokos. By the end of the twelfth century, an ascetic community had flocked to Meteora.
At their peak in the sixteenth century there were 24 monasteries at Meteora in Greece. They were created to serve monks and nuns following the teachings of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Much of the architecture of these buildings is Athonite in origin. Today there are six still functioning, while the remainder are largely in ruin. Perched onto high cliffs, they are now accessible by staircases and pathways cut into the rock formations.
Breakfast at the Grande Bretagne hotel
FULL DAY TOUR TO METEORA BY TRAIN (11HRS)
I will catch the train from Athens Train Station at 07:57 to Kalabaka and admire the beautiful Greek landscapes during the trip.
Arriving in Kalabaka at 12:05 the VIP Limo Mini Bus will be waiting for us at the Kalabaka Train Station with their local, highly educated tour leader which will hold a signboard with my name in order to find me and begin the customized Special Panoramic Midday Meteora Tour.
I will take an amazing 5 hours Meteora tour and see all 6 monasteries and visit inside 3 of them. Our Tour Leader will give us full attention and care as the group will be small. Plenty of photo opportunity stops and many secrets places that only locals know will make this tour a lifetime experience. In the end we will be transferred back to Kalabaka with drop off to the train station. There will be about one hour to shop in the town before boarding the train which departs at 18:22 from Kalabaka arriving in Athens at 22:30.
Dinner will be room service since I will arrve late back at the hotel.
Overnight at the Grande Bretagne Hotel
