Meteora is effectively a number of sediment towers formed by a surging river 25 million years ago which has since dried up in the green leftover valley. The remaining rock pinnicles have been converted into remote monastries although only 6 of the original 24 still stand today. The largest of these is Metamorphosis which is also the highest and arguably the best to visit too. The complex consists of a church (obviously), living quarters, a kitchen, blacksmiths, museum, viewing platform and a wierd ossuary with the skulls of all the former priests on show.
Dotted around Metamorphosis are the monastries of Varlaam and Agios Nikolaos, each with some sort of trail leading up to the hill followed by steps cut into the rockside to reach the top. These have replaced the old way to get up - by getting winched up in a sack or climbing a retractable ladder. I can't say I would fancy either of those options.
Further along the valley, via a breathless climb, are the final three monastries of Roussanou, Agia Triada and Agios Stefanos. Reaching these on foot is a long but glorious task which takes in some stunning views along the way which are missed by all the coachloads of tourists who take the road instead. The forest covered hills are full of black squirrels, one of which dropped a nut almost on my head and then had to wait around nervously for me to leave before sheepishly retrieving it.
I spent my last day in meteora hiking around some of the remaining rock spires with their oblong caves naturally formed by erosion. There are some great views to be had along the way and many of the caves have been turned into homes before being abandoned and left to rot away.
After Meteora, I took a day of hiking at the legendary Mt Olympus on the east coast of Greece and drove through the winding roads of the Olympus National Park towards the hiking base camp of Prionia. Once you get a gap in the trees, you get a great view out over the plains below and the sandy coast which is only a short drive away.
Before you get to Prionia, there is a turn off you can take to the little Monastery Of Dionysios which is in a mixture of restored stonework in the centre and complete ruin around the outside. The main river from the top of the mountain flows past here in a series of picturesque little waterfalls and colourful pools. I later decided to take a wash in one of these inviting pools only to find out the hard way that the water is absolutely freezing. A short hike along the riverside, brings you to some sort of holy cave, complete with holy chapel, holy water spring and holy candles to see it. The cave doesn't stretch back very far but you can shuffle nervously along the rocks by candlelight and follow the source of the spring water.
Climbing up the mountain itself is good fun and the trails are well marked with a stopping-off cabin near the summit. Unfortunately, the dense forests make the view limited for long periods of time and it doesn't quite live up to the High Tatra Mountains in Slovakia.
I guess I had hoped for some ancient Greek magic at the home of the gods but it doesn't quite measure up and I was glad to be back on the road to Bulgaria again... even if that road was bleeding me dry of Euro's.
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