We finished our time in Greece with a visit to Kastraki, a quaint little village surrounded by sheer sandstone cliffs. On top of the cliffs perch eastern orthodox monasteries which are known collectively as ‘the Meteora’. In the times before tourists the monasteries were accessible only by undertaking a slippery climb that was fraught with peril at every step. This made the monasteries easy to defend and tested the faith of those who wished to reside there.
The hermit monks who lived there were seriously cool and surprisingly communal. They led political resistance movements, fought in armies, were skilled craftsmen and were significant collectors and creators of literature. They also knew how to have an incredibly good time, judging by the wine cask the size of a living room. We have had to revise our impressions of hermits and monks significantly.
Getting to the monasteries was half the fun... especially scaring the tourists coming off the tour buses when you emerge from the bush covered in half a jungle and panting maniacally.
The views made all the walking totally worthwhile
The monasteries were pretty cool. Unfortunately no photography allowed inside, so you will just have to imagine the room of monks skulls, the floor to ceiling murals and cool monk weapons.
But eventually the monasteries closed and apart from the awesome food there's not much else to report from Meteora.
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