10 days in Greece: Meteora


Meteora is definitely a magical place. Its meaning defines perfectly what we will find there, since Meteora means "rocks in the air". A set of fascinating rock formations created under the sea 30 million years ago that were discovered when lowering the sea level. The morphological structure and perhaps its proximity to the sky, made many monks consider this place ideal for meditation and built monasteries on these high rocks. Currently 13 of the 24 original monasteries are still standing, 6 of which can be visited.

Meteora es sin duda un lugar mágico.  Su significado define perfectamente lo que encontraremos allí, ya que Meteora significa "rocas en el aire". Un conjunto de fascinantes formaciones rocosas creadas bajo el mar hace 30 millones de años que quedaron al descubierto al bajar el nivel del mar. La estructura morfológica y tal vez su cercanía al cielo, hizo que muchos monjes consideraran este lugar ideal para la meditación y construyeran monasterios sobre estas rocas elevadas. Actualmente quedan en pie 13 de los 24 monasterios originales, 6 de los cuales se pueden visitar.




We flew from Milos to Athens because we wanted to make the most of the day, and there were only boats in the afternoon. The flight was also cheaper than the ferry, € 44 with Olympic Air. Milos airport is definitely an experience in itself. It is so small that the same person does the checking, the control of luggage and the one of passports! There is only one boarding gate and one small runway where only propeller planes land.

De Milos volamos a Atenas porque queríamos aprovechar bien el día, y solo había barcos por la tarde. Además, el vuelo nos salió más barato que el ferry, 44€ con Olympic Air. El aeropuerto de Milos es sin duda una experiencia en sí mismo. Es tan pequeño que la misma persona hace el checking, el control de equipaje y el de pasaportes! Solo hay una puerta de embarque y una pequeña pista donde solo aterrizan aviones de hélice.





We hired a car at Athens airport and drove about 5 hours to Meteora. The route is very simple, practically everything straight. As you move northward, the Greek crisis becomes more present. Countless abandoned buildings and gas stations, abandoned houses, etc. The truth is that we were quite shocked. In the islands the crisis is not appreciated in this way. Important tip: during practically the whole journey, there are no gas stations inside the highway. You have to get out of it. Keep it in mind if you are running low on fuel. Same to find service areas.

En el aeropuerto de Atenas alquilamos un coche y conducimos unas 5 horas hasta Meteora. El trayecto es muy sencillo, prácticamente todo recto. A medida que avanzas hacia el norte, la crisis griega se va haciendo más presente. Innumerables edificios y gasolineras abandonados, al igual que ocurre con muchas de las casas. La verdad es que nos impactó bastante. En las islas la crisis no se aprecia de esta manera. Consejo importante: durante prácticamente todo el trayecto, no hay gasolineras dentro de la autopista. Tienes que salir de ella. Tenedlo en cuenta si vais con poco combustible. Lo mismo para encontrar áreas de servicio.





To visit Meteora you must spend at least one night in the area. The nearest villages where you can stay are Kastraki and Kalambaka. Kalambaka is bigger and Kastraki is closer. In any case, it is easy to reach the set of monuments from both towns. We stayed in Kastraki at this hostel with rooms with wonderful views.

Para visitar Meteora deberéis pasar al menos un noche en la zona. Los pueblos más cercanos donde podéis alojaros son Kastraki y Kalambaka. Kalambaka es más grande y Kastraki está más cerca. De todas formas, es fácil acceder al conjunto de monumentos desde ambos pueblos. Nosotros nos alojamos en Kastraki en este hostel con habitaciones con unas vistas maravillosa.





We saw 4 of the 6 monasteries of Meteora: St. Nicholas, Roussanou, Varlaam and Great Meteor. The most famous are Great Meteor and Varlaam, mainly for its size. In all, except in San Esteban, it is worthwhile to enter: they have small churches completely covered with frescoes of the XV and XVIII centuries and incredible views of the rocks and other monasteries. I personally liked the small ones more than the big ones. They have more charm and can be visited more intimately. The price for each monastery is € 3.

Nosotros vimos 4 de los 6 monasterios que hay: San Nicolás, Roussanou, Varlaám y Gran Meteoro. Los más famosos son Gran Meteoro y Varlaám, principalmente por su tamaño. En todos, menos en el de San Esteban, merece la pena entrar: tienen pequeñas iglesias completamente recubiertas de frescos de entre los siglos XV y XVIII y vistas increíbles sobre las rocas y los otros monasterios. A mi personalmente, me gustaron más los pequeños que los grandes. Tienen más encanto y se visitan de forma más íntima. El precio a cada monasterio es de 3€. 





Regarding the clothes for visiting the monasteries, you must wear your shoulders covered - no sleeveless shirts or suspenders - long pants men and women long skirts. But at the entrance they give men's pants and women's skirts to put on their clothes, so don't worry.

Respecto a la ropa que llevar para visitar los monasterios, hay que llevar los hombros cubiertos –nada de camisetas sin mangas o tirantes–, pantalones largos los hombres y faldas largas las mujeres. Pero en la entrada dan pantalones para hombres y faldas para mujeres para ponerse encima de la ropa, así que no hay que preocuparse.






Happy week! Soon I will bring you all about our last stop of the trip, Athens.
Feliz semana! En breve os traeré nuestra última parada del viaje, Atenas.

- end of the obsession - 

10 comments

  1. Oh, how beautiful! It's hard to believe such a place exists!! #feetdotravel

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  2. Wow! This place is gorgeous! You captured it beautifully with your photos!

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  3. Amazing pictures, Midori - Meteora definitely a wonderful place for a photographer. Nice post too - thanks for sharing!

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  4. Great photos and an amazing destination - Meteora is somewhere that I have wanted to visit for a very long time! You guys have managed to fit so much into your trip! Do you know if it's possible to spend a night at any of the monasteries?

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  5. Great photos and an amazing destination - Meteora is somewhere that I have wanted to visit for a very long time! You guys have managed to fit so much into your trip! Do you know if it's possible to spend a night at any of the monasteries?

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  6. The monasteries are in incredible locations. Your pics are fantastic!

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  7. I've never seen rock formations like these, I would love to visit Meteora one day! Your pictures perfectly captured the beauty of this place :)

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  8. Really like the look of this place Midori. Just spent a week in Athens - it was mega hot (41c+) and would have loved to get out of the city to cool off. Next trip I’m going to have to check this place out as my girlfriend would love it here.

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  9. When planning our trip to Greece, I had been told by several people that we should see Meteora. Unfortunately, it didn't work into our schedule. After seeing your pictures, I'm even more disappointed that we didn't go there!

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