Visit Meteora

Patriarchou Dimitriou 2, Kalampaka 422 00, Greece

It is a beautiful melding of natural and manmade beauty. Crowning the tops of mystical rock formations are Eastern Orthodox monasteries, constructed hundreds of years ago. Built by monks who were trying to escape persecution, there were once more than 20 monasteries. Today there are six active monasteries that are accessible to the public, several that are closed, and others in ruins. We stayed in the Meteora area for nearly a week - hiking twice without a guide, and a third time with one. He took us off the well-trodden path, to places where we didn’t see any other hikers for hours. We encountered a tortoise, a viper and butterflies galore. When we arrived at the monasteries and saw the visitors being herded from site to site, then crammed onto tourbuses, we were grateful that we were able to approach the monasteries on foot, and take our visit at a more relaxed pace. My article: http://triciaannemitchell.com/2013/06/20/meteora-hiking-monasteries-greece/ Our video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26J4aOc0oWw

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Hike to Meteora's Magnificent Monasteries

It is a beautiful melding of natural and manmade beauty. Crowning the tops of mystical rock formations are Eastern Orthodox monasteries, constructed hundreds of years ago. Built by monks who were trying to escape persecution, there were once more than 20 monasteries. Today there are six active monasteries that are accessible to the public, several that are closed, and others in ruins. We stayed in the Meteora area for nearly a week - hiking twice without a guide, and a third time with one. He took us off the well-trodden path, to places where we didn’t see any other hikers for hours. We encountered a tortoise, a viper and butterflies galore. When we arrived at the monasteries and saw the visitors being herded from site to site, then crammed onto tourbuses, we were grateful that we were able to approach the monasteries on foot, and take our visit at a more relaxed pace. My article: http://triciaannemitchell.com/2013/06/20/meteora-hiking-monasteries-greece/ Our video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26J4aOc0oWw

Relish the Sunset in Meteora, Greece

As we looked out into the cluster of rugged rock formations being gently highlighted by the setting sun, our Greek host George asked us to observe two minutes of silence. Up until then, we’d been perpetually clicking our cameras’ shutters, focusing upon the magnificent monasteries, and chatting with our traveling companions. Suddenly, the moment became serene, offering our small group the time to reflect on the beautiful changing light. It was then that I understood why the name Meteora means ‘suspended in air’ in Greek. Our customized tour with Visit Meteora took us to off-the-beaten-paths too, as we visited hermit caves and inactive monasteries. My post: http://triciaannemitchell.com/2013/06/22/meteora-monasteries-visit-greece-sunset-tour/ Our video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k53l3YZ6S-Q

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