I had an early morning wake-up to catch the train to Kalabaka where I’ll spend the next couple of days exploring monasteries in the area.
Met a couple on the train from San Francisco and it turned out that he was a dog handler with the Federal Police so we chatted about the intricacies of policing in the current climate and how we’re both glad we’re nearing the end of our careers.
As I sat on the train and watched the blurred landscape go by, I saw a mixture of farmland and rocky outcroppings interspersed with lush vegetation. Large hydro wind mills and solar panels dotted the mountain sides.
My afternoon was spent exploring some of the monasteries in the designated UNESCO site of Meteora. The Orthordox Christian hermit monks came to the area in the 9th century seeking seclusion in the nearby caves and would live in complete isolation for years. In the 14th century a monk climbed the second highest pillar to establish the first monastery. Out of the twenty-four monasteries constructed, only six have monks living in them now.
“Humble men lived suspended for centuries between the heavens and earth, perched on the edge of sharp cliffs, glorifying God for He made the earth and heavens by His power. They achieved the impossible of building Meteora monasteries”
The fact that these places were erected by hand doesn’t quite compute in my brain. How is that possible?? The monks built ladders to reach the tops of the pillars and then would lower ropes with a basket tied to the end. At the bottom, the basket was filled with large stones. The basket was then hoisted to the top where the stones would be shaped and used to construct the building. Now that’s dedication!
