"On the side" to Meteora for geography and to Delphi for history
Itinerary and Notes
2 nights, 1 full day -- Meteora (north central Greece)
2 nights, 1 full day -- Delphi (south west central Greece)
Meteora: Long train ride to Meteora; Laurie's foot in dire straits so walking painful (Ibuprophen please!); booked onto a "sunset tour" to see the monasteries on top of the rocks; amazing geography; tour "meh"; visited 2 monasteries and stopped at a number of viewpoints, tried for a sunset view but threatening rain; late dinner in a great restaurant; next day, Len hiked around valley and towards the top while Laurie took local bus (footpain) to the top; still a lot of rain and thunder/lightning storm; too many tour buses and people to go into main monastery.
Delphi: Had to take 2 trains back towards Athens (2 hour layover in a almost-creepy deserted village); got off in small town then took 35 minute crazy taxi-ride to Delphi (130 km/hr on windy mountain highways--thought we were going to die...really!); cute little town perched on the mountainside; spent the whole next day on Delphi temple site and museum; really great dinner with amazing, surreal view!
Bus to Athens; wanted to have one last souvlaki dinner but got caught in a demonstration where police had closed plazas, metro and streets surrounding crowds; to avoid the chaos, we had to take a taxi directly to airport.
Final trip thoughts:
We are definitely pleased with the places in Greece we chose to visit and how it all turned out. Geographically, Greece is a beautiful country and its people are friendly. But everything looks rundown, delapidated (and so much graffiti) or deserted...the country's infrastructure definitely needs a lot of work. We only hope they can solve the economic crisis that threatens this beautiful country. We encourage everyone to visit Greece and spend their tourist dollars! The people will be grateful!
Photos
- Once you got up to the top, you still had to walk up stone paths and stairways to get to the monasteries
- There are six remaining inhabited monasteries...yes, people actually live up there!
- But what a view!!!
- One of the bigger monasteries. All are open for the public to visit.
- Stunning views!
- Gotta get a "tourist" shot..NO. NO SELFIE STICK!
- Stormy weather on its way!
- These "cliff condos" were built for workers of the monasteries and also a prison (escape is futile!)
- The town of Kalambaka at the base of the surreal rock formations
- sometimes a whole building can be built into the cliff face
- Yes, these are bus tourists lined up to get into the monastery! Scratch that one off the list!
- Monks and nuns lived their lives there in relative isolation...excpet now there are so many tourists paying to visit, they are g
- we found out many monasteries connected a line between so they could send messages...before cellphone of course!
- What a view! The green spilling through the valley below is apparently one continuous olive orchard--the largest in Greece
- Handsome guy at the Temple of Apollo from 4th C BC
- Our last Greek meal, with a view to die for...great way to end!
- Temple of Apollo ruins in Delphi, from 4th C BC
- Standing where men in togas once stood!
- Temple of Athena, a nearby free site that was virtually deserted
- Ancient stadium at the Temple of Apollo
- Temple of Apollo ruins...so much history here