My Adventure to Meteora: Part 2!!

So this morning started out with me being woken up by the hotel's wake-up call! Evidently I had set my alarm incorrectly and thus was very thankful I didn't end up missing my bus to Meteora! 

Breakfast at the hotel was pretty nice - typical continental fare with a Greek twist! Like Greek yoghurt, a bowl of olives, hard-boiled eggs, and tzatziki!

Anyways, once our all arrived, we boarded the bus and headed off for the cliffs!!

I cannot even begin to describe how utterly gorgeous these massive, extremely-vertical rock formations were! The way the sun hit some of them and filtered through the trees atop the cliffs simply took my breath away...it was so magical!

As we began to leave the city limits and actually enter into the 'grove' of rocks, we suddenly began to see some of the monasteries! They were truly amazing works of engineering! Some of the structures looked like they literally were about to slip right off the sides! 

...so beautiful!!!!

...'offerings' and flags left by climbers...

Our tour guide said that the first monastery we were going to be visiting was built around the 14th century by the monk Athanasios and was the biggest of the monasteries built in Meteora. Evidently there were, at one time, 60 monasteries!! Yet now there are only 6 still in operation. Can you imagine?!!
Also, he mentioned that Meteora means something akin to 'the place between heaven and earth'....it's easy to see how it got the title. This cliffs are made of sandstone (supposedly there used to be a pre-historic lake in the area and they've found fossils of sea-creatures in the rock pillars), and the way that they just shoot up out of the sea of green below is mind-blowingly beautiful!!

...view from inside our bus...

....CRAZY!!

...the first and biggest monastery we visited!

...the original way they brought in people and supplies!

...inside the monastery was this HUGE cellar! Evidently the monks were known for their wine-making skills ;D

Gorgeous!!

...these were fairly recent frescoes but inside the main chapel of the monastery were even more, older frescoes as well as traditional Greek Orthodox icons, beautiful brass chandeliers, inlaid stone floors, etc. 

Besides the beautiful exterior, it was also an interesting place to walk around for educational reasons! They had a few small museums inside the monastery that held ancient manuscripts, old but beautifully-preserved vestments and liturgical items, old icon paintings, and even a room dedicated to Greek clothing from the early 19th century on - mainly military - complete with photos, old letters, medals, and weapons!

In the end though....it was the view that won out for me... 

Next stop: the female monastery of St. Stephen!

....and it's view? ...yeah didn't disappoint....

And did I consider joining the nun's ranks right then and there? Yes I did.

Their outfits weren't very cute though. But if I could look out at that view everyday, I definitely would be pretty satisfied...

Anyways, after our amazing, phenomenal, awe-inspiring trip through Meteora, we finally had to pull ourselves away and begin the long journey back towards Athens. 

But not before we passed through a flock of sheep and goats!! Yeah Greece!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wm9eg1o3jvw&feature=youtu.be

We also had a break for lunch at this nice, big restaurant that had very delicious food - even though it was like 17 euro for one meal!!! OUCH!! - but it's not like we really had another choice....we were kind of in the middle of nowhere at that point. But we saw numerous more groves of olive trees, cotton crops, and even fields of sunflowers!!

Also, we got to take a brief stop at a Greek Orthodox icon workshop which was SUPER cool! They had some of the artists and wood-carvers out working while a guide explained the process of making the paintings and frames are made as well as how the traditional gold-leaf is applied. It was really interesting!

OH! and we also passed by the modern-day city of Thebes (built on the ancient ruins) and our guide told us all about the story of Oedipus Rex which took place there....very sad :(

Once we made it back to Athens, we all said our goodbyes and I wandered back to Monastiraki where my new hostel is! It's called the Pella Inn and it has a really fun vibe and a FANTASTIC view! I literally look out my window and there's the Acropolis! Awesome!

However, I'll only be able to enjoy it here and there because tomorrow I plan to head out to Cape Sounion and see the Temple of Poseidon that overlooks the sea! Can't wait!

So until then, enjoy my pictures of Meteora and be jealous enough to the point where you buy your tickets to come see it yourself! It's THAT amazing....