Greece

Meteora

When one thinks of Greece, one thinks of the Acropolis in Athens, the Temple of Zeus, the Oracle at Delphi, the Plains of Marathon, Mount Olympus, the Corinth Cannel, the playing fields at Olympia, the great 4th century BC outdoor theater at Epidaurus, and a host of ruins of the ancient Greek city states.  All of these historic sites are well worth the trip to see the cultural heritage of western civilization, but my favorite spot in all of Greece is Meteora.  Outside the city of Kalabaka, a five hour drive northwest of Athens, stands a monastic community unique in the topography and religious traditions of the world.  Beginning in the eleventh century, Greek Orthodox monks began to migrate to huge rock formations on the northwestern edge of the Thessalian plane where the plane meets the foothills of the Pindos mountain range. The monks decided that they could be closer to God by building primitive sanctuaries at the top of these rock formations.  What has evolved over the next 900 years is a series of monasteries that wonderfully blend the spiritual with the best that nature has to offer.  A friend and I attempted to spend a night in one of the monasteries, but this is not to be done in Meteora.  (We did spend a fascinating night in a monastery near Mount Olympus, watching 30 monks at prayer in a scene out of medieval times and then listened to a prayer throughout a dinner celebration.  This was definitely not something from the usual Greek tourist circuit, but was one of the highlights of our trip.)