Meteora, Megalo Meteoro and Varlaam

meteora_038b
meteoraThese are in my opinion the two monasteries to visit for those who have little time or prefer to take advantage of the spectacular place to get some beautiful walks. At the worse the Great Meteoro is enough to get a fairly complete idea of how the other monasteries works and their very little spiritual and more touristic/museal atmosphere. Do I sound bad? It gets worse!

[sam id=”7″]

meteora_035The uniqueness and beauty of the place are indisputable and it is easy to understand what may have prompted the hermits to seek refuge here since the eleventh century, using the natural caves scattered here and there, befor starting building 300 years later the monasteries ‘suspended in air’, “which is the meaning of the word meteora. Today, with the endless comings and goings of tourists, the place has become less suitable for those seeking the solitude and recollection which should offer the monastic life. The monks who live here choose to become guardians of history and accept to live in the midst of the business of religion. This is demonstrated by the fact that all the monasteries have an entrance fee (€3 for all of them except the monastery of Agia Triada which is cheaper) and commercial activities like selling souvenirs and knick-knacks take place inside their walls… The most annoying thing though is the discrimination made between the Greek-speaking visitors and others. The entrance fee is only for foreigners! Aaahhh!

Megalo (big) Meteoro


meteora_105
meteora_109meteora_106

The largest of the six visitable monasteries, includes a museum of the resistance against the Italians and made it possible to visit the winery, the old kitchen and the old refectory, now transformed into an exposition of the Greek heroes, a hymn to war really! The frescoes inside the church are spectacular and as I mentioned in the introduction, if you wnat to visit only one monastery, the Great Meteoro is the best choice.
Winter: 9:00 to 16:00 Closed Tuesday and Wednesday
Summer: 9:00 to 17:00 Closed on Tuesdays

meteora_114meteora_122
meteora_137
meteora_131meteora_141
meteora_155
meteora_154meteora_151
meteora_167
meteora_165meteora_162
meteora_171
meteora_158meteora_177
meteora_180
meteora_206meteora_189meteora_205
meteora_193

Varlaam


Second in the list of preferences, the monastery Varlaam. Impressive staircase to get there and as in all the monasteries, at the entrance there are skirts with elastic at the disposal of the ladies dressed in an ‘indecent’ way.
Winter: closed Thursday and Friday 9:00 to 15:00.
Summer: 9:00 to 16:00 Closed on Fridays.

meteora_061
meteora_066meteora_072
meteora_044
meteora_070meteora_055
meteora_048
meteora_078meteora_080meteora_084
meteora_081
meteora_086meteora_090meteora_096
meteora_098meteora_100
meteora_104

[sam id=”7″]