Meteora Monasteries – The gems that didn’t stay hidden

High up in the sky we were, trying to drive through the clouds and rain. The road was so foggy that we could barely see past a couple meters ahead but we knew where we were, up in the mountains. I clutched the steering wheel as firmly as I could and tried to forget that the truck right behind us was getting dangerously close to our rental car.

Usually, I would have swerved to the right, which seemed to be a common move in Greece to let other drivers know they could overtake one car, even when common traffic rules would have advised against it. This time, one wrong move would have sent us down the cliff so I stuck to the rules and kept on driving slowly. We still had a long way to go from the coastal town of Galaxidi to our destination. The Meteora monasteries had better be worth it!

Clouds eventually cleared up and the rest of the road turned out to be much safer as soon as we left the mountains. Glimpses of sunshine lit our surroundings every now and then, like glimpses of hope that the weather would get better along the way. Three hours later, sky was still as threatening. Piles of black clouds were lingering over the top of rock formations so massive and out of this world that they would have seemed threatening even under a deep blue sky.

We stopped in the village of Kastraki only to check-in at our guesthouse and get a map of the area. It seemed hiking was one of the best ways to discover the monasteries. Yet, one look at the angry clouds above our heads was enough to convince us to choose the easy way out and get back in our car.

The closest monastery was only a short drive away and we got there in less than two minutes. The parking lot was empty, save for one other car and a couple bicycles. Agios Nikolaos Anapafsas stood on its own at the entrance of the road leading to the top of the rocky formations.

Its unassuming location might have been one of the reasons why it seemed so disregarded by most tourists, whose cars we could see going up. The seemingly endless stairs leading to it could also be an explanation. Yet, as tired as we were by the end of the stairs, the surreal landscape around us redeemed our effort entirely.

We paid a 3€ entrance fee before accessing the monastery's inner parts and I had to pick up an obligatory long skirt before walking in. On the inside, hand-painted frescoes were covering the walls. Their colours had faded a bit since the 15th-century but their details remained vivid. We then took a quick glance into the residing monk's room. A large window was overlooking the countryside down below. Further away, a terrace built on the cliff gave us a panoramic view on another monastery.

The Holy Monastery of Roussanou would have been our next stop, had it not been closed. Had we done our homework too, we'd have known that each monastery closed one day a week. Wednesday was Roussanou's closing day. Fortunately, all the other monasteries were open so we kept driving until we got to a hairpin turn. On our left, a sign indicated the Megalo Meteoro or Great Meteoron. No monastery could beat such a grandiose name so we turned left.

A swarm of coaches and cars could be seen in the distance, prompting us to stop first at a monastery standing opposite the Great Meteoron. The Holy Monastery of Varlaam was much bigger than Agios Nikolaos and boasted a small museum as well as an old tower formerly used by monks to ascend to the monastery and descend from it.

The main church stood next to a charming little courtyard whose terrace gave yet another splendid view on the strange rocky peaks protruding in the horizon. Within the church, a couple tourists were admiring the frescoes, barely disturbing its contemplative atmosphere.

Meditation was but a distant dream as we later approached the Megalo Meteoron. The narrow, winding road leading to the highest rocky outcrop of the Meteora mountains had turned into a traffic-jammed highway. Cars were parked on all sides of the road and we got stuck for a moment waiting for bus drivers to manoeuvre their vehicles out of the way. All that was missing was a red light and zebra crossings, so much for a spiritual retreat.

In truth, the Great Meteoron had not completely stopped being a holy sanctuary but it sure no longer was a shelter away from earthly realities. There was no denying that the monastery was imposing with its lofty buildings stretching across the mountain and flamboyant frescoes, some of which were even being repainted fresh and new at the time of our visit. Bigger, older, higher than all the others, it truly deserved its name. Yet, the overwhelming queues rushing into the church made it hard to even access the splendid frescoes within and the soothing inner gardens were all but quiet and peaceful anymore.

As we got out of the biggest monastery of all, we decided to call it a day but the views on the Varlaam Monastery down below were so stunning that we stuck around for a bit. Sitting alone on the edge of a marble-like rocky outcrop as if almost suspended in the air, under a stormy sky, the monastery looked like a painting. Back at our guesthouse, as night was falling, we still couldn't take our eyes off the foggy silhouettes of the Meteora rocky formations.

The next day, the weather was unchanged. We drove back to the crossroad leading to the Great Meteoron and decided to turn right this time, heading for the Agia Triada. The Holy Trinity Monastery was closed on Thursdays but we pulled over anyhow to admire it from afar. Clouds were hanging on the mountain tops all around but the landscape was far from gloomy. Instead, it seemed we were looking at a real-life Japanese ukiyo-e painting, a genuine picture of the floating world.

Down the road was the last monastery we'd visit, the Monastery of Agios Stephanos. A few tourist coaches were already there and there was a queue on the stairs leading to the entrance of the monastery, even though day was still young. It seemed that no matter at what time we'd plan our visit, crowds would always beat us anyhow.

In the end, whatever our reasons were, we tourists were probably all right to come flock the Meteora Monasteries. Some hidden gems are not meant to stay hidden forever.

 

 

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