Kalambaka, Greece

April 18th - 20th 2011

Kalambaka is a small city about 5 hours by train to the north of Athens. This city is know for its one and only attraction, Meteora!

(Click on any image for a larger picture)

Seeking retreat from the expanding Turkish occupation, the Eastern Orthodox monks found a perfect asylum here. Inaccessible rock pillars scattered over this uniquely sculpted landscape along with caverns and tall terraces provided an ideal place for spiritual contemplation. Although more than twenty monasteries used to perch on the steep rocks, only six remain today constituting one of the most important complexes in the country. ‘Suspended in the air' as the name translates, the monasteries are accessible only by steps cut into the rock formations. So up you climb contemplating earthly matters, but first of all, the impressive views!





You can see four monasteries in this picture.



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The sceneary here is nothing less than breath taking. We took a taxi ride to the top most monastery called the Great Meteora and walked back through the winding roads and hiking tracks through thick bushes passing through each of the monasteries. The views were amazing in any direction we turned.



From every monastery, the views are just beautiful. It's said that the saints came to these monasteries to avoid distraction of the world. Anil questions that, as the beauty around here in itself is a big distraction. Neverthless, the monasteries are very peaceful and serene.


Our engineering minds could not stop wondering about the haulage of construction materials to the top when they were built 600 years ago. Today, these monasteries that are still operational are more a place of interst to the visitors.


The old town of Kalambaka in itself is a place to marvel. An old town with narrow path ways lined with old brick and tile houses and a smoking chimney. It is quite an experience to walk through these streets. It reminded us of home and our childhood memories!
The newer side of the town has lots of cafes, parks with fountains and ofcourse plenty of views from anywhere. The main street called the 'Trikalon' runs the length of the town and is completely lined with shops. We wondered why every second shop was either a shoe shop, a bakery or a chemist. The slow paced town offers plenty of time to relax and unwind. So much that we were scratching to spend a couple of spare hours we had today. That is when we realised how busy we have been lately that running around every minute has just become a part of life.



This was the view from our hotel balcony. When we arrived we were so excited about it. The second day, after visiting the monasteries, it was just another view. The Meteora just blew our mind. Infact, these photographs don't do justice. You can never capture the marvel of nature in a camera.
Our Greece experience without a mention of Greek cuisine is incomplete! We loved the Soulakis, Greek Salad, Baklava and a bit of Mousakka. Even the Pizza and Pasta tasted so good here that we're wondering what to expect in Italy! All in all, we had a great time and a wonderful experience during our stay in Greece. Any day, we would love to come back again.