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October - November 2021
A 23-day adventure by skip's retirement travel Read more
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  • skip's retirement travelGreece
    Day 4

    Meteora

    November 1, 2021 in Greece ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Here are 3 views of the rock formations above the town of Kalabaka on top of which are 24 monasteries were built. Only 6 remain. (See additional posts.) They are on top of high and steep cliffs as much as 550 meters above the town.
    Caves in the cliffs were occupied as far back as 50,000 BCE, but it isn't until the 9th century CE that there is any record of monks taking up residence. The monasteries were not started until the 14th century when monks needed protection from Turkish invaders.
    I'll visit 4 monasteries: St. Nikolaos and Roussanou today in the rain and clouds; Meteoron and Holy Trinity tomorrow in the sunshine.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelGreece
    Day 5

    St. Nikolaos of Anapafsas, Meteora

    November 2, 2021 in Greece ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

    St. Nicholas dates to the 14th century and is the 1st monastery encountered when entering Meteora. As travelers, pilgrims, etc. began reaching the area, they would rest here. Anapafsas translates to resting.
    The building is located on top of a small rock. So the whole thing is vertical, one room on top of another reached by internal stairs.
    The 1st picture looks across at the monastery while the 2nd looks a bit closer from the access path. The 3rd picture is the top mechanism of the "elevator." Until recently, these monasteries we're not reachable on foot. All things and people were lifted by rope in a mesh or basket.
    The 4th picture is a small side chapel. The 5th and 6th pictures are in the church. Unfortunately, they are dark since I wasn't supposed to take them. I hope you can see some of the incredible detail and beauty in the Orthodox tradition.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelGreece
    Day 5

    Roussanou Monastery, Meteora

    November 2, 2021 in Greece ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

    Roussanou dates to the 16th century (and possibly to the 14th) and is probably named for the 1st hermit monk to settle at the site. This place is still called a monastery for historical reasons, but today it is a convent.
    The current buildings are said to be built on older ruins of what appears to be a church. The monastery is informally known as St Barbara's as her remains are here.
    The 1st picture looks at the buildings upon their rock. The 2nd I call balcony in the clouds. The 3rd picture is a large meeting room adjacent to the church where no photos were permitted.
    The 4th picture is in that great room and is an artist's map of the monasteries of Meteora. The 5th picture is in the same room, and I call it icon with incense.
    The last picture is a look over the side to lower buildings and a bit of the mountain when the clouds lifted a bit.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelGreece
    Day 5

    Varlaam Monastery

    November 2, 2021 in Greece ⋅ 🌧 9 °C

    Here is another 14th century monastery named after the 1st hermit to settle the site, but the monastery as it exists today dates mostly to the 16th century. It sites stop the rock almost 400 meters straight up. This is the 2nd largest monastery at Meteora and perhaps the best known.
    The 1st picture looks up the rock to the monastery from the modern access that includes a bridge and winding stairs up the face of the rock. The 2nd picture is in the main courtyard atop the cliffs. The 3rd picture is taken from the same spot but in the opposite direction, looking at the garden at the entrance to the narthex and church.
    The 4th picture is my best attempt to approach the edge to give a sense of the precipitous cliff.
    The 5th picture is the large narthex outside the extraordinarily decorated church where no pictures were allowed.
    The last is in the museum, down 2 levels from the church. This is the old refectory. The museum houses many artifacts from the monastery, including a significant collection of important manuscripts.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelGreece
    Day 6

    Meteora in the sun

    November 3, 2021 in Greece ⋅ ⛅ 12 °C

    Yesterday's visit was in rain and clouds with all the mystery that can add to photographs. Today is bright sun which gives a whole different perspective to the region.
    As I noted elsewhere, there are 6 active monasteries at Meteora. I visited 5 of the 6. The 6th one is the 1st picture and is Great Meteoron, the oldest and largest of them all. It is dedicated to the Transfiguration and was started in the early 14th century. Unfortunately, they choose to close several days a week after 1 November.
    The rest of the pictures are of the Meteora area. The 3rd picture has Great Meteoron at the top center, Varlaam slightly lower and to the right and St. Nikolai's in the lower left. The 4th picture has St. Barbara to the left and St. Nikolaos to the right.
    The 5th picture is the same 3 monasteries as in the 3td picture. You can just see Great Meteoron peeking around the rock at the top center.
    The 6th picture looks out from the top of the rocks over the valley.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelGreece
    Day 6

    Holy Trinity Monastery, Meteora

    November 3, 2021 in Greece ⋅ ⛅ 14 °C

    Activity on top of this 400 meter high rock dates to the 11th century with building beginning in the 14th century. If any of this looks familiar, Holy Trinity is most photogenic. It has been in a number of movies, perhaps best known in the Bond movie, For Your Eyes Only.
    The 1st picture looks through the gate after climbing the external stairs up the rock to a stone spiral staircase. Before the stairs were cut into the rock, access was 1st by a manually operated winch in the 2nd picture, followed by a cable car across the chasm in the 3rd picture. There is an ancient fresco at the left side of the 2nd picture alongside the balcony.
    Upon entering up that stone spiral staircase, you reach an undercroft that is modern and houses icons like the one in the 5th picture. The last picture is of an icon of the Holy Trinity to whom the monastery is dedicated. I saw this image in enough places to suggest that it might be specifically symbolic of this place.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelGreece
    Day 6

    St Stephen Monastery, Meteora

    November 3, 2021 in Greece ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    This is the other monastery that is now a convent. It was first inhabited by ascetic monks in the 12th century. Building the monastery began in the 14th century and continued through the 16th and reaching it's final, current form and n the 19th century.
    This site is the most easily reached of all the Meteora monasteries. It is at the southern edge of the many monasteries and is at an elevation similar to the nearby. So it can be reached by crossing a short bridge instead of climbing stairs. Much of the place is reconstructed as it was heavily damaged during world war 2 and the Greek civil war. It remained abandoned until 1961 when the sisters began to move in and restore the buildings.
    The 1st picture looks across to the monastery. Unfortunately, it's taken into the sun so it's hard to see. The 2nd picture is in the first courtyard after entering. The 3rd is of the cloister. The 4th and 5th pictures are of the extensive gardens maintained by the sisters overlooking the cliffs.
    The last picture is over the door at the entrance to the church which is the subject if another post.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelGreece
    Day 6

    St Stephen Church

    November 3, 2021 in Greece ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    This is the church in the Monastery of the same name. I may have broken the rules when I took this video, but there was no sign prohibiting photography. An announcement was made later. I decided to risk posting it anyway as I have written about the artwork in these churches. I hope this might inspire some to come to visit.Read more

  • skip's retirement travelGreece
    Day 7

    Thermopylae

    November 4, 2021 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    Does the place name ring any bells? How about Leonidas, the Spartan king who died here after holding off the Persian army for a couple days? This is the place of that famous battle of the 300 vs. thousands in Xerxes' army.
    The 1st picture is from the low ground looking up into the pass. Actually, the ground is as much as 20 meters higher than it was then. So the actual battle space is mostly buried.
    The 2nd picture is the the monument to Leonidas next to the new interpretive center.
    The 3rd picture is of Kolonos Hill where it thought the remainder of the Greeks retreated for their last stand after Leonidas was killed. Here they were surrounded and killed by Persian archers. The 5th picture is the monument atop Kolonos Hill attributed to Simonides that reads "O stranger, tell the Spartans that we lie here, obedient to their words."
    During the Greek retreat, Xerxes tore down part of a protecting wall (Phocian Wall). I'm guessing that the modern wall is about where that wall was located. At least it serves as a reminder.    Read more

  • skip's retirement travelGreece
    Day 7

    Hosios Loukas Monastery

    November 4, 2021 in Greece ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    Esteemed Saint Loukas Monastery named for a local saint (not the evangelist) who first settled in this spot in the 10th century. He was known for prophecy and healing miracles. He began to have followers who grew in number to the point he retreated to the current site.
    After his death, his followers placed him in a tomb and over time, the monastery began and grew. The original building in the 10th century is the church dedicated to the Theotokis (Panagira). It was built over the tomb.
    This is one of 3 Byzantine monasteries in Greece recognized by UNESCO for their importance in Byzantine architecture and decoration.
    The 1st picture is of the central courtyard. The 2nd build is the remains of their old olive press. Olives we're crushed in the vat at the far end then pressed above the circular trench which collected the oil into the recepticle.
    The 3rd picture has some ancient frescoes.
    The 4th picture looks at the Byzantine architecture that became a model for later churches. The 11th century church is in the center, and the 10th century church is to the right. The 5th picture is taken in the 10th century parallelogram-shaped church. The last picture is in the larger 11th century church which contains frescoes and mosaics reminiscent of Hagia Sophia.    Read more

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