From the Earth and Stone

So I've always had a respect for religious institutions, no matter what denomination or faith; this beauty is literally "hovering in the sky", hence its name: Meteora.  What is this religious site?  It's actually a group of monasteries, around 20 to be exact, built at a staggering height of 1,800 feet above ground.  As the centuries have passed by only 6 of these buildings remain, four inhabiting men while the remaining two only consist of women.  Don't think there are many monks who live in those buildings now, only about 10 braves souls inhabit each monastery. 

Besides the sheer uniqueness and height that these monestaries offer, their history is just as interesting.  I won't bore you with the details seeing that all that can be found at your fingertips, but a few interesting facts follow.  First monks began the cliff side climbs in the 9th century up these giant rock towers and occupied various hollowed out points along the way.  The date of which the monasteries were erected is unknown, but by the 14th century, a small community of monks had developed in the earthen pinnacles.  Now this is the most interesting thing I found out: aside from those first few monks who were courageous enough to make it up the cliffs by hand in the beginning, the ones that followed in the upcoming centuries had to climb a rope ladder.  Can you imagine climbing up 1,800 feet on a ladder that God knows how old it is?  The rope ladder was quite the ingenious idea, especially with the fighting that broke out along the centuries; when the monks learned of any wars or aggression, they would pull up the ladders and isolate themselves from the world below.  Thankfully you don't have to worry about that now; since Meteora is now officially a UNESCO site, stairs have finally been carved into the rock to help you reach the top of this monastic community. 

Aside from the monasteries and the history found within their walls, there are other activities you can do while there, such as trekking, rock climbing, etc...  There are a few surrounding towns that offer modern accommodations you can enjoy before trekking up the rocks to the centuries old time warp.  When you get up there with cameras, iphones and tablets in hand, take note of the irony of it all; those monks created that community to get away from worldly distractions, and it's those same distractions that have memorialized its beauty.  Interesting no?  Just a thought that came to mind.  

Keep in mind however, that when you decide to visit, all the monasteries are not on the same pieces of rock; depending on which one you wish to visit will depend on the height that you'll have to climb.  I'd like to say that this site isn't often visited so as to help preserve its mystique, but it's now become a big tourist attraction in Greece.  In the end, its popularity isn't a bad thing especially with the Greek economy how it is, but if I could be selfish and keep one place stowed away, it would be Meteora.