Mainland Greece

The past few days, I've branched outside of Athens to explore more of mainland Greece.

Saturday, I took a half day journey to Meteora to see the famous cliffside monasteries. It was 5-6 hours of travel because the normal train route was affected by the recent flooding in central Greece. After a few hours on the train, we transferred to a bus and drove across the remaining mountains and plains. The only hint of flooding was the mud-line on the trees around the river. Evidently we did not drive through the worst hit areas. Something that I didn't appreciate until arriving: the cliffs appear suddenly at the edge of a unassuming plain, making them even more dramatic.

Kalambaka is the base town at the foot of the mountains, and I stayed there for one night. It was a classic small town where everyone knows everyone. The hostel managers also ran the bar/cafe next door, so my checkin orientation was briefly interrupted by a to-go coffee order from someone who pulled up on a motorcycle. The woman in charge effortlessly annotated a map with all the key landmarks, shortcuts, and the bus timetable (all from memory). Her recommendations turned out to be spot on!

Eager to stretch my legs after being confined all morning, I waited for the peak heat to pass, then hiked up to the top of the cliffs near the Agia Triada monastery. The hike was surprisingly doable, and very peaceful. The only disturbance was the occasional tortoise on the trail. The tortoises would quickly retreat into the safety of their shells as I approached. They were a fitting form of fauna for the secluded destination. When I arrived at Agia Triada, it was closed for the day, safe within the shell of its front gate. A friendly cat told me to try again tomorrow.

There are 6 monasteries remaining, out of the original 24. They are connected by a main road that runs along the ridge behind them, an artery for the onslaught of tour buses during visiting hours. However, in the early evening without a bus in sight, it was a tranquil and scenic walk to the Sunset Rocks. The distinctive cliff formations, the clever architecture, and the panoramic views of the valley were delightful. I waited for the sun to set with other eager tourists and a few cats. As the daylight faded, I decided to start the hike down. It was a little scary hiking on the curvy mountain road, as several stretches didn't have sidewalks and it was a longer distance than I realized. As I got closer to town, the warm light of the cozy tavernas helped light the way. I was very relieved to reach Kalambaka, and hungry too. I pigged out, ordering three dishes and wine. Feta with honey and sesame, zucchini balls with tzatziki, and a stew with farmer's sausage. Totally delicious! Across from me, a sly cat snuck a few leftovers from a freshly abandoned table.

The hostel's AC wasn't great, so I didn't get much sleep, but I was still eager for another big day of hiking. Learning from last night's mistake, I caught the bus through the town, hopping off close to the trailhead at the base of St. Nicholas. It felt like a medieval pilgrimage: I started at a wooden monk statue, crossed a stone footbridge, and passed the sparkling wisps of waterfalls. At the top was the Grand Meteora monastery, the first to be built, and the origin of the region's name. Back in the day, the monks would enter by riding in a net connected to a manually operated crane. I was glad for the staircase that now exists! The monastery was extremely beautiful on the inside. Photography wasn't allowed in the church, though I would have liked to take a few pics. Every inch was covered in striking, colorful paintings depicting biblical scenes. Each panel was bordered and captioned (in Greek of course) so it reminded me of a giant comic book. There were also religious relics on display in a small museum. The monastery was built during the Byzantine era in the 1300s, so it has a lot of history for a structure of its size.

From Grand Meteora, I hopped over the next one over, called Varlaam (these two are the largest of the six). It had more great views, though I'm a little uneasy with heights and probably spent less time on the balconies than I should have. Varlaam also had information about monastic life, including their daily routines. Not surprisingly, there are some early mornings and a lot of praying. But they also do miscellaneous tasks during the day, like gardening and beekeeping. Of course, the church artwork of Varlaam was similarly stunning. Those ascetics sure have aesthetics.

Getting a little tuckered out from the hiking, crowds, and heights, I only stopped at one more: St. Stephens, at the far end of the circuit. It is currently a nunnery, and the nuns were strict about the modest clothing requirement. Another female tourist with barely an inch of ankle showing was asked to put on one of their temporarily skirts. It was definitely worth visiting. St. Stephen's had amazing views of Kalambaka and beautiful flowers in the courtyards. I witnessed a nun emerge onto a balcony and hit a bell with a hammer to announce their mid afternoon closure, so I shuffled out and started hiking back to town. Same as the day before, I had an enormous meal, this time featuring sauteed local mushrooms, cheese croquettes, and a refreshing Greek salad. And after this python meal, plus two days of hiking, I napped the entire bus ride back.

The next morning I joined an organized tour group to explore the Peloponnesian Peninsula. The bus made an inefficient trip all around Athens to pick up people from individual hotels, and it appeared many other buses were doing the same. Apparently tourism is around 30% of Greece's GDP, and the mess of buses clogging up the commute hour was a great illustration. Along the way, we stopped at the cursed Corinth Canal, which faced many setbacks in funding and construction. It was started by Emperor Nero, and not finished until the 1890s! And it's too narrow for modern boats, so it doesn't get much usage.

For me, the main draw was the theater of Epidaurus. It's amazingly well-preserved, has world famous acoustics, and is still used for performances today. The thespian in me was ecstatic. What I didn't know until the guide explained, the theater was actually one part of a large healing sanctuary dedicated to the god Asklepios. It's a very isolated place in the mountains that served as a retreat from the bustle of Athens. People with illnesses would bring offerings to the god Asklepios, who would reveal the cure through dreams as they slept at the complex. Almost like an ancient form of telemedicine! Though even if Asklepios was the star, healing was looked at holistically, including mental stimulation - which is how the theater ties in. Fun fact, Asklepios is the guy with the snake staff, and was the origin of the symbol for paramedics and hospitals today.

We stopped for lunch in the port town of Nafplio. Within the tour group, I met a friendly Australian couple who was like-minded about avoiding the tourist trap restaurants. We had a nice lunch together, including a sea bream ceviche and roasted lamb. They travel to Greece every year to visit family, and I enjoyed hearing their stories.

The afternoon highlight was the fortress city of Mycenae. It's much older than the Golden Age of Greece, dating to 1500 BC. The ruins of the fortress had some impressive stone work, including the Lion Gate. The site also includes the tomb of King Agamemnon, hero of the Trojan War. His golden funeral mask was on the display at the museum.

We returned to Athens in the evening. I was staying in a different neighborhood this time, called Pysri, which has a lively restaurant and bar scene. I had a nice moussaka for dinner at one of the quieter places, and watched the cats go from table to table, looking up earnestly at the diners.

On my last day in Athens, I went for a morning run to the Panathenaic Stadium, where the first modern Olympics were hosted in 1896. They open the track for runners in the morning, and there were several other fellow tourist-athletes enjoying the unique setting! The track was partially closed due to an exposition tennis match that had just finished up, and they were packing up the court. But even just being there in a historical place, with giant Olympic rings hovering above, was fantastic. There was also a hidden but very cool museum with all of the Olympic torches and posters on display. Another great contribution of the Greeks to modern society.

I took it easy the rest of the day, starting with a delightful brunch of Greek yogurt and koulori (sesame covered bread rings, bit like a bagel). Then I meandered through the souvenir shops in the Plaka neighborhood and popped into a few archaeological sites that were included in my combo pass. I tried some beer from a local Athenian brewery called Noctua, with some crispy pita and hummus too.

Overall I really enjoyed my time in Athens and the surroundings. I definitely stayed within the touristy areas/sites, so I saw a very narrow slice. The big name sites - think the Acropolis, Meteora, and the Pelopenese - all exceeded my expectations. And the general fun was there: getting lost in the scenic city streets, turning a corner and catching a glimpse of the Acropolis, stumbling across ancient ruins in random pockets, staying cool with frappes and gelato, the joy of a fresh gyro, the street musicians, and of course the pervasiveness of cute cats.