Meteora/GREECE

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Near to Holly Space

An Abbey in Meteora

Abbeys in the air

Suddenly you'll see the huge rocks after six hours bus ride from Athens .
(You need to change a bus once at Trikkala.)

Meteora

The name of the place has its origin in the Greek word " Meteron " that means " in the air ". You'll be amazed when you find abbeys on top of those huge rocks as if they were in the air.

Who built them and how?

It was 600 years ago, in the Byzantine Era; monks of the Greek Orthodox Church sought the places for their asceticism. Meteora was found as one of the best places.

It is said that they leaned a ladder against the precipice, dug and drilled the rock wall, carried up materials, assembled a pulley block, then pulled up bags of building materials and daily bread.

All the abbeys still equipped with a kind of pulley block you are seeing in the picture beside. Until 60 years back, not only goods but also monks themselves were pulled up and down along precipice. A man with acrophobia cannot be a monk here ? !

No trousers please!

If you are a woman , go there with a long skirt. A woman with trousers or culottes is not allowed to enter those abbeys. In such case, you'll be requested to come again with proper dress or change with a rental skirt. Therefore, you don't need to worry much.

Also men with short trousers are not allowed but still can wear the skirts.

Business (?) Information

At present, as of May 10 , 1996, you may visit six abbeys in the area. Some of them close during lunchtime. Some close a certain day of the week. The information on opening days and hours is listed below. Please refer to it when you go there.

Megalo Meteoron Abbey

One of the biggest abbeys at Meteora is Megalo Meteoron Abbey. We go up the stairway along the 115m high precipices.

The chain of the students of school excursions going up the stairway looked like a blue ribbon - I heard that May is the month for school excursions in Greece.

The most interesting thing there for me was the kitchen. There were an old kitchen stove and a well which inside I wish I could peek. I felt as if I could smell the living of the monks.

Fee : 600 Drs. ( As of May 1996 )
Open : 9:00 to 13:00 and 15:15 to 18:00 ( Tuesday Closed )

Agios Nikolaos Anapafsas

Fee : 400 Drs. ( As of May 1996 )
Open : 9:00 to 18:00 ( Every day )

Royssanou

Fee : 400 Drs. ( As of May 1996 )
Open : 9:00 to 13:00 and 15:30 to 17:00（ Every day ）

Agia Triada

Fee : 400 Drs. ( As of May 1996 )
Open : 9:00 to 12:30 and 15:00 to 17:00 ( Wednesday Closed ）

Agios Stefanos

Fee : 400 Drs. ( As of May 1996 )
Open : 9:00 to 13:00 and 15:20 to 18:00 （ Monday Closed ）

Kastraki

The small village of Kastraki , its location right under the rocks .

Expenses

Total	33,700 Drs.
Transport	10,400 Drs.
Loding	13,100 Drs.
Food	3,000 Drs.
Fees	2,200 Drs.
Others	5,000 Drs.

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