26th and 27th of March, 2022.
Kassi comes by and we start talking. She is very impressed about my travels and life style and she really wants to help. But unfortunately she says that because the house where she is leaving belongs to her father, she doesn’t feel right to simply let me camp in the garden for the night. So she tells me she called the camping site and it is only 8 Euros for a tent per night, and she insists that she take me there and pay for the night. At the beginning I refuse, of course, but then I notice that she really just want to help, so I take it. I could take a shower, and relax for tonight, getting prepare for exploring Meteora tomorrow, and I can leave my backpack in there so I have no worries.
De drive is not long but it gives us time to chat a bit more. Kassi is very calm and kind, plus she has a good heart. We talk about so many different things and it is weird when I have to say goodbye to her.
The camping place is huge! There is a lot of space for tents and campervans. A lot of space for cooking and chilling too. The bathrooms are big and they have also fresh water. At the restaurant there is wi-fi so after putting up my tent and cleaning up myself, I come there to check my emails, publish on my blog, write about today and to watch the film 300 before visiting Sparta.
It might sound silly but even though it is not a great film, much unrealistic, still is the best one when it comes to Sparta. And I really like the style, very peculiar. I know that the director Zack Snyder is know for his different style on directing films, but in this case, I believe that the style of the film it has a lot to do with the story he is telling. The myth of the Spartan soldiers is something really interesting and to simply roll that in an ordinary style film it would have been a mistake. And I don’t even like other movies from Snyder, but this one it is cool. And not only in cinematography terms. Laugh.
There is a lot of people around. People making barbecue, people singing, people chatting. What is happening? Did I miss something? OK, I have only been to small number of camping places but no one of them was this busy.
Unfortunately I cannot finish watching the movie because they close the restaurant at 11 p.m. There are plugs in each camping spot, which is very cool, but it is not close enough so I can sit around and finish my film down there.
Next morning I leave around 9 o’ clock. From the camping site the starting hiking point of Meteora is really nor far. Of course that after that, to hike the whole site it takes a lot of time, but let’s not get to that yet…
The camping site is located in a village, not Kalabaka small town but Kastraki village. Now, I don’t know about the prices of food in Kalabaka but here, in the small markets, vish, it is a steal! I have 2 Euros left from the change of 10 Euros which Kassi gave me last night. Can you imagine how much food I could get for that in a regular supermarket in a medium size town? I could get fruits, yogurt and some bread. But here? All I get is a traditional Greek Tiropita. A cheese pie very similar to the Burek, from the Balkans.
I take a short cut through the mountains so I avoid to take the tarmac road. Do the same! It is the little path going right way from the Museum of Geological Formations of Meteora. It starts as a local street, but soon it turns into a path into the nature. Just follow it and you will get to the main road, almost in front of the starting point of the trail. I could not find a good map online of the site so I drew a map myself. At the camping they also give you a quite nice map anyway.
Ah, Meteora! Since the beginning I already feel I will love this place! When you come out to the main road, to your left side is locate the Holy Monastery of Saint Nicholas. I didn’t go that way. To your right side, after only a few metres, it starts the trail up to the Monastery of Varlaam and the whole Meteora site. Be aware: there are no sign indicating the start of the trial. Weird, right? I though so too. And for my luck, there was a group of tourists, with a tour guide, listen to his speech, waiting to enter the trail, so I just followed them.
After that, don’t worry! The trail is well marked. But it is also very steep in some points, so be prepared! It is gorgeous, though! All surrounded by trees and plants, small streams and a lovely small stone bridge. You can take photographs of Holy Monastery of Saint Nicholas at some point of the trail.
Soon enough you will get to the base of Varlaam Monastery. You can see the monastery itself and the bridge which connects to the ground. Well, not the ground, but you know what I mean. You don’t?
Meteora Monasteries were built here and in the pic of the mounts for a reason. The purpose was to hide from the Ottoman Empire. Now, don’t ask me how they manage to build about 20 monasteries in the top of these lovely mounts back in the 14th Century, but, quite a few of them are standing still and receive many tourists every year. So, there! Now you know that you need a suspension bridge to have access to the monasteries. At least nowadays, the tourists need. I am sure that back in the 14th Century, the priest have found another solution otherwise that would have made a bit too easy for them to be discovered and killed.
Back to the base from where you can take a rest and look up to Varlaam Monastery, there is a staircase on your right site, leading to another staircase, the one which leads to the entrance of the monastery. Take this one and it will save you some more walking.
Foreigners need to pay to enter the monasteries while Greeks don’t. I agree that Greeks don’t need to pay. In my opinion, that motivates the locals to get to know more about their own culture. But honestly? Why should anyone pay to visit a monastery? Or a church? These places were not built with this purpose. How can you deprive someone of seeing such an important historical place, which was built for worship and faith, by charging a ticket? Oh, yeah, I know that there are costs to keep the place and to care after all these tourists come by. But don’t fool me! Is that need millions in repair and maintenance? Because I am sure that these are the numbers they reach with the tickets.
Anyway, of course I refuse to pay. One more thing: in many monasteries and churches in Greece (if not in all of them) the restrictions about clothes go a bit further then simply covering shoulders and knees. I mean, at least for the women, of course. Do you remember, centuries ago, back in the time where women had even less rights then now, when we were treated like a big nothing (even more than now), and we were NOT ALLOWED to wear pants, only dresses or skirts? Yeah, so in Greece’s sacred places, the women HAVE to tide something around their waste, like a scarf or a jacket, anything that imitates a skirt. Are you fucking kidding me?
In front of Varlaam Monastery there is a big rock formation, with a small parking lot, from where you can take some really nice photographs of you in front of it. From here you can walk towards The Great Meteoron Holly Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Saviour. Holly Guacamole! What a long name for a place! Anyway, I didn’t walk until there because I would not pay to visit and you can get some nice shots (probably better ones) even before getting there.
I walk in the opposite direction, towards the main observation deck. At least that is what google says. This view point is located right in front of the biggest rock formations of Meteora, altogether, so it looks amazing and it is a great point for a photograph. But be prepared to have a lot of people around you and most likely in your shot, unless you have time and patience to wait for a long time until you get a gap in between people and have the place for yourself. I was somewhere in between this two options.
Now, from here you can walk to another view point, very close to this one, which in my opinion also it worth the view. It gives you a different angle from the rocks and the monasteries. And it is much less crowded, with an option of climbing down a little, by your right side, where you can enjoy some peace without people around you. Just sit and relax, admiring and enjoying the amazing view of the magical Meteora.
For different and stupid reasons, I decide not to walk to the Monastery of the Holy Trinity and St. Stephen. Even though I would not pay to go inside, I regret now, looking at the short distance between them and where I was, for not having “pay” a visit. Laugh. But I was already walking for about 4 hours, I had finish my water (yeah, stupid, I told you), and I was pretty sure that the sun was giving me some marks already. So I take my way back to the camp, through the road this time, as a short cut, and not all the way back through the trail.
Back at the camping, I finish watching 300, check emails and stall for a while until it gets a bit dark so I can get out of town and make my camp. Yeah, I have decided to spend another night around here because then tomorrow I can make all the way to Athens, where my CS hosts are waiting for me. I should have considered that and stay a bit longer at Meteora. I guess you really never stop making mistakes, does not matter how much travel experience you have.
The mother of the brothers and sister responsible for the place live on the second ground of the restaurant. And she is sitting around there. She seems nice and friendly and even ask me a few questions. Because of that, I decide to ask her if she has some food, some left overs from lunch or something. I am not asking to stay another night in the camping for free, which I could, so I thought that at least some food I could ask. She prepares me a sandwich, and also gives me an orange and a incredibly delicious cake. It is super yellow, like corn cake, but it taste Loki knows what. It is fluffy and juicy… yummy!
A bit before I leave the place, she tells me there was a person in the phone looking for a Greek girl. Well, at least that is what I understood. But since I am not Greek, I don’t pay much attention.
When I am walking down the street, somebody calls my name. It is Kassi, across the road at her car. At first I think it is just a big coincidence. It is not. She was the person calling the camping site, asking for a Brazilian girl, me. But she is Greek and that is what the elderly lady meant. Go figure…
Kassi invites me for a coffee. We pass by her house to grab her son, Kosmas, and there I meet also her husband. He gives me a slice of his birthday cake, which was yesterday, and it is a yummy chocolate cake! Today is my yummy cake day!
We have our coffees at a park where Kosmas can play. We chat for about one hour or so and then I have to go. Before I leave, Kassi gives me a bag fool of goodies and some Greek food. Plus another bottle of water. I am settle for the next days.
When I am making my camping in a open area, an elderly man from the house just beside it, comes and asks me what I am doing. Well, I assume that that was what he asked because it was in Greek. He was not very pleasant. I don’t know if he understood me either but after I tell him what I am doing, he leaves.
10 Years Around the World 