The Metéora is one of the largest and most important complexes of Greek Orthodox monasteries in Greece, second only to Mount Athos. The six monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pillars, at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly near the Pineios river and Pindus Mountains, in central Greece. The nearest town is Kalambaka.
Editor’s note: This is another of Centralia resident Hank Claycamp’s periodic articles about his trips around the world.
Hi folks, well here we are again, Hank and the Divine Lady Linda, back from an almost three- month trip to the Balkans.
The trip included a stop in Amsterdam, Belgium, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania, Greece and finally Montenegro. We then flew from Dubrovnic to Barcelona and Valencia and finally visited our old friends in La Solana, Spain. What a trip!
Anyhoo, here is one painting I liked from the north at Metéora, Greece. This place is famous for its giant sandstone rock formations with monasteries perched on top of them. About six of them are still in existence. The Christian Orthodox built them in the Byzantine era (about the 9th or 10th century).
Now there are steps leading up to them, but in the old days there were ladders or a rope with a hook on a pulley to haul up them up 300 to 500 feet to the rooftops of their temporal world.
The monks believe the more difficult it was, the closer to God you got, and if the rope broke it was God saying it was time to change the rope — demonstrating the fragility of life.
Needless to say, the Divine Lady L chose to take the stairs.
A lot more to come.
