Day 2 - 14th June - Athens to Kalambaka

Day 2 – Athens to Kalambaka

We slept very well, but I was waiting for dawn to break for about two hours. By 5:30am, both Julie and I were up. It was hot in our room, but still dark outside, but dawn was only minutes away now. Julie and I headed in different directions – she turned back up towards and beyond the Acropolis, but I turned the other way and headed for the Panathinaikon Stadium, the beautifully restored stadium from the original 1896 Olympic Games, the first Games of the modern era. It was a magnificent sight. It was just after dawn.

The streets were just beginning to come alive. Cars were driving very fast. Motor scooters were wizzing in all directions. I was very wary of crossing streets before double checking both ways. I passed the magnificent ruins of the famous Hadrian’s Arch (the same Roman Emperor who ordered the massive wall to cut Scotland off from England) and also the ancient ruins of the Temple of Zeus, with the massive columns still standing tall and erect. On my return from the stadium, I managed to catch the ideal view of the great Acropolis and Parthenon through the Arch built in honour of Hadrian.

It was a great piece of early morning adventure and exploration. As I got back, I could see Julie coming from her walk with her massive camera, having discovered the sweeping views of the city of Athens and to the ocean, by walking beyond the Acropolis and virtually to Mars Hill, where the great St Paul stood some 1950 years ago and preached this new Gospel to Gentile hearts that crowded near. We will return to Mars Hill in two weeks time.

Breakfast with the group was a delight. The magnificent spread of Greek culinary delights was a wonderful incentive to want to linger over the meal.

But it was time to pack our bags by 9am, and be ready for the bus at 9:50am for our long drive to Kalambaka. The bus was beautifully air-conditioned. Our guide was Athena, who delighted in giving us some Greek lessons, and some history of her country as we made our way north out of Athens on the motorway. We loved the views of the countryside. The road eventually tracked along the Greek coast for many miles, with panoramic views to the east of the ocean, and rugged coastline, with the island of Evia in full view.

The temperature had risen to over 30 degrees outside. We were okay inside. Just as we departed from the coast, heading now north-west, we were heading for the town of Lamia for lunch. Just on the outskirts of Lamia we stopped to a most magnificent sight – the nesting of two mother stalks – one right on top of a very tall sandstone block tower, and the other on top of what seemed to be an electricity pole where someone had built a flat platform. The stalks had built large nests for themselves, the size of a small bathtub, and hatched their young family. We were happy to withstand the now 33 degrees outside to gaze in wonder at this magnificent sight.

Lunch was great. With Lamia now behind us, we sat quietly in the bus, dozing, staring at the passing scenery until after several hours we arrived at our destination – the beautiful village on the Thessalian plain – Kalambaka.

We booked into our most beautiful ‘Hotel Famissa’, which sets a very high standard for the likes of us. However, the views were even more spectacular! From our second story room, it took our breath away – to have a balcony view of what has to be one of the great wonders of the world – the magnificent ‘Meteora’ – a massive outcrop of a range of sandstone mountain pillars of sheer sides and breathtaking altitudes – and perched on top are the remaining six of the original twenty Monasteries – literally perched on top and right to the edges of the precipices of these wonders that in Australian terms make the three sisters look like dwarfs!

‘Meteora’ is the Greek from where we get ‘meteorite’ – it connotes ‘middle of the sky’ or suspended in the air’.  The Monasteries date back some six centuries, but the earliest Monks to seek refuge atop these massive natural structures date back as far as the 9^th century.

Tomorrow, our pilgrimage will take us to the top, to the Monastery of St Stephen which the one perched precariously nearest our Hotel window, but is something of a speck given its sheer height – our hotel is literally at the foot of these massive sandstone sheer walls.

It was another sumptuous Greek culinary experience for dinner, and within a few short hours we will be queuing for breakfast again! Tonight we go to bed in the lovely village of Kalambaka, on the Thessalian Plain, at the foot of one of the great wonders of the world and a treasure to the Greek Orthodox Church – the ‘Meteora’.

As the darkness fades upon the magnificent Monastery of St Stephen high above (see photo), we send our love to you. Until tomorrow….

KRA