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Our 2019 Trip to Greece, Part II (The Meteora Monasteries)

The highlight of the entire trip to Greece was experiencing the Meteora Monasteries, which are located in Kalambaka. The Meteora Monasteries are a UNESCO World Heritage site, and a five hour train ride from Athens. I first learned about the monasteries when I was researching the hidden gems of Greece; I came across the most awe-inspiring images of them.

Words don’t do these monasteries justice, but hopefully my images will. Each monastery is built on top of it’s own cliff, and looks as if it is carved into the cliff. During certain times of the day, a dense fog surrounds the monasteries, and they look like they are floating on clouds. It is an unreal sight.

Here are images from part II of the trip!

Stay tuned for part III of the trip, in Athens, which will be posted tomorrow!

<alt>lavender leigh photography's travels to the Meteora Monasteries and Athens, Greece</alt>
A first glimpse at the little town of Kalambaka.
<alt>lavender leigh photography's travels to the Meteora Monasteries and Athens, Greece</alt>
Oikia: our guest house in Kalambaka.
lavender leigh photography's travels to the Meteora Monasteries and Athens, Greece
I was surprised to see the modern amenities in Oikia!
<alt>lavender leigh photography's travels to the Meteora Monasteries and Athens, Greece</alt>
The next few images depict the quaint streets in Kalambaka.
<alt>lavender leigh photography's travels to the Meteora Monasteries and Athens, Greece</alt>
alt>lavender leigh photography's travels to the Meteora Monasteries and Athens, Greece<alt/>
Animal heads for sale on the street market.
<alt>lavender leigh photography's travels to the Meteora Monasteries and Athens, Greece</alt>
For whatever reason, I was obsessed with the idea of bringing the ram and goat heads home. I was given the kibosh.
alt>lavender leigh photography at the Meteora Monasteries</alt>
This is Holy Temple of Dormition of the Virgin Mary. Fascinating back story; it was first created for the Greek pagan religion, and you can see ancient Greek symbols carved into the stone on the outside of the church. You can visually see the transformation of this structure as it was added on to became a Christian place of worship.
<alt>lavender leigh photography at the Meteora Monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece</alt>
Grecian Symbols carved into the stonework of the church.
<alt>meteora monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece</alt>
The Meteora Monasteries all began during the 9th or 10th century when Christianity was in an infancy phase in Greece. Deeply faithful in their religion, Orthodox-Christian hermit monks isolated themselves in the caves of cliffs.
<alt><alt>meteora monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece</alt></alt>
A closer look at the hermit caves. The hermits never descended from their caves: food had to be sent to them via a pulley system. The caves were not tall, so the hermits used the wooden planks to stand on so they could stretch and see the light of day.
<alt>meteora monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece</alt>
Around the 14th century, the hermits began building the monasteries as a place to commune for Sunday worship. They built the monasteries on top of cliffs to become physically and spiritually closer to God.
<alt>meteora monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece</alt>
<alt>meteora monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece</alt>
There are 24 monasteries in total. Of those, only six are still active and open for visitors. Two of the six are convents with nuns.
<alt>meteora monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece</alt>
Some of the monasteries are only accessible via cable car.
<alt>meteora monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece</alt>
<alt>meteora monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece</alt>
<alt>meteora monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece</alt>
<alt>meteora monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece</alt>
A pulley system for the monastery in the picture above.
<alt>meteora monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece</alt>
The fog is so thick, you can barely see the monastery in front of me.
<alt>meteora monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece</alt>
You can see what I mean when I describe the fog as being thick.
<alt>lavender leigh photography at the Meteora Monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece</alt>
<alt>meteora monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece</alt>
That isn’t the sky in the background, it is the fog!
<alt>meteora monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece</alt>
The terrain that we hiked through to get to each monastery.
<alt>meteora monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece</alt>
<alt>meteora monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece</alt>
Climbing the stairs up to a monastery.
<alt>meteora monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece</alt>
<alt>meteora monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece</alt>
The next few images are of what you can find in the interior of the monasteries.
<alt>meteora monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece</alt>
<alt>meteora monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece</alt>
<alt>meteora monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece</alt>
<alt>meteora monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece</alt>
<alt>meteora monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece</alt>
The inside of the monasteries are beautifully restored and kept impeccably clean.
<alt>meteora monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece</alt>
<alt>meteora monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece</alt>
<alt>meteora monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece</alt>
Closing out the day at sunset.
<alt>meteora monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece</alt>
Naturally, I had to get some snaps during sunset.
<alt>meteora monasteries in Kalambaka, Greece</alt>
<alt>lavender leigh photography at the Meteora Monasteries in Kalambaka Greece</alt>
A lovely finish to our visit in Kalambaka.

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