Friday 27 November 2015

Meteora: arrival

12 Nov 15

Day two.  We stayed overnight near Ioannina, to give ourselves lots of exploration time.  The next morning, it was cold and foggy, but we'd had a claustrophobic night in a room with walls - not what we're used to!  So we left early and popped over the road to Ikea, to see if we could afford a sofa-bed sometime soon.  They weren't open.  But the cafe was, so we had coffee and then did a whistle-stop tour of the shop.  Back on the road by 11am, just ahead of the crowds.

The road from Ioannina was marked by extensive tunnels, up to 8 km long.  It was disconcerting, and we were glad to get to Meteora for lunchtime.  By the time we'd eaten it was a bit late for monasteries (ses Dave) so we went to explore the Pineis River that runs nearby.

 That's Meteora in the background: monasteries built on precipitous rocks to defend the inhabitants from the invading Turks a few centuries back.  Six still active and visitable, if a bit touristy.  

Zoom in on the rock formation behind Dave, above.  That's a monastery right on the very top!

 Evening falls on the river, while Meteora still glows in the sun.  This camera is great fun!

Found our little hotel, this is from the balcony of our room as the sun sets

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