SECOND COURSE

TRIKALA – KALAMBAKA - METEORA - PERTOULI - PLASTIRA'S LAKE

METEORA

Departure early in the morning. We cross the fertile plains and arrive in the mythical Olympus. Stop here for coffee. Then go to Kalambaka, about 240 km (you pass Larisa, Trikala) a small town in the foothills of Meteora. Immediately we rich the "stone forest of Christ," Meteora. Those who facing this for the first time believe that this is a geological miracle. Thousands of rocks, large and small, join together to form an alien landscape. Courageous monks built monasteries on the tops of these rocks in order to approach the God. There, they spent their lives as genuine hermits for over 600 years. The universal (the main rooms of the temples) of monasteries have been decorated by skilled painters of the Byzantine period. At the towers you can see the nets that the monks used to reach the monasteries. Only six monks are survived today. Those who want to visit monasteries must have a presentable appearance. Women should not wear short skirts and they must have their hands covered with long sleeves, while men must also wear long trousers. Depends on your time and your mood,you can follow two beautiful routes Elati-Pertouli and Lake Plastira. Both are marvellous for their natural landscape. Do not miss to taste kontosouvli-lamb and trout. Worth a last stop in the city of Trikala, at groceries, an area full of tavernas with local tastes and sounds of Vassilis Tsitsanis music.

Meteora