Day 18 in Greece - 2023

Good Morning


Jeremiah and I wake up, make scrambled eggs, and eat them out on the balcony. This is becoming our favorite vacation-breakfast tradition. We play a game of cribbage, which Jeremy wins, but it was so close! We then head downstairs, get in the car, and leave for the day's adventure. First though, we stop at Alexandros for coffee to take away. Then, the road calls for us.

On the Road


We leave Peraia, turning polls off of Google Maps, and take a long way out to Kalabaka. There's a place we stop where there is this cool staircase cut into the mountains along with a chapel. There's a kitty cat sitting on the steps, and so, of course, I snap a photograph. I go into the chapel. There are tall white candles that you can light in remembrance of someone, so I light one for my Grammie, planting it in the box of sand on the shelf of the chapel with the other candles burning. My heart aches thinking of her, and a few tears escape my eyes.


We drive on, stopping once again outside of this small town. I want to see if we can get good overlook shots from the side of the mountain, but we cannot. There is too much foliage. While we are scoping things out, two stray dogs come prancing up to us, tongues hanging out of the side of their mouths in pure excitement. We pet them for several minutes, and then get back into the rental car to finish the trip out to Meteora.

Stone steps covered in moss and vegetation create a terraced pattern in an overgrown outdoor amphitheater.
A sequence of images shows a person teaching a golden retriever dog to lie down on a gravel surface.

Meteora


We arrive in Kalabaka, the town that hosts the nearby site, Meteora. Meteora, pronounced "Met-ah-ore-ah" the Greek way, is a group of six monasteries on top of these very steep, very narrow, pointy, cliffs. There used to be twenty-four monasteries. The buildings are hundreds of years old, dating back to 1356. The monasteries were built by hand by the monks, who used a pulley system to get supplies up to the top of the rock formations. Yes, that is also how they used to ascend to the top of these rocks.


Meteora in Greek means "suspended in the air", which is a beautiful description. Thankfully, in today's modern age, you can drive up to certain areas designated for parking, which get you pretty close to the monasteries that allow visitors.


Out of respect for the Greek Orthodox religion, we did not enter any of the monasteries. We simply viewed them from the outside, and that was enough for us. If you do travel to Meteora, please keep in mind that there is a dress code. Skirts or dresses must be knee length, close-toed shoes must be worn, and shirts must cover the entire torso and shoulders. No sleeveless tops are allowed.


We do quite a bit of walking to view a few different monasteries, even daring to go out on some of the cliffs to get photographs of us with the buildings. There are a few vendors nearby. One of Jeremy's aunts had asked us to snag her a postcard from Greece, so we got her a Meteora postcard from one of these vendors, and I also bought us a bunny figurine with a baby rabbit inside. I figure it's a lovely sign of fertility while we go through IVF. I'm so confident the IVF will work. I'm very excited for my eggs to be harvested, my ovaries honestly feel so full. I can feel them with each step, each jolt in the car, each movement. Uff da.

Ancient monastery perched atop dramatic cliffs at Meteora in Greece overlooking the valley and town below.
Dramatic rock formations rise above green forest landscape at Meteora in Greece with misty mountains in background.
Ancient stone monasteries perched atop dramatic rocky cliffs at Meteora in Greece against a cloudy mountain backdrop.
Panoramic view of Meteora's towering rock formations with ancient monasteries perched atop steep cliffs in Greece.
Ancient stone castle tower rises above lush green trees on a hilltop against cloudy sky.
Ancient stone buildings and towers perched on steep rocky cliffs at the Meteora monasteries in Greece.
Scenic view of towering rock formations at Meteora in Greece with mountains and valley in the background.
A scenic view of the ancient Meteora monasteries perched on towering rock formations in Greece.
Dramatic rock formations of Meteora rise above lush green forest in Greece against cloudy sky.
Medieval stone fortress perched on a rocky cliff overlooking a scenic mountain valley landscape with terracotta roofs.
Ancient monasteries perched atop dramatic rocky cliffs in Meteora, Greece with mountains in the background.
Towering sandstone rock formations rise above lush green forest at Meteora's famous monastic complex.
Dramatic rock formations of Meteora rise above lush green forest in Greece against a cloudy sky.
Dramatic rocky cliffs and monasteries of Meteora Greece rise above the valley with mountains in the background.
Ancient monasteries perched atop towering sandstone cliffs in Meteora, Greece against a backdrop of misty mountains.

Kalabaka


We drive down to Kalabaka, the town at the base of the cliffs that make up Meteora. We go into a few shops, and then find this very charming restaurant for lunch. It's one of the best restaurants we have ever been to. The patio is completely covered by leafy vines. There are water features, clay pottery scattered throughout, lanterns, a little bridge, a dog, and several stray cats. Heaven, honestly.

Charming outdoor restaurant patio with red columns, hanging lanterns, and shaded seating areas under lush green trees.
A series of selfies showing someone wearing a purple t-shirt with text while sitting at a table outdoors.
A stone garden water feature with cascading waterfall and decorative ceramic pot on brick paving.

Back to the VRBO


We drive back to Peraia, no stops this time, make our way to the VRBO and spend the evening in. Jeremy cooks a pasta dish for dinner, I take my injections, and we try to relax and emotionally prepare for Harvest Day tomorrow.