Meteora is one of the most impressive and peculiar geological formations in the whole world. A place of unsurpassed natural beauty, where divine creation met human intervention. We shall be visiting two (or three) of the monasteries that are open on a specific day. The gigantic rocks of Meteora dominate imposingly over Kalampaka town. This masterpiece of nature reveals all its glory for centuries as a unique geological phenomenon in beauty and an important monument of Orthodoxy.

The Great Meteoron Monastery, built on an imposing rock, is the oldest, the biggest, and the most important among the monasteries of Meteora which are preserved today.

In 1350 a daring ascetic named Varlaam ascended to the rock. The monastery was named after him. He built three churches, a small cell and a water tank. After his death the rock remained abandoned for about 200 years until 1517 when the two priest-monks Theophanes and Nektarios Apsarades started to construct the first buildings from the beginning.

Probably the most photographed monastery. According to historical sources Holy Trinity must have been built between 1458 and 1476.

We take a break at the Thermopylae battlefield location with King Leonidas statue. The Battle of Thermopylae was fought between an alliance of Greek city-states, led by King Leonidas of Sparta, and the Persian Empire of Xerxes I over the course of three days, in 480 BC.

Back to Athens around 7:30 pm.