After Ross and Sally left, Ken and I made the big trek across the rolling agricultural plains to Meteora, site of hermitages and monasteries built into the rocks. It took us three days to get there, and we spent three days exploring the area.
Tuesday, 21 May 2019
Biked 30 miles to Nea Anchialos
Accommodations: Pyrassos Hotel, Kasneti 36, Nea Anchialos 378400, +30 242 807 6256. Family-run hotel on the beach.
We biked through Volos and around the coast to Nea Anchialos, a smallish beach town near the air force installation. It was still very early in the season and a little chilly, with only a few people in the hotels and resorts and many restaurants and beaches not yet open. The hotel owner told us the town is not doing well because it relies on Greek tourists, who are going to Turkey because it is much less expensive. We visited one of the town's several archaeological sites.
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| Site of a 16th-century church now in ruins. |
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| The public beaches of Nea Anchialos were waiting for warmer weather and more tourists. |
Wednesday, 22 May 2019
Biked 68 miles to Karditsa, 1970 feet of climb
Nea Anchialos to Karditsa Bike Route
Accommodations: Hotel Avra, Karaiskai 30, Karditsa, 43100, Greece +30 244 102 1523. Booking.com. Small hotel right downtown. Comfortable. Included breakfast.
Our first day on the agricultural plain in north-central Greece. We stopped for cold drinks at a minimarket in a small town and chatted with the young owner, his wife, and their 3-year-old son who showed us how he can ride the new bike he got for Easter. Karditsa is a busy college town, with 4 universities, crowds of college students, lively bars and restaurants, and almost as many bicycles as Amsterdam.
Thursday, 23 May 2019
Biked 40 miles to Kastraki, Meteora; 985 feet of climb
Karditsa to Kastraki Bike Route
Accommodations: Mama's Cozy Room 2, host Efi and her parents. Very nice apartment located between two bakeries on the main road about a block before the central square. Huge bathroom, homemade treats, garden. Very comfortable.
Restaurant: Batalogianni, on main road near center of Kastraki garden view in back, very good food. Local specialties: Meatballs piquant with rice, and Russian potato salad with cucumbers and carrots
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| The rocks and caves of Meteora surround the village of Kastraki. |
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| View from our dinner table. |
Friday, 24 May 2019
Biked 14 miles to three monasteries: Megalo Meteoro, Vaarlam, and Roussanou
Accommodations: Mama's Cozy Room 2
Restaurant: Taverna Gardenia on main road near center of Kastraki. Mousaka and pork chops with french fries. Best Mousaka we’ve had. Our host was Efi’s dad. Excellent service, busy place with happy staff and guests. Our server said he likes working there--it is like a family.
We joined the crowds of tourists visiting three of the seven monasteries. The settings are amazing. The areas open to tourists include small chapels with incredible frescoes.
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| Megalo Meteoro |
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| Vaarlam Monastery |
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| Roussanaou Monastery (I think) |
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| Monasteries, churches, and hermitage caves are everywhere in the rock formations. |
Saturday, 25 May 2019
Accommodations: Mama's Cozy House 2
We hiked to caves and explored churches built into the rocks in Meteora. Monks climbed into caves in the incredible rock formations and lived there for years--sometimes the rest of their life. In some cases, they built decks and ladders of wood. They lowered buckets for villagers to fill with food, clothing, blankets, and other necessities. Some caves were expanded into monasteries and churches, with steps carved into the stone.
Sunday, 26 May 2019
Accommodations: Ferry to Italy
Ken's birthday and our last day in Greece. We planned to spend the day doing anything Ken wanted--but I woke up with symptoms of a UTI and we started the day navigating the health care system in Kalambaka, a larger village 2 kilometers away. The clinic was open on Sunday, and I was able to make an appointment with an English-speaking doctor for 9 am. The clinic did not have any lab facilities, but the doctor prescribed antibiotics based on my symptoms and the pharmacy opened at 10 am. By 11:30 am we had the antibiotics and were hiking up the road to visit one more monastery. We are so glad we were able to make it to this one--the smallest of the seven. It was peaceful and quiet, with several terraces overlooking the valley and much smaller crowds.
We spent the afternoon eating lunch at Ken's choice of restaurant and relaxing in the garden of our apartment. At 5:30 pm we loaded our bikes in the back of a hired car. At 8:30 pm we unloaded our bikes at the ferry office in Igoumenitsa. At 10:30 pm we wheeled the bikes onto the ferry, and by 11:00 pm we were crawling into our bunks for the overnight sailing to Brindisi, Italy. Greece, done!
Note: Our original plan was to bike from Meteora to Igoumenitsa. We estimated it would take 6-8 days of hard biking on large highways through steep mountains. We were not looking forward to it. On our first day in Kastraki, we found Visit Meteora, a tour agency, near our apartment, and saw that they offered private transfers. They agreed to drive us and our bikes to Igoumenitsa, and even helped us book the ferry. What a difference--2.5 hours of riding in a car versus 6-8 days of hard biking!
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| The Monastery of Agios Nikolaos Anapafsas is the smallest of the seven monasteries and closest to the village of Kastraki. |
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| Wooden ladders provided access to some parts of the monastery. |
