Meteora and Athens: A Flying Visit

THURSDAY 16 MAY

This year the choice of our "holiday" had started with Amsterdam, but the orange capital was ruled out from the start after we saw the crazy hotel prices... definitely out of reach for a weekend. Where do we nest... where don't we go... the choice, thanks to my brother-in-law Tony (always him), ended up on Meteora and Athens. After a first sifting of what to see, I relied on Ryanair for the flights and the rental of the 9-seat minibus. Of course... we don't travel alone... Besides me (Mauro) and my wife (Graziella), there are also my brother-in-law (Tony) and his wife (Renata), plus our friends Massimo and Anna Maria and Gaetano and Maria Luisa... so 8 people. Priority as I said goes to the flights. Departure from Orio al Serio (Bergamo) for Athens, Thursday 16 April at 11.45, and return on Sunday 20 April departing from Athens at 21.50 and arriving in Bergamo at 23.45.

Flight price 115 euros each, including priority boarding and the second piece of hand luggage. Careful, from this year Ryanair applies stricter restrictions on hand luggage. In essence you can only bring on board one bag the size of a laptop bag. So you understand it was necessary either to buy a ticket for a checked bag or to buy the second hand luggage... we opted for this choice. With Ryanair we also rented the 9-seat minibus at Athens airport. Cost 280 euros for 4 days with insurance included. Right, we meet for departure at 8.15 on Thursday so as to reach Bergamo comfortably. For parking the two cars we chose Ciao through the MyParking website ( ), which we have always been happy with. The Ciao car park is right next to the OrioCenter and cost 15.30 euros per car for the 4 days. We arrive at around 9.15... we deal with the check-in formalities and a minibus takes us to the airport.

We take the opportunity to have breakfast and then go to the gate since I had already done the check-in, for everyone, directly online several days earlier. Time to do a few rounds of the shops... grab a sandwich and a bottle of water (for the modest sum of 8 euros) and at 11 boarding opens... we are among the first to board.. great...

We take our seats... stow the luggage and off we go, right on time. On the plane we even manage to get sold some scratchcards... how far we've come... and at 15.00, ten minutes early, we land at Athens' Eleftherios Venizelos international airport. Lovely temperature... it feels great.

Time to stretch our legs a little and off we go in search of the Enterprise rent-a-car office. You'll find it near the airport exit. Of course they try to palm us off with new insurance, which of course we decline since we'd already taken it out through the Ryanair website with Axa. The depot where you pick up the minibus is on exiting to the right, about 300 metres away. We arrive and immediately take possession of our Vivaro 1.6 turbo diesel. Yours truly is of course at the wheel. I like driving.. as long as it's in daylight.... We set off and don't even cover two km before the first surprise. The van was supposed to be handed over with a full tank and instead.... almost completely empty. We stop straight away at the petrol station and immediately leave 90 euros of diesel there.

I get them to give me the receipt with the time and everything so that at least, in case of a dispute, we know what to do. Satnavs activated and off towards Kalambaka or Kalamata... which lies a little under 400 km north of Athens. We take the E75 motorway as far as Lamia. A little before reaching Lamia, which is about halfway, we make a stop, leaving the motorway to see the monument to the Battle of Thermopylae.... There's very little to see, honestly, and this immediately amuses our friends....

The motorway to Lamia is lovely... at one point it runs alongside the whole Malian Gulf. One important thing... here the motorway is like in France... every 40/50 km... there's a toll booth and you pay... an average of 3.5 euros per stretch. Something unusual... at the toll booth 90% are girls... and pretty ones too... which doesn't hurt.... After Lamia we continue on the E65... It's a road that's a bit winding too, crossing some rough terrain for about 50 km.... then it becomes a motorway again.... and what a motorway.... brand new... with very few cars in transit. We arrive in Kalambaka at around 9.... the property we chose is the Pineas. Presented as a hotel on Booking, in reality it's just a good B&B. It's also outside the town centre... and not by a little. It has a very large pool which, if you come in summer, certainly doesn't hurt.

The owner is a very kind lady who speaks excellent English and tries to make us understand a few things. Our three rooms are all on the same floor. Ours also has a large little balcony overlooking the Meteora directly. The price? 353 euros for a quadruple and two doubles. Honestly, given the time, we're also a bit hungry. The owner points us to a couple of places to eat in the centre of Kalambaka. We take the minibus and go into the centre. Parking isn't a problem because the central street offers plenty of spaces. The choice for dinner falls on the Meteora ( The staff is very kind and we let ourselves be advised by someone who speaks a bit of Italian. We opt for a moussaka each and then mixed grilled meat with a mountain of chips. We are served very quickly. The moussaka is a kind of parmigiana, very good. The grilled meat deserves praise too.

We spend about 23 euros each including dessert, water, wine and coffee. All really very good. Score 7.

Our first evening ends here... we're tired.. quite tired, but that doesn't stop us from taking a little walk anyway to digest a bit. After that... off to bed... tomorrow morning we meet in the breakfast room at 8.

FRIDAY 17 MAY

The Meteora open at 9 and so we have plenty of time for a relaxed breakfast. But let's talk about the Meteora. There are 20 scattered across this territory but only 5 are open to visitors. The monasteries are closed one day a week on a rotating basis. So be aware that if you don't allow at least two days you won't be able to see them all. When you're underneath you'll be left open-mouthed. One thing... here in Greece there are lots of stray dogs and cats... they don't harm anyone... if you're afraid.. simply leave them in peace. This rock completely smoothed by wind and water, on whose summits these monasteries stand.

Entry costs 3 euros at each monastery. Women MUST wear a long skirt, so if you don't have one on you, one will be provided directly at the entrance. Inside you cannot take photos or videos in the chapels.

Please, they are very strict about the rules and very religious... let's not stand out. The way of reaching the summits is particular. The first monks reached the monasteries by means of scaffolding supported by beams fixed into the rock, of which traces still remain. This method was replaced by dizzying rope ladders and by nets woven from hemp that formed a kind of basket that rose thanks to a rudimentary winch. In 1922 the rope ladders were cut and replaced with steps carved into the rock. The nets are still in use today for bringing up supplies. Our first stop is Roussanou Monastery: the building dates back to 1388 on the initiative of the monks Nicodemus and Benedict, though some suggest the founders were the brothers Maximos and Ioasef of Ioannina. Today the monastery is a convent and you reach it, from the road, after climbing about 140 steps and crossing two little stone bridges.

Each visit lasts from 30 minutes (this one) to over an hour for the one we'll do in the afternoon. After Roussanou we take our van again and drive a couple of km to reach Varlaam Monastery, which unfortunately is closed on Fridays, as is the one of St Nicholas. We leave our vehicle right in the car park next to Varlaam and on foot we take the climb that leads us to the Great Meteoron Monastery. The Great Meteoron is the largest and oldest of all, and also the most visited by tourists.

The monastery took the name Meteora because it seemed to be "suspended in the air". The monastic complex was in fact built on top of the gigantic sandstone rock, at a height of about 630 metres above sea level. The Great Meteoron Monastery was founded by Saint Athanasius. The main cathedral in the central courtyard is embellished with splendid 16th-century frescoes and preserves some of the best examples of Greek Byzantine art. It is now midday and so we take the opportunity to grab some focaccia and sandwiches, as well as a nice beer, right at the kiosk in the car park. A sandwich, two pieces of focaccia, a beer and a water....8 euros... After our hearty lunch we head to the Monastery of the Holy Trinity, which is the hardest to reach because it stands perched on a very steep rock. But once you reach the top, the breathtaking panoramic view will reward you for the effort.

Visitors must follow a path to the foot of the rock before starting the climb of about 140 steps. The monastery's main cathedral was built in the 15th century and decorated with frescoes in 1741. Part of the monastery was used as a setting for the final scenes of the James Bond film titled "For Your Eyes Only". The climb is very steep but absolutely worth it. I forgot... the road linking the various monasteries, built much later purely for tourism, has several scenic spots... stop... each one shows a different angle of these wonders. The last monastery is the Monastery of St Stephen... the most accessible one, which you can reach simply by crossing a small bridge. It is the ideal solution for visitors who cannot climb many steps but who nevertheless want to experience a real Meteora monastery. The beginning of monastic life on the rock dates back to the early years of the 12th century.

The Monastery of St Stephen comprises two cathedrals: the old 16th-century chapel, which was badly damaged during the Second World War, and the main 18th-century cathedral dedicated to St Charalambos, which holds his sacred relics. Remember that the monastery, unlike the others, closes from 13.30 to 15.30.... which allows us to take a break.... an obligatory one to rest a little. With this last visit we finish our tour of the Meteora... of this enormous spectacle that has become a UNESCO heritage site. It's worth it... We go back to our B&B to take a shower and rest before dinner. The idea would be to return to the Meteora to see them at sunset. After the shower and a moment of relaxation we take the van again and drop our friends in the centre of Kalambaka for shopping and an aperitif.

We, on the other hand, head towards the Meteora, but it's still too early for sunset and so we decide to go back to our friends, whom we find in a bar... drinking. We take the chance to have something to drink too, and meanwhile we discuss where to go for dinner. We want a change. Not that we didn't enjoy the Meteora Restaurant... but just for a change. In the end the choice falls on Taverna Panellilion ( ). It's a restaurant, both outdoors and indoors, in a little square in Kalambaka, right opposite the Meteora Restaurant where we ate yesterday evening. This time the choices are different. Some have roast octopus, some fried cod, some grilled cuttlefish, and I instead the Greek meatballs with potatoes... plus Greek salad, wine, coffee and... wow, coffee. Final cost about 23 euros each.... but we're truly full. Well, our visit to Meteora and its surroundings ends here.

It's a magical place.... which we absolutely recommend to anyone wanting to come to these parts. Spend at least two days here, that's our advice, along with comfortable shoes.

SATURDAY 18 MAY

Meeting for breakfast at 8. We settle the bill with the lady, a quick clean of the van's windows and off again towards Athens.

The nice thing about travelling with these vans is that you certainly don't get bored. Between one silly thing and another, when there are eight of you, time really passes pleasantly. We retrace the road we took on the way there and stop to buy a crate of cherries from a street vendor. A little later, after about a hundred km on the motorway, a police patrol stops us. Of course... nobody goes past... they have to do something. When they understand that we are Italians and tourists... they let us go... Careful. Here there are speed cameras and not a few.... respect the limits. There are also several patrols with laser radar... so... eyes open. The limits are pretty much identical to ours in Italy. About halfway we decide to use the public toilets that are at the roadside and are found every 30/40 km. Well... beautiful public toilets... brand new...

complete with a sign stating that they are cleaned and sanitised twice a day. And they say Greece is falling apart.... Around 13.00 we stop at a service area to grab a bite. A couple of sandwiches... and the cherries... WOW..... We reach our hotel at around 14.30. The choice, through Booking, fell on Hotel Katerina ( ). We had chosen this hotel because of the price (136 euros for the family room and 77 euros for the double), the proximity to the metro (100 metres away), staff who speak Italian (though there was no one there) and a terrace at the top of the hotel from which to take wonderful night photos of the Acropolis. Time to check in... a quick freshen-up and off we go again. Our first destination is Monastiraki Square and the Library of Hadrian. We head towards the metro stop which is right on the other side of the square and is the Metaxourgeio stop.

We buy the ticket, which is valid for 24 hours (4.50 euros), and take the metro towards Elliniko and get off right away at the first stop, Omonia, to change and take the green line towards Piraeus and get off one stop later at Monastiraki.

The square is the beating heart of the city. So much chaos... so many people... so many tourists.... Watch out for pickpockets. Here too, as anywhere in the world, there are some... so eyes open. We go straight to the entrance of the Library of Hadrian. Today, 18 May, all archaeological sites are free, as is also the first Sunday of the month (from September to March). We bought "skip-the-line" tickets online. Cost 30 euros for all the attractions. The tickets can be bought here: We go in to visit the archaeological site. The Library building stands near the Agora. Built in the 2nd century by Hadrian, the building has had a very troubled history. Built in the 2nd century AD a short distance from the Agora by the emperor Hadrian, after whom it is named, the Library of Athens contained a cloister surrounded by 100 Corinthian columns with a pool of water in the centre.

Besides books, the Library housed reading rooms, rooms for music and a theatre. The structure has had a very troubled history: built in 132 AD, it was destroyed by the Heruli in 267 AD and then rebuilt in 412. In the 5th century AD the courtyard housed a Christian basilica, destroyed and rebuilt in the 7th century. Finally, during the Turkish occupation the building was the seat of the city's governor. Today the library is open to the public, who can admire the niches in the stone in which parchment scrolls were kept. The library is open from 8 to 15 and admission is included in the Acropolis ticket.

From here we head towards the Little and Great Metropolis. We walk along Pandrossou Street, the street with the loveliest shops and most interesting jewellers, and arrive at Mitropoleos Square with its two cathedrals: on the right the Little Metropolis (Mikri Mitropoli), a charming little church dedicated to Agios Eleftherios, and next to it the Great Metropolis (Megali Mitropoli), the cathedral of Athens.

The Little one is closed while the Great one is open and so we go in to visit it. We then go back to the hotel to pick up our van to go to Lycabettus Hill to admire the view at sunset. The hill, one of the three overlooking Athens, is a little under half an hour's drive away. The satnav, however, takes us along a road that with the van is rather... challenging..... Impossible gradients with traffic lights and stop signs.... Risk of scraping the side of more than one car, but in the end we manage to reach the end... yes, right at the end. And that's not a metaphor. The road is in fact full of cars and the only car park, which holds about twenty places, is packed.... we continue further, always careful not to bump the parked cars and.... the road ends.... And now? I certainly can't drive all the way back in reverse....

With the help of all the others I manage to turn the van around, terrified of ending up below... and in the end we park as best we can. So... if you come here and don't find a place in the little car park... turn the car around and park further down the hill. We walk up and reach the top, where we understand the reason for all the cars down below... there's a wedding.... Up here in fact there's a small Orthodox church from which there's a view that takes your breath away. The effort of climbing is thus repaid. A view that leaves you breathless from every angle. You should come for the sunset but we settle for this. At its summit there's also a restaurant... rather expensive... up to you....

We go back to our van, but this time I send the satnav lady to hell and do it my own way... I may have made it longer but at least I didn't kill anyone. We take the van back to the hotel and take the metro again to return to near Monastiraki Square to see about eating something. There's just too much choice given how many venues there are. Ours finds satisfaction at Kafeneio Oraia Ellas ( ), which is in one of the little squares behind Monastiraki. We start with a couple of Greek salads... then we try this pastitsio for everyone and a couple of plates of sardines.... dessert, which is never missing, and coffee. The sardines and the salad are excellent... little to say about the pastitsio, which didn't send almost anyone into raptures. It's baked macaroni with ragu and a finger of bechamel on top.... we do it much better ourselves... oh well... it was just worth trying it....

There's live music that cheers up the evening. Total cost 18 euros each.

We take a little walk to digest and then it's back to the hotel.

SUNDAY 19 MAY

It's our last day on Greek soil. We settle the hotel bill, leave our luggage in storage and take the metro. The first idea was to go and see the Acropolis and then come back for 11 to see the changing of the guard, but... we decide to listen to Gaetano and swap the two destinations. Four stops on the red line and we get off at Syntagma Square, where the parliament building and the changing of the guard are. It's still early though, so we go to see the Athens Academy of Fine Arts. It's a fine 18th-century-style building. Obligatory photos and then we go back to Syntagma Square, which by now is practically full. Only on Sundays at 11 is there the full-dress changing of the guard, with band and the full guard corps. The ceremony lasts half an hour, during which the avenue in front of Parliament is practically completely closed to city traffic. The band arrives with all the guards...

it really is beautiful and moving. If you're here on a Sunday, don't miss it. Once the ceremony is over we take the metro again... one stop and we're at the Acropolis. Coming out of the metro, follow the road to the right and then right again where you'll find the entrance and the ticket office. If you have online tickets, skip the queue and go straight in. The first thing you see is the Theatre of Dionysus. The work of Lycurgus, at the foot of the Acropolis of Athens, is absolutely worth visiting, if only to understand the importance of theatre in Ancient Greece: just think that its maximum capacity was 17,000 spectators! An incredible thing. You then continue until you reach the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. This is another jewel of a theatre that is absolutely worth seeing.

Located just beyond the main entrance to the Acropolis, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus was commissioned by the wealthy Herodes, who gave it his name, in memory of his wife Regilla. A suggestive place also because of the view over the city! You then continue to the top where, taking care not to slip on the marble, you reach the Propylaea. This colonnade is the imposing monumental entrance to the Acropolis of Athens, made up of Ionic and Doric porticoes designed by the architect Mnesicles. From here the Panathenaic Way opens up, and so our journey through history begins. From the Propylaea, high up on the right, you'll glimpse the Temple of Athena Nike, designed by Callicrates and built entirely of Pentelic marble. In 2003 it underwent a complete dismantling because of an improper restoration: you won't have trouble noticing the difference between the original elements and the additions.

And here we are now in front of the Parthenon. We have finally arrived before the symbol of the Acropolis as well as of the Greek capital and of Athenian democracy, a Doric temple of perfect proportions, and the largest ever built. This work by the architects Ictinus, Callicrates and Mnesicles, whose construction was supervised by Phidias, stands on the highest point, is dedicated to Athena Parthenos and is perfect in its simplicity and harmony...

A true wonder, all of it to be photographed! The last thing to see, but not last in beauty, is the Erechtheion. Everyone knows the Parthenon, the most decorated and famous temple of the Acropolis of Athens, and yet it is to the Erechtheion that the most important role falls, namely that of sanctuary. Located north of the site, it owes its name to the mythical Athenian king Erechtheus. Equally mythical is its porch supported by five Caryatids, which are only plaster copies of the original female statues kept inside the New Acropolis Museum; the sixth statue, on the other hand, is kept in the British Museum in London. We go back down and head to a scenic spot near the west entrance of the archaeological site, where you can see the Acropolis from another angle. It's now lunchtime.. in fact we've even gone past it since it's 14.00...

and so we go into Plakiotissa Taverna Mezedopolio ( ) to eat. The choice is split between chicken gyros and pork gyros. Beer... coffee for 15 euros each. In short, gyros is a kind of kebab on a plate with chips. While we're eating, Tony and I notice a photo in the venue of the Acropolis seen from another angle... we realise it's a little hill on the opposite side from Lycabettus and... thanks to Google we manage to work out that it's the Hill of the Philopappos Monument. Besides, we have to be at the airport by 19.00... what do we do in the meantime??? Everyone to pick up our suitcases at the hotel... van and off to the Philopappos hill. First though we have to stop to take a photo of the Runner, a kind of statue in glass slabs portraying a runner. It's right opposite the Hilton Hotel complex. We get back in the car and head for Philopappos, which we reach in about 15 minutes.

We leave the van with Gaetano and Anna Maria, who give up on this last climb, and set off on foot. We follow Renata, who acts as pathfinder, but... after a while we realise it would have been better not to follow her. We find ourselves facing a climbing wall and the only one who attempts it is Tony. The rest of us look for alternative routes and after another good half hour we rejoin Tony at the top of the hill. From here another spectacle of Athens and the Acropolis unfolds. I think this is the best place to see the Acropolis at sunset, but I have no idea how you'd manage to get back down to the street afterwards. We reach the van absolutely exhausted... a moment of relaxation and off we set again for the airport. At 19.00 we arrive at the airport.. we drop everyone off and go to return the car to Enterprise... the attendant does the rounds and gives us the all-clear.

At the hotel we'd eaten something.. some a sandwich... some fruit.... and at 21.15 they announce our plane for the return to Milan. We land right on time