Meteora.

One of my best experiences thus far?  Meteora.

To arrive at this beautiful destination, we went through a LOT of difficulties with transportation.  Our intention was to leave from the bus station at 9:30.  By numerous sources, we were told to go to the airport and then onto a bus that would take us to Meteora.  Doing as we were told, we went to the airport.. only to find out that we went 45 minutes out of our way and now had to take a bus to the bus station!  So some unnecessary spending had us all feeling a bit crabby and we missed our 9:30 bus.  On our way to the bus station, we missed our stop to get there.  So we got off a few stops later & back tracked.  By this point, we were all frustrated.  It was especially frustrating for me because I had tried to hard to plan everything right.  But, you live & you learn.  We caught the 11:30 bus to Meteora and the moment we arrived, I knew it was all worth it.

This place had the peaceful atmosphere that I had been longing for.  Athens is great, but it's a city.  It's filled with speeding cars, tons of people, tourism, and all the chaotic things those bring with them.  To be in Meteora reminded me of the peace and quiet home has to offer.  It smelt of pine, bonfire, and fall.  You could see on all our faces the joy this simple place brought.  Did I mention it's breathtakingly beautiful?  

With the evening ahead of us, we decided to explore.  We climbed around, found some beautiful views, and enjoyed an amazing dinner at a local taverna.  The evening was brisk with absolutely no one around.    We walked the streets and I truly felt so at peace.  Our hotel for the night was also great.  The owners treated us so well and my room in particular looked like a log cabin.  Seven of us comfortably fit and the rest of our group came over for the evening and we just spent the night talking and hanging out.  These simple things are what I'm truly thankful for.

On Sunday morning, we made our way to the most gorgeous area of all: the monasteries.  They are still a mystery to me, but upon giant rocks, monasteries have been constructed.  They are built into the rocks and have been since the 1600's.  No one is really sure how the building materials were able to be suspended that high, and even more so how they've lasted so well.  The majority of us toured two of the four most well-known monasteries.  With not a lot of time, we had to prioritize and make sure to get as much as we could out of each one.  This entire time, I can't really express how I felt.  I was merely in awe.  Meteora is truly a magical place.  It doesn't feel real and it looks as if it were a dream.  The monasteries themselves are also amazing.  They all had museums housing all kinds of historical pieces.  I particularly enjoyed the manuscripts they had.  Many dated back to even the 900's.  These manuscripts were things like Greek bibles, Orthodoxy liturgy, and simple historical documents.  They also had beautiful cross carvings and paintings.  The beautiful thing about tradition is how much value is placed upon artifacts.  You can the holiness upon these places.  God's presence lives and moves.  I felt so completely blessed to have such an opportunity.  To see Christian history develop and unfold is something that truly fascinates me.  If that isn't enough, everywhere you look, the view blows you away.

Our morning spent at the monasteries was so incredible and everyone really enjoyed experiencing such a place.  It was a relaxing getaway that I know I definitely needed.  Though everything went perfect while we were there, as soon as we began to make our way back, transportation was against us once again.  We planned to take the 3:30 bus back to Athens, but as found out, once at the bus station, that that bus was full.  We then had to wait for the 5:30 bus.  By this point, it was all just humorous.  Our weekend spent at Meteora was such a learning experience and I wouldn't trade it for anything.  It was completely worth it to go and I'd recommend it to anyone.  It is such a holy place.  

God bless to you all & missing those of you back home!