It was January 14th, 2024.
We had just arrived in Kalambakka, Greece after spending a couple days in Delphi where my friends and I went on an epic hike. You can read about that experience here! Oh, and we stopped at Thermopylae on the way. I performed my declamation —a telling of the Battle of Thermopylae by Herodotus— at the monument there.
Lunch (with kitties!)
After arriving in Kalambakka, we were given a quick hour of free time for lunch. The group split up in many directions. Usually, there were about 10-12 of us who would consistently eat lunch together every day, but we simply did not have enough time to wait for that much food to be ordered & made.
A few of us decided to sit outdoors at a pleasantly quiet restaurant. We ordered bread and soup since we were in a hurry. I remember the soup being INCREDIBLE! I think it was some sort of vegetable chowder.
While we waited for our food, we were entertained by several cats roaming around the patio. The server gave the cat leftover scraps from the kitchen, which I thought was very sweet. At one point, a dog came up to the cat to try to steal its food. The cat whipped around and hissed so ferociously that the dog ran for at least three straight blocks before turning around!
Later, the cat tried to jump from the window of the restaurant onto our table to steal our food. Luckily, Nathan put his arm up quickly enough to send the cat flying back towards the window when it jumped. It was quite the spectacle 😂.
Meteora Monasteries
In the afternoon, we visited several of the Meteora Monasteries. Monks built the monasteries on top of the many steep rock formations in Kalambakka with the intentions of never returning to society. They had to rock climb just to reach the top. Every time I think of this, I wonder how they managed to do that. The rocks are so tall, vertical, and smooth!
Once the monks reached the top and built their monasteries, they stayed there for the rest of their lives. They had to haul supplies from the nearest village up the rock using a bucket and chain. Being on top of the rocks, away from the rest of the world, allowed the monks to live simple lives and focus on prayer.
The insides of the monasteries contained walls filled with paintings, most of them depicting the gruesome killings of Christian martyrs. I will spare you the details of the paintings. I have never seen something so horrifying (but beautiful) in my life. If you’ve followed Cruisin’ Clara from the start, you probably remember the time I passed out during a scary history tour in Budapest… After that experience, I was very concerned that I would pass out again during my tour of the monasteries!
I’m telling you, THAT is how gory the paintings are.
It’s hard to put into words how I felt inside the monasteries. The paintings that covered the walls were colorful, detailed, and absolutely beautiful. Each painting also told a story of someone who suffered and died for their beliefs.
It was truly inspiring.
On the other hand, I cannot imagine how the monks could possibly live their entire lives surrounded by these visuals of suffering and death.
It was overwhelming and chilling.
Overall, I think that visiting the Meteora Monasteries and learning about the lives and beliefs of Eastern Orthodox Christian monks was one of the most unique experiences from this study abroad experience. I’m so glad we were able to go there!
Steam Room
My friends and I ended the day the way we usually did on this trip: in the pool. We were so happy to discover that our hotel in Kalambakka had both a pool and a steam room! I remember there being about 6 of us in the steam room which was definitely meant for a maximum of two people 😂. We would sit in there, talking and laughing, until we got a little too hot and claustrophobic. Then, we’d race out to the pool and jump in the freezing cold water. It was a great time.
At the end of the night, a few of us hung out in the lobby for a while. Typical behavior for our group!
Eventually, I decided that it was time for me to go to bed. It was past midnight, and I still had homework to do!
I started to make my way up the stairs and turned around to see that I was being followed!!!
A huge orange cat was trying to follow me right up to my room. I heard the front desk person whisper-yell something in Greek at the cat. Soon enough, it turned around and headed back to the lobby. It made me happy that the hotel staff were so friendly with the cats. They just let them come and go through the sliding doors as they please! I guess there is a “no-cats-in-the-guest-rooms” rule though…
Until next time,
Clara