Meteora - where Man meets God

Meteora... Does the name ring a bell??? For most people it doesn't but this jewel of Greece has to get known to more people and in this travelogue I'm gonna tell you about it. 

It's Easter time so it's only natural that I will be talking about a Holy place - a few are as spectacular as Meteora! 

The story starts the previous day - as usual - when we arrived at Kalabaka...  
OK, you have no idea where that is...

Where is Meteora?

Meteora is situated in central Greece - in Thessaly, if that rings a bell. The nearest big town is Trikala and the nearest small town is Kalabaka (transliterated as KalaMbaka in Greek roadsigns but you read only the B sound because the orthographic combination of the MP letters is read as B in Greek). Anyway, Meteora is in the middle of the continental part of the country, near one of the highest mountain ranges - Pindus Mountains. 

Here is where Meteora is on the map.
Image taken from http://www.greeceathensaegeaninfo.com/destinations_greece_meteora_kalambaka.htm

How to get there?

There are - as always - two ways. Both, however, involve having a car. There are great motorways up till Trikala and then there is a good first-class road that leads to Kalabaka. Meteora is roughly 350 km away. If you come from some other country - like Bulgaria - it is less (because it is closer to the border.) In any case, you'll need a car to go round the place. Once you get there, there are some hiking tours and loads of things to do but still - if you ask me - don't underestimate the car. 

The road to Kalabaka - notice the lights - they go on for kilometers

What is Meteora?

In Greek, Μετέωρα means "middle of the sky", "suspended in the air" or "in the heavens above". The Greeks gave that name to the place because of its unique look. The name stands for a unique rock formation in the plain of Thessaly. The sandstone pillars, as they are called, show that at some point of its geological history, that part of Greece was below sea level. 

Some of the stone pillars

The same idea, "suspended in the air" or "in the heavens above", goes for the complex of monasteries build on top of some of the pillars. They look like birds nests from below and really, you start wondering how did they make them in the first place. 



The answer is - with baskets and a lot of ropes. Everything that is up the stone pillars now was brought up in a basket - brick by brick, stone by stone. 

The ropes that lead up to Agios Nikolaos monastery - now used to hoard in supplies

The place looks surreal and no wonder that it was a favorite place of hermit monks as early as the 9th century AD. They lived in caves inside the pillars and the predecessors of the monasteries were built in the 12th century. The biggest monastery of the complex, The Great Meteoron, was founded in the 14th century. At that time, the Ottoman Turks invaded the area so the rock pillars proved to be the ideal hiding place for the hermit monks. They built more than 20 monasteries up the pillars but only 6 remain today. 

The monasteries

The six monasteries of Meteora are spectacular to see but you cannot visit them all in one day. The reason? They are not open all at once. Meteora has a website where you can check what's the current situation but here it is once more (if you are lazy enough not to click on the link above)
THIS IS THE SUMMER TIMETABLE (April 1st to October 31st) (there is a winter one as well, so check out the webiste)

St. Stephen's Nunnery

Visiting Hours: 9:00 to 13:30 and 15:30 to 17:30.
The monastery stays closed on Mondays.

Great Meteoron Monastery

Visiting Hours: 09:00 to 17:00.
The monastery stays closed on Tuesdays.

Roussanou Monastery

Visiting Hours: 09:00 to 17:45.
The monastery stays closed on Wednesdays.

Holy Trinity Monastery

Visiting Hours: 09:00 to 17:00.
The monastery stays closed on Thursdays.

Varlaam Monastery

Visiting Hours: 09:00 to 16:00.
The monastery stays closed on Fridays.

St. Nikolaos Anapafsas Monastery

Visiting Hours: 09:00 to 15:30.
The monastery stays closed on Fridays.

From the list above - you have 2 monasteries closed on Friday and one each other day of the work week. If you go on Saturday and Sunday - you will see the monasteries open but you will not be the only visitor. Meteora is very popular in Greece (and virtually unknown outside it) so expect a lot of tourists. Moreover, Meteora is part of UNESCO World Heritage list so there are even more tourists.
Hint: they usually visit places at noon, so they are relatively easy to avoid.  

Agios Nikolaos church from the outside - while you are forbidden to take pictures inside the church, you can do so outside

What I highly recommend is getting a place to sleep in Kastraki (the nearest village to the monasteries) or Kalabaka (the bigger town) and then spend two days there and see all monasteries. Thus, if the weather is bad you have one more day to sort things out. 

All monasteries are currently in use so you are NOT entering a museum - keep in mind that photos INSIDE THE CHURCH are STRICTLY FORBIDDEN and you should be dressed properly - some info for the ladies - even if you wear jeans and not shorts, you'll be given a skirt - Greek Orthodox Church rule - if you are a female, you enter church in a skirt. No exceptions (only little girls are allowed to enter in jeans and the rest). 

For more information on how to behave in Orthodox churches and monasteries, see this post:

Rila Monastery - the biggest monastery on the Balkan peninsula part 1 Or - general rules for visiting Eastern Orthodox churches and monasteries

Now that you have been warned, you know what to expect inside. 

My visit to the monasteries

Map of the monasteries - we started from Agios Nikolaos - the closet to Kastraki
Image taken from http://pravoslavieto.com/poklonnichestvo/gr/meteora/index.htm

Meteora had been on the list for quite some time but, since it is relatively close to Bulgaria, I always left it for some later time. When I finally included it in the list, it was a tough call. Last item on the sightseeing list, and even that - we had to cross half of continental Greece (traveling from Delfi) and arrive in Kastraki in the evening. Then, the next morning up till noon was reserved for visiting some of the monasteries and then - off we go to Bulgaria. 

As you can see, visiting all the monasteries, even if we had actually come during the weekend, was out of the question. 

I had been to Meteora when I was 11 and then we visited St. Stephen's Nunnery, Great Meteoron Monastery, and one more which escapes my mind right now. Thus, I think that I can give you some additional info about each of the monasteries: 


St. Stephen's Nunnery

Biggest nunnery at Meteora - the other nunnery, Roussanouq is much smaller. The monastery is close to the Great Meteoron and it is easily accessible by car but when I was 11 they didn't let people go further than the yard. You can visit the church of course, but not much more. I don't remember it having any view - or if it had, we didn't see it. 

Great Meteoron Monastery

Agios Nikolaos, Varlaam and probably the Great Meteoron (it is somewhat behind Varlaam so I'm not sure which one is visible in the picture). All viewed from Rousssanou

The biggest monastery at Meteora and if you ask me, the one touched by commercial industry the most. It has  abig museum of Meteora and its surroundings and overall - since it is really big - you get the impression that you are really visiting a museum and not a real monastery. On the other hand, if it is open for visitors, you should definitely see it since it's the only place where you can see a monastery from the inside - some of the living quarters of the monks and common halls included. Besides, in the museum you'll find out more about the history of the place - which I am too lazy to write in here are well.  All other monasteries in the complex are much smaller and the living quarters are closed to visitors. The view is great - even from the parking lots. Oh, I forgot to mention - all monasteries have parkings around them - not big but enough - the road that goes around the monasteries is neither narrow nor wide so keep traffic in mind when you park (and keep tourist buses in mind!!!) 

Roussanou Monastery

Small nunnery with amazing view to Great Meteoron, St.Stephen's nunnery and Varlaaam. You get up there by stairs (not too many don't worry) and the monastery itself is a small and cozy one. In all monasteries you can buy some souvenirs (usually handmade and sold by the monks and nuns - the older don't speak much English but they will sort you out) but the biggest variety is, as usual, in the Great Meteoron. Roussanou is deffinitely worth the visit and if you visit some of the three above (Great Meteoron, St.Stephen's nunnery and Varlaaam) try to capture Rousssanou from there - it is a spectacular view - a small monastery at the summit of a stone pillar. 

The garden at Roussanou - the monastery can be shot from Varlaam or the Great Meteoron - it is impossible to take a pictutre of it from the road because it's not visible

Varlaam Monastery

Varlaaam as seen from Roussanou

It's in the middle of the rock formations so from it you have view to all other monasteries. It is relatively big and quite visited by tourists - mainly because of the amazing view. Definitely a must-see if it is open! Even if it is not - stop at the parking and take a picture of it - you won't regret it. 

Varlaaam from the road - couldn't stop there so I had to shoot while the car was moving

St. Nikolaos Anapafsas Monastery

Agios Nikolaos from the road - and if you take a closer look - through the car window

The smallest of all monasteries. If you ask me, this one is the most authentic one. By far, it is on the lowest stone pillar and the view towards Kalabaka and Kastraki is great. Agios Nikolaos is the closest to Kastraki. It has a small parking and usually big tourist groups bypass it. It is really small (I mean REALLY) and you can get up there by climbing quite a lot of stairs but the climb is worth it. Agios Nikolaos is the only monastery where you can still see the old basket-and-rope structures that were used to build Meteora and to bring up supplies. 

Well, it's a bit modernized, bu still. You can get the overall impression, especially if you imagine that happening with one of the higher pillars. 

Holy Trinity Monastery

Haven't been there yet, can't tell much about it.  I think it is a nunnery but I'm not sure...

No matter which monastery you visit, take a time and buy a candle - thus you respect the place and use the time to say a prayer or two - no need to be a devout Christian to do so - just wish for good health and happiness, that's enough. 

Advice - choose a place with a view - Meteora is amazing at sunset and at night! Kalabaka or better still - Kastraki, are the wisest choices, if you ask me.

After saying all that, here is a bit of advice:

Clothing

• In that part of Greece, it is generally hot in the summer. That goes only for the day, at night it can be rather chilly so - bring a jacket (you'll thank me later). Meteora is quite rainy and misty in spring and autumn so keep that in mind. Jeans and a T-shirt would do. Remember what I said here about how to dress in Orthodox churches and monasteries. I know I'm getting kind of boring with that but if you visit such a place, you should show some respect. 

Some of the stairs towards Agios Nikolaos

• Bring comfortable shoes (I mean really COMFORTABLE) - sneakers would do.

• It is quite windy up on the pillars so if you bring a hat - hold on to it.

Camera gear, settings and other tips

There is no way of going to Meteora and returning without nice pictures. The place is just so amazing that you will capture at least a few things that are stunning. Here are a few things to keep in mind. 

View from Agios Nikolaos - used the wide angle lens for that

Gear to take

There would be climbing so don't take all your lenses with you. 
You'll need:

• a wide angle (10-18mm or less)
• a general non-telephoto (17/18-55mm will do, if you have something better - bring it on)
• a tripod!!! (priceless for shooting sunset and night pics)

Meteora at night - exposure -  around 5 minutes. That's why you need a tripod! 

• something to clean up your gear - you have no idea how messy it gets when wind starts blowing
• a lot of memory cards - especially if you shoot in RAW format
• remote trigger - for the night and sunset shots (if you have a compact camera, you'll only need a portable tripod and will have to use the )
• anything else would help but it is not mandatory

Camera settings

To get amazing pictures you'll need a closed big f/ number (around and above f/8 - I recommend f/16)

Keep shutter speed at at least 1/200 sec. - that way camera shake will not be a problem.

Keep an eye on the light and avoid shooting when the sun shines in your lens - unless you have a DSLR and shoot in RAW format you won't be able to see much in them.
Keep ISO as low as possible (you'll thank me later about that). 

Light

Meteora is amazing to shoot at the Golden Hour ( around 10 am and around 4 or 5 pm in summer). Morning is good but only for some locations, same goes for evening.  Keep in mind that there will be areas that are bright in the sunlight and others that will be in the shadow - that goes especially for the summits of the stone pillars. The only way to get them well-lit is to visit Meteora when it rains or it is about to rain. 

Meteora in the mprning as seen from Kastraki - as you can see - the light comes from behind the pillars

Traveling info

Meteora is in Central Greece so people there are different from what you will encounter in Peloponnese or Crete. The traditional hospitality is still there but people tend to be less 'open' and more like the people in Bulgaria (which means - frowning and not exactly hospitable). This is a personal opinion - which may be due to the fact that I visited the place in a cold and rainy evening in September. Still, the food is great (as anywhere in Greece) - try the local wine and the meat - you'll see few types of fish here but the rest is delicious. 

Bring in a torch - streets of Kastraki do have some lamps but they are not enough - it all depends on where you'e staying. Bring in an umbrella as well - you never know when it's going to rain there. 

Having said all that, I wish you a wonderful Easter and can't wait so see your pictures from Meteora! 

The photographic license - how the camera changes the behavior

I don't know if you have ever been in such a situation but it happens to me quite often when I get the 'big' 'professional' camera with me and head out shooting. Somehow when people notice you with that equipment, they seem to be more tolerant to what you do and even try to help. I called this 'the photographic license'

Image taken from http://www.picturecorrect.com/tips/what-are-stops-in-digital-camera-settings/ 

If you have studied literature, you probably know that there is such thing called 'the poetic license' that enables the poet to do whatever atrocities they like to the language - use nonce-words, revert word order etc. I discovered that the same (or almost the same) goes for photography.

As if there is something magical in the equipment and for some reason it makes people take you seriously.

I had this case when I wanted to go shooting at the German Weihnachtsmarkt at the center of town. So far so good, but at the moment I had only my old and favourite compact red Canon PowerShot with me. I went no matter what because I felt that I have to - it is a gut feeling. Guess what - I was snapping away but people did everything to make my life hard - got in my way, bumped into me, intruded in the shots or - didn't notice that I exist.

I managed to get some amazing shots that evening - no matter what. The picture below is one of my favourite Christmas pictures ever and maybe one of the best Christmas moments I have ever captured. Unfortunately I never got to know the woman or the child - they went away without even noticing me.

  
The next evening I came back with the 'real' gear - black 'professional' camera and all. Guess what happened? Everyone stepped out of my way, practically no one bumped into me and when people saw me - they backed out of the way and even tried to help me arrange the thing I wanted captured.

I've seen that at travel locations as well - people tend to pay more attention to you when you carry a big, Terminator-like black 'professional' camera than if you carry a compact one - even though you are one and the same person anyway. I will keep writing professional in inverted commas because I think that the professional is the person behind the camera and the equipment alone cannot make you  a pro. That is a topic of another post, however. 

That had me thinking - why does it happen? Why people behave that way? Is it me or is it the gear? 
That led to another question- does my behavior differ when I get the big camera on? 

The answer came one evening on location (Sighisoara, Romania, by the way  - promise to tell it all in a travelogue) and was confirmed when I had to shoot at one or two events. I am generally not a shy person (well, not an introvert, at least) so that came as a shock to me at first. I noticed that the moment I hide behind the lens I become bolder and am willing to do things I would probably never do without the camera in front of me - like asking a complete stranger at a fair to pose for the camera and if you can photography their goods, to walk around a town in the late afternoon when there is no one around and it actually gets scary because the area is so remote and you are a foreign girl 165 centimeters tall. That camera makes me go and hang over a 80-meter bridge or climbing a rickety coast guard viewpoint or go into the bushes and the sand (despite the chance of finding a snake or a scorpion) for the one and only purpose of getting the right shot. 

The viewpoint I was talking about. From that angle you can see that it is not exactly vertical...

An accidental shot I took while almost falling off the viewpoint. Turned out that it is not used for a reason. Saw that picture wile flipping through the photos at home.

But there came another question - I did the same when I had a smaller camera. Why didn't people take me seriously then? The answer, I guess, lies in the gear. The bigger and scary/professional -looking it is, the more people start thinking 'Hey, look at her - she MUST be a pro, let's get out of the way!' or if they don't like getting photographed 'Oh, is that a photographer over there? She must be - look at her camera and stuff... I must get out of here before she takes a picture of me!'

So, in a way, people do license you with their behavior and you are free to act as you like. I normally use the moment to get better access to the location - if that is possible - or to get a photo of someone or something I like. When I have a camera in hand I am prepared to do almost any kind of idiocy to get the right shot. (and believe me - I have a few idiotic stories to tell come to think of it). With a camera in hand, there are no language barriers.  

So, what do you think?
Is there a photographic license and does holding a camera change you or the people around you?

Corinth Canal - part 2 - or why getting lost helps?

I've always wanted to take a picture of Corinth Canal with a boat inside it - you know, like the iconic picture below. 

Image taken from http://traveltamed.com/places-to-visit-in-greece/

If you have read the previous post, you already know what happened on day 1 and you probably know that I was dead-set on getting things right today. This part of the story starts in the morning at the hotel reception. 

Totally into the idea of getting a shot like the one above, I went to ask about ships. After all, they should know, right? The guy at the reception was very helpful but I doubt he understood much of what I had in mind told me that tourist boats go inside the canal but big ships are few and far between. Still, I was determined to go there and take my iconic shots. 

In the morning we went to Mycenae (which is the topic of another post) and at 11 am we drove back to Corinth - the distance is roughly 60 km. 

Where IS the canal???

There was a road sign on the highway but from Peloponnese there was none. So we got a panoramic view of Corinth and its streets. And the oil refinery. If you book a hotel - check where it is on the map because there is a very high chance of being close to the refinery. And that is HUGE! If the hotel is close - you will enjoy the smell of petrol derivatives 24/7. Corinth is a really nice town with plenty of things to see for it's size and no doubt - amazing accommodation and taverns - but the smell of petrol is not one of my favourites. Luckily we checked that BEFORE we went there. 

One of the beaches of Corinth that I managed to shoot along the way.

We went in and out of Corinth several times during some of which we came close to the channel. Twice we went over a submersible bridge at one end of the canal and we kept driving along one of its sides. 

The bridge I was talking about

The lagoon - the black and yellow thing on the left is the bridge

You can see it's there but you cannot reach it. You see where it is but you don't see where to turn for the viewpoint. 

The end of the canal as seen from the submersible bridge. The image is taken from a car in motion - you cannot stop there

Time went on and the sun went down - and I got nervous. Meanwhile we kept circling the streets of Corinth. 

One of the views of Corinth I managed to capture

 After all, we had only two days in that part of Peloponnese and it was already day 2! Bearing in mind that the pictures from yesterday I can happily delete at any instant because they show nothing of the canal that I wanted to capture.  (you can see the previous post to get the impression of how bad things were). 

The view from the submersible bridge - again!

After a few zig-zags in and out of Corinth - AGAIN! - we got to the viewpoint. Time: 12.30. Not too late, I hoped. I got out of the car and started running - at 30 degrees plus Celsius - and started frantically taking pictures of practically everything I got my lens on. Thank God I got the wide angle lens!!!

The canal from the other side of the bridge

Time went on and I got to the other side of the bridge (remember what I told you about the viewing platform being nonfunctional). 

This is the iconic view of the canal. Shot from the pavement of the car - bridge. Basically hanging on the safety fence for the shots of that side of the canal because the viewing platform was closed. 

By the time I was done with preliminary shots, it was around 1 pm.
Guess what??? At the far end of the canal I saw a boat approaching! A BOAT! No matter the time, I was totally into waiting for the boat to come to me - and even to get out of the canal.

One of my favourite shots from the day and roughly what I came to Corinth for :) 

 It was the picture-postcard thing I wanted to do!!! So I waited - it turned out that I didn't have to wait for a long time - some 15 minutes.
It was a miracle! My dream came true (well - sort of - it was a big ship but this little boat was ideal to show ho big th channel is). 

Another of my favourite shots

So I started snapping as if I had a machine gun - click, click, click, chat, chat, chat, chat! I LOVED IT!!! I was glad we got lost, after all - because otherwise we would have gotten to the canal earlier and we wouldn't have seen the boat. 
Sometimes getting lost helps.
Now, the technical information: how to get a picture like that?

The boats

There are several tourist boats that get inside the canal - either to show it to the tourists or just for the fun of being photographed from above (the people in the boat were having a great time while I was taking those shots). The boats have different schedule - so make sure you check it out first before you get on location. I think that there is at least one of them that gets inside the channel at midday - which means - somewhere between 12.00 and 13.00 pm and I think that there is another one later on during the day. 

The light

Make sure to be on location at midday - when the sun falls directly from above and the water inside the channel looks azure. Trust me, you won't regret it. 

If it is cloudy - any time would be suitable. But the water is less likely to be azure. 

Clothing

It is generally HOT in Peloponnese 7 months out of 12 and temperatures rise up to 30 degrees Celsius (and often higher - when we were there temperatures ranged from 30 to 38 in different parts of Peloponnese) so make sure you have sunscreen, a hat (it's windy at the bridge so make sure you keep it ON your head in some way) shorts and a T-shirt. Sneakers are a must - you'll need all the stability you can get while on the bridge. 

The bridge - again, in case you didn't pay attention last time

Gear

Any camera would do but let's try to get the DSLR settings:

• manual mode - f/8 - f/18 (depends on your ideas and the amount of light) - you need a BIG f/ number to get the bottom of the channel sharp; shutter speed - 1/320 sec + (in case there is a boat around - they move quite fast)
• images shot in RAW (or the highest quality JPEG) - so you can use your files later on.
• lens - wide angle is a must - you don't have much space to move around either way. 10-18 mm is a good choice but if you don't have one - use the widest setting of your lens (normally that is 18 mm). Forget about telephoto lenses unless you want to get a portrait of someone in the boat below.  

Safety precautions

Corinth canal is one of the two entry points from mainland Greece to Peloponnese (I keep repeating that, I know, but I hope that it gets stuck in your head) - the road that hosts the railing is VERY VERY BUSY!!! You can see trucks, buses (tourist and municipal) and cars of all brands and sizes driving over it at any minute. So:

• Do NOT go in the middle of the road for no reason (it is narrow enough)

The railing of the bridge in detail. 

• Do NOT hang over the railings!!! You don't want to risk a 70-meter fall down to the 8-meter deep water. (I am myself afraid of heights and that one took my breath away but still...) If the other viewing platform is still closed (as it was when I was there) DO NOT TRY TO GET ON IT!!! If they closed it - they probably did it for a reason - probably it is not stable enough to host ANYONE. DO NOT play the hero!

A side shot of the canal to show you ho deep it is.

Last note - Corinth Canal is one of the most spectacular places I have been to. If you are in the area - do go there. It's worth it!
Corinth has other places to see as well - Ancient Corinth is a must - see and has a great view and they have to have a museum or two. 

For those in love - bring a padlock and lock it on the bridge - many couples do that like they do it in France. As you can see from the picture above - they are quite a few.