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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Original Post - Nov 2, 2007 - 07:04pm PT
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Detail from the cover of Dieter Hasse’s wonderful book,
Which chronicles much of the Meteora experience in northern Greece:
Detail of copper engraving by the monk, Parthenios of Meteora, circa 1782:
(from Hasse’s book)
Roussanou Monastery, with Holy Ghost group of rocks:
(photo Dieter Hasse)
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 2, 2007 - 07:05pm PT
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The hosts,
Jane & Micha Klein:
The invite:
The map:
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Tarbuster
climber
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 2, 2007 - 07:07pm PT
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Tarbuster, preflight to Athens Greece, with rope, rack, and no hat,
After pulling an all-night’er sewing portaledge rainflys and God only knows what else:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 2, 2007 - 07:09pm PT
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First thing I did in Athens after securing my train ticket to Kalambaka was get up on a hill and have a Greek salad, they are so simple; but none stateside has since rivaled that bowl of tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olives and goat cheese.
Had some time to blitz to the Acropolis and its Parthenon:
Then on the way back down to the train, on foot, I got lost. Just me and my one day pack running downhill in my cowboy boots through various town squares, (they all look alike of course) gunning for the train station.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 2, 2007 - 07:10pm PT
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It's pretty simple to get to Meteora from Athens. Jane gave me explicit instructions and she's good at this stuff, by age 19 she had traveled solo through the Orient. Between Athens and Kalambaka I just had to make one transfer.
Once on the train, I met a nice Greek fellow traveling with his wife. He was most hospitable (to me) and provided key information about the upcoming train switch. Until then he told jokes: “I have three children, two goats, a goldfish and a wife, haha.” His wife would doze off occasionally, and he would take the burning ember of his cigarette tip and place it close to the skin of the back of her hand. I didn't think it was funny, but he did, and she displayed not a sign of care, other than batting him off like a fly.
A Greek Orthodox priest walked by and my man waved him in to our berth, lit up a second smoke for the priest, handed it to the clergyman and by their tone I can say they engaged in jovial and rather pedestrian conversation. Shortly after the priest departed and when the man was done eating his brown bag dinner, he tossed his empty wrappers out through the nearest train window.
The train slowed down, and with no announcement whatsoever by the conductor or over any sort of PA system, my traveling partner insisted I leave the train and follow him across the tracks to catch the proper train to Kalambaka. He got off with his wife, I followed them, he told me where to stand, seemingly just by the side of the tracks, not at any kind of station, and they left, and I waited a bit and shortly my train came!
Once on the connecting train I met three young women; their names were Elini, Bettina, and Goodrun. (phonetic spelling). Elini was Greek, educated in Germany, along with the two German girls. Ironically, even though Elini was Greek and knew her home country well, they had missed the switch and had ridden the initial train in the wrong direction for five hours. It turns out they also were heading to Meteora to watch the sunrise from the top of the rocks and asked if I would like to join them.
Um, I said yes...
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426
Sport climber
Buzzard Point, TN
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Been wanting to go new school (Kalymnos)...keep em coming, cowroy
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Watusi
Social climber
Newport, OR
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Great tour Roy!
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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and then what happened?
/munge says waiting expectantly with grin on his face...
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Jello
Social climber
No Ut
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C'mon, Tarbaby, give up the rest of the story. But take your own sweet time, nonetheless.
-ExpectantJello
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yo
climber
The Eye of the Snail
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hahaha yeah, what an opener!!
This thread's already a classic.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 3, 2007 - 02:54am PT
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Several hours before sunrise, in the darkness, the three young women and I departed the train at Kalambaka. Not so far along we would find Kastraki nestled amongst the towers of Meteora proper. Now, whether we walked or sought transport, I cannot say, can I be blamed? Either way our conversations carried us upward along a paved mountain road through smoky vineyards until we reached a point where the stars above became blotted out by large rectangular patches of blackness. Yes! My first impression of the towers, with their unrevealed bulks impressing such a sense of possibility upon our star punctured ceiling.
Kastraki lay asleep as we passed through the little hamlet and continued on towards the summit of Meteora itself; meandering now up the steeper road, we became aware of just a few occasional small squares of candlelight set high into the sides of the cliffs. These solitary morning sign marked the waking vigil of the cloistered monks, performing their various ablutions, incantations, and readings. Soon the rising sun illuminated on either side of our path the numerous orange Pixari blooms floating the trees.
(photo Dieter Hasse)
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 3, 2007 - 02:58am PT
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With a bit of walking yet to go, a short time following sunrise we reached a pedestal just beneath one of the higher Cloisters.
(I don't know for sure what someone's body language was all about).
Some of the monasteries are known to be open for tour and were quite grand, while others seemed less formally arranged and equally inviting:
The settings afforded by various porches and overlooks were quite relaxing:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 3, 2007 - 03:03am PT
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We do not know when the first monk came to lead an acetic life in one of the remote Meteora caves. According to Theotekni, a nun, written records about the monks at Meteora date back to the 11th century. Most monasteries were founded during the second half of the 14th century, when the Serbs ruled Thessaly. (From Hasse’s Meteora)
Some are merely caves, blocked off with external walls, and there is much evidence indicating monks were well acclimated to the precipitous environment:
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 3, 2007 - 03:03am PT
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Mungeclimber
Trad climber
sorry, just posting out loud.
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all hot an bothered...
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 3, 2007 - 03:15am PT
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Well ya Munge, maybe.
I mean to say, it is a romantic place.
It was nice to linger.
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mack
Trad climber
vermont
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Totally sweet...and then?
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mack
Trad climber
vermont
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I sure hope there's some climbing in the next edition.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 3, 2007 - 11:23am PT
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While the monasteries provided for a fascinating day of exploration, it was time for us all to return down the hill to Kastraki,
Which in its own way, is a dream town for the rock climber:
(photo of Kastraki, Dieder Hasse)
The three women accompanied me to the center of town, where we found my hosts Jane & Mike hard at work,
Culling aspirants for their local rockclimbing adventures:
I bid adieu to my lovely touring partners and Elini, having throughout the day shared some furtive & subtle non verbal communique,
She sealed that notion with a farewell kiss ...sent to my neck.
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Tarbuster
climber
right here, right now
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 3, 2007 - 12:10pm PT
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Not so early the next morning, Jane & Micha went to work.
They are a super fun pair and have a great sense of humor:
My first partner was this fellow Peter from Austria,
Seen here with his wife & kids before we headed out on foot:
We climbed a fun tower called Pyramid via a 4 pitch 5.8 arete:
(photo Hasse)
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