Yannis Divramis 
Rousanou Monastery ranks among the most photographed sights of the Meteora rock cluster. It stands on a lower, rounded pillar in the heart of the formation, wrapped so closely by the stone that walls and rock seem to merge. Small footbridges carry visitors across the narrow gap from the neighbouring rock, making the climb gentler … Read more
Varlaam Monastery sits on one of the tallest rock pillars in the Meteora region of Thessaly, in central Greece near Kalabaka. The monastery is dedicated to All Saints and ranks as the second largest of the six active Meteora houses. It stands directly next to the Great Meteoron, sharing a dramatic clifftop skyline. Carved steps … Read more
Great Meteoron crowns the Broad Rock above Kalabaka, the tallest and largest of the six working monasteries that give Meteora its fame. The full name is the Holy Monastery of the Transfiguration of Christ, and locals call it Megalo Meteoro. Its stone buildings rise near six hundred metres, reached by a long flight of carved … Read more
Meteora rewards travellers who stay for the last hour of daylight. Low golden light warms the grey sandstone pillars, and the clifftop monasteries turn to dark silhouettes above the plain of Thessaly. The viewpoints along the monastery road fill with visitors who came for exactly this moment, cameras ready and jackets on for the cooling … Read more
Hiking ranks among the finest ways to experience Meteora. A web of old monk footpaths and stone-cut steps threads between the giant rock pillars and links the monasteries above the plain. Walkers climb from the village of Kastraki through oak forest and bare rock, reaching the cloisters on foot rather than by road. The paths … Read more
Meteora rises above two settlements that hold almost every bed near the rock pillars. Kalabaka and Kastraki sit at the foot of the towering sandstone columns, minutes from the monasteries above. Kalabaka is the larger town, with a railway station, restaurants and hotels across all budgets. Kastraki is a smaller, quieter village pressed right against … Read more
Meteora crowns central Greece with six active Eastern Orthodox monasteries perched on giant sandstone-conglomerate pillars. The rocks rise sheer above the town of Kalabaka and the village of Kastraki in Thessaly. Monks settled these summits from the fourteenth century, turning inaccessible caves and crags into places of prayer. The complex earned UNESCO World Heritage status … Read more
Ikaria in October rewards travelers who want warmth without summer crowds. The sea holds heat from the long summer, so swimming stays comfortable through most of the month. Days run mild and pleasant, and the fierce meltemi wind that whips the north Aegean in high season has eased. Villages turn to the grape and olive … Read more
Ikaria in winter shows a different face from its summer self. The beaches empty, the crowds vanish, and the island returns to its own residents. Rain feeds the hills, turning the rugged interior deep green after the autumn showers. Daytime highs sit cool but mild by Mediterranean standards, and the sea keeps the air from … Read more
Ikaria is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, set apart in the stretch of water that carries its name, the Icarian Sea. The island belongs to the North Aegean region and rests between the Cyclades to the west and the eastern Aegean islands to the east. It sits just west of Samos and … Read more