Contrary to what many might think from my last post, my birthday weekend was amazing. I, along with 3 of my friends, went to Meteora, an outcropping of sheer limestone cliffs which are home to 6 active monasteries. We spent the weekend camping and hiking up to all of them. There were some amazing views from the top.
We got up early Friday morning and made our way to the train station in Athens (about a 40 minute commute from our apartment) and took the five hour train to Kalambaka, the main town next to the monasteries. The view as we got off the train was breath taking. Right from the start, I could tell we were going to have a great weekend. The weather was perfect, very refreshing from the intense humidity of Athens; the people are some of the closest friends I have on the trip; the views are spectacular; the pace is slow yet exciting. Can you ask for better conditions?
After checking into our camp ground, we had a quick lunch and hiked up to one monastery just in time to do some exploring and see the sunset.
Saturday, we got up really early and hit four monasteries in a row, stopping only for a picnic lunch on the top of a cliff. When visiting places like this, it really is no wonder why the ancient Greeks had such a dynamic pantheon of gods. During our hikes up to the monasteries, I fully expected Pan to jump out with a trail of nymphs frolicking behind him.
After our lunch, we made it back down to our camp site, stopping to pick berries and talk with other travelers and hikers along the way. We took some naps, recouped, and headed to a taverna to celebrate my birthday. Basically, the taverna was the best restaurant I've eaten at in a long time. We sat outside under a roof of ivy and sat there and talked for the rest of the night, sipping tea that warmed our bodies and calmed our minds. We got some baklava from the bakery down the street and brought it back to the campsite to have a little birthday celebration there.
On Sunday, we took the train back to Athens. We soon realized that the Greek train system leaves much to be desired, like punctuality, assigned seats, knowledgeable conductors, platform assignments, and much more. However to my surprise, we made it to Athens safely. When we got home, the rest of my apartment-mates had decorated the apartment with balloons and had apple pie and ice cream waiting for me. It pretty much was the best birthday ever.
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