Greece Meteora

When you are on the peaks of the gigantic, dark				sensation made more intense by the celestial limit
rocks which are the sites of the terraces of the				of the horizon which houses the mute and lofty
monasteries of Meteora and as your eye takes in				dome of the heavens. Your own soul begins to
the peaceful plain of Thessaly, your heart beats				rise to that. heavenly dome and accommodate
with an altered pace. It seems as though these				itself to the boundlessness of that silent plain,
vast rock formations which rear up around you				while a variety of emotions crowd in upon the
are ready for some mighty battle in which their				heart. Through this antithesis of emotions of awe
every movement will create some cosmic				and wonder a feeling of ecstasy springs up and
upheaval in the Thessalian plain, which reclines				this is converted into 'fear and astonishment' if a
below in all its greenery as though nothing at all				storm should suddenly break. The sky
were happening. The ravishing spectacle of the				immediately darkens and the rain begins to pour
rocks with their green carpet around them				down ceaselessly. The wind begins to whistle
produces feelings of wonder mixed with awe,				around you and begins to beat relentlessly on the
precisely because from up there man feels his				vast rocks scoured by the rain, while lightning like
helplessness before the wonders of the Creator.				snakes furrows the horizon. The torrential rain and
At the same time one has a sense of the sublime				the strong wind on the one hand and the mass of
and the beautiful. The beautiful can be expressed				the rocks which surround you on the other create
in measurable terms - its concent and form are in				within you a mystical symphony and lead you
complete harmony. Its beauty is static. As the				involuntarily to the awakening of your
Parthenon is in art, so in nature the quiet plain of				subconscious, under the rule of the silence. This
Thessaly lies before one in the embrace of the				interior silence, though you try to stifle its voice in
Peneus river. The element of the sublime comes				the noise of the rain, the wind and the thunder,
from the sight of those lofty rocks on whose				begins to speak to you in a thousand different
summit you are and where you feel that you are				ways. Then you notice that the water which
between earth and heaven. As you look down at				rages against the rocks produces small cataracts
the green plain, you are aware of an ideal balance,				which roar down among the rocks and their
while an Olympian calm takes hold of you at the				outcrops with a primeval clamour.
sight of this wonderful creation. As you gaze at				The floods which lash all around form dangerous
the gigantic rocks which rise around you, you				rivulets and create small torrents which find their
experience a state of spiritual elevation and				way into the Peneus.
reflection.				At that moment you feel exaltation, under the
At the same time, the sense of the sublime				influence of the symphony created by the
creates in each monk and in each visitor a great				combination of rain, thunder and wind. You
tenseness of the emotions which seek to find				shudder to the depths of your being when the
some outlet. This outlet comes after strong				thunder jolts the green and ashen-coloured rocks
feelings which have spiritual implications for the				and the lightning suddenly illuminates them to their
mystical life and the peace of Meteora. Thus the				base.
beauty of the plain addresses itself to the				You feel a spiritual upheaval when you participate
perception and the intellect, while the sublime				in these commotions of the heavens which e
speaks to the emotions and the soul, in order to				Creator directs. It is then that you feel lost,
be better understood.				because certainly you cannot oppose yourself to
The view from the monasteries of St. Stephen				the battle of the elements, nor can you take it in
and the Great Meteoro is indescribable. If you				with your mind. You feel the need to be down in
pause n there a while to look below you, you will				the plain to participate aesthetically in the action of
experience an inner peace and be led to higher				the elements, as when you listen to the dramatic
spheres. The view which you will have is hard to				climax of a musical symphony. Then, safe from
conceive in its extent and unparalleled in grandeur.				the elements of nature and without the
It is perhaps the best compensation for the				trumpet-calls of terror-and the fear of the
difficulty of the ascent. Picturesque Kastraki lies 'at				lightning, you experience a spiritual force of
your feet', historic Kalambaka is 'in front of you'				superiority rising up within you which mounts
and the green and peaceful plain of Thessaly				freely on high, full of joy and drunk with ecstasy.
virtually surrounds you. A little further off the				In the distance, facing the monasteries of
River Peneus, which for so many centuries has				Meteora, Koziakas, the subject of many songs,
played along its charming course, creates a				rises. Its great, sharp rocks and innumerable
phenomenon unique in beauty and delight.				peaks are sometimes struggling to pierce the
Everything up there evinces a certain grandeur				clouds and at others to lance the bright blue
and, taken all together, produces an imposing				Greek sky. The sparkling white villages at the foot
harmony. The greenness of the plain in its				of Koziakas and in the places sheltered from the
abundance is restful, the quiet is purifying, the				North winds on the plain complete the beauty of
impressiveness of the place is overwhelming, its				the land of Thessaly.
sanctity is a blessing and all together these lift you				As you look at all this and see around you a
above material things and bring you close to the				whole forest of green and ash-coloured masses,
Creator. Your soul, broken down by contradictions				on the peaks of which are monasteries with roofs
and uncertainties and wearied by the constant				and caves, wooden galleries suspended in the air
attempt to satisfy what is unfulfilled, longs for the				and balconies which crouch on the edge of the
unknown, the feelings for which create a saving				abyss, you do not known what to marvel at first.
counterbalance.				You are surprised by their vastness and absorbed
If you then turn your gaze to the heavens, you				by their grandeur, allowing yourself experiences
will be overtaken by a different sensation - a				which are unrepeatable.

VisitCrete

Greece Meteora