26.-28th September 2020: Meteora (Greece)

After leaving Athens with a hint of nostalgia, we feel like explorers again and enjoy the drive towards Meteora through diverse landscapes: through vast plains with cotton fields and dry grasses, passing barren mountains where forest fires have left behind black lunar landscapes in some places. We drive up mountains again on winding roads, and on the other side, a fertile, green mountain landscape awaits us. In the mountains, one almost forgets that this is also Greece, but in our travel guide, we read that - of course - ancient history can be found here too: We pass by the battlefield of Thermopylae, where in 480 BC the crucial battle between the Persians and the Greeks took place, a battle that the Persians were able to win.

Shortly before Kalambaka, we can already see the impressive smooth rock formations from a distance, which remind us a bit of the Elbe Sandstone Mountains - only they are much higher, and there are no monasteries on top of the rock pinnacles in Saxon Switzerland.

After a good night's sleep, we start a hike up the cliffs on Sunday to experience this impressive landscape from a different perspective. Surprisingly, the children are excited, they have packed their own hiking backpacks, and we happily hike along the Meteora Trail Run. There are always opportunities to climb small rocks, walk through dried-out stream beds, and after some hot meters in the sun, find refreshment (and flies) in the shade of smaller forests and bushes.

At the top, we are greeted by truly breathtaking views, which I can only enjoy with my fear of heights when everyone is safely behind barriers and far away from the dizzying precipices. It's incredible that monks managed to build monasteries even on the most inaccessible rocks!

With a sense of awe, we descend the centuries-old steps on the way back and are very glad to have made this stop on our way towards Bulgaria.