Steps to the Underground and the Stairway to Heaven

swbennett97
Jun 28, 2017
4 min read

As our first optional trip set up through the American College of Thessaloniki, about 3/5 of our group traveled to the regions of Thessaly and Epirus. After a four hour bus ride, we arrived in Ioannina to explore the Perama Cave system. At the mouth of the cave, we discovered its much cooler temperature was a great relief from the 90 degree weather above ground. The 1.5 million year old cave with 19 different types of stalagmites and stalactites was the first to be opened to the public in Greece. Steps were carved into the cave floors so that visitors are able to walk through part of the vast underground system. Halfway through, our guide pointed out a spot where a female bear skeleton had been found in 1956 after she couldn't find her way out of the underground maze. After about an hour and 163 steps out of the cave, we were met with a beautiful view of Ioannina and the second largest lake in Epirus- Lake Pamvotida.

We then took our bus to our five star hotel where we would be staying for the night. In between our cave adventure and the castle tour we had planned for that night, we had time to swim in the hotel pool- a blessing after the heat.

After relaxing in the sun, we hopped back on our bus to head to the upper city of Ioannina, where a fortified city had been built in the 6th century. We peered into the past of the medieval life with the king's private mosque and other small buildings surrounding it. Our guide mentioned that Albania is on the other side of the mountains in the distance of the castle walls. While we were there, a couple happened to be taking wedding photos (her gown was gorgeous!) with the magnificent view of Ioannina. We also found another friendly stray dog- not an uncommon occurrence in Greece, we've discovered.

The next day, we met in our hotel's dining room where complimentary pastries galore were our breakfast. I had been craving crepes all weekend after someone mentioned we could get our hands on some in Ioannina, so I was delighted to find some in our breakfast buffet! After stuffing our faces with treats and coffee, we hopped on our bus to drive three hours to Meteora, the city of monasteries built on top of towering cliffs. The city's name literally means "suspended in air"after its Christian Orthodox monasteries that teeter on the edge of the summits above the town of Kalambaka. There were an estimated 24 monasteries built in the 14th-16th centuries, but only six remain. These six are now protected by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.

Our big blue bus drove us up tiny winding two way roads until we reached the two monasteries we would be visiting- one a nunnery, the other a monastery of less than ten monks (they used to be booming with upwards of fifty). Any women not wearing skirts past the knee had to borrow a wrap-around skirt while touring the monasteries to "look more respectable". Here are two of my friends modeling their modest coverings.

Our first stop was the nunnery, where we learned that each nun has a tiny, plain room where they sleep. The church is where the beauty goes. Inside, every square inch is covered with a depiction of Christian Orthodox art. No pictures were allowed for fear of the artwork being affected, however I managed to sneak a few before I was yelled at (in my defense, I was not aware that pictures were forbidden at the time).

After exiting the church's entryway where carved wooden chairs line the walls, the next room held the dome where a portrait of Jesus peered down on anyone passing under. Above the archway that serves as the sanctuary's entrance point, is a painting of Mary's assumption into heaven. Many saints are portrayed on the circular walls of the sanctuary room, as well. Behind a screen on the back wall of the sanctuary is the altar which holds many valuable pieces of art. Women are forbidden to cross this screen into the altar so even the nuns that live and work there are not allowed. Each monasteries' churches have virtually the same structure and iconography. Although, the church of the monk's monastery had more violent depictions in the first room- images of Christians being brutally slaughtered, in order to prove that many people have died for the religion in order for future generations to be able to freely worship. Speaking of worship, the second monastery serves as its own winery, for communion uses. They also hold their own ossuary for their past monks. After the bodies placed in the ossuary have decomposed, the bones are taken out for cleaning and then stacked in an orderly fashion back into the same room.

In order to reach this second monastery, our group had to first descend down a flight of stairs in order to reach the plateau before the next stairs that climb up to the very top of the cliff that the monastery was built on. Me being me, counted each stair to a total of 277, give or take (I might have messed up along the way...both there and back...). Needless to say, leg day is covered for this week. Of course, getting to 1700 feet above sea level made the heat and sweat worth it once we saw the view. Pictures don't do it justice, but trust me when I say it is breathtaking. Because I am from a small agricultural area, I find it so cool to be able to see each and every row of crop in the fields below. But my farmtown definitely doesn't have mountains or cliffs like these.