Happy Birthday to me,
Happy Birthday to me,
Happy Birthday dear Martin,
Happy Birthday to me.
The best birthday present must be to be in Greece and especially in Meteora.
The weather was much better today and we decided to do a slow tour of the
monasteries in the van. However we started in Kalabaka with some shopping.
There were the normal groceries to buy but I wanted a joint of lamb to
celebrate, somewhat belatedly, our Easter. This meant a visit to a butcher and
I was lucky that the one that I chose not only spoke English but also
understood the cut of lamb shoulder that I wanted. I had also been looking out
for a small Greek barbecue and we passed a small shop with just what I was
looking for. It had a standard grill but also had a device to attach and rotate
long skewers that could hold pork, lamb or even a chicken. I negotiated a price
for the barbecue, two skewers and a battery powered motor to turn them. Total
cost €40 (£33 ish), which I think was a bargain. I hope to use it on this trip
but it will certainly be used when we get home.
We started our tour on the far side of Kalabaka, gaining height as we
approached the first monastery. They all have different opening times and days
when they are closed but that didn’t worry us as we have visited most of them
in the past. It was the views and the geology that we wanted to see this time.
Around every corner there is another spectacular view and, at this time of the
year, it is easy to park up and stare for a few minutes. The cold and very wet
weather of yesterday gave us an expected bonus as the precipitation had fallen
as snow on the mountains and that provided a lovely backdrop to many of the
views.
In the evening we walked into Kastraki and had yet another excellent meal, this
time with a local Meteora wine.
Photos: A religious artefacts shop had a new idea for a ‘no parking bollard’ but it didn’t work!; There are four working monasteries in this photograph and, if you look carefully, you should be able to spot a ruined monastery above the one in the centre; Agia Triada monastery with its cable car (on the left) transporting goods; Agios Stephanos monastery; Varlaam on the right and Agios Nicholaos on the left.
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