Athens and Meteora (Sep 23 to 27)

The Acropolis, the hill high atop Athens.
The Parthenon is the actual building. Over the years it has been a temple, a mosque and a church! It was started in 447 BC
Pillars in The Temple of Zeus
Arch of Hadrian. It marked the passage between Greek Athens on one side and Roman Hadrianopolis on the other side.

Caryatids on Acropolis. Caryatids are just building pillars that are shaped like females.

Parthenon

Many beautiful church's in Athens

Looking up at the Acropolis at night
So many cute alleys with restaurants.
Good food in Greece
Athens as seen from the Acropolis.

Meteora is the name of amazing rock formations in central Greece. Meteora in Greece means "suspended in air"... and so it was! It is known not only for it's unique geology but for the precipitously built Eastern Orthadox monasteries.
Six of the original 24 are built on huge natural rock pillars. 
When first built, people and goods were either taken up ladders or hauled up in huge nets with winches.
There are many caves in the area.
They were inhabited over 20,000 years ago. The oldest known example of a built structure( a stone wall built to block 2/3 of the entrance to Theopetra cave) dates back over 23,000 years!
Hermit monks lived in these caves in the 9th century AD.

Great views from on top. Many thanks to my sister and brother in law who use to live in Athens and encouraged us to take this 10 hr round trip bus ride to see this amazing site!
Two of the monasteries are convents for nuns and the other four still in operation are for monks. There are 50 nuns and 17 monks still living in the active monasteries. 

Yea! We made it!
The monasteries were established between the 13th and 14th centuries.  Originally they were built high up out of the side of the pillars and accessed by removable ladders. ( One can be seen hanging by the door) This helped protect them from attacks by the Turks.


The town of Kalambaka. The rock formations start right in this cute town.
On to Portugal.














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