Great Vacation To Meteora, Greece

The Greek word Meteora means "suspended in the air", and our words meteorite and meteorology come from the same root. The conglomerate rock at Meteora, Greece, has eroded into fantastic peaks upon which medieval monks built monasteries, several of which are still active. The isolated monasteries of Meteora helped keep alive Greek Orthodox religious traditions and Hellenic culture during the turbulent Middle Ages and Ottoman Turk occupation of Greece (1453-1829). In 1988, UNESCO declared Meteora to be a World Heritage Site.

Travel Tips for Meteora:

• I suggest reading all you can before going - don't rely on a tour guide to give you the depth of perspective necessary to understand the history and the symbols & styles used in the Greek Orthodox Church.
• I suggest visiting monasteries as soon as they open in the morning to avoid the big crowds.
  
• For photography, I recommend a day or two exploring all the different different angles and possibilities, then be ready for the perfect shot on the next day or two as you experience the ever-changing light. Visit at sunrise & sunset for best photography. Sunset may give the best light since the the cliffs face to the southwest. If you are short on time, rent a car to zip around to the different photo angles as the light changes quickly at sunset. Otherwise, if you have time, walking is the best way to absorb the ambiance of this incredible area.
  
• I suggest staying anywhere in Kastraki, which is a small town with fascinating architecture, cobbled streets, and closer walking distance to the rock towers & monasteries than the larger town of Kalambaka.
  
• A few hours drive from Meteora you can hike Mount Olympus, which is culturally very important to Greece. Ascending Mount Olympus is challenging and scenic, with a clean, comfortable overnight dormitory-style hut that serves meals.
• Excellent travel guidebook: Greece, by Lonely Planet Publications, February 2000.

Left: Varlaam Monastery, founded on this pinnacle in 1517 CE.

Below: A face decorates the side of a house in Kastraki, a village at the foot of Meteora.

Right: Storks migrate between Greece and Africa, and some nest here in the Kastraki town square.

Greek Independence

The Greek War of Independence of 1821-1829 reclaimed Ottoman Turk holdings in the Peloponnese, Sterea Ellada, and the Cyclades and Sporades Islands, but intervention by Britain, France, and Russia would set up foreign kings to control Greece on and off for generations. With the decline of the Ottomans in the mid-1800's, the "Megali Idea (Great Idea)" of a new Greek Empire became popular for reclaiming former Byzantine Greek lands. The Balkan Wars of 1912-1913 expanded Greece to include southern Macedonia, part of Thrace, more of Epiros, the North-East Aegean Islands, and union with Crete. After siding with the Allies in World War I, Greece invaded Turkey as far as Ankara. However, the young General Mustafa Kemal (later called Ataturk) drove the Greeks out of Anatolia, finally evaporating any Greek desire for the "Great Idea". In a huge exchange causing great hardships on everyone involved, 1.5 million Christians left Turkey and 400,000 Muslims left Greece. Greece also suffered terribly under Nazi occupation in World War II, with many civilians dying of starvation and half the Jewish population sent to death camps. Greece's turbulent history culminated in a 1946-1949 Civil War between monarchists and democrats, where more Greeks were killed than in World War II. Despair motivated nearly a million Greeks to seek better life in Australia (Melbourne), Canada, the USA (New York and Chicago), and other countries. After a coup by Colonels 1967-74 and later socialist rule, Greece has shifted politically to the right as of 2001. The economy is finally showing signs of improvement, and the standard of living is rising rapidly. Low and stable interest rates have hugely expanded car ownership. Greece proudly hosted world visitors at the lightly attended 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, which were broadcasted worldwide on television.

Left: Monks at Roussanou Monastery have historically used the pulley system shown here to drawn supplies up from the valley below. Roussanou, built atop a rock pinnacle in 1545, is now a convent.

Below right: Roussanou Monastery is now a convent.

Left: Grand Meteora Monastery, founded in the 1300's CE on this steep pinnacle.

Below right: Entry to Grand Meteora Monastery.

Below: Saint Nicholas Anapafsa is the English name for Agio Nikolaou Anapafsa Monastery (Greek name), at Meteora:

Below: rustic house with grape vines in Kastraki:

Left: Lumpy rock formations rise above a hotel in Kastraki.

Below right: Pillars of rock tower above Kastraki.

Left: Kastraki: Old stone houses in Kastraki are dwarfed by a rock pinnacle.

Below: A moped is parked below turquioise shutters in Kastraki.

Left: A weathered door with turquoise frame, at Meteora.

Below right: a yellowish weathered door at Meteora.

Left: Varlaam Monastery perches atop a rock spire.

Below: Varlaam Monastery clings to a precipice, above a weird landscape of stone towers.

Copyright 2001 by Tom Dempsey. Photographs or text may not be copied without permission.

Bunaken, Manado - a heaven under the sea
 

Bunaken is located at the north of the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia. It belongs administratively to the municipality of Manado. Bunaken is part of the Bunaken National Marine Park, which has some of the highest levels of marine biodiversity in the world. Scuba diving attracts many visitors to the island. The Bunaken National Marine Park was formally established in 1991 and is among the first of Indonesia’s growing system of marine parks.

The park covers a total surface area of 890.65 km², 97% of which is overlain by sparkling clear, warm tropical water. The remaining 3% of the park is terrestrial, including the five islands of Bunaken, Manado Tua, Mantehage, Nain and Siladen. Although each of these islands has a special character, it is the aquatic ecosystem that attracts most naturalists.

The waters of Bunaken National Marine Park are extremely deep (1566 m in Manado Bay), clear (up to 35-40 m visibility), refreshing in temperature (27 to 29 °C) Pick any of group of interest - corals, fish, echinoderms or sponges - and the number of families, genera or species is bound to be astonishingly high. For example, 7 of the 8 species of giant clams that occur in the world, occur in Bunaken.

The park has around 70 genera of corals; compare this to a mere 10 in Hawaii. Although the exact number of fish species is unknown, it may be slightly higher than in the Philippines, where 2,500 species, or nearly 70% of all fish species known to the Indo-western Pacific, are found.

Oceanic currents may explain, in part, why Bunaken National Marine Park is such a treasure trove of biodiversity. Northeasternly currents generally sweep through the park but abundant counter currents and gyros related to lunar cycles are believed to be a trap for free swimming larvae. This is particularly true on the south side of the crescent-shaped Bunaken Island, lying in the heart of the park.

A snorkler or diver in the vicinity of Lekuan or Fukui may spot over 33 species of butterfly fish and numerous types of groupers, damsels, wrasses and gobies. The gobies, smallish fish with bulging eyes and modified fins that allow them to attach to hard surfaces, are the most diverse but least known group of fish in the park.

Biologists believe that the abundance of hard corals is crucial in maintaining the high levels of diversity in the park. Hard corals are the architects of the reefs, without them, numerous marine organisms would be homeless and hungry. Many species of fish are closely associated with particular types of corals (folious, branching, massives, etc.) for shelter and egg-laying. Others, like the enormous Bumphead Parrotfish, Balbometopon muricatum, are “coralivores” and depend on hard corals for their sustenance. Bony mouth parts fused into an impressive “beak” allow these gregarious fish to crunch corals like roasted peanuts.