Although Metora was a bit out of the way, it was well worth the journey. The cylindrical mountains topped with ancient monasteries were amazing to see, 6 out of the original 24 remain active. The rock pillars are composed of sandstone and rock conglomerate. The monasteries are thought to have begun around the 11th or 12th century, built by Byzantine monks who wanted to be closer to God. We were lucky to be there in the fall so the trees had beautiful colour, and we had a bright sunny day and enjoyed going for a long hike. The hiking trail took us down a deep stairway that we believe would have been used in ancient times, as we descended rapidly, we all dreaded the climb back up. Throughout Greece and Croatia there are beautiful kittens and cats looking for food or adoption. It was hard to respect the family rules about not touching wild animals while we travel, and there has been some laxity on this rule. At night there were flood lights on the giant rocks behind our home, this emphasized their beauty and unique shape. We were impressed with the Greek meals that we had at a local tavern and surprised by how reasonably priced it was to eat out in Greece compared to other places we have been. Another place where pictures speak more than words!
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