Acropolis was constructed during what is called the Classical Period in Greece (fourth and fifth century BC). This is when the country really flourished and breakthrough progress was made in all types of endeavors…governance, philosophy, science, art, and architecture. The religious belief was based on their own gods and goddesses, each with a specific purpose and arranged in a hierarchical order, much like what Hindus believe in. Zeus, Apollo, Athena, Artemis, Poseidon, are some of the examples. A lot of what Greeks did in structures they created was based on these beliefs. Even philosophy was influenced by the belief in the imaginary world of gods and the real one of humans and how they interacted.
All that came to a grinding halt after Romans made Greece their colony (31 BC to 180 AD). They brought Christianity to Greece and the country was never the same again. The Greek Orthodox Church created a distinct set of beliefs, traditions and religious structures.
In Athens one can see both types of buildings, those from the times when the Greek gods ruled, such as Acropolis, and in the later time period when Jesus was accepted as the savior. There are some very interesting churches with their distinct architecture and interior. This distinction was brought to a sharp relief when we went on a two-day tour of Delphi and Meteora. Delphi was a temple dedicated to Apollo, while Meteora features Greek Monasteries built on impossibly high rock tops or cliffs.
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We had signed up for a two-day tour of Delphi and Meteora with Key Tours. We generally avoid organized tours but sometimes it is prudent to take one when the places we are trying to reach are not easily accessible by public transportation. This was the case this time.
We were picked up at a designated point near our hotel. The group was then broken up and consolidated in a bus going to Delphi. It was then a two-hour ride to Delphi. The drive through the central part of Greece was quite picturesque. We did not realize how mountainous Greece is. The last section leading to Delphi was particularly interesting. The road was windy and narrow, and little towns added to the beauty of the ride.
Delphi itself impressed us in a couple of ways. First of all is the story of Oracles of Delphi. These were women who were supposedly bestowed with magical power to tell future. So much so that the leaders of the Greek city states used to come and seek their advises. A more scientific explanation is that there was some sort of hallucinogenic gas seeping out of the ground, which made these, chose women get incoherent and babble something which was then interpreted by priests as prediction of what the future of the person might be.
The second reason Delphi is impressive is the location.
Perched high above a mountainside with beautiful scenery all around, it looks a bit like Machu Picchu, albeit not as dramatic. There are some stone walls with different size stones expertly cut and fitted together without any mortar. Again the comparison with Inca construction is unavoidable.
The structures themselves are not that extraordinary. After seeing places like Acropolis, we were not that impressed by these small temples, mostly in ruins.
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Meteora lived up to my expectations. It is one of those places I had read about and seen pictures of and always wanted to visit. So finally, I got my chance.
“The Meteora is a rock formation in central Greece hosting one of the largest and most precipitously built complexes of Eastern Orthodox monasteries, second in importance only to Mount Athos. The six (of original twenty four) monasteries are built on immense natural pillars and hill-like rounded boulders that dominate the local area.” (Source: Wikipedia). They were built in the fourteenth century and housed hermits and monks hiding from invading Turks and live in isolation.
The geology of the place itself is interesting, with the rocky spires rising thousand to eighteen hundred feet above the plain below. Having monasteries sitting on the top inspires awe. Initially, the only way in was via ladders (that can be removed) or windlass. In the 1920s roads were built and now we can visit some of these places by climbing just few steps.
We stayed overnight in a town below these monasteries called Kalambaka. It is a very touristy town and the morning rush in the hotel lobby was unbelievable. To make it worse, it was raining hard.
However, our tour director decided to continue on schedule in spite of the weather and looking back, the clouds and rain made the place even more mysterious than it would be on a nice sunny day. We visited two monasteries: Monastery of Varlaam
and Monastery of St. Stephen. Both were impressive and the views from there of the surroundings, totally unreal. They were crowded with tourists, of course, but not too much so.