We spent about 2 weeks exploring the vast country of Greece and if there is one total stand out it is for sure the food. Greek food all day everyday and we never tired of it. In fact I could go for some more right now, fortunately Greece and Turkey share a lot of food culture. Although I have since learned that telling a Turkish person that the Greek invented Baklava is kind of like someone asking a Canadian if our country uses the American dollar as currency. We get kind of eye twitchy about that. The birthplace of Democracy did not disappoint as we spent about a week exploring the mainland.
When in Athens, a trip to the acropolis to see the Parthenon is a mandatory activity. Much like the ruins that crown the area, they city itself is a bit crumbling with perhaps 5% of the apartments sitting as empty ruined husks, cracked and hodgepodge streets and pathways, and a symphony of traffic which makes parking in the city a complete nightmare. Athens, presumably named after its patron goddess of Athena, is a loud, vivacious, and visually sensuous affair. From ancient ruins, crammed antique shops, live music playing from plaza cafes, to the sounds of crashing plates, laughing patrons and the vibrations of dancing rumbling your toes. Tourists are everywhere, even though the shoulder season, and everyone is simply having a wonderful time.
We were lucky to meet up with Mike’s cousins here on their tour of Greece! It is so nice to see family abroad.
After we left Athens we rented a car and drove 4hrs north to head to the Monstera which is an area with several monasteries parked on these incredible stone monoliths. When the Turks invaded these monks wanted to practice in splendid isolation and are still practicing as these are functioning religious orders today. Hauntingly beautiful, these structures are perilously perched on steep cliffs, all requiring some arduous stairmaster training to reach. They are possibly the most beautiful in the rain and mist.
They are so integrated into the stone it is hard to know when the building begins and the mountain ends.
However, their outer beauty is only half the story. The inner sanctuary is some of the most beautiful space I have entered and sadly does not allow photos. Mosaics of life size saints glitter in from of you, gold and silver are used to adorn books and paintings, large candelabras delivering pinpricks of atmospheric light, the entire church interior was completely adorned. The feeling of entering such space is overwhelming beauty as the saints lives (and grisly deaths) are documented with painstaking detail. The Greeks also know something about wood, delicate and intricate wood screens are what makes up the alter spaces. If Catholic Churches inspire by height and stained glass, these Greek Orthodox churches inspire by making everything feel very personal. The churches are small, and frankly short compared to their western counterparts, but the scale of the mosaics inside make you feel like you are actually walking side by side with the saints. This is an example of a Greek Orthodox Church, so you can get the general idea.
Our last stop up north was to go truffle hunting in the woods with a genuine truffle hunting dog, and Italian water dog. Our little snuffler found so many truffles in about 15mins that we were some feasting on truffle and mushroom pasta out in the forest.
Coming up next is Greece-the islands edition.
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