The Rockin' Monasteries

So last week I mentioned that there was a film festival in Thessaloniki. Thursday night I went to see a movie called St. Nick. It was about a brother and sister probably about 10 and 12 years old that run away from home. You don't know that to start with and you think that their parents have died. They kids are just living off anything they find, like an abandoned house that they start to make their own with anything they find in the trash. It was a rather odd movie because they were really the only two characters and they never really talked, we just sat watching them. Then finally at the end his sister gets sick and he tries to steal some medicine for her but gets caught which leads to them being sent back to their parents. That first night home the boy leaves to run away again and this time alone. Jamie and our friend Pierce, who is a big film buff and has written two screen plays of his own, both hated it. I didn't think hate was really the right word, but I wouldn't go see it again. After the movie the director came up to speak about it and answer any questions the audience had. This is when I started to not like it even more because he had nothing good to say about the movie. He didn't have any good answers and seemed like he had no reason for even making the movie other than he was bored.

On Friday we went to see a second movie hoping for better results and we found them. It was the premier of the movie Creation, directed by Jon Amiel and starring Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly. It was a really great movie, and I do hope to see it again mostly because I missed the first 15 minutes. (I'll get to that in a second) It was a partly fictional account of Charles Darwin and his experience and struggle to write his findings on discoveries made in the Galapagos. Very interesting and well done. Now on to the side story. We learned from previous experience and made sure we purchased our tickets ahead of time. When we got to the theater it was packed with a line out the door before they started letting people in. 10 minutes before it was supposed to start they opened the doors and it was a mad rush to get inside. We were told to go to the 5th floor so we did, then when we got there they told us no its the first floor. So we run back down the stairs and find out they are already full but we can stand in the balcony if we'd like. Confused and annoyed we followed their instructions to stand in the balcony during the presentation and then check back downstairs just before they start the movie. By the time we got back to the door there was a small crowd of people all waving their tickets and yelling in Greek. We found a friendly intern that spoke English and she tried to help us but it turns out that there were just no seats left at all and we weren't being allowed in even with a ticket that says in English on the back that we are guaranteed a seat. Another woman standing with us over head and turned to say oh hey, welcome to Greece. She did have a point, it was pretty much to be expected with the way things tend to run here. Still, we wanted to see the movie and to fulfill the American stereotype we were pushy and relentless, and by the I mean mostly Pierce. They finally offered to give everyone a refund for the ticket, at least it was something. But when they came back instead of giving us all money, they said we could sit in the isle and watch as long as we kept clear of the doors, that is a fire hazard of course. We accepted, and finally got in and enjoyed the movie! It was even worth sitting on the hard floor, I suggest seeing it if you get the chance. Not to mention I do think my patience has improved in the past 3 months.

Saturday morning I left on the school field trip to Ioannina and Meteora. Ioannina is a city on the western side of Greece right on a lake. (the only region of Greece I haven't been to yet!) It was a beautiful drive through the countryside to get there. If we had tried to take this trip a few years ago it would have been close to 6 hrs when it only took us 3. They've made improvements to the road by doing what was done in the Peloponnese, cutting tunnels right through the mountains. If it was me, I think I'd still probably take the scenic route, it was too pretty to pass up. When we got to Ioannina we went to a wax museum that had about 25 scenes reenacting events of the Turkish occupation in Greece and the Greek's subsequent fight for independence. Wax museums are always pretty cool but this one was definitely different. All the walls were made to look like we were in this old stone building from the same time period. Also, a lot of the scenes were pretty gruesome seeing as it was basically about war and destruction. I think I could have done without the skinning alive and be-heading.

Next stop was a prehistoric cave. It made me think back to South Dakota and going in the cave with the lanterns. We didn't have lanterns here though but it was a lot of fun. We did get to one spot where we could take pictures so I'll give you a little taste of what it was like. This was in the largest opening of the gave, or as they so accurately call it, the Great Room.



Our guide told us about the only two kinds of animals that live in the cave, besides the bats that visit it. Creepy spiders with really long daddy long leg style legs that and jump like a kangaroo, (make note of the exaggeration) and a non poisonous scorpion. We got to see some of the spiders but not the scorpion. Darn! When we left the cave we got a nice view down to the city and lake. After checking into our hotel it was free time the rest of the day. My art history teacher from school was the guide for the trip and told us that Ioannina is know for their jewelery and silver so we should check out the shops down by the water for some quality shopping. We took her word for it and headed down to find a nice spot to eat and shop. The food was delicious as always. I even tried some fried eggplant. I think they fry more things than we do, regardless it was delicious. After dinner and shopping we found a nice cafe by the water to be super Greek and sit drinking coffee in couches for hours. We didn't actually make it more than an hour, but hey, it had been a long day and we had another early morning.

Sunday morning we drove to Meteora which is in central Greece, my favorite part of the trip hands down. Meteora is high in the running for most beautiful place in Greece in my book. The ride had less tunnels this time and more of the scenic road which I enjoyed. As we got closer we could start to see the rocks that the monasteries are built on. Now many people come here for rock climbing. It was really amazing. The monks first started living in the rocks where there were natural holes, eventually they built the second largest monastic community in Greece. The largest is Mount Athos which its restricted to male visitors only. The sandstone rock pillars are all natural and there are 6 monasteries in total, one of which is a nunnery and was our first stop. Most of them only have about 10 inhabitants now a days but are still very much functional. So, we had to make sure we dressed appropriately which meant skirts only. Or even better, wraps that they provided for all of us that didn't think to bring a skirt, or in other words our entire group. Once inside we got to see around to the residences and then the church itself. It was absolutely beautiful. The walls are completely covered with frescoes of bible stories. Greek Orthodox style of course. It was amazing. Outside again we made our way to the edge to check out the view of Kalampaka, the city below. Very impressive, and in addition to the view we got to enjoy some of the best weather we've had here in a while.

Next stop was the Holy Monastery of Great Meteoron, the largest of the 6. This one we had a small hike to get up to. With them being built on the top of the rocks, they used to get up using a net that would lower them down. Now they even have a short zip line, but we only got to take the stairs. Much of the room is not used any more since there are only 10 monks, so the extra space has become more like a museum to show off all of their rich history. There is a display of the old kitchen with its pots and pans and of course the barrels from the wine. Slightly morbid, but they also allowed us to see the ossuary where all the skulls of previous monks are kept. I'll let you see that picture for yourself in the album if you're interested. We spent a lot of time at this one going through all of the museum parts where they had examples of the different dress and how it changed through the years. The church here was not as beautiful as the one at the nunnery in my opinion, but just as impressive with the frescoes and decorations. At the end of the tour we got a little more free time for pictures and gift shop. Then it was back on the bus and another 3 hour drive home! Here is a few more shots for you, to see the rest click here. (it's lots of scenery, just so you've been warned)