Lisa and Moni Vernon

Monks and their Mountains

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November 13th 2006
We took the train from Athens to Kalambaka in Central Greece this morning. The thing to see here is what they called "Meteora". They are these geographical phenomenon that are large granite pinnacles shooting 600 m straight up in the air. Not only that, but some crazy monks between 1200 AD and 1500 AD decided to avoid some religious persecution by building monasteries on top of them! They used to ... read more

Europe » Greece » Thessaly » Kalampaka

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Greece achieved its independence from the Ottoman Empire in 1829. During the second half of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, it gradually added neighboring islands and territories, most with Greek-speaking populations. In Worl... ... read more