GREEK ,METEORA MOUNTAIN TOP MONISTARY'S

sence i began my journey greece was of course one of the first few countries i visited.Many years ago i was
in a restaurant and beside me was a picture of a beautiful monestary atop a mountain.
It always remained in my mind as one of those places i longed to visit.Finally while traveling eastern europe
the memory of that photograph came to mind so i did some research and discovered that there were 2 places in
the world with monestaries like the one in the photograph.one in in centel india and the other just 5 hours from
macedonia where i was currently staying.

The place Meteora,Greece or to the locals Kalambaka.Getting there proved to be no easy task.1 shuttle bus ,4
transfers, and a taxi later and i was there.san giorgio villa a beautiful villa overlooking a breath takeing scene
of several Greek orthadox monestaries just as i had viewed in that photo years befor.i began the 5 mile walk up the
raod that leads to the monestary's.i must have taken 200 pictures half way into my walk.i realized then that something
this beautiful cannot be captured by a photograph.it has to be expierianced first hand.

After the nearly 3 hour walk in the sweltering sun i arrived at the Holy trinity orthadox monestary,the largest
monestary at the top of the mountain.i just stood there.i felt as though my eyes couldnt take in the amount of beauty
that was befor me.i expierianced a rush of pure extacy and adrenilan that i had finally made it ,that i had finally
expierianced something no one else had.i felt as though i had accomplished something that day something i would never
forget.i had created a memory that would last a life time.

Kalambaka like many Greek citys is very small.with a few restaurats and gift shops along the street.it did not have a tourist feel
wich was nice.During my stay it almost felt like home,like i could leave everything behind and move the next day and feel as if i
had lived there all my life.there are very few places in this world that garner that feeling of complete comfort, that some people
will never find in this life.this speaks to the complex mixture of scenery and culture that Kalambaka has to offer.

Then i continued my trip into thessalonicci,Greece.the bus ride proved to be one i would not forget.most all buses throughout
europe are not equiped with a bathroom of any kind and bus rides shorter than 8 hours do not make any stops for any reason.there
was a man about 2 rows back from who became very aggitated and bega yelling something in macedonian.He went on for about a half hour
and when leaveing the bus i stood outside and waited for my baggage and saw the man exit the bus.he had urine covering the entire front
of his pants.so from then forward i always make it a rule.never drink or eat 3 hours prior to a bus ride.now i had arrived in Thessalonicci,
thessalonicci is a very small city the entire city can be walked through with in a day.The city is divied in two.the old city and the new city.
one side of the city has been left and preserved in its original state even the cobble stone antiquated walk ways and streets were left as
they were.the new city revamped and moderinized with tourist attractions and restaurants.

I stayed at a small hostel in the center of the old city called hotel arabas.the old city is a beautiful place to be.
with the old orthadox cathedrals and churches.Alot where the ruins left after the muslim over throw of greece.nearly all
christian,catholic and orthadox churches and artifacs where destroyed.except one very important mosaic.one of two in the
world that depic jesus with out a beard.the detail was amazing although i had seen photographs of it,seeing it in person was
a whole different expieriance.

most people do not know that to most muslims cats are a sacred animal.i learned this while staying in greece and asked
a local why there were so many cats running around.the city was packed with them.It was difficult to get a nights rest
the only sound heard through out the night were the cats fighting in the ally ways.

The greece culture is based around the orthadox religion with largely pagan roots.also dance is a very large part of there
culture.while visiting i attended a greek religious celebration called clean monday which is basically our equivalant of ash
wednesday.they have a large feast and traditional danceing starting late sunday night and lasting through till morning.then
clean monday starts which is a 40 day meatless fast and group kite flying.
Their are many historical sites in greece that are centuries old such as the Rotunda.The rotunda is the oldest monument in thessalonici built in the year
305 AD.Its A massive circular structor over the years it has had several uses first as a polytheist temple, a Christian basilica, a Muslim mosque, and again
as a Christian church.Near the entrance of the rotunda is the arch of Galerius built around 299 AD. and is 2/3rds preserved.With panels on each side depicting
various battles such as Caesar Galerius is shown in personal combat with the Sassanid Shah Narses although they never offically met in war.

many aspects of the greek culture are unique to their region due to their former believe in anceint gods of mythology that has become permeantly
intergrated into their culture.Alot of the original culture is still practiced today.greeks do not have elabrate funerals they are placed unclothed
in a white sheet.a coin is placed in the hand to pay Charon, the ferryman to carry their body to eternety.Another custom is the welcomeing of a new
born into the the world.The father does a nude ritualistic dance as he carries the newborn around the household.Friends and family send gifts and a wreath
of olives is given for a boy and a wreath of wool for a girl.

In the greek household the man is always the quintessential outside simulacrum of the family.The women was always the orgaizer of the house hold.
She is the intermediary in family disputes and curator of family unity.the families preeminence is based on the wifes ability to carry out household
duties.Even today mothers play the most important role in the family.

When it comes to holidays Easter is the most important,even christman comes in second.For greeks celebration begins 2 months earlyer with pinacle
of the festivities being holy week.Easter eggs are died red symbalic of the blood of christ and the extierior of the house and streets are whitewashed
to symbalize the purification of sin.Women bake cookies and sweet bread and on good friday all flags are at half mast.They languish the death of Christ
with a symbolic coffin adorned with thousands of flowers and is then taken out of the church and carried to the cemetary.Everyone lights a candle for
the dead then go back to the church and begin their osculation of the image of christ.

On holy saturday people begin to gather at the church at 11pm with a candle and just befor midnight the church goes dark symbalizing the
darkness of the tomb.Then the preist lights his candle presented as the eternal flame and sings �Christos Anesti� meaning christ arose.He
then passes the flame oe to another till the church is lite then they proceed to the street and the church bells sound repeatedly as they
sing "Alithos Anesti" (indeed he has risen)

Greeks are inordinately superstitious and are credulous when it comes to this believe system.This sort of habitude is predominately found
with in villages and is absent from large progressive cities like Athens.The smaller villages have countless superstitions that are ensued
on a daily basis.While in thessalonici i was eating with some locals and saw them cutting a cross into the bread they told me Bread is a gift
from God, bread is always blessed and a cross is cut into it befor eating.He went on to explain many other customes.A kife is never handed to
anyone only sat on the table, they belive it will bring a fight.Seeig a black cat and a priest on the same day is believed to brig bad luck

Spitting is believed to chase evil away.Anytime bad news is discussed or a compliment is given to a child ,they spit 3 times and say ftou, ftou, ftou
to "chase the devil away".their lucky and unlucky days and numbers differ from ours.Unlike in the US tuesday the 13th is the unluckiest day of the week.
Because on tuesday may 29th 1453 constantinople was beseiged by the ottoman empire but 13 is still considered a lucky number because of the 12 apostles
i and christ make 13.When ever 2 people say the same thing at the same time this is an omen and is believed to bring a fight.They must immediately tell
each other "piase kokkino" then touch the nearest red object to break the omen.
The most popular superstition is called the mati (evil eye) if someooe can catch the evil eye from a jealous or evious statement.If this
happens they believe they will become phisically ill.A person must the seek soem one proficiant in xematiasma to say a prayer to release them
from the matia.To avoid the matia all together you must wear a neckless with a blue bead or marble with an eye painted on it to ward off evil
spirits.