Meteora & Corfu

Meteora, these divine stones, famous all over the World, are situated on the wide plain of Thessaly.
Ancient Orthodox monasteries are situated on the sloping peaks of these huge and seemingly hanging stones in the air. They all are performed as an amazing combination of the nature divine and man-made, holy and human, immeasurably spiritual. No big surprise, that Meteora is the second most popular place for pilgrims in Greece. Combination of its amazing architecture, breathtaking views, the luxury of temple painting and the rigor of monks is exactly what attracts people all over the World here.

Numerous monasteries, which are the basic of Christian spirit, stay here on the rocks, as if one whole with nature. Climbing from the town of Kalambaka to the walls of the monastery, the traveler will continually ask himself "How?" How could human hands do this? After all, the most ancient monastery - the skete of the Holy Spirit, was built here in the 10th century and by whom! - a monk-hermit with only one Lord's help. And in its heyday, the Meteors represented a vast complex consisting of as many as 24 monasteries. Some of them were abandoned, some could not survive the course of centuries, but six monasteries survived and are still open to all visitors of this place, suspended between earth and heaven.

Also, don’t miss the opportunity to visit another heritage site of UNESCO: the beautiful island of Corfu. The gate to the Venetian world of Corfu opens from Cape Kanoni - together with picturesque views of the small island Ponticonisi. On it is situated the monastery of St. Nicholas with miraculous icon. You can get here by white stone staircase leading to the temple through the forest, like a mouse tail. Locals found this analogy so good, that gave the Ponticonisi the nicknamed the "Mouse Island". Despite the fact that the distance from the cape to the capital of the island is not more than five kilometers, on this way the traveler will meet the monastery of Christ Pantokrator, the ruins of ancient Greek settlements and the blooming palace of Mont Repo.

Then the beautiful quay will take you to Corfu itself - the capital's Venetian town. Several empires left their traces here, because the city was considered a tasty morsel, for which they fought from the beginning of centuries.

On Corfu, every Russian can feel the pride of Motherland: after all, there is a monument in honor of Admiral Ushakov, who freed the island from the French. In more ancient times, the Kerkyra's guest will endure a visit to Paleo Frurio, a Venetian citadel, cut off from the city by a water canal. In the town itself, everyone's attention will necessarily be attracted by the tower of St. Spiridon's richest church in the East. For the help and healing of the soul, here are coming not only pilgrims from all over the world, but also locals. After all, Corfu's life literally turns around this temple.

If you are already on the island, you cannot leave it without visiting Paleokastritsa. The breath of everybody would be caught by the contemplation of snow-white beaches, harsh rocks and azure waters of the sea near this village. If there is a paradise on earth, it is lost somewhere in the coves of Paleokastritsa. In this place you can find the Life-giving Spring - the famous icon of the Mother of God, kept in the monastery of Theotoku. After having sated your spirit by visiting sacred things, it’s time to care about the body: on cozy streets of Paleokastritsa there are many restaurants and coffee houses, where it will be possible to enjoy an inexpressible taste of Greek dishes: moussaki, dzadziki and Venetian sofrito.