Monastery up up up .. way up...where only eagles dare..

From the northeastern part of the Thessalian plain rise the Meteora, sandstone peaks sculpted by river erosion during the Tertiary period. Monks established themselves there during the eleventh century, seeking solitude on the summits of these rocky towers. Gradually, there grew up a large community of hermits who, between the fourteenth and sixteenth centuries, built twenty-four monasteries that perch between 655.8 ;and 1967.4 ;feet (200 and 600 m) above the Pindus valley. For a long time, access to the monasteries was possible only by means of winches and ropes. Only in 1920 ;were steps and footbridges built to allow tourists to visit these sites, which have been on UNESCO’s World Heritage list since 1988. Most of these meteorisa monastiria (suspended monasteries) are in ruins today. Only five, three of which are occupied, are still open to visitors.