Today we visited three of the six monasteries/convents that welcome guests. At one time there were 24 monasteries atop these amazing rock formations. The three we visited were St Nicholas, Roussanou, and Varlaam. All were in excellent shape, well maintained by the Greek church. Varlaam was the largest of the three; St Nicholas perhaps my favorite. Photographs were not allowed inside monastic buildings, alas. All involved steep climbs: (steps have been carved into the rocks to avoid traveling up and down in a basket or net). At Varlaam the monks have installed an electric gondola for the use of the monks. The often repeated comment is the monks replace the ropes only when they break — no OSHA or ADA here. my experience was everyone is gracious and accommodating.
In the afternoon we visited two wineries, sampling some of Greece’s great wines. It is no longer just retsina, which I remember tasting like pine tar when I first visited Greece.
