Kalambaka, Greece- Day 8

Today was easily one of the best of the trip so far. We left our hotel in Ioannina (pronounced ya-ni-nah) at 8:30 and met with a member of the Jewish community there. She taught us about the unique and ancient history of the Jews in Ioannina, which is very different from the history of the Jews in the other places we visited because Jews did not come here following the Expulsion. They were Ramoniotes, not Sephardic.

Jews first came to this central Greek city when the Second Temple was destroyed around 70 CE. Fast-forward to the beginning of the 20^th century and after the Ottoman rule ended, many people moved to Jerusalem because the Greeks made them close their stores on Sundays. In 1943 the Nazis woke up the 1,850 Jews in Ioannina at three in the morning and took them by car to Salonika in the snow. A memorial now stands where the old Jewish community was.

Today there are only 35 Jews in the beautiful and quaint town, and they only use the synagogue, which was built inside the walls of the castle, during the holidays. They struggle to make a minyan, so they always appreciate guests. This was my first time walking into a Ramoniote shul, which has all of its benches perpendicular to the front of the sanctuary and the bima in the back.

I also have this pretty sweet picture from directly under the chandelier that I wanted to share.

They even have a Torah that is over 360 years old!

The best part of the day had yet to come, as we drove 2 hours to the Monasteries of Meteora, near Kalambaka in central Greece. During the drive I really began to appreciate Greece’s beauty. I think mountains are the most beautiful landscapes in the world, and driving through them convinced me that Greece is the most beautiful country I’ve seen (so far). I find it so cool that the clouds “rest” on the tops of the mountains while the lush and abundant leaves that cover the mountains change colors. It’s awesome rounding the corner and the view opens up into a deep, beautiful valley containing a small village or two with red roofs nestled into the crevasses of the mountains and valleys. We approached the Monasteries of Meteora and this is what came into view.

These rocks were submerged underwater hundreds, maybe thousands, of years ago, but after an earthquake the water was drained into the sea and left these incredibly huge and magnificent rock formations.

24 total monasteries were built starting in the 14^th century, and some even took up to 70 years to build. Unfortunately only 6 remain because in 1943 the Nazis destroyed most of them.

The skulls of the monks who built the monasteries are displayed for public, and as eerie as the idea is, it’s still pretty cool. (Sorry it's a little blurry, I was rushed)

Finally we stepped into the church only about fifteen minutes before they closed it. It was by far the most spectacular church I’ve ever seen because the walls and ceilings are completely covered in intricate biblical paintings. Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures, but if there's one place I could take a picture it would have been the sanctuary.

I’m still on the high of being up in the clouds in the Monasteries of Meteora, but I’m looking forward to the coming days. Tomorrow we are getting up bright and early to visit Delphi, which is where the Oracle of Delphi was, and then we are on to Athens for the last two days of our incredible first trip. 

"Champions find a way." -SB