Greece: A Cliff-hugging Monastery in the Lousios Gorge

Hiking to see a cliff-hugging monastery seemed like such a good idea. This looked really cool:

However, perhaps there was a reason that it was not in our guidebook. AllTrails reviews were all positive, but we hadn’t slept well the night before and perhaps we were just ready to get home to our own bed. The Google directions from Olympia should have given me an initial clue with the 43-mile journey taking nearly two hours suggesting than the roads might be more interesting than we wanted.

We had an early start and the gorge certainly looked beautiful in the morning sun.

We parked by “The New Philosopher’s Monastery.” The monks did not give us a warm welcome so we headed down into the gorge. At first, the trail had high steps, which did not bode well for the exit.

The steps led down to the “Old Philosopher’s Monastery” but the closed gate, with corresponding signs in English telling us to stay out, encouraged us to stick to the path, which turned into dirt and rocks.

We could see our goal across the gorge in the morning light. “That looks a long way,” though it was less about the distance than the down and up, then down and back up, with the big steps.

We continued toward the sound of the water and were soon at the bottom of the gorge, looking down on the Lousios, rushing past us below the bridge.

Selfie time!

I carried on up the other side to the cliff-hugging St John the Baptist Monastery. I caught this cool silhouette of its church.

I came up below the monastery’s cliff-hugging buildings.

I saw the monk’s lettuce seedlings.

And their donkey.

All in all, it wasn’t much of a wow. We had seen other monasteries and churches and were confident this was little different. I’m not sure of what I had really been expecting. Perhaps I was expecting something more moving than a full clothesline? But why? Even monks needs to wash their clothes.

But they certainly have the view!

We survived the climb out and were happy to get back onto wide roads and on our way to Corinth and Athens. Our final night was at a beach resort on the coast in Mati. It was close to the airport as well as Marathon, where the Greeks defeated the Persians in 490 BC to end the first Greco-Persian war, and Pheidippides ran the first “marathon” distance to Athens to announce the victory, and promptly died of exhaustion. Even with these beach views, we can’t get away from history! The hotel upgraded us to their best room as we had booked direct (not booking.com).

We hope the waves will give us a good sleep tonight before our long trek back to Houston tomorrow. And we both remain grateful that we are not monks in the Lousios Gorge monasteries, however good the view is!