The Monastery of St. Stephen, Meteora, Greece

A little further along the road we found the 14th century Monastery of St. Stephen; a large and impressive monastery which in reality is a nunnery. Enclosed within its walls are two churches, one of which is a 14th century basilica with fine frescos.

The rocky outcrop in between the two monasteries affords superb views of the surrounding area. It should be mentioned that these rocks are extremely dangerous and that care should be taken with children; it's very easy to walk across a grassy ledge and find oneself staring into a chasm.

	Before long, the sun was beginning to go down on the horizon with a resulting magnificent sunset, and shadows sweeping across the valleys and ridges. I cannot emphasise the sheer beauty of this place sufficiently.

We took a short drive around the Meteora rocks to prepare for a visit the following day. Fear began to set in as night fell, and I felt a strong urgency to get down off these high roads with their sharp bends and sheer drops, to safer ground below, before dark.

Sheer drops at side of many roads in Meteora	On the side of a ravine in Meteora