Highlights of our Greek adventure

Peter and I packed in a lot in 3 days in northern Greece. Below are some observations:

• Mostly mountainous hillsides, quaint towns with slate roofs, friendly folks and great food! Just don't try to eat dinner before 10 pm!
• The amazing area called Meteora is a unique geographical area of rocky spikes rising up along a valley. 600 to 800 years ago monks raised the building supplies up amazing heights and extensive monasteries were built. It was recorded that it took 20 years to bring up the building materials for one monastery and then it was built in 20 days. Monks were hoisted up great heights in baskets by means of a pulley.
• We were there for the Greek Orthodox Easter. The celebration begins the night before Easter. Between11:00 and 11:50 pm (most come nearer to 11:45), people flock to the church. Each carry long taper candles that have been decorated with material, small toys, beads etc. wrapped around them. They enter the church and light many little candles (probably in memory of someone). Within a minute of setting their candle in the sand, a church elder, pulls them out and discards them to make way for more candles. People then go around to 4-5 "stations", genuflect and kiss the glass topped icon photos of holy folks. Meanwhile there is a mysterious voice chanting and others in the audience responding for an hour. There is noisy chatting while everyone waits to light the big candles at midnight then flock to the streets to party. 
• Easter day we hiked through town and up to several monasteries. The smell of roasting lamb filled the air. Every third house had a rotisserie rigged up with one or two entire lambs cooking all day. Members of the family would turn the roasting lamb for hours. We were offered the most delicious kabobs along our hike. At our hotel, bright red hard boiled eggs were served for dinner and breakfast, with the tradition for two people to smack them together and thus have a good year. My egg broke very well but not Peter's. I don't know what that means!
• We traveled west to a larger town for the night (Ioannina). Here we noticed a quaint town set on a lake with an island in the middle and snow capped mountains behind. We observed that the economy had taken its toll though. Many boarded up shops and cafes. It looked like they had been that way for several years. Life is very uncertain for many.
• We traveled to small hillside towns (Metsovo and Monodendri), cobble stone streets, quaint churches and great folklore and art museums. We drove through a "stone forest", all outcroppings instead of trees. Then to a gorge that made the Guinness Book of World Records as being the highest natural gorge in the world. Check out the walkway to view the 2950 foot drop off!
• Greece was somewhat more expensive than Albania. Delicious grilled lamb, tasty little dishes and red wine. Pastries were abundant, baklava, donuts, a round bread like hot cross buns with...of course a bright red egg in the middle. The Greeks don't eat much breakfast but in the B & B's you get a "toast" which is grilled wonder bread with a mild cheese and ham inside. 
• Drivers are not as wild and crazy as here in Albania!