Meteora Monasteries

We visited the Meteora Monasteries during our cruise in Greece a month ago . From the dock in Volos we travelled by bus passing through agricultural lands, villages, and towns and up the mountains with giant rocks.

Hundred of years ago ( 11th century) hermits climbed these massifs to live inside the cracks and caves to spend their lives in contemplation. I tried to imagine the hermits braved the climb during all weathers, living inside the very narrow space inside the rocks,and how they spent the days and nights.

It was told that the local villagers helped the hermits bringing them food and other material by using ladders to transport things.The old ladders can still be seen on the side of the mountains.

Later, in the 16th century, monks started to erect these monasteries. The 500 steps to reach one monastery was worth the effort. And certainly, the view.

My Read-A-Thon

I have at my bedside a stack of books. Sudden whim and interest intermingle and determine which of the books I will read continuously and finished. Eventually all the books get read and at different paces.

1. A Bee in a Cathedral by Joel Levy

2. One Day by David Nicholls

3. State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

4. The Tao of Travel by Paul Theroux

5. The Photographer's Mind Michael Freeman

6. The Three Questions and Zen Ghost by Jon Muth

The Three Questions and Zen Ghosts are children stories. Jon Muth, the author and illustrator, has beautiful illustrations in every page. I read them for my grandchildren.

I read several chapters in State of Wonder and One Day which are both easy reading and not complex. The Photographer's Mind, I'm browsing then stopping and paying attention in almost every page.

Self-education

Travel is one's self-education-a glimpse of centuries of civilization, war, and human ingenuity and lust. To travel is to open one's eyes to the beauty of human faces and

and walk where others walked since the dawn of time. Where there seems to be despair you will find hope.

Self-education is really learning about ourselves.

I just borrowed from the library The Tao of Travel by Paul Theroux-subtitled Enlightenments from Lives on the Road.

A Little palpitation

Don't you feel the excitement, the tingling, a little palpitation, when you approach a

curve on the road? In your life's journey?

Negligible

On my way home from the library, walking, I found penny on the street. I felt rich. I should not be too proud. Later I picked up a leaf that's bigger than my hand. I am nano-size, much much smaller than a grain of sand on earth. Negligible.Where do I stand in the universe?

Serenity

Alone in the ocean. Almost as if the angels will suddenly come out of the clouds

singing praises.

Cappadocia,Turkey

My wife and I went to Cappadocia, Turkey 2 1/2 weeks ago and experienced riding in a huge hot air balloon. We were 29 people in the basket including the pilot.The people are from different countries. Everyone was taking videos or photos. Our pilot moved the balloon at different heights and over different amazing terrain, spectacular rock formations and with the other innumerable number of balloons.

The ride was smooth even at very high altitude like dancing in the sky.