Travelling from Atalanti to Meteora in central Greece

After breakfast we rejoined the motorway and sped on north to Meteora. For a considerable distance, there are lovely views of hills with olive groves on the left, and the sea on the right, with the road passing through several seaside towns which would be far busier in the summer months than at the beginning of spring.

On approaching Lamia we left the motorway and took the Lamia bypass and road to Karditsa. The road now steadily climbs into the mountains and continues with two lanes uphill. We stopped a couple of times simply to appreciate the magnificent scenery unfolding around us.

The Convent of St. Mary Magdalene is set in a dip, high up on a mountain plain shown in the photograph on the left.

Along the road there were many large black plastic water tanks used to store water during the arid summer months. Cafes or service stations are good distances apart through the mountains, so it's better to make a toilet stop when you come across a petrol station or cafe with facilities.

It was surprising to see a couple of shanty towns of makeshift houses covered by corrugated iron sheets. These are small communities of gypsies who make their living from agricultural work, and by selling plastic garden chairs, brushes, baskets, and melons or other produce in season. If you see a truck piled high with such goods and a message shouted over a loudspeaker, it's a gypsy selling his wares. During the summer, the shacks are replaced by black tents.