. The Burton Holmes lectures;. of a slender pinnacle of aspect of the monasteries depends entireh upon thepoint of view. Most startling changes of outline result atalmost every step. What seemed to tower high above us,is seen a moment later at our feet ; a tapering minaret ofrock, viewed from another standpoint, becomes a wide tlat-topped chff ; pinnacles change to palisades, sheer walls to gen-tle slopes — as if this region were the creation of some scenictrickster, the stage-setting for some magical pantomime. Crossing the little bridge, we shout lustily for entrance ;the door is sl
. The Burton Holmes lectures;. of a slender pinnacle of aspect of the monasteries depends entireh upon thepoint of view. Most startling changes of outline result atalmost every step. What seemed to tower high above us,is seen a moment later at our feet ; a tapering minaret ofrock, viewed from another standpoint, becomes a wide tlat-topped chff ; pinnacles change to palisades, sheer walls to gen-tle slopes — as if this region were the creation of some scenictrickster, the stage-setting for some magical pantomime. Crossing the little bridge, we shout lustily for entrance ;the door is slowly ()j:)eiu(l, there is a briit i)arle\, and a few 284 THE WONDERS OF THESSALY moments later, we find ourselves within the monastery buildings seem almost deserted ; two or three Greekmonks make us welcome in the name of the Higoumenos, orabbot. Our dragoman, familiar with the place, thanks toearlier visits, then installs us in the best suite of rooms, whileour cook assumes high-handed sway in the smoky THE MONASTERY OF ST. STEPHENS We find that of the many cells that line St. Stephenscorridors, only seven are occupied ; the present occupantsbeing probably the last, for when they shall have passed away,there is no hope that others will come in to take their destiny of the Meteora monasteries is to become nationalcuriosities, monuments preserved by the government as atemptation for the tourist. In fact, the monasteries to-dayare little else, but so few have been the travelers who havediscovered these high-perched haunts, that their medievalatmosphere has not yet been disturbed.
Size: 1963px × 1272px
Photo credit: © Reading Room 2020 / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, booksubjectvoyages, bookyear1901
