Day 8: The majesty of the Kalampaka monesteries

Today we disembarked the cruise ship and headed north to the central part of Greece.  We spent almost 7 hours on our journey to Kalampaka and what a beautiful trip it was.  For many of us, it reminded us of the northern New Mexico landscape.  Much drier than the other parts of Greece we had already seen.  Our journey was filled with much history of the region, time to relax, and time to reflect as prayed the Rosary.  As we prayed the Rosary we especially reflected on the birth of Our Blessed Virgin Mary, whose nativity we celebrate today.  Much like our own early mothers who we hold in such high regard, we celebrate Mary's perfect love for her Son, and for all of us, that she continues to be our Heavenly mother.

As we made our way into Kalampaka, we began to see the spires of the rock formation that held many of the monesteries in the area.  It was incredible to see these monesteries that are built on the tops of these rock mountains and the sacrifices made by the monks and nuns who reside in these monesteries.  Their faith and love for God is so strong that they built their monesteries in places where you and I can't imagine living and they live that faith every day, sacrificing comfort and ease in  their daily lives.  Many of made the journey up and down several hundred steps up and down to the Monestery of the Transfiguration.

Once back at the hotel, we celebrated daily Mass and once again reflected on the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the special place Mary holds in the life of her Son and in our lives.