NATURE: a sculptor or a painter?, a photo from Trikala, Thessaly

Photographer's Note

METEORA: One of the most fascinating places not only in Greece bu in the whole world. Imposing vertical rocks, amazing formations from an "artist" with limitless fantasy. Not just that. The proof that faith can move mountains. Beautiful monasteries built on the top of rocky towers. I may not be a religious person but I am always excited about what man can do to satisfy his religious needs.

METEORA: One of the few places in the world that is registered as World Heritage Site, both in natural and cultural categories. About the cultural/religious importance we 'll have the chance to talk in some of my next posts. Until then some natural/geological info that I found in www.meteora-greece.com :

"IUCN MANAGEMENT CATEGORY: III (Natural Monument) Natural/Cultural World Heritage Site - Natural Criterion iii/Cultural Criteria i, ii, iv, v.

BIOGEOGRAPHICAL PROVINCE: 2.33.12 (Balkan Highlands).

GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION: Situated in the district of Thessaly, prefecture of Trikala, province of Kalambaka, to the east of the Pindos Mountains. The monasteries lie on the south-facing slopes of the Andikhasia Mountains in the upper valley of the Pinios River, 1-2km north of Kalabaka and approximately 25kms north-north-west of Trikkala. The site lies just north of the E87 between Ioannina and Larisa. The zone described as being under protective status extends from a point some 0.5km north of the town of Kalambaka in a north-westerly direction for some 2-3km. It is 1.5km at its widest point and includes the village of Kastraki. 39°45'N, 21°37'E.

DATE AND HISTORY OF ESTABLISHMENT: The area is protected by legislative provisions including protective status for the village of Kastraki. Inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1988.

AREA: 375ha.

ALTITUDE: Mean altitude is 300m, rising to a maximum of 1,000m.

PHYSICAL FEATURES: The monasteries are built on rock pinnacles of deltaic origin, called 'Meteora', rising over 400m above the Thessalian plain. Chemical analysis and work by the German geologist Philipson, supported by the Greek geologist Papadakis, suggests that the pinnacles were created some 60 million years ago in the Tertiary period, emerging from the cone of a river and further transformed by earthquakes. The pillars are of brown sandstone.

CLIMATE: The mountain range to the east and north of the site experiences a wide climatic variation from baking heat in summer to severe cold in winter with heavy snowfalls. Summer is the driest time, storms occurring all year round especially at higher altitudes.

VEGETATION: The area includes forested hills and river valley with riverine forests of Platanus orientalis and species such as the endemic Centaura lactifolia (found near Koniskos village) and Centaurea kalambakensi. The nearest protected area is Trikala Aesthetic Forest(28ha), created in 1979, which has been planted with Pinus halepensis and Cupressus sempervivens. The potential vegetation cover is described as supra-mediterranean, with climax cover of Quercus spp. and Ostrya spp. and beech Fagus sylvatica forest above 700m.

FAUNA: Mammals include grey wolf Canis lupus (V) and otter Lutra lutra. The region was famed in the 1970s for its raptor population, with four vulture species, lammergeier Gypaetus barbatus, black Aegypius monachus, Griffon Gyps fulvus and Egyptian Neophron peranopterus; four eagle species, golden Aquila chrysaetos, short-toed Circaetus gallicus, booted Hieraeetus pennatus and Bonelli's Hieraeetus fasciatus and breeding lanner falcons Falco biarmicus. Other birds include rock and cliff haunting species, such as alpine swift Apus melba, crag martin Hirundo rupestris and red-rumped swallow Hirundo daurica. Somber tit Parus lugubris occurs in the valley. The area remains of importance for birds of prey, with breeding species of honey buzzard Pernis apivorus, black kite Milvus migrans (ten pairs), Egyptian vulture (with 50 pairs the largest population in Greece, but declining), short-toed eagle (five pairs), Levant sparrowhawk Accipiter brevipes, lesser-spotted eagle Aquila pomarina (one pair), booted eagle (three to five pairs), Bonelli's eagle (one pair) and peregrine falcon. In addition, black stork Ciconia nigra breed (two pairs) and roller Coracius garrulus (ten pairs) are found (Grimmet and Jones, 1989)."

siolaw, edytungkal, pablominto, stelli, dareco, azaf1, portmanndominic, dip, doubay, ifanik, delkoo, danos, Xalkida, Truja, saylan-cb, tehanu_f, LamCam, Emile, salvator, marioana, kdialyna has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

ViktorVaughn (1521) 2007-11-07 23:20

Very detailed note of this location. Indeed, it is quite dramatic with the cliffs and the intense greens. I think I would have liked a view more zoomed out (maybe a workshop, or subsequent photos). But this one is still really nice.

Regards

siolaw (37568) 2007-11-07 23:20

Iassou Iraklis,
An original shot of Meteora, without monasteries! But you got the frame full with the imposing vertical wall with stunning textures and colors making it a kind of abstract painting... I use to go there many times in the 60's and 70's.. was beautiful...
Laurent

edytungkal (4551) 2007-11-07 23:23

What a great nature and you have captured it very well, thanks alot Hercules for this wonderful place and especially for the complete note.
Very nice ....

daniel

cengiz (3591) 2007-11-07 23:24

long time ago i was been there, its beautiful welldone
cengiz

dareco (17134) 2007-11-07 23:48

WOW!! What an incredible place!! I have never seen anything like this!! Fabulous scenery and color. Also a very interesting and informative note. TFS

avista (0) 2007-11-08 0:18

Hi Hercules
Really nice picture strong collors ang great POV
Best regards,

pablominto (53744) 2007-11-08 0:33

Hello Hercules,
A pleasant capture of interesting details in nature!
I like the colours and the mix of textures and lines...
Extensive and eductional note!
Greetings,
Pablo -

:-) OK-

Bruno40 (6658) 2007-11-08 0:34

Hi Hercules,
a very impressive place, captured very well by you. I like it a lot.
I feel like the contrast gets softer towards the top of the photo, isn't it?
Lloking forward to see more photos of this place.
TFS
Jorge

barrufeto_77 (28876) 2007-11-08 0:35

Hola señor.

Desde luego, si vuelvo a Grecia es un sitio que no me pienso perder. La otra vez, por tema de tiempo y tal no pude pero si vuelvo...pasaré. Créeme.

Excelente vista con grandes colores y definición!

stefanocer (10640) 2007-11-08 0:49

Nature is great and your shot is another proof Hercules , complimets.
Stefano.

portmanndominic (2400) 2007-11-08 1:27

Irakli Yassas

great colors , good contrast i'ts like a painting thanks
your note is also very interesting

dominic

dip (21875) 2007-11-08 1:40

Geia sou Irakli,
polu kalo to kadrarisma apomononontas auto to polu omorfo kai endiaferon kommati xoris to ypoloipo meros triguro kai ton ourano.
Katapliktiki sunthesi!
Xaireto,
Dimitris.

doubay (2091) 2007-11-08 6:48

Gia su Irakli!
Otan benun fotografies apo ta Meteora sto TE, sinithos den tis anigo kan, toso poli echo varethi na tis vlepo (to idio simveni me Mykono ke Santorini). Ala me tin optiki gonia ke to idietero kadrarisma kataferes na stisis ena thema endelos exandlimeno me omorfa prototipo ke endiaferon tropo.
Chereto
Andreas

Paolo (41216) 2007-11-08 9:31

Both is the answer, hercules!
painter and sculptur!
excellent view of this wonderful vertical mount, with amazing colours and good quality.
thansk, ciao

clio (27955) 2007-11-08 10:37

Geia sou Hrakli
Very original photo of Meteors with the foam on rocks. I went over there several times in summer and I have never seen rocks green as here. I think that the autumn must be magnificent (we see magnificent colors on the trees of your photo). And if we rise to monasteries on foot it must be fresher than in August!
Filika
Diane

ifanik (21673) 2007-11-08 11:07

Kalispera Hraklh
Teleio kadrarisma shmera apo ayta poy ksereis oti moy aresoyn poly
Omorfa xrwmata kai sxhmata se ena pinaka zwgrafikhs
Sygxarthria
Xairetw
Nikos

gneufeld (15870) 2007-11-08 11:41

Hi Hercules,
This is a most remarkable image of a hillside covered with various amounts of moss. The strong vertical lines and interesting shapes make this a keeper. Great work and TFS. Gerald

brandstaetter (15913) 2007-11-08 12:56

Hi Hercules,

an unusual composition of these wonderful rocks. I haven´t seen this kind of blue during my visit, but here I like the fine lines of it very much.
Cheers Christian

xavshot (69835) 2007-11-08 13:13

Bonsoir Hercules
la sculpture naturelle est superbe et le graphisme est très appréciable. J'aime bien la diversité des couleurs. Beau tableau.
Xavier

Greg1949 (9011) 2007-11-08 15:20

Great shot Hercules, befitting of the note you assembled. Colors are vivid and inviting, the place looks awesome.

Greg

pboehringer (770) 2007-11-08 18:46

Hercules,
certainly a novel presentation of this so famous place. I'm sure that you did some additional heavy PP to give that contrast and color intensity, but I like it and don't mind it as long it is done with taste as you did it here!
Great sculptor and painter that you are!
Regards, Peter

cuneyt-sb (6559) 2007-11-08 22:37

Hi Hercules
This is amazing, i didint know a place like this over Greece.
Like Brazil or far east jungles.
Great capture and nice compo

TFS/Kind regards

delkoo (68) 2007-11-09 0:23

hi hercules,

very interesting view on Meteora, nicely framed, The clarity of this image is excellent. Well composed with good saturation of colour and sharpness.

ta leme
didier

azaf1 (15929) 2007-11-09 1:03

Irakli kalimera
Poli omorfi sinthesi, eidika pou afhneis ton ourano ekso kai dineis emphasi stin eikona kath eafti.
Bravo sou
filika
Argiris

danos (73960) 2007-11-09 2:32

Ηρακλή καλημέρα,
όντως η φύση είναι η καλύτερη γλύπτρια και ένα από τα έργα της το έχουμε μπροστά μας και το βλέπουμε.Πέρασα και εγώ απ'εκείνα τα μέρη πριν ένα χρόνο και φυσικά εντυπωσιάστηκα.Το σημείωμά σου πολύ ενημερωτικό.Μπράβο

Σε χαιρετώ,Δάνος
ΥΓ Πιστεύω να ανεβάσεις και φωτογραφίες από τα μοναστήρια.

Xalkida (11740) 2007-11-09 5:28

Τι έγινε καλέ; Αφήσατε την Ευρυτανία και περιλάβατε τα Μετέωρα; :)

Κανένα αφιέρωμα πάλι; Να ξέρω, να στηθώ στο περίπτερο!

Τα χρώματα είναι ΚΑΤΑΠΛΗΚΤΙΚΑ όπως και το κάδρο σου.

stamatis (2434) 2007-11-09 6:09

Geia sou Hraklh poly wraio thema,

kai synthesh o titlos poy ebales einai poly petyxhmenos

filika Stamatis

Truja (4953) 2007-11-09 6:12

Hola Hercules,
excelente perspectiva de este conjunto montañoso, la vista nos muestra la magnitud de las rocas. Es de vértigo!!
Gran definición en los colores y luz.
Bello paisaje que sin duda merece una visita.
Salut, Jordi

saylan-cb (12738) 2007-11-09 7:25

Kalimera Hercules
What a amazing shot!Very nice composition and great colours,well done.
TFS/Regards

toto (0) 2007-11-09 13:05

Belle photo de ces montagnes si divinement sculptées par cette nature généreuse qui nous offre de superbes choses comme ces montagnes ausculptures étranges, des levers er couchers de soleil magnifiques, il ne nous reste plus qu' a les immortaliser, de fort belle façons dans votre cas.Jolies couleurs, grande netteté, détails epoustouflants, belle prise.
Amitiés Thomas
Je reviens

tehanu_f (6896) 2007-11-09 14:58

This is a really fascinating sight fit for fantasy movies. It looks as if all of a sudden an elegant elf would appear on one of those beautiful rock formations. There are so many details that I've studied the photo closely for a while. Some rocks look like statues. Thanks for posting the photos of this place because I've never heard of it before.
Have a nice weekend.
Fusun

Glint (5571) 2007-11-10 1:02

Hello hercules,
a good title for an interesting picture and note.Here are so many earthy colours and wonderful form and textures. Your note, especially about the wildlife is very interesting. What happened to the raptors recored in the 1970's ? And wolves...hoe exciting! There is so much to explore about Greece, that ordibary tourists like me don't see. My husband is especially fond of the Greece we know through holidays but we would like to stay for months on end to properly explore your wonderful country and people.Perhaps once we both retire...
regards
bev

vincz (19099) 2007-11-10 3:26

Very impressive POV, fantastic colours with the vegetation climbing on the rocks. A great catch.

Angelillo (9322) 2007-11-10 14:11

Hola Hercules,

Yo creo que ni escultor, ni pintor... un artista total más bien. Es realmente impresionante. Siempre me ha llamado la atención este lugar de Grecia, que sólo conozco por fotos. Tú nos muestras bien su belleza, su originalidad y extrañeza. Bellísima imagen, ammigo. Gracias.

Un saludo,
Angel.

donluicu (24692) 2007-11-11 8:09

hi
i guess the aswer is hee: Both!
excellent vertical framing, of a lovely place

regards

LamCam (3603) 2007-11-11 14:33

Hello Hercules
Yes, the rocks of Meteora deserve to be photographed on their own, they are truly remarkable even without the monasteries.
You have caught their strange shapes very well in this close-up, also the texture and colours - the green moss in particular.
Best wishes Maggie

Emile (20348) 2007-11-11 20:59

Hola Hercules.
Una excelente fotografia con estupendos detalles y colores, impresionante lugar y tu lo has captado en todo su esplendor con un formato vertical magnifico. Gracias por tu interesante nota.
Felicitaciones.
Abrazos.

marioana (2178) 2007-11-12 5:25

Hello Hercules.
The answer is both! And you captured both aspects perfectly here. Wonderful colours and great POV. I really love the touch of autumn in this magnificent scene. Very well done.
Best regards, Steve.

salvator (19102) 2007-11-13 0:29

Yasu Hercules,
Today is probably the day of beautiful photos. I have come across beauty upon beauty today, with this one probably one of the best I have seen. WOnderful use of light, superb colors, and superb details. What else can I say? Katapliktiki filemou.
Se xereto. Salvator.

kdialyna (3148) 2007-11-19 10:40

Ακόμα μία απόδειξη της αξεπέραστης φυσικής ομορφιάς. Πραγματικός ζωγραφικός πίνακας.
Εξαιρετική η φωτογραφία σου απο αυτό το εξαίσιο θέαμα.
Συγχαρητήρια
Κώστας

CRATEOS (7278) 2007-11-20 23:10

exeretiko focus amigo....entopismos toy oreoy kai exeretika dosmeno se fos ke xroma.....me entiposise ...epeno pollakis file

nf

mnk (106) 2007-11-28 11:39

ΕΣΥ είσαι και ο ζωγράφος και ο γλύπτης σ' αυτή την εξαιρετική απόδοση, τονισμένη ακριβώς όσο και όπως πρέπει για να αναδείξει τα μέγιστα το ανάγλυφο και τα χρώματα.
Δύσκολο να πιστέψω ότι βλέπω αυτή την εικόνα σε μια flat οθόνη!
Μιχάλης