"Columns of the sky" is an accurate description for Meteora, one of the relatively few sites in the world inscribed on the WH list for both cultural and natural criteria. The landscape of this region in central Greece is just stunning, with its majestic spires reaching high into the sky. This would probably be reason enough for inscription, but the monasteries on top of the spires are just mind-blowing. I´m not sure whether the obvious question of why these monasteries were built in these locations in the first place has yet been satisfactorily answered, but it doesn´t really matter. The monasteries are almost as interesting from the inside as from the outside and will give you a good overview of Byzantine architecture and painting, as well as of the Orthodox church. Some can only be reached on foot, via many, many steps, but it´s definitely worth the effort. Obey the clothing rules!

Meteora is easy to reach on one of the numerous daytrips offered from both Athens and Thessaloniki, but the driving makes you shudder and suspect that the bus will fall off the cliffs at any moment. Don´t look down, but if you do, you won´t see any buswrecks littering the slopes, so I guess it´s all very safe after all..