This Ancient Greek Wonder Looks Like Mystical Floating Cliffs

Flickr user Guillén Pérez

When we think Greece, we automatically picture the whitewashed buildings and blue waters. As much as we love its picturesque cities like Santorini, they tend to make us forget that the Mediterranean country is full of otherworldly beauty. Another place to add to your bucket list: Metéora, a group of ancient monasteries in Thessaly that sit perched atop towering rock formations.

The vertical rock masses formed 60 million years ago and have been shaped over the years by rain, earthquakes, and wind. Metéora, which appropriately translates to "suspended in the air," now consists of six surviving monasteries that are still inhabited by monks and nuns. They include Great Metéoron, Varlaám (aka All Saints), Roussanou, St. Nikolas, Holy Trinity, and St. Stephen. Twenty-four monasteries in total were built, the first dating back to the 14th century, but only the present group survives. Thousands of tourists visit each year, accessing the monasteries by bridges and in-rock stairs.

See the awe-inducing photos!