Nothing prepared me for the majesty of the Meteora. The thick Greece guidebook I had been thumbing devoted only a page to it and the nearest town is small and sleepy.

Kalambaka town is a far cry from Athens where I recently spent time admiring the widely photographed Greek icons built in the 5th century before Christ - the ruins of the marbled temples on the Acropolis with their distinctive columns.

Athens has always attracted attention, like during the 2004 Olympic Games. Its crown jewel Acropolis (Acro - edge, polis - city) has been nominated one of the seven wonders of the modern world in a global poll on the Internet conducted by Swiss-Canadian film-maker Bernard Weber.

The results of the poll will be announced on July 7.

As reputed, the Acropolis is a repository of some of the world's important milestones in architecture, philosophy and politics.

Those with no imagination may see the ruins only as slabs of stone but you feel privileged simply walking along the corridors where, once upon a time, great minds like philosopher Socrates passed.

Reaching the Acropolis is a breeze as the hill is near a subway station, Syntagma, and the train network is uncomplicated.

At the square above the station, friendly Greek vendors hawk replicas of Greek mythological figures.

Elsewhere in Athens, quaint cafes and taverns, spilling over with tourists, co-exist with luxury department stores and the Parliament House. Nightlife is aplenty, from strip clubs to casinos.

In contrast, Kalambaka, which is a five-hour bus ride from Athens through winding mountain roads, looks like a town where nothing interesting seems to happen.

Except for an assurance from the tour guide, a patriot who thinks everything Greek is exciting anyway, there is no hint that this is going to be a worthwhile trip.

Then the monasteries on the towers of Meteora, meaning 'suspended rocks', loom and everything happens.

Awestruck tourists scramble to take pictures. You remark that the monasteries perched on the peak look like a thriller movie set and the tour guide confirms that, yes, the James Bond film For Your Eyes Only was shot there.

But no matter which angle you try to shoot the monasteries on the peaks, they turn out looking like toy tree houses in your digital camera screen, almost as if the Meteora is prideful and resisting photography for your personal homage.

It is just as well as it is nearing the end of your holiday and you have not reserved space for the Meteora surprise in your camera's memory card.

Rock band Linkin Park were so awed by the Meteora that they named their second album after it.

Guitarist Brad Delson was reported to have said: 'It's this really spiritual, mythical place. Just looking at those pictures was inspirational to us in terms of how epic it felt. I think some of the guys hadn't even seen the pictures when they heard the name Meteora, and they just really responded to the energy of the name. We think that suitably matches the spirit we tried to create with the record.'

Charming coast: Writer Janice Wong island-hopping in the Aegean Sea.

Meteora has a stark beauty that is peculiar to harsh, lonely lands.

That was why, between the 12th and 14th centuries, Orthodox Christian orders looking for isolation from worldliness decided to build 24 gravity-defying monasteries that cling on the edges of the striated sandstone.

They carried up building materials and scaled the Meteora walls by wedging timbers into the crevices, which were subsequently removed after the monasteries were completed to make the place inaccessible.

Six of these monasteries are still inhabited and open to the public. The biggest and oldest is the Grand Meteoron, 475m above the surrounding plain. It charges an entrance fee of 2 euros (about S$4) and a restricted photography rule is enforced.

Unlike the Acropolis whose original splendour has to be imagined, the monastery interiors are intact and store many treasured manuscripts penned by the hermits before the invention of the printing press.

You ooh and aah over the painstaking efforts. You become introspective.

You feel humbled by the religious piety that motivated the monks and nuns as, until 1923, the only way up and down the Meteora was by long rope ladders or hand-cranked rope nets.

In 1923, snaking steps were carved, and today only pilgrims still use the ropes.

You feel transported to mediaeval times. And, chilled by the winds and passing through the refectory chambers, you feel like having a cup of piping hot Greek coffee and kebabs to bring you back to reality.

When it comes to Greek eats, the idea is not variety but freshness and simplicity, I learn.

The sameness of every Greek menu dulls me at first but I come to appreciate salads dressed in nothing but olive oil, meats grilled in their own fat drippings and the heartiness of plain pita breads.

For someone who cannot live without sauces and spices, I actually now miss Greek food. That's the ultimate surprise. Besides the Meteora, of course.

5 things to do

For the record: Rock band Linkin Park were inspired by the Meteora and named their second album after it.

1 Do join a tour for Meteora. It's not a good idea to drive to Kalambaka on your own unless you have experience in driving on narrow, winding mountain roads.

2 Do dress appropriately when visiting the monasteries: Men must wear trousers and women must wear skirts below the knee. Skirts are provided at the door if women need them.

3 Do book an island-hopping cruise to tour the Aegean Sea. Picturesque white-washed low-rise houses and churches dot the coastlines. The most interesting island is Hydra as it is the only one that prohibits all land vehicles, including bicycles, which means fresh air and cute donkeys.

4 Do share the Greeks' sweet tooth and taste their local desserts like the colourful and cloyingly sweet Turkish delight (not the sole preserve of Turkey apparently) and honeyed pistachios.

5 Do learn to relax like the Greeks. Shopping centres pull down their shutters around 7pm on most days but restaurants and pubs are open till late. Dining at 10pm is not unusual as the siesta habit delays dinnertime. And tipping is not necessary.

2 don'ts

1 Don't touch or pose next to Greek statues inside museums for the camera. It is considered rude and the guards will tell you off.

2 Don't drive too hard a bargain when shopping. Although souvenir prices are somewhat negotiable, slashing prices by more than, say, 30 per cent, could be an affront to shopkeepers. If you think the items are expensive, go somewhere else.

Fast facts

Population of Greece: 10.6 million
Currency: Euro
Main industries: Tourism, marine
Religion: Orthodox Christianity
Peak season: June to August