I wasn’t able to attend church while I was in Greece, but I did go to a monastery on the top of a mountain. That kind of counts, right?

I tried to look up the history of this particular monastery, but there is nothing on the internet. That means that all I know is that it is still home to a community of monks who raise sheep and doves and grow olives for olive oil. There may or may not have been an awesome story about a monk who single-handedly protected the whole monastery from the Ottoman Turks during the Greek War of Independence.

We climbed up to the top of the castle tower, and my goodness, the view was amazing! My favorite part, though, was the bits of bread I spotted in tiny porthole windows in the tower, undoubtedly left for the birds. What a humble and selfless gesture! Imagining a monk making the daily rounds to leave bread for his avian friends just makes me so happy.

When we left, the monks gave us a box of Turkish Delight. They call it λουκούμι (loukoumi) in Greece. It was the best I’ve had yet!

Even though I wasn’t able to make it to church, it was nice to spend part of the Sabbath at a place that is sacred for so many.

You can read more about my Cretan Adventure here.