KATARA PASS
Greece - 1989
Elevation: 5,545 ft. / 1,690 meters
Length of Climb: ?
Average Gradient: ?

Lunch of tyropitas at the bottom of the main climb up Katara.
One of the seven remaining Monasteries of Meteora. These monasteries were built in the 13th Century on top of huge rock outcroppings near Kalambaka in central Greece.


In Metsovo we met Patricia and Peter (from Bath, England). Intrepid travelers in Greece,
Peter is one of the only foreigners we've ever encountered who can actually carry on a
conversation in Greek (he speaks a few other languages too). We've been close friends ever since.

From Kalambaka and the amazing monasteries of Meteora the road west begins climbing fairly soon and you actually gain at least 2,000 feet before the road drops down again negating all your hard work. It then begins the real climb over Katara Pass. At 5,545 feet, Katara is the highest mountain pass in Greece, a country strewn with mountains. Our destination was Metsovo, a beautiful old town in the mountains that retains its Greek charm despite the presence of a few ski lifts. There was still snow at the higher elevations in June.

As with most roads in Greece, traffic is very light. Near the top we were passed by a car that stopped a half kilometer beyond us. The driver got out with a camera, knelt down in the middle of the road, and took our picture as we rode by. I guess bike tourists are not such a common sight in Greece and they were pretty amazed that anyone had the audacity to ride a bike over the highest mountain pass in the country.