DATELINE: METEORA, GREECE
Farmers determined – Reinforcing the blockades and escalating protests.
Every day, the network of farmers’ blockades across Greece grows wider. Site production costs and the low prices of essential agricultural products as their concerns. Yesterday, farmers from Trikala set up a blockade on the E65 motorway at the Longos toll station — the second blockade on the E65, following the one in Karditsa. Together with the blockade in Larissa, more than 4,000 tractors are now on the roads in Thessaly.
At the junction on the E-65 blockade, over 2,000 farming vehicles have gathered. Thus, main road into Kalabaka and Meteora blocked. Police presence continues.
Police and the use of tear gas occurred when farmers attempted to block the Olympia Highway. Concerns grow; patience dwindles.
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——NEW NEWS RELEASE——
4 December 2025: METEORA
TRAVELERS FACE FLOODED ROADS, ABANDONED ROUTES, AND MYTHIC-LEVEL MISADVENTURE AS STORMS AND PROTESTS CONTINUE
Residents and tourists in the Meteora region continued to grapple today with a landscape reshaped by days of relentless storms. Though the worst of the weather has passed, steady rainfall persists, causing flooding and transportation disruptions as a result of the ongoing and expanding tractor blockades. Travelers attempting to reach — or escape — the region have been forced to seek alternate routes, many of them barely passable.
Among them were two women from the United States who described their ordeal as “something between a thriller movie and a Greek tragedy.”
“We took alternate local roads, trying to keep the E-65 in sight,” the couple said. “Much of the time there seemed to be no other cars, no person, not even a cow in sight. Very eerie. Thank Zeus for GPS and our iPhone.”
According to their account, the pair navigated a labyrinth of twisting rural lanes, weaving through farm country, newly plowed fields, and derelict buildings, often without encountering another living soul.
Their anxiety reached a peak when the main road vanished into a narrow, waterlogged gravel track bordered by empty fields. Scraggly roadside plants sagged under the weight of leftover rain and fluffy drapes of white cotton as the travelers questioned their location.
“It was one of those ‘Death By GPS’ moments,” they recalled. “We turned left onto a pitted, water-filled road that led straight into a muddy hole. All we could think was: if something happens, how would we ever explain where we are? A tiny blue car in a sea of mud—no landmarks, no signs, nothing.”
Their journey took an unexpected turn when they spotted what looked like an abandoned gas station and pulled in to reassess their route. Moments later, another stranded car arrived—also attempting to reach Meteora. The two couples joined forces, grateful that the newly arrived travelers spoke both English and Greek.
Then, as if out of nowhere, a local man appeared. “It felt like a scene from a film,” the Americans said. “Our new friends asked for directions—well, begged for them.”
Thirty minutes later, both vehicles finally emerged into the sanctuary of Meteora.
Meanwhile, officials warn that protests and blockades in the region are expected to continue, though storms should clear by Saturday.
Still, one question looms large with our American visitors:
How does one leave Meteora? This topic was discussed at length over a couple bottles of chilled local Retsina
“It’s breathtakingly beautiful,” the women concluded, “and it’s a great town… but eventually, yes—we’d like to be able to leave.”
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