Cruise “Holy Athos”
Hello, dear readers, this time I would like to share with you a story about an excursion tour that I recently visited on my own. This is a cruise "Agios Athos", around the Holy Mountain, with views of 8 of the 20 monasteries, a stop in the city of Ouranoupoli, and a visit to a wine cellar on the way back.
So, the journey began on a spacious and comfortable double-decker bus, where we were met by the driver Nikos and accompanying Yana. There were a really large number of guests (about a hundred people), among whom were couples, groups of friends and families with children. Everyone settled comfortably and hit the road. Experience shows that this is perhaps one of the most popular and numerous excursions in Halkidiki.
The ship's departure point was in the bay with the symbolic name of Ormos Panagias (Bay of the Mother of God).
The ship was large, with three decks and a large selection of seats (open and closed, with sofas, soft seats, chairs and benches). There were bars on two decks where you could buy soft and alcoholic drinks, coffee, tea and snacks (pizza, sandwiches), there was also a souvenir shop on the ship, where, among other things, you could rent binoculars to view objects in the distance. We were met by the captains of the ship - friendly Andreas and Yorgos with the team. The departure was early on the 10th, and we headed towards the southern point of Athos. After two hours of pleasant sailing, we saw the majestically protruding Holy Mount Athos (height - 2033 meters), then the ship turned to starboard and went along the western coast of the peninsula. Cruise guests could watch 8 of the 20 monasteries, the main port of Athos - Daphni (so named because of the laurel trees) and listen to a story about each of the monasteries and the history of Athos in general.
I will not describe all the historical facts, I will write only about some of them and add that the story was very informative and fascinated by really interesting and unique facts. It was mainly about the tenth century, the first and main in the hierarchy of Athos monasteries, which we saw was the Great Lavra. It is noteworthy that the monks began to appear in these places since the 4th and 5th centuries. And the legend says that the Mother of God and John the Theologian, on their way to the island of Cyprus to the bishop, suffered a shipwreck and ended up on Athos. The Mother of God blessed this place, but she herself gave the order that women should not be here, and when the daughter of the emperor tried to get to Athos after some time, the icon spoke to her and said that it was impossible to tempt the monks, and if she considers herself a true Christian, then she must leave Athos.
And in 1045, a very real decree was issued prohibiting women from visiting (the main reason for which was the large number of laity and their families from Halkidiki, who arrived in search of work and created some inconvenience for the monks). This ban is in effect to this day and is so severe that any woman can face up to 12 months in prison for violating it. Also an interesting fact is that in the course of history and attempts at conquest, 25 out of 300 monasteries remain, and then only 20 (including Russian, Bulgarian and Serbian), and according to another decree, this number of monasteries can no longer grow. The population of this autonomous republic is about 2.500 people. It has its own rules and regulations, its own time calculation and calendar (Julian), no electricity (solar energy is widely used) and no road connecting with the rest of Greece.
Midnight here comes at sunset and the clock shows the so-called Byzantine time. The narration of the escorts was in Russian, English, Greek and Italian. We saw the monastery of St. Anna, which is located at an altitude of 400 meters above sea level, the monastery of Dionysius, where there is a particularly strict rule, and much more that is better to see with your own eyes, as this is a truly amazing experience and impressions.
Upon arrival in Ouranoupoli (Heavenly City), the guests had about an hour and a half of free time, just enough to walk a little along the small streets, look into the shops with products from Athos, and have lunch. The attendant Yana advised the Kritikos tavern, where the dishes and service were tasty and of high quality (lunch for two with two courses - risoto and pasta, and a Greek salad cost 30 euros).
The return trip was short and took about an hour, during which there was entertainment on the first deck with traditional Greek dances and live music. Everyone could join and learn the basic movements of sirtaki and other dances. On the way back, guests vacationing on Kassandra also expected a visit to the wine cellar with a tasting of several types of wines and a large assortment of traditional Greek drinks and special promotional prices. I can say from the point of view of a person who has been working in the field of tourism for a long time that this cruise and the organization of the tour were at a very high level.
