Ouranoupoli, Greece
Mount Athos must be one of the weirdest places on earth and
also one of the hardest to visit. Located on the easternmost of three narrow mountainous
peninsulas that protrude into the Aegean Sea from the large Chalkidiki
Peninsula east of Thessaloniki, Mount Athos is sometimes called “The Monks
Republic” for its isolation and self-governing status. Currently there are 20 monasteries with over
2,300 resident monks scattered along the shores and hills of the peninsula
within sight of 2,033-meter (6,801 foot) peak of Mount Aathos. Of those, 17 are
Greek, one Russian, one Bulgarian, and one Serbian. That number is down from over 200 monasteries
and more than 20,000 monks a century or more ago. Mount Athos political status
is somewhat complex; while it is part of Greece, the monastic republic enjoys a
semi-autonomous self-gathering status different from anywhere else in the
country. Mount Athos was granted UNESCO World Heritage status in 1988.
To actually visit Mount Athos takes some planning and some
luck. First of all, it is completely
impossible for one half the world’s population.
No women are allowed onto Mount Athos. Males can visit but must apply
ahead for approval, and it is generally not possible for simple touristic
purposes. The basis for approval for lay
people is spending time at a monastery for study and prayer, although it seems
some journalistic-type or art historical type visits get approved. If you do get approved, you can either cross
the single land border crossing with Greece or take the daily ferry and cargo
ship from Ouranoupoli to Daphni, an all-male crew and passenger ship I saw
departing in the morning of my tour.
The only alternative is to view Mount Athos from the sea, an
option that is open to members of the so-called fairer sex. A daily tour boat excursion departs from
Ouranopoli to view the monasteries along the west (south) coast of the Mount
Athos Peninsula. However, the boat must
stay at least 500 meters from shore (to discourage women from diving off and
swimming to shore, I suppose). If I
recall correctly, about eight or so of the monasteries can be seen on the trip,
several close to the shore and others perched quite high on the steep hillsides.
I knew seeing Mount Athos would be one of the highlights of
my trip to Greece, so I booked a boat ticket and pension accommodation in the
departure town of Ouranoupoli at least two months ahead. Although I would have preferred to see them
up close and seen some of the artwork in them, the four-hour trip did not
disappoint. Interestingly, very few
American or western European tourists seem to make it to this part of
Greece. The boat was filled with Greek,
Romanian, and Slavic language speakers, and restaurant menus in town were
available in most of the languages of Orthodox countries (Bulgarian, Serbian,
Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian, etc). I
would not necessarily expect good food in such a touristy town, but the meals I
had ay waterside Zorba’s were some of the best in Greece, and priced for Greeks
and Slavs rather than North American, Western European, or Asian tourists as in
the islands.
2025-05-23