If you want to visit Mt Athos have a look at the following site http://abacus.bates.edu/~rallison/friends/

You need a permit and visitors are limited to 100 bona fide pilgrims a day – and there a hundreds of monks from Russia waiting to visit some of them! You also need to reserve accommodation at many of them – there are even telephone numbers on the site to do so!

I visited Mt Athos in 1965. Fresh out of university I had reached Thessalonika clutching a letter of introduction from my university professor (although my subject had nothing to do with religion or Greece!). This had to be taken to the British Consul. There I had to fill in a form saying why I wanted to visit Mt Athos and what I wanted to see – I “winged” the replies with the confidence of youth! They then gave me a sealed envelope containing their "support" to take to the Greek Ministry of Northern Departments (I think it was). They in turn gave me 3 sealed letters - 2 to hand in at the capital of Mt Athos, Karyes, and 1 to take to the police (on the other side of Thessalonika of course!). The police took this letter, filled in another form and gave it to me. Next day by bus to Tripiti and, after sleeping on the beach, on by early morning boat to Daphni - the harbour for Mt Athos (I remember I had to change out of shorts on the boat - uncovered arms or legs were not allowed on Mt Athos even for men!) I walked up to the “capital” Karyes where another visit to police was required followed by a visit to the "Ecclesiastical authorities" - who relieved me of 50 drachma and gave me a lovely coloured certificate of authorisation with an Athos "postage stamp" - which I still have. The 50 drachma was a lot to a student travelling on very little but it did provide entrance to the monasteries for my 5 day stay and all food and lodging which was given "free".

I was then able to walk wherever I wanted on the mountain. In the evening I would turn up at a monastery and would be given either place in a dormitory or occasionally a room with a simple bed (no reservations in those days!). At some monasteries meals were taken with the monks and were accompanied by prayers and bible reading throughout! The coastal scenery on the walks was very fine. Occasionally one would pass an anchorite’s hut or meet monks walking between monasteries. I remember that some friends I had joined up with and I were “caught” by a passing monk as we were "naked bathing" in one of the bays – so much for the “bare leg” taboo - but he didn't seem to mind!

Among the monasteries visited were Iveron, Grand Lavra, Dionysus (by boat) and finally Pantelemion. This latter a Russian Orthodox monastery staffed in those days by just 23 ageing Russian monks whereas it had originally held 4000 (the arrival of further monks from Russia was prevented by the politics of the day). At each we visited the chapel and were shown the relics. At some we attended the service. The library at Grand Lavra was particularly fine. The refectories were usually among the most finely decorated rooms in order to remind the monks whilst they ate – I remember in 1 each monk crossed himself towards 1 of the paintings after each mouthful.

So, 40 years on I wonder if it is much different? Can anyone tell me? 40 years is not long after all in the history of Mt Athos! But the web site talks of roads and taxis which doesn’t sound good. The pressures of outside life and of the growth of travel must be having some influence. The end of the Cold War at least sounds to have impacted the Russian Orthodox monasteries. And the pathways sound to be as idyllic as they were for me in that long past summer of 1965!