Places to Visit in Greece Before You .. broke

 Mount Athos, Halkidhiki

Far away from the rest of Macedonia and the whole world as well, there is a natural and spiritual paradise with a special glory and magnificence, namely the eastern peninsula of Halkidiki, Mount Athos (Agion Oros), the bay of ancient Greeks or as monks put it, the “land of Virgin Mary”. It is a religious community with historical monasteries, cells in caves or between the rocks, towers, domes, belfries, chants, etc. Mount Athos is a big temple under the sky; it is the main carrier of Orthodox Christianity. Today Athos includes 20 monasteries, 12 skites, and about 700 houses, cells or hermitages. It is listed in UNESCO's WORLD HERITAGE MONUMENTS.

Only men are allowed to visit Agion Oros, according to the Protocol of the monastic state. A few days before their visit, visitors have to phone Agion Oros offices in order to make their booking and receive a code number. This code number is necessary because the number of visitors is limited to 100 men per day. Women can view the monasteries from a cruise along the west coast of Mount Athos.