Having reached the end of my account of the pilgrimage, it is finally time to share some of my reflections. The pilgrimage experience was a very humbling one, very symbolic of one’s sojourn o…| Inclina aurem cordis tui
I woke up a bit before 3AM, to the sound of the semantron, and eventually made my way down to church for the Office, which lasted until around 5AM. I then went back to my room to rest a little until it was time to leave. Upon entering the room, however, I saw a certain…| Inclina aurem cordis tui
I stopped just outside the gates of Pantokratoros and surveyed the landscape, my eyes following the road I had taken just the day before. Only the road was all downhill the previous day; now, I had…| Inclina aurem cordis tui
I wandered into the cloister, not sure exactly where I was going, but knowing that I needed to find the guest house. A monk and some pilgrims were speaking in front of the catholicon; the monk greeted me and told me to make my way to the guest house. I wandered around for a bit…| Inclina aurem cordis tui
I had noticed that we had passed the monastery of Iviron on the way to Philotheou the previous day, so I decided to use it as a gauge for the hike. My mobile’s GPS said that it would take me …| Inclina aurem cordis tui
I followed the others through the cloister, then up some stairs past an elaborate wooden door (which I later discovered was the refectory) and into the large building which served as the pilgrims’ quarters. While a small, elderly monk with a large white beard attended to the Greeks, I was approached by a young monk.…| Inclina aurem cordis tui
The van started off for Karyes on a road that followed the coast for a bit. The road was hardly paved, though there was some construction work going on; still, stones and debris littered the road, …| Inclina aurem cordis tui
I arose early the following morning, as I was unsure how long it would take to sort out my diamonitirion and ferry ticket. I exited the hotel and was greeted by a clear blue sky and the warm sun. Much to my surprise, the town which had just the previous day been nearly deserted was…| Inclina aurem cordis tui
I have returned home safely from my long desired pilgrimage to Mount Athos. As promised, I will write an account of what I did and saw. I will be breaking this account into two main parts: the firs…| Inclina aurem cordis tui
Today I write to you about a pilgrimage that I will be making this coming March and that has been nearly 2 decades in the making. God willing, I will finally be visiting the “Holy Mountain…| Inclina aurem cordis tui
