Waiting For My Visa To Enter Mt. Athos

Day8: The widow's house where I spent the night happened to be right across the street from the only church is town, which is right at the center of the village, so I was up early for the Matin's service which began at 7am. As always in Greece, the church was beautiful and I would even go so far, as to say, stunningly beautiful. The Christians of Greece and the surrounding regions have had two thousand years to establish and nurture their religious traditions and practices and it shows in the architecture and decor of their churches. As for the people themselves, it is difficult for me to connect with and understand them, since I unfortunately don't speak Greek. The service lasted until around 11am and by this time, my back was aching rather severely from standing for almost the entire time. The church did have interestingly contructed chairs along the walls that allowed the parishioner to stand with arm supports or to sit on a fold down seat. Every chair was ornately carved with the Byzantine symbol of two, unidentifiable birds and, what I think was a shield. As each parishioner left the church, we were handed a small loaf of sweet bread which was greatly appreciated, since I had not eaten since late afternoon of the day prior. Directly after church, I found a small hotel with an air conditioned private room, ahhh, for the same price as the widow's place down the street. After moving into my new room, I boarded one of the numerous sightseeing boats for a tour by sea of the monasteries of Mt. Athos. This is the only way women can see the monasteries, since only men have been allowed on Mt. Athos since it was decreed a haven for monks by the Virgin Mary many, many, centuries ago. The boat tour last over three hours and very interesting and informative. It was a great way to get an overview of the region before I actually end up there, which hopefully will be tomorrow. I am scheduled to take the boat tomorrow to the Xenophontos Monastery, which is where I will be staying for the next ten days. During that time, I will be out of touch with civilization and when I return, I'm sure I will have many pages of stories to tell about my experiences. Until then, you are all in my prayers and may God bless you all richly.