(This is a translation of the Dutch text on nr 20 – november 2006)

Unfortunately I lost my old map of Mount Athos. On this map I made a lot of notes and improvements, because the changes happen all too quickly. Since motorways have been appearing to improve the motorized traffic between the monasteries (with the help EU-funds), the old paths whitch have been used for ages, are disappearing rapidly. If you ever been on Athos you can image how fast this can go, because the vegetation is so thick, that you can hardly see more then 2 meters through the bushes.
This map might have given me information about the exact location of the Russian (Ukrain) building, that used to be associated with the Russian monastery of Panteleimon.
On the picture below you can see on your right in the background the monastery of Karakalou and on the left – in the back – our deserted building (with two towers). To my opinion it must be situated in the neighborhood of Skiti Provata.

Panoramic view in the direction of Karakalou (right) and Skiti Provata (left) – 1986: “our” building is pointed out by the arrow

The best map of Athos is by the way made by an Austrian, mr Reinhold Zwerger – Wege am Athos -Wohlmutstasse 8 A-1020 Vienna – Wien and the most recent print dates from September 2001. I bought it in a shop in Amsterdam (Pied à Terre) for € 32,90. NB. In Greece we did not find a copy of this map. Because I made a lot of promotion for the map of mr Zwerger (who must be over 80 years old now), I allow myself to show you a piece of the map, where, according to me, the deserted building must be:
The picture you will find here is not one of my best, but it shows the desolate state the building was in.

The Iconostasis in the church of the deserted building – 1986

But this story is not over yet, because the library had a great surprise for us. But that story you will read next time.
Wim, 9/9