The first pictures of the newly build chapel on the summit of the mountain by Martin Drozd from Slowakia.
The photos are from july 2009
Here you will find the images of the whole trip of these pilgrim/hikers from Slowakia (thanks Rainer Ludwig). According to the pictures they walked all over the peninsula.
When they were at Stavros (700m ) they met a muledriver who offered to bring the four of them to the top by mule for EUR 150 but they refused and climbed themselves (If I understand the translation that I made correctly).
hv
The disappearance of the old towns in the 6th century is not sooo surprising. It was a time of great turmoil and suffering because of the seemingly unending migration of “barbaric” peoples into the Roman Empire (both West and East).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_and_Byzantine_Greece#Further_invasions_and_reorganization
Der Fotograf Martin ist laut Diamonitirion kein Serbe sondern Slowake. Eine gute Bildergalerie auf jeden Fall.
I was the 19th of august 2010 at the chapel, in the evening, see for some pictures: Metamórfosis http://www.debergathos.blogspot.com/
and it was very crowded. It was impossible for me to make a good picture, because of all these people walking around and sleeping in the buildingstructure. The work was still in progress.
Vasilis, Jammer dat de recente foto van de nieuwbouw niet gemaakt kon worden wegens drukte. Leuke blog!