Today we take a closer look inside the monastery, starting at the heavily fortyfied doors:
Entrance to Pantocratoros (nr 1 on the plan in 1220)
Backside of the door
Column near the gate
Pantocratoros – another column
Pantocratoros courtyard – between building 5 (Katholikon) and 6 (guesthouse)
Pantocratoros – main building: in the left corner the entrance with the column (see picture above)
Pantocratoros -main building, with the trapeza (4) and tower (A)
Pantocratoros – text in the wall, made from bricks
Pantocratoros – bell
Katholikon of Pantocratoros
Pantocratoros – after a long and exhausting day it is time to relax in the guest room (E on the plan). In the back the “self-service” kitchen.
Wim, 16/5
Next time, day 4, more from Pantocratoros.
Athos - Agios Oros 
It is indeed a very interesting article. And for those who demand to open up totaly Mount Athos, Lewis makes, I think, a remarkable statement about the Acropolis: ‘So if I owned it, I would start by rationing access to it and charging higher prices..It would be a privilege to go to the Acropolis rather than a right..I want people to be able to earn their way up there. If they could demonstrate a proven interest. See for his total comment: http://www.vanityfair.com/online/daily/2010/09/michael-lewis-talks-about-the-banks-that-brought-down-greece.html
Its a shocking article but it seems well documented. In a way it is insulting to the Greek people. I am curious at the reaction of our Greek visitors on this article.
Well, lets make then the “diamonitirion” price 200 Euros or more. This will certainly reduce the number of people entering Athos to less than the daily quota. But I am not sure that this will allow only the people with “proven interest”. This kind of economical thinking is IMHO ridiculous.
Take a look also at the comments bellow the article on the link above (for some good replies by Greeks).
Obviously the audience of this kind of articles are people that know Greece as “souvlaki, tzatziki and acropolis” and unfortunately this is the majority.
This essay was choosen to be the best magazine essay of the year 2010 by NY Times – look here: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/24/opinion/24brooks.html?_r=2