To our Dutch readers: buy todays NRC newspaper  to read this article by Lex Veldhoen, who visited Athos this spring. As you can read later in this blog, the discussion (or confusion) about how many days your Diamoniterion permits you to stay on the Holy Mountain, three of four days, goes on. We always thought that you have three nigths on Athos and that you had go back the fourth day. In Karyes we have been told that the permission is granted for four nights!

Another thing: if you want to leave for Athos at 9.45 h. here a warning: the big boat Panteleimon is out of order and the traffic is devided between small boats. You have make resevation for these small boats, otherwise you be left standing on the quay of Dafni, as we experienced op October 3th (for more information about this “travel alert” look here). If you want to avoid this trouble, take the large Agia Anna boat at 6.30 from Ouranopolis and at 15.45 (mo to fr) from Dafni. Even better is: we (8 p.) took a privat taxi boat for € 150 from Dafni back to Ouranopolis, a little more expensive, but much quicker!

small boat at Dafni – 3/10/2011

Speed taxi boat

Wim, 29/10