Make a pilgrimage to the Holy Mountain of Mount Athos.

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Meditations on Mount Athos
A hike through history

Our Signature Tour to Northern Greece and Athens offers a rare opportunity to visit the monasteries of Mount Athos. An unforgettable chance to experience life untouched for centuries, this pilgrimage is a special and limited offering for a small group of discerning male travelers. The tour starts in Thessaloniki, and includes a 3-day visit to Mount Athos, a return visit to Thessaloniki and a visit to Alexander the Great's birthplace at Pella, and a two-night stay in Athens, with a guided tour of the Acropolis and other sights.

The theocratic republic of Mount Athos, in Northern Greece, is celebrated for its breathtaking scenery and its ancient monasteries, in which the life of the Middle Ages is still enacted; the manners, customs, dress and modes of thought and belief are virtually unchanged from their original forms. Here we will be received with kindness and courtesy and lodged in the guest quarters of three unique monasteries. We will inspect superb Byzantine frescoes, paintings and icons, and browse treasure rooms and libraries containing magnificent crowns, ceremonial robes, early books and illuminated manuscripts.

The monks place a strict limit on the number of participants (typically between 5 and 10). In accordance with the edict of the Emperor Constantine Monomachus in 1046 AD, access to Mount Athos is forbidden to women. We will be accompanied throughout by a Greek guide with long-standing relationships with the monks of Mount Athos, and by a professional Hanns Ebensten Travel tour director (subject to minimum participation).

Highlights of this trip include:

• Tour the port city of Thessaloniki, recently Europe's Cultural Capital.
  
• Sail to Mount Athos to see its ancient monasteries and Byzantine wonders.
  
• Hike on spectacular mountain paths high above the Aegean Sea.
  
• Join the monks for meals, services, lodging and a glimpse at life as it was 1000 years ago.
  
• Observe the Greek Orthodox life of faith and monasticism amidst natural beauty.
  
• Meditate on the Holy Mountain as monks have done for centuries.
  
• Guest lodging on Mount Athos ranges from individual cells to dormitory-style rooms, mostly with shared bath facilities (including some squat toilets).
  
• Lodging in Thessaloniki, Ouranoupolis and Athens will be in comfortable high-end hotels in double or single occupancy, as requested.
  
• Enjoy a half-day excursion to Pella, the hometown of Alexander the Great.
  
• Finish the tour in Athens with a climb up to the Acropolis for an incredible view of the city, and a visit to the National Archaeological Museum.
  

Dates:
Sept. 9 to 18, 2012: $3,998: A trip for male pilgrims.

Travelling Alone?
So are most of the people who travel with us. You do not need to pay extra to travel by yourself. Prices are per-person, and the single supplement applies only if you'd like a room by yourself. For selected trips, especially if the trip includes a cruise, we charge half the single supplement if you request a roommate, but we are not able to match you with someone.

Location: Starts and ends in Thessaloniki

Price includes: Land and water transportation within Greece; Accommodations each night in accordance with the tour itinerary; Breakfast each day; most lunches and dinners, including wine at Welcome and Farewell dinners; Thessaloniki and Athens airport-hotel transfers on first and last tour days, or one day before or after the tour; All hotel service charges, government taxes, porterage, and meal gratuities.

Not included: Transportation between home and Thessaloniki; Thessaloniki-Athens airfare; Personal items including: alcoholic beverages, snacks, laundry, and telephone calls; Gratuities for guides.

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