I walked east and northeast from Karyes, on the road toward Iviron, because I was afraid to search for footpaths. After about a quarter of an hour, I turned left at a crossroads. I had the giant Mt Athos at my back. After an hour’s walk, I saw a monastery, compact and fortified, located lower and in front of me, on an rocky overhang atop the cliffs above the shore. A Byzantine castle, I thought. Twenty minutes later, I was walking through the iron gate below the tower.
