Arnea, Stagira, Mount Athos

Departure in the morning, on the way to the port Ouranoupoli stop in the picturesque village of Arnea famous for its honey production and hand-woven carpets. Characteristic houses with bay windows, narrow streets, St. Stephen's Church, main town square, folklore museum - let you feel the atmosphere of Macedonia. Then visit the birthplace of Aristotle - Stagira. Nowadays, there is the Aristotle Park, where you can see models of inventions made over the centuries. Drive to Ouranoupoli. Free time. Cruise along the coast of Svatá Hora Athos - the biggest mystery of the "third finger" of the Chalkidiki peninsula. This is the only opportunity to see the separate Theocratic Republic of Monks and monastic complexes, especially for women (in 1060 the Byzantine Emperor Constantine Monomachos issued a decree prohibiting women from entering the Republic). Since then, not a single woman has crossed the line of monks' autonomy. At present, there are 20 monasteries on the peninsula, 17 of which are Greek and one is Serbian, one is Bulgarian and one is Russian. At the time of its heyday, Athos was inhabited by 20 thousand monks, today there are about 1700 of them, and the same number of lay helpers. An additional attraction during the cruise are dolphins, often found in these regions.