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Some people say,
The Aegean Sea is a sacred place for romantic love.
That quiet and beautiful blue ocean,
Let countless lovers regain the thrill of their first love.
However, in this romantic sea,
But there is a place of absolute lust.
Image source network, intrusion and deletion
Image source network, intrusion and deletion
It's full of ascetic monks,
Women are forbidden to enter,
Not even female animals exist.
The only exceptions are the hens.
Because the monks need eggs for supplementation.
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This place is the only autonomous monastic state in Greece,
Mount Athos
Mount Athos, the world's only "man's country"!
Mount Athos is at the northern end of the Aegean Sea
On a small peninsula shaped like an arm.
The peninsula is not large,
But majestic mountains tower,
The highest peak is 2033 meters.
The water here is clear blue,
The mountains here are steep and rugged.
The mountains and rivers are beautiful, like a paradise.
In fact, there is a romantic legend here.
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Image source network, intrusion and deletion
In Christian mythology,
The Virgin Mary drifted to this sea peninsula,
I fell in love with the beauty of the landscape in front of me.
So God circled this place and gave it to Mary,
Do not allow other women to appreciate the beauty here,
Therefore, Mount Athos is also known
"The Garden of Eden of the Virgin Mary".
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Image source network, intrusion and deletion
Mythical beautiful and romantic,
But the real reason why Mount Athos doesn't have a woman,
But it has to do with Christians.
In the 3rd-4th centuries AD,
Some believers stumbled upon this small island far from the mainland
The environment here is relatively closed,
Almost isolated from the world, very suitable for cultivation,
So I stayed.
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Later, despite the occasional strife between religious denominations,
But there are always devout monks practicing here.
They will abstain from sex and asceticism
Regard it as the right way, enshrine it as a guideline.
Later, more and more monks,
They regardEd Mount Athos as a "holy mountain,"
The Holy Mountain was recognized by the rulers of the time in 1060,
It became the true "Kingdom of the Monks".
At the same time, a decree was promulgated stipulating that
It is forbidden for any female or female animals to survive here.
The decree has not been used to this day,
But it has always been the sacred rule here,
It has been in operation for nearly a thousand years.
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Now, here is the monk who has never seen a woman in his life,
The only female creature in contact,
There are only hens.
On the island,
Women's clothing, photographs, jewelry
All are contraband.
If you go to Mount Athos now,
There will be a feeling of being in a different world.
Because the architecture here is all medieval style;
And there is no network, no games.
Monks pray for 8 hours a day,
8 hours of work, 8 hours of rest,
Like practitioners for thousands of years,
Simple yet fulfilling.
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The scenery here is even more beautiful,
Needless to say, the quiet blue Aegean Sea,
The monasteries in the mountains are mysterious and fascinating.
Some monasteries are built on the top of a cliff,
Some are asserting caves of broken walls,
Some are simple and casual,
Some are majestic and solemn.
Multi-faceted and varied and flavorful...
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Image source network, intrusion and deletion
Although Mount Athos is thousands of miles away from China,
But life here,
And Chinese the hermitage pastoral life that has longed for in ancient times
There are quite a few similarities.
Far from the world, doing simple labor,
What you see every day is a fairyland beauty.
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Maybe it's this purity and simplicity,
Attract people from all over the world to Mount Athos.
Super hard to get in, but too many people want to go!
If you want to go to Mount Athos,
It's a lot of difficulties!
Even Putin wanted to go to the island, but he was rejected twice!
You will be in close proximity to the only pier of the island,
See a few big words:
Holy Mountain Special District, women are not allowed!
The entrance to the pier will also be set up with gender checks,
Prevent women from accidentally approaching.
So, want to disguise as a male sneak in,
I'm afraid I'm disappointed.
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But even if it's a man,
It doesn't have to be in.
For this is the kingdom of the holy monks,
Don't let outsiders in easily!
Tourists who want to come in,
Must get a letter of introduction from the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs,
Go to Carrier in exchange for an entry permit,
Each village entrance has a police station to verify,
Strict one-on-one inspections are also carried out at the pier.
Moreover, only 20 foreign men are released a day.
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Even so,
People from all over the world are still in an endless stream,
Not only because of the curiosity about the "man's country",
Also because of the unique beauty of this place,
Life in isolation,
And the monks' adherence to their faith...
If you can't get in,
When you ask the monks:
"Why are you willing to live this indisputable life",
They'll tell you with great certainty,
It's quiet, no worries,
I enjoyed everything here.
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