The Three Fingers

24 June 2014 | Chalkidiki, Greece

A calm marina with a beautiful beach, a great fish restaurant and a little train that takes you up the hill to the winery, it was like Porto Carras was made for us. Part of a huge resort, the marina is yet another victim of the Greece financial crisis, it is beautiful but a bit unfinished.

This was the starting point for our very brief exploration of Greece’s Chalkidiki Peninsula in the northwestern Aegean Sea, sometimes called “the three fingers” because of its resemblance to a hand with three fingers.

At the tip of Sinthonia (The middle finger) is Potro Koufo. One of the most magnificent natural harbors with dramatic cliffs at the entrance to a landlocked bay

Ormos Kriftos – A land locked bay on the North side of Nsis Dhiaporos, an island off the North East side of Sinthonia

We found several nice anchorages on the peninsula, but the highlight of the area was the easternmost finger, Ayion Oros (Mt. Athos) meaning Holy Mountain.

For more than 10 centuries, this rugged peninsula has existed as a world unto itself. Separated from modern civilization, there are no roads or electricity and few telephones on Mt. Athos. The huge medieval monasteries that occupy spectacular sites on rocky bluffs and beaches are often likened to Tibetan monasteries, but some of them resemble five-star hotels. Visits to Mt. Athos are restricted, requiring a special entrance permit only available to men; women are not allowed. Until recently they didn’t even allow female animals, no eggs for the monks. Even boats with women aboard must stay at least one mile from shore. Luckily, we have a camera with a great telephoto lens (and we may have cheated just a little).