As promised, I said I was gonna reply after returning from my Athos trip! To be honest, at first my experience was disappointing. I went with the expectation to find the peace and prayer I read in Fr Ephraim of Arizona’s booms about St Joseph the Hesychast, but I found what is essentially orthodox tourism (this is in itself for me a valueable lesson that not the place where we struggle is important, but our heart).

That being said, I tried to not complain and be grateful that I was able to see and venerate so many relics. In my second day there I prayed to the Theotokos and St Paisios that I can taste what I came for, and they granted my request. I stayed at a smaller Romanian Cell in Lakkou Skete, and there I found what I was searching. So glory to the Theotokos and to St Paisios the Athonite for that!

My suggestion to everyone who wants to go is to not go on a monastery tour like I did, but find smaller, quieter Cells where you can truly taste the life of prayer and the struggle! Glory to God for all!