Is Mt Athos and the religious, nearly mistic half island a dream on earth?
Of course, being Christian Atheist change the point of view. As well as it would by being orthodox Christian.
For people having faith and willing to be comforted and confronted with their faith, it is for sure a most delicious moment in life. You can go many times a day to the mess – some over 4h (while my maximum was 2h) and will see the precious Relict that every monastery is keeping. Hands or skulls among others.
If you don’t speak respectively understand Greek, the whole view of the ceremony will change. Even more if you are with monks that don’t (want to) speak “your” language. To what I have been told, monastery Vatopedi might be more suitable to it.
As nature lower, two aspects bothered me more then everything else. First I kept the feedback that it is one big construction site. You hear many machines noise and some construction traffic.
Second, as in Meteora (and other places in Greece and countries), garbage is just thrown away. In landfill and beside the paths and roads. That doesn’t fit to my view of the Holy Athos. If it would be so Holy, people – especially monks – would have more respect to it.
And on the other side:
Collected garbage must be put somewhere as there is no official bins 
and other stuff I collected:
Something big happened here. And there was big technology even nobody is living here. 
Little house middle in no where. Someone is living nice there?
Deteriorating house of St-Andrew Monastery:
Old, not clean and bad smelling restroom. You only go there if you really need. 
What would be the solution?
Well… I guess a good start would to remove any kind of car and truck. To go back to ancient time. It is to me not the way to make a dollars-Paradies-island.
People going overthere could make their manual contribution. Cleaning, building, painting, renovating the current buildings. Without the need of having new ones.
And make a contest of who is picking most garbage from the ground.