words on the wheelers: greek orthodox monastery

so one of the adventures my mom instigated was going to st. anthony's greek monastery. She had heard about it from a friend in minnesota but knew nothing about it. so after doing some good old faithful searching on google, i was able to locate it. Thankfully they had a website so we could prepare ourselves for their dress code and code of conduct.

Here it is from their website:

Proper Attire

Visitors must be properly attired to enter the Monastery grounds. In general, clothing should be modest and loose-fitting, and include the following:

Women must wear long skirts, long-sleeved blouses, and scarves. (Please, no tight-fitting clothing, no skirts with slits, hats, low-cut blouses, or sheer or small scarves) Shoes/sandals must be worn with socks at all times. Please do not wear sheer stockings. Please wear practical and comfortable flat shoes while at the Monastery as it is desert terrain and the pathways are of rough flagstone. Please wear flat shoes— No high heels, platform shoes or open-toed sandals.

If you are not properly attired, please go directly to the Bookstore, where there is a limited supply of clothing for your use.

Respect for the Monastery Environment

Due to the sanctity of this Holy place we kindly ask that you respect the quiet and solitude of the Monastery while on the grounds.

Smoking anywhere within the Holy grounds is strictly forbidden. Loud talking and laughing are always inappropriate. This I thought could be a problem for me given the dress code...

So we arrive after leaving phoenix an hour so ago and i have my skirt on with loose shirt and a scarf; well prepared. Mom had pants on but we brought a skirt for her to slip on over her pants and she thought a drying dish towel would do the trick for her scarf. We were well prepared guests, we thought....

Here are the pictures of our lovely outfits in the end. I was told my skirt was a little short and to pull it down a bit. (I was wondering if he'd rather have my butt or boots showing). I tried to tug it down a bit and was accepted. Mom on the other hand - well she has their skirt and scarf on.

It was a really cool experience, a complete different culture and way of life. There are 6 chapels an the grounds and they have amazing gardens. (I'm told this from docents at work - we weren't really allowed to go through the gardens. We really had a great time but didn't laugh too loud to show it! :)