Day 11 – Wednesday, October 12: Athens, U.S.A. / Rome Extension
Today was a travel day for everyone. Everyone in the group traveled to the Athens Airport. Some flew directly back home while others in the group boarded the plane to Rome. For those doing the three-day extension to Rome, we once again enjoyed great weather. We met our Rome agent (Daniella) at the airport once we landed and secured our luggage.
Ostia Antica
Shortly after noon we boarded our and drove about 30 minutes to the ancient port of Rome, Ostia Antica. The site was massive, with ruins from the 1st century BC through the Byzantine Period. Among the ruins we saw numerous houses, the theater (built in 12 BC), bathhouses, the Forum (Capitalium), and the Thermopolium. The site is somewhat like Pompeii three hours to the south. We even saw a Menorah here on one of the marbles. It’s very possible that Paul knew this Jewish community here (and perhaps visited this group of Jews?) when he was in Rome.
“Today our group split into two. Some flew home early in the morning while the rest of us flew to Rome. We had a great start to our tour to Rome. The ruins are Antica were impressive. We also walked on the Appian Way like Paul did!”
Appian Way
On the way into Rome, we stopped to walk on the actually Appian Way. Paul would have used this ancient road that dates back to as early as 312 BC. We read from Acts 29 and passages from Romans (chapters 3, 6, and 10) before we walked back to the bus.
From here it took us about 30 minutes to drive to our hotel. We checked in and enjoyed dinner together. We are looking forward to two full days here in Rome!
Day 12 – Thursday, October 13: Rome, Vatican & Sistine Chapel, Trevi Fountain
