Day 4 – Wednesday, October 5: Thessalonica, Berea, Vergina, Meteora, Kalambaka
Today was our second full day of the tour. We loaded the bus following breakfast and left the hotel at 7:45. Most of the day was spent driving southward. The day was once again sunny, with perfect temps in the low 70s. We read from Philippians 1 and 4 to begin the day.
Thessaloniki
Before leaving Thessaloniki, we drove along the shoreline of the city. We made a brief stop by the water front to see the White Tower. This was initially an Ottoman structure dating to the 15th century AD. Here also we saw a modern statute of Alexander the Great.
Berea
Driving about 45 minutes south from here, we came to Berea. It is called Verea in Greek. While there is no archaeology here to see dating to the time of Paul, we read the Acts 17 passage in front of a Jewish synagogue that was built in 1850 AD. We then walked to a small modern monument constructed in the heart of this city. We recalled about how the believers here searched the Scriptures diligently. Sopater, a believer from the city of Berea (as well as Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica were new believers who eventually became traveling companions with Paul as well towards the end of his third missionary journey (see Acts 20). God transformed and called others to join Paul in ministry!
Vergina
About 20 minutes away is Vergina. We first walked to the archaeological ruins of the royal tomb of Philip II and Alexander IV. Discovered in 1977, these tombs were quite impressive! While there are actually four tombs to see here, the tombs of Philip and Alexander IV (or the “Prince”) are amazingly well preserved even after more than 2,300 years! These two tombs were found intact. In the museum we also saw many of the items found in these tombs, including many incredible gold pieces, armory and weaponry of Philip II, among other personal items. In the small town of Vergina we enjoyed a very usual Greek lunch including traditional dishes such as moussaka, lamb, and Greek salad. It was a great meal!
“Greece is a beautiful country! I never knew it had so many mountains. With the clear skies and perfect temperature, today was another ideal day for seeing sites. While Vergina and Meteora are not biblical cities, they were incredible! I’m glad they were part of Dr. John’s itinerary.”
Meteora/Kalambaka
About 1 p.m. following lunch, we continued our scenic drive south to Kalambaka. This is the heart of the country of Greece. We traversed up and over the Pindos mountain range. At about 4 p.m., we arrived to the area of Meteora. Six (6) Greek monasteries are still active here (of a total of 24), the earliest dating back to the early 1,300’s. We entered the monastery of St. Stephen’s. Aliki took us into the chapel area. Monks for 100s of years have dedicated their lives in carefully building these with such precision. The view from the area and these monasteries was stunning. Upon leaving St. Stephen’s, we drove to our hotel in Kalambaka. After checking in, we enjoyed a great buffet dinner once again and a free evening!
Day 5 – Thursday, October 6: Thermopylae, Delphi, Athens
