Day 3 – Tuesday, September 12:, Philippi, Kavala, Amphipolis, Thessaloniki
Today was our first full day here in Greece. The weather was perfect, with a cool start in the morning (around 60), and partly sunny skies and afternoon highs in the mid 80s. We left the hotel at 7:40 a.m. following a great breakfast. We read from 1 Thessalonians 1 as we headed north to Philippi
Philippi
About a two hour drive (we stopped on the way for rest rooms) took us to Philippi. We were blessed to be able to secure a special entrance into Philippi since the site was officially closed due to archaeologists working on the site. We saw the theater, the Late Roman basilicas, the forum (marketplace), and the Praetorium (judgement hall, the most likely place of Paul and Silas’ imprisonment). From this location we read from Acts 16 about God’s miraculous intervention on behalf of Paul and Silas. The jailor placed his faith in Christ that night. Leaving the site, we also got a quick glance of the traditional location for the prison of Paul and Silas (although this is a 2nd century structure and used as a cistern).
Following lunch just just outside the site of Philippi, we visited the river outside the city. It was somewhere along the Zygaktes River where Lydia (from Thyatira) heard and received the kingdom message of Christ from Paul and Silas (Acts 16). She and her household also received Christ and were baptized. Paul also confronted a pythia, or future teller. She may have been one who gave oracles at Delphi.
Kavala/Neopolis
Driving further north and following a panoramic of the city of Kavala, we descended down to the harbor of the city once called Neopolis in Paul’s day. Paul sailed into this port following his Macedonian vision at Troas (Acts 16).Today, only the Late Roman aqueduct and the Byzantine (later Ottoman) fortress can been seen archaeologically. Outside a Greek Orthodox Church a modern monument is erected honoring Paul’s journey here.
“Today was our first full day here in Greece. We literally walked in the footsteps of Paul at Philippi and Neopolis. Paul sailed into this port town and then was later imprisoned at Philippi (Acts 16). Lives were transformed because of what God did through his ministry. What a great start to there trip!”
Amphipolis/Acropolis of Thessaloniki
From here we returned back to Thessaloniki. We made a brief stop to see the lion statue of Amphipolis. The city was established in the 4th century BC and was visited by Paul (Acts 17). Before arriving back at our hotel in Thessaloniki, we made a brief stop to see the ancient Late Roman fortress walls at the Acropolis of the city. The view was incredible of the city below, the second largest city in Greece today (1.2 million). E read from 1 Thessalonians 4 about the return of Jesus as King! We returned to our hotel for a late dinner, a free evening, and what we hope will be a good night’s rest to catch up on jet lag.
Day 4 – Wednesday, September 13: Downtown Thessaloniki, Berea, Vergina, Meteora, Kalambaka
