Day 4 – Wednesday, September 13: Downtown Thessaloniki, Berea, Vergina, Meteora, Kalambaka
Today we traveled west and then south to our day’s final destination, Kalambaka. We were so thankful that our one missing couple (delayed one day because of a canceled flight) arrived last night. Our group is now 39 in number. The weather was once again perfect, with crisp blue skies and temps in the 80s. As we checked out of our hotel following breakfast, we read from Philippians 1 and 4 to begin the day.
Thessaloniki
Our first stop in Thessaloniki was to the the White Tower, a 15th century structure (although previously built during the earlier Byzantine Period) once used as a prison during there Ottoman/Turkish period. A statue of Alexander the Great is also in this area of the coastline of the city.
Next, we drove to the Roman Forum (marketplace) in the heart of the city. This was the marketplace mentioned in Acts 17 where Paul was. The text mentions a man named Jason who helped Paul and Silas. We also remembered certain believers mentioned by name (Aristarchus and Secundus) who were from this city (Acts 20:4, Romans 16). They served as later companion travelers with Paul. A one block away is the Church of St Demetrius. This was an ancient church dedicated after Demetrius, a martyr who died in 303 AD. Today this well-used Greek Orthodox Church is a landmark in the city.
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 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) was a new believer who eventually became traveling companion with Paul as well towards the end of his third missionary journey (see Acts 20:4 again). 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!
“It was another amazing day here in northern Greece. We drove quite a distance today, but the scenery was so very beautiful! Ending the day in Meteora and seeing the monasteries perched high on unique rock formations was spectacular!”
Meteora/Kalambaka
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 4:30 p.m., we arrived to the area of Meteora. Six 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 the one called St. Stephen’s, we drove to a few panoramic views of the area and Kalambaka far below. After checking in to our hotel, we enjoyed a great buffet dinner once again and a free evening!
Day 5 – Thursday, September 14: Thermopylae, Delphi, Athens
