Day 4 – Friday, September 18: Berea, Vergina, Meteora, Kalambaka
Today was our second full day. We enjoyed another great breakfast before we checked out of our hotel and loaded our bus at 7:35. We left at 7:45 as we welcomed another cooler morning before it warmed up again to about 80, with sunny skies the whole day.
Thessaloniki
Before leaving Thessaloniki, we started the morning by driving along the shoreline of the city and to the the White Tower, a 15th century structure (although previously built during the earlier Byzantine Period). This structure was used as a prison during there Ottoman/Turkish period. We also saw an impressive statue of Alexander the Great is also in this area of the coastline of the city. From here, we drove up the hill 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). We read from 1 Thessalonians 4 about the return of Jesus as King!
Berea
Driving about 50 minutes south across the agricultural plain from Thessaloniki, we headed towards Berea. We read from portions of 1 Thessalonians 1, 2, 3 and 2 Thessalonians 1 and 4 on the way. We then arrived to the town of Berea (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 nearby 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!
“We began our drive south today from Thessaloniki. We saw sites related to Paul (Thessaloniki and Berea) as well as other historical sites (Vergina and Meteora). It was another great day, with perfect weather!”
Vergina (Aigai)
About 20 minutes away is Vergina (Aigai in ancient times). We first walked to the incredible archaeological ruins of the royal tombs of Macedonians. Discovered in 1977, these tombs were quite impressive! While there are actually four tombs to see here, the tombs of Philip II (the father of Alexander the Great) 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.
After our visit to the museum, we enjoyed a very typical Greek lunch that included choices of traditional dishes such as moussaka, lamb, and Greek salad. It was a great meal!
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 5 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 14th century AD. We entered the monastery of St. Stephen’s. Aliki took us into the chapel area. Monks (and Sisters) 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 various panoramic views of the area and Kalambaka far below (the location of our hotel). After checking in to our hotel, we enjoyed a great buffet dinner once again and a free evening!
Day 5 – Saturday, September 19: Thermopylae, Delphi, Athens
