Day 12: Saint Lucas Monastery & Livadia
When we checked in the day before, our host asked us what time we’d like to have breakfast (as opposed to telling us, “breakfast is served from such-and-such a time to such-and-such a time). It became clear why this morning: as best we can tell, there is only one other family staying in the hotel. F...
Day 11: Disembark and Delphi
I set my alarm for 5:30 AM, threw down some coffee, and vacated my room by 7 AM. We assembled for one last gathering in the IML. The scene was hectic and chaotic, all of the passengers eager to disembark and operating on far too little sleep. After collecting our baggage in the terminal, we said our...
Day 10: Crete & Santorini
We made a later start this morning, assembling in the Infamous Muses Lounge (IML) of the Royal Olympian. Gabriele led us on a brief walking tour of Heraklion, the ancient port city of Crete. Evidence abounds of Venetian control of the island during the Rennaisance. We passed beneath one of the long,...
Day 9: Rhodes
Today was the perfect kind of day for Yours Truly: I got to... Hang out with some amazing people See some spectacular sites Check some important items off of my to do list Spend some time in solitude writing and thinking Go for a jog on the deck of a ship End it all with a “fancy“ dinner along with...
Day 8: Ephesis and Patmos
Arose early this morning for the excursion into Ephesus, weary from the previous night. We were assigned a wonderful local Turkish guide who clearly knew his American culture. He did a fantastic job of establishing connections between Turkish and American culture (presenting the “western“ face of T...
Day 7: Epic morning & Mykonos
With a 3 AM wakeup call 😳, the pilgrims schlepped down to the first floor of our hotel for coffee and carb-load and then boarded the bus for the Thessaloniki airport. After a quick flight to Athens, we were shuttled over to the cruise ship terminal where we made our way through the lines to board o...
Day 6: Thessaloniki to Philippi
We started the day with a quick visit to the ancient wall surrounding Thessaloniki, where Jeff spoke on the accusation that was made against Paul when he preached the Gospel: "These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also!" ( Acts 17:1-9 ). From there, we began our journey to P...
Day 5: Meteora (cont.), Berea & Thessaloniki
Saturday We awoke Saturday morning and set off once again for the hilltop monasteries of Meteora and visited a second monastery. These places of prayer can only be described as "other-worldly." I only wonder how the monks are able to maintain a life of prayer with so many of us tourists mulling abou...
Day 4: Hilltop Monasteries of Meteora
Friday Made the 5-hour journey to Meteora, with a 45-minute stop along the way. Went directly to lunch, where we were serenaded by songbirds in a traditional Greek restaurant. Diners were instructed to walk into the kitchen to request which dishes they would like. I had the moussaka with a side of p...
Corinth (Day 3, continued)
Thursday , (continued) The trip to Corinth took a little over an hour. After feasting (and I mean FEASTING) at a local restaurant, we viewed the canal and made our way to the site of ancient Corinth. Among the many buildings the have been excavated, the dais where Paul likely dressed the crowd when...
Day 3: Parthenon & Mars Hill
Thursday A scorcher here in Greece, but all the pilgrims made their way up to the acropolis to see the parthenon. Incredibly impressive, even in ruins. After touring the temple complex, we made our way back down to Mars Hill where Jeff gave a teaching on Paul's experience in Athens, which brought hi...
Day 2: Acropolis museum
Wednesday Arrived yesterday, slept in, went for a jog and then explored Mars Hill with Jeff. The rest of the pilgrims arrived today. We gathered at 4 PM and went to the Acropolis museum in preparation for tomorrow's trip up the the Acropolis. Afterward, Jeff gave an intro lecture on the life of Paul...