Day Five

Before I get into our day, I want to spend some time reiterating the wonderful time we had at our last hotel. The last minute we were rerouted to the Imon Pieria Club in the small village of Panteleomoneis. It was a cute village nestled in the mountains with cobblestone walkway. The host were very gracious and served a meal more than we could ever eat overlooking the mountains with Mt Olympus in the background. After dinner a few of us wanted to check out the shops and a few got lost finding their way back in the dark. After fear set in Sharon started to pray and out popped someone who knew the way back and directed them back. PTL

After saying good-bye we headed to Mt. Olympus. This is a National Park with a hike and waterfalls. Very Beautiful. After a brisk walk we headed south to the Spa Galini Hotel where we were able to enjoy the thermal waters from the hot springs and swim in the pool.

Tomorrow back to Athens to the AVRA Hotel.

Day Four - St Stephen's Monastery

Today was special.  We started by visiting the amazing Meteora Monasteries.  Perched high on pinnacles of rock they impress in every way. A special treat was Costas, our guide, helping us understand the icons (paintings) in the greek orthodox churches.  

Then off we were to a small mountain village on the slopes of Mt. Olympus.  Panteleimoneis is quiet and picturesque. The buildings are all from the 1600s and we have rooms in a one overlooking the valley below.  We first had mountain tea and then an hour later a home cooked meal from the family that owns the rooms. Wild Boar was the main meat.  Most are now walking the cobblestone streets looking at shops. 

Tomorrow its off to Mt. Olympus.  We haven't seen Zeus yet but our room looks at to the Mt. 

Day Three

 Today is Wednesday and we left the shores of the Aegean Sea for a 3 hour journey to Delphi.  It is actually straight across the Corinthian Sea from yesterday's visit to Corinth.  

Delphi is the central point in the entire region of Italy, Greece, Turkey and N. Africa and home to now famous "Oracles" of Delphi. A temple to Apollo was built over a crack in the rock which emitted a gas which caused the priestess who breathed it to utter "ecstatic" messages from the gods.  Amazingly, the last "Oracle" was to Caesar Augustus and foretold a Jewish baby who soon be born who would be the real king of kings. 

High in the mountains of northern Greece we then drove over large mountain ranges and after passing through the farming valley which was inundated with the latest flood, we arrived at the base of Meteora. 

We are not settled into our rooms and look forward to visiting the Monastery tomorrow. 

Day Two - Corinth

 Today we left the Oasis Hotel and headed to Corinth. It was about a one hour drive.

Paul’s first visit to Corinth is recorded Acts chapter 18. It is also the site of the church to which he wrote the letters of 1st and 2nd Corinthians. 

As they walked through the ancient site several things came to mind; first of all was the Bema seat which is a place of recognition of an individual by the city leaders. It can be a positive event in which the individual is glorified or it can be a negative event in which an individual is shamed and beaten.

Just in front of the Bema seat stood a small column where the individual had to kneel with the city leaders looking down on him. If he was someone to be honored he could then walk up to the Bema seat to be given his reward. If he was an enemy, the city fathers were ordered his arms be tied to the column and he would be beaten. It gives real meaning to the text which says every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. 

Another interesting fact from the city of Corinth is the Acropolis, where there was a temple full of prostitutes who would all have had their heads shaven so when they would walk through the city everybody knew who they were.

When the apostle Paul wrote to the church we remember that the women had to have their heads covered. The purpose was not to shame anyone or to cause submission to the men but rather to give equality. If they all had their heads covered no one would know a persons background showing that in Christ all were equal.

We left Corinth and headed to the CosmoVision Center where we were warmly welcome by Fotis and Mary Romero. And what a welcome it was. Mary had a Martha day as she worked hard to prepare a feast  for us. These pictures can't begin to envision the gracious way we were treated and the delicious meal that was shared.

Day One

Athens was a bustling city. Tourism has multiplied exponentially. A few years ago, the Acropolis had 6000 visitors per day and today it is 22000 visitors per day. So needless to say it was very crowded. 

Yet the Acropolis is a must see.  Overlooking the city below, one walks by the Parthenon which originally housed the goddess Athena but also, one sees several other temples including one to the god of victory, Nike.  Amazing details. The Parthenon had over 1600 major marble pieces to make the columns. Each was a one of a kind item made to fit a precise location.  

Leaving the acropolis, we headed down the hill toward the Agora but first stopped at the Aeropagus or  Mars Hill.  It is where the Apostle Paul met the Stoics and Epicureans as recorded in Acts 17.  

Our final stop was to walk past the ancient Agora and into the modern Plaka with shops and restaurants everywhere (and DaVinci's Gelato).

Our hotel for the night was the Oasis on the shores of the Aegean Sea. After a rest and dinner, we spent a peaceful night.

I have a few corrections from the last post. 

    1) the website of our tour is www.greekbibletours.com/newhope

    2) We did not have dinner at the Cosmo Center, but will be there tonight.

We Arrived

We left Phoenix at 8:35 a.m. on Saturday, stopping in Montreal and then on to Athens arriving at 9:30 a.m. on Sunday Morning. We hopped a shuttle to the AVRA Hotel in Rafina with a view of the port. After a lunch of Greek Salad, French Fries, Tzaki with bread we headed back to the hotel for a well needed nap. At 7 p.m. we congregated together again for an evening meal. 

After a good nights sleep we are up and ready to a full day in Athens culminating  in dinner at the Cosmo Center where Fotis Romero will gives us a glimpse of what the Lord is doing in Greece. 

Thanks for following us as we embark on a life changing journey.

            

What Will 2023 Bring?

 Looking Back

January started with a bang. HR Block asked me to work full time through the tax season, which ended up with 60 hour weeks, serving over 600 clients. Although I loved working consistently, I was exhausted by April 20 so we took a few day to travel to Mexico to relax. In June we took three weeks in a whirlwind trip to Ireland, Halifax, and Rochester. We were able to see many baseballs games and two high school graduations along with exploring the Emerald Isle. In July, Rich headed to Argentina to teach a Bible Institute Class to Pastors from several country while I headed to Michigan to celebrate my Dad's 97th birthday.

Now, with our Greece Trip just around the corner, I thought it prudent to start blogging so those of you who couldn't go with us, can still get a glimpse of where we are and what we are doing.

Our Greece journey started in 2005 when we took a 6 week sabbatical. We landed in Athens, went to the island of Aegina; then went back to the mainland for a 3 day tour of the major landmarks. Then back to the islands, including Paros, Santorini, Samos, Patmos, etc. and then on to Turkey. It was a life changing experience as we met christians in many different situations, broadening our minds about life outside of the US.

Since then, we have been back to Greece three other times making this our 5th trip to Greece. We have developed friendship and connections that will remain with us forever. If you ever have a need to run and hide, these islands just might be on option.

Looking Forward

On September 16, 2023 we will embark on a new adventure with 10 others. You can follow our itinerary at www.greecebibletours.com/newhope.

Our mainland tour will culminate on September 23. On September 24 we will visit the Evangelical Church in Athens where Fotis Romero is the Greek Pastor. During our travels we have developed a friendship with Fotis and he has asked Rich to Preach in the morning service. Then in the afternoon we will fly to the island of Naxos for 4 days with a day trip to Santorini.

Join us as we travel to many historical sites and visit the islands.