It’s hard to believe that 3 years ago today Annette & I were in the process of preparing for the end of our ‘Pilgrimage’ to parts of Greece, the Mediterranean and Anatolia (modern-day Turkey). As we were extremely privileged to be a part of a group that went on the Footsteps of Paul tour.
As noted in a previous post the Scriptures have definitely taken on a new meaning to us both since we visited the ancient communities where the Apostle Paul established the early church – and to whom he penned his epistles to the Thessalonians, Philippians, Corinthians, Colossians and Ephesians.
During our ‘Pilgrimage’ we took in the sights and sounds of Ancient Corinth which was one of the largest and most important cities in Greece.
Our sightseeing included the impressive Corinth Canal, a man made canal that connects the Gulf of Corinth in the Ionian Sea with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea. Ancient attempts to move goods initially overland started in the 7th Century BC when a tyrant called Periander constructed a simpler and less costly portage road, named the Diolkos along which ships could be towed from one side of the isthmus to the other.
After a number of failed attempts over the centuries that followed the idea of a canal was revived in 1830, works however finally began in 1881 and took until 1893 to complete the momentous task. The height of the walls are a staggering 79m from sea level.
While in Athens we visited the Acropolis; the Odeion of Herodes Atticus, the Parthenon, the Agora of Athens and the site of Mars Hill. As well as the site of the first ‘modern‘ Olympic Games, the Panathenaic Stadium.
We marvelled at the architectural and building prowess of the Meteora Monasteries which are located close to the city of Kalambaka.
Venturing on to Berea which was a prosperous city located on the main arterial Roman road, the Via Egnatia, which travelled through the provinces of Macedonia and Illyricum.
It is here that Paul had to leave Silas and Timothy after a group of Jews from Thessalonica came and caused a bit of a stir (refer to Acts 17:10-15).
While in Thessalonica we visited the Basilica of St. Demetrius and took in the sights of the Roman forum, the old city and the Arch of Galerius, also visiting the local Corps (church). Before stopping by the Lion of Amphipolis on the way to Kavala (ancient Neápolis) to take in the sights of the beautiful harbour and huge Byzantine fortress as the sun set.
Leaving Kavala we set off for the Baptistry of Lydia, which is near to the archaeological site of Philippi.
This is where the Apostle Paul baptized the first Christian woman in Europe (refer to Acts 16:13-15). It was such a peaceful and pleasant site where we were able to marvel at the stained glass windows, the paintings on the walls and ceilings, and the mosaic tiling. As well as dip our toes in the cool refreshing stream.
In Philippi Annette shared a devotion contrasting the experiences of Paul and his companions as they move from celebrating with Lydia and her household one day, to being stripped, beaten and imprisoned the next. However, in both settings they prayed and sang hymns to God and in doing so influenced those around them in extraordinary ways.
We crossed the Greece / Turkey border at Alexandropoulos before heading to Gelibolu to take in the significance of New Zealand’s involvement in the 1st World War at Gallipoli, taking some time out to visit the memorials at Lone Pine, Chunuk Bair, ANZAC Cove and other significant sites.
We had a free day in Çanakkale, which is a city and seaport in Turkey on the southern shore of the Dardanelles, which has historical significance not only as the place where the Allied Naval Fleet was scuppered by an assortment of converted fishing trawlers and civilian crews who had laid mines in the Dardanelles Strait. But also the 15th Century Çimenlik Castle and the historical archaeological City of Troy.
The following day we travelled to Alexandria Troas the site of a miraculous vision (Acts 16:8-10) and an amazing healing (Acts 20:7-12) where I shared a devotion about these events. Before travelling to view the Acropolis of Assos and the Acropolis of Pergamum.
We then travelled to visit the Agora of Smryna and take in the sights of Sardis which included the Gymnasium, Synagogue and other sites on route to Philadelphia, before moving on to Pamukkale the next day.
While in Pamukkale we visited the giant white terraced hill that has been built up bit by bit since early times made from a mineral deposit called travertine which is deposited from the ever-flowing hot spring. At the top lies the ancient ruins of Hierapolis, a city founded in the 2nd Century BC.
While in the region we also visited Ancient Laodicea, which benefited from its advantageous position on a key trade route and became one of the most important and flourishing commercial cities of Asia Minor. We also quickly took in the sights of where Colossae once stood before heading off to Kuşadası.
While in Kuşadası we set off to visit the Ancient City of Ephesus for much of the morning. Then after a quick bite to eat for lunch, we set of for the Basilica of St. John and one of the Seven Wonders of the World in ancient times, the Temple of Artemis (Artemision) which was a famous place of pilgrimage for centuries.
We had a farewell dinner with our Turkish guide that night before heading off over the border to visit the island of Patmos the following morning. This is where the Apostle John was exiled to and where he wrote the apocalyptic book, Revelation, which was sent as a circular letter to the seven churches in Asia Minor.
We visited the Cave of the Apocalypse and the Monastery of St. John before heading back to our hotel for a farewell dinner prior to our departure by ferry that night back to Athens.
These past couple of weeks I have done a bit of reminiscing about our time there (which I blogged about starting here) looking at the numerous photos that we took and reading some of the books that we picked up while over there.
Although the ‘pilgrimage’ was drawing to an end, for Annette & I our visit was not quite over as we had more journeying to take in 🙂
The life and times of Perry... 