Greece Travel Day 1

Sunday, September 10, 2023

 

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reakfasts and dinners are buffet events.  There are too many selections and equally eager patrons queuing through the lines.  There are many new Greek food that are exciting to taste and savor. 

What was so impressive was not only the selection but also the presentation of some of the food.  One in particular  was the honeycomb in its natural unadulterated state vividly displayed and boy, it was so good. 

 The drive to Philippi is 1.5 hours.  We stopped by at Kavala where the St. Paul monument stands proudly as a living testament of the genesis of the christian faith.  Long after St. Paul’s death, many more pilgrims trek to the city to pay homage to the heroes that paved the way to spiritual awakening.

 Saul, Savlos, and Pavlos are the 3 names by which St. Paul is known to be called.  Our tour guide Eleni regaled us with historical accounts of St. Paul’s travels in Greece using the bus’ map onboard with electronic zoom functionalities and a pen as a pointer. 

 Suddenly I felt like a child being schooled once more during field trips.  The country side scenery and the gentle drone of the guide’s melodious voice left me in a light slumber.  I woke up with a nudge from Tere when we stopped by for some specially made sweets at Kourabie. 

We detoured to the Baptistry of Lydia church to hear mass.  Eleni continued with teaching about St. Paul and how he cleverly converted the pagans to christianity en route to the place.   Now fully awake, I embraced the stories about this saint - his life, his childhood upbringing, and his mission later in life. 

 Born in Tarsus with wealth at his side, he was learned with opportunities only available to those with his means.  He was the enemy to those who followed the christian beliefs until he encountered Jesus on his way to Damascus.  From then on, there was an awakening of his spirit (metanoia) and he completely accepted the christian faith.

We arrived at the Baptistry of Lydia and celebrated mass in the outdoors amphitheater.  We proceeded to the St. Lydia Greek Orthodox Church where infants and babies are baptized.  The church is filled with stories of St. Paul captured in the mosaic type paintings all throughout including the church’s dome

We went to eat at a local restaurant before going to Philippi.  The toilet accommodations are something less to be desired.  There is only 1 toilet for a restaurant with a big client base.  It is forbidden to throw any tissue or flushable wipes in the toilet as the sewage goes directly to the sea per the tour guide and the restaurant’s policy.

Then we went to the Neapolis Gate of Philippi following the footsteps of St. Paul and saw archeological structures of ancient Greece with its open amphitheater, Basilicas (3), marketplace, and Paul’s prison cell - a veritable dungeon.

Eleni continued to tell us the story of how a widow by the name of Lydia came to hear Paul’s sermons and believing had her whole household baptized.  She read the Acts of the Apostle to support her story with biblical reference.