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Date/
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PLANNED FOR THIS DAY
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Thurs
26 Oct
(Day 1)
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Departured USA for Greece from
Hattiesburg-Laurel regional airport (PIB); connection in Memphis;
overnight
flight on Northwest/KLM to Amsterdam.
AT LEFT: The exciting wait at the airport . . .
RIGHT: First flight! |
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Fri
27 Oct
(Day 2)
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Late arrival in Amsterdam, missed connection to
Greece! No problem, we went into the city and visited the Anne Frank
House; PM flight for Greece; took rental vans to hotel near Marathon for
overnight.
AT LEFT: with extra time between flights in Amsterdam, the group took a train
into Amsterdam and visited the Anne Frank House
RIGHT: the burial tumulus of the Plataeans from the Battle of Marathon,
490 BC |
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Sat
28 Oct
(Day 3)
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Morning visit to Marathon, site of the famous
battle, followed by a van drive to northern Greece (through Thessaly to
Macedonia), stopping along
the way at the remote Mycenean sites of Gla, Orchomenos,
and the Battle of Thermopylae; arrived in Thessaloniki for overnight
AT LEFT: Brandon stands on the ruins of the city gate at Gla, a Bronze
Age Mycenaean citadel
AT RIGHT: Atop ruins on the citadel of Orchomenos, you can almost make
out our vans way down below (you don't
get this on the bus tour!) |
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Sun
29 Oct
(Day 4)
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Morning drive
east, stopping at Apollonia for a visit to the dubious "Bema of Paul," and
continuing to Kavalla (ancient Neapolis, where Paul first made land in
Europe); saw the aqueduct and Roman road;
short
drive to Philippi (of Paul's 2nd journey) with its extensive ruins;
on return, checked out the Hellenistic lion statue at Amphipolis; Back
near Thessalonika, we found the
'Jim Grill Place" for a great dinner; finally, a night overlook high
above Thessalonica.
AT LEFT, above: at
Apollonia, where local tradition holds that Paul preached from the bema
(right background)
AT LEFT, below: in an attempt to go where Paul did, the group checks out the
Roman toilet facility at Philippi
AT RIGHT, above: okay, so accidents happen; Michael is nursed by Matt
following a too-close encounter with a Roman road.
AT RIGHT, below: Huge lion statue at Amphipolis
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Mon
30 Oct
(Day 5)
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Departed for Kalambaka, taking in the Macedonian capital of Pella (home of Alexander the
Great), the royal
tombs (including that of Philip II, Alexander’s father) at Vergina (sadly, no
pics allowed), and Beroea enroute;
afternoon arrival in Meteora with time for evening pictures of the spectacular vistas in Meteora; dinner and overnight
at a cozy villa in Kalambaka
AT LEFT:
Matt trying to be like Alexander the Great at his home city, Pella
AT RIGHT: Rachel and Candace at Meteora, where granite
columns have supported monasteries for centuries
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Tues
31 Oct
(Day 6)
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Early visit to the monastery of Varlaam
and more scenic pics, followed by a long but scenic drive to Delphi, famous
oracle of the god Apollo; our visit t the dramatic mountainside ruins there
was accompanied by rain;
we continued to Piraeus, the port of Athens and
boarded the ferry
to Crete; dinner onboard and overnight in deluxe private cabins
AT LEFT, above: above the monasteries Varlaam (left) and Rousannou
(background) at Meteora
AT LEFT, below: Michael at Varlaam
AT
RIGHT, above: Michael above the theater and temple of Apollo at Delphi
AT RIGHT, below: our wet and chilly, but happy group at the Temple of
Athena Pronaos in Delphi
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Wed
1 Nov
(Day 7)
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Due to a weather delay, we made a late arrival in Herakleon, Crete,
and drove off to Knossos, the major palace and eponymous site of the
Minoan civilization; enough time remained for a quick visit to the classical city of Gortyn (traditional pastorate of
Titus) and a twilight curvy drive over the mountains before returning to our
luxury cabins and the trip back to Pireus and the
mainland
AT LEFT, above: the group at the "Palace of Minos" at Knossos
AT LEFT, below: the "Becxster" with an old olive tree at Gortyn
AT RIGHT, above: Becca, Clay, and Dexter sample the local fare in Herakleon
AT RIGHT, below: Michael, Jeff, and Rachel on board the ferry Phaistos
Palace |
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Thurs
2 Nov
(Day 8)
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Early
arrival at Piraeus; an early drive from the ferry
to Epidaurus, site of the best preserved of all pure Greek
theaters and important center of Asklepius; then to the Palamidi Fortress and its spectacular views
over Nauplion; a visit Tiryns, a Mycenaean
palace center preceeded our major stop at Mycenae, cultural center of Bronze Age
Greece and capital of Agamemnon (legendary king of Achaeans in the
Trojan War); enough time remained to ascend to the medieval Larissa
castle above Argos; then it was on to our hotel near Corinth for overnight in Isthmia
AT LEFT, above: Candace in the theater at Epidaurus
AT LEFT, center: Sarah on the walls of the Palamidi fortress above
Nauplion
AT Left, below: below the citadel walls at Mycenae,
AT RIGHT, above: at the largest tholos tomb at Mycenae, called the "Treasury of
Atreus"
AT RIGHT, center: the Larissa fortress
at Argos
AT RIGHT, below: Michael and Brandon on a tower of the Larissa fortress
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Fri
3 Nov
(Day 9)
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Thorough visit to the classical center of
Corinth, also an important focus of Paul's 2nd missionary journey,
followed up with a tough but rewarding climb up the Acrocorinth, the
acropolis of the classical city and impregnable fortress of the medieval
period; then it was off towards Athens via
Eleusis, home to the cult of Demeter and the Eleusinian Mysteries;
continue to Athens for sunset views of the Acropolis, food, souvenir shopping in the Plaka district,
and overnight.
AT LEFT: out group at the Temple of Apollo at Corinth, overshadowed by the Acrocorinth
AT RIGHT: The Bema at Corinth; likely spot of Paul's brief trial before
Gallio in Acts 18
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Sat
4 Nov
(Day 10)
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Morning visit
to the famous Acropolis with the
Parthenon and other temples, the Areopagus ("Mars Hill," Acts 17:19,
22), and the Athenian Agora (the "marketplace" of Acts 17:17); lunch
and shopping in the Monastriaki and Plaka districts; afternoon visit to
the Temple of Dionysus; night ascent up the Lycabettus hill for
vistas (and dinner?); overnight in Athens.
AT LEFT, above: Shannon in Athens with the Acropolis in the background
AT LEFT, below: Bobby and Elise enjoy the Acropolis in Athens
AT RIGHT, above: Matt and Michael with the Parthenon
AT RIGHT, below: Rachel at the Temple of Olympian Zeus with the
Acropolis in the background |
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Sun
5 Nov
(Day 11)
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Transfer to
airport for return flight to the US via Amsterdam; with a
several hours layover in Amsterdam, there is time for a train ride to
the city for a look at its famous canals and a visit to the Anne
Frank House; return to
Schipol airport and board flight to Memphis for connection to
Hattiesburg.
AT LEFT: Rachel at Sounion--the Temple to Poseidon |
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