IMAGES
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Date/
(DAY)
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WHAT WE DID ON THIS DAY
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IMAGES
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May 25
(Day 1)
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Departure USA for Greece from Hattiesburg-Laurel
regional airport (PIB); we endured a long layover in Memphis; overnight
flight on KLM to Amsterdam.
AT LEFT: Waiting for Flight to Amsterdam at Memphis
RIGHT: Lori on a canal in Amsterdam (actually from Day 2, below)
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May 26
(Day 2)
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Late morning arrival in Amsterdam; with a several
hours until our flight for Athens, we made an impromtu look at the city
with its famous canals and a visit to the Anne Frank House; returning to
Schipol airport, we boarded our flight for Greece; early AM arrival in
Athens; transfer to hotel for overnight.
AT LEFT: The Dam Square in Amsterdam;
RIGHT: The
Anne Frank House in Amsterdam
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May 27
(Day 3)
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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 rain 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: Most of the group on the Acropolis
at Athens
AT RIGHT: Karen and Emily read Greek on
the Acropolis
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May 28
(Day 4)
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Van drive to northern Greece (through
Thessaly to Macedonia),stopping at the remote Mycenean site of Gla along
the way; attempt to visit Vergina/Aigai thwarted (but we would be back);
check in at hotel in Thessaloniki; surreptitious dusk visit to Eptapirgio
fortress at the top of the acropolis; dinner in the city; night visit to
the White Tower.
AT LEFT: Lori and Emily on the citadel of the weed-covered Mycenean Gla
AT RIGHT: Emily and Karen on the walls of the Eptapirgio fortress
above Thessalonica
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May 29
(Day 5)
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Morning drive east to Kavalla (ancient
Neapolis); drive/climb to acropolis Castle with spectacular overlook of
city and port; on departing city, took in aqueduct and Roman road; short
drive to Philippi where extensive ruins were visited; lunch in van enroute
to Amphipolis; saw ruins and the Hellenistic lion statue at Amphipolis;
serendipitous and humorous visit to dubious "Bema of Paul" at Appolonia;
missed turnoff on return to Thessalonica, but found "Jim Grill Place" for
great dinner; overnight and great sunset at Thessalonica
AT LEFT,
above: The group looking over battlements of acropolis castle at Kavalla
AT LEFT, below: Poppies (Anemones) and ruins of an early Christian basilica
at Philippi
AT RIGHT, above: The head man at Philippi
AT RIGHT, below: Huge lion statue at Amphipolis
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May 30
(Day 6)
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Depart to Kalambaka; En route we saw
the Macedonian capital of Pella (home of Alexander the Great),
a fine waterfall and quaint city at Edessa, and the royal tombs (including
that of Philip II, Alexander’s father) at Vergina; at Vergina, we incurred
the need for a new tire, which was picked up in a town along the way; afternoon
arrival in Meteora with time for a visit to the nunnery of Aghios Stephanos;
evening pictures of the spectacular vistas in Meteora; grill dinner and
overnight in Kalambaka
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LEFT, above: Waterfall in Edessa
AT LEFT, below: A Royal Macedonian Tomb at Vergina (location of the
tomb of Philip II, father of Alexander the Great)
AT RIGHT, above: The monastery of Rousannou amid some of the granite columns
that have supported monasteries for centuries at Meteora
AT RIGHT, below: Lori and Emily above Varlaam (right) and Rousannou (left)
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May 31
(Day 7)
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Early visit to Varlaam monastery
in Meteora; long scenic drive to Delphi (lunch from supermarket enroute),
the famous oracle of the god Apollo; afternoon visit to the
ruins there; nice pizza and overnight in Delphi
AT LEFT: Mark at the monastery of Varlaam
at Meteora, with Rousannou in background
AT RIGHT: Theater and Temple of Apollo at Delphi |
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June 1
(Day 8)
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AM drive towards Corinth; stop at
Orchomenos, sister city to Gla (see above, day 4), for a climb to the citadel,
followed by a visit to the Bulgarian church and the tholos "Treasury" tomb;
afternoon saw a rustic picnic lunch on the walls of Eleutherai, followed
by a visit to the ruins and beach at Aigosthena; we found that Corinth was
closed for the day (we got it later) due to a strike by park workers, so
we opted for a quick look at Cenchrea, the eastern port of Corinth, followed
by a Chinese dinner in Loutraki; overnight in Isthmia
AT LEFT, above: Benji reads a Greek inscription
at the Tholos temple at Delphi
AT LEFT, below: Atop tower ruins on the citadel of Orchomenos (you don't
get this on the bus tour!)
AT RIGHT, above:
City walls (and climb down!) from the citadel of Orchomenos
AT RIGHT, below: Mark explores a distant tower in the wall of Eleutherai
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June 2
(Day 9)
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Following a stop at a local supermarket
for picnic supplies, we made an early drive to Epidaurus, site of
the best preserved of all pure Greek theaters and important center
of Asklepius; we continued to Nauplion, where we ascended the mountain
overshadowing the city to visit the Palamidi Fortress; after the spectacular
views, we visited Tiryns, a Mycenaean palace center, and Argos, before ascending
to the Larissa castle above the latter for a picnic lunch; Mycenae, cultural
center of Bronze Age Greece and capital of Agamemnon (legendary
king of Achaeans in the Trojan War) was next; the long day was
topped off with a tough but rewarding climb up the Acrocorinth, the acropolis
of the classical city and impregnable fortress of the medieval period; overnight
in Isthmia
AT LEFT, above: Theater at Epidaurus
AT LEFT, center: Mark enjoys the view from the medieval Palamidi fortress
above Nauplion
AT LEFT, below: The Larissa fortress above Argos
AT RIGHT, above: Emily and Lori in the depths of the defensive water system
built late in the life of the citadel at Mycenae
AT RIGHT, center: The "keep" of the medieval fortress on the Acrocorinth
AT RIGHT, below: Emily, Karen, and Lori at the remains of the Aphrodite
Temple on the Acrocorinth
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June 3
(Day 10)
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Not to be twarted by the strike, we
returned to the important classical center of Corinth, also an important
focus of Paul's 2nd missionary journey; this was followed by a visit to Isthmia,
home of the Isthmian games; then we took an impromtu trip to
Perachora, described by the archaeological guide as "a gem of a site" because
of the combination of isolated cove/beach and ruins of a Heraion; a quick
look at the Diolkos (the ancient "road" to transport cargo and small ships
across the Isthmus) was followed by a late lunch; we then made our way to
Eleusis, to find the site closed (at an unreasonably early hour), but populated
by cute puppies; after a crazy van-swapping in downtown Athens at rush
hour, we proceed to Pireus, the port of Athens, for overnight ferry
to Crete in private cabins
AT LEFT, above:
The Lechaion Road and forum of Corinth, overshadowed by the Acrocorinth
AT LEFT, below: Benji, Karen, Emily, and Lori examine the inscription
of the city official Erastus, mentioned by Paul in his letters, at Corinth
AT RIGHT, above:
Karen, Emily, and Lori explore the isolated cove at Perachora
AT RIGHT, below: Benji checks out the clear water of Perachora's cove
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June 4
(Day 11)
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We arrived in Herakleon, Crete quite
early; a rather curvy ride over mountains to the south shore ensued so as
to visit the under appreciated site of Fair Havens (Acts 27:8); the rest
of the morning was spent in visits to the Minoan palace site of Phaistos
and the Minoan and classical city of Gortyn (traditional pastorate of Titus);
a drive back to the north shore of Crete brought us to a beach resort for
lunch and a sun and water break; the mid-afternoon was reserved for Knossos,
the major palace and eponymous site of the Minoan civilization; there was
time for a visit to the Herakleon archaeological museum before reboarding
the overnight ferry for the trip back to Pireus and Athens
AT LEFT, above: The much malaigned Fair
Havens
AT LEFT, below: Hall of the double axe at Knossos
AT RIGHT, above: Our ferry in dock from
the medieval ramparts of Herakleon
AT RIGHT, below: Group under the watchful eye of site guard at Phaistos
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June 5
(Day 12)
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Arrive in Pireus, the port of Athens;
it was so early that we ascended the Philopappus hill
and took in the sunrise over the Acropolis; after checking in at the hotel,
some made a side trip to Sounion to see a dramatic temple to Poseidon; afternoon
was free in Athens for shopping and dining; dinner in the Plaka preceded
the last overnight in Athens
AT LEFT: the Acropolis at sunrise
AT RIGHT: Karen enjoys the view from the
Temple of Poseidon at Sounion
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June 6
(Day 13)
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Transfer to airport for return flight to
the US via Amsterdam.
AT LEFT: Flag of Greece
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