Saturday we took A cruise day on the Aegean Sea, which is part of the Mediterranean. We visited three islands: Poros, Hydra, and Aegina. The highlight of the day for me was cliff jumping into the Aegean Sea!
There are so many interesting sites to see! The temples of Zeus and Apollo, ancient Corinth, the Corinth Canal built in the 1800s. It is so cool to read the letters of Paul in the actual locations he was writing to. I am loving this experience!
Today we went to the Acropolis museum and saw the Parthenon in person. If I didn't
have a picture, I wouldn't believe it myself. What an amazing, once in a lifetime experience. The artwork and architecture are astounding in size and beauty.
Yesterday We arrived for a later dinner and to check into our hotel in Delphi. The next morning we visited the museum and archaeological site. The museum showcased the evolution of ancient art from simplistic forms to perfection as defined by humanism. I was amazed at the precision, especially in the latter works, which include fine details such as eyelashes and tendons.
Like all the other locations we have visited, the views are breathtaking. I could never get tired of looking out the window if I lived here. On top of that, the food is delicious and the people are extremely warm and hospitable.
This morning we learned how icons are made. There are still those who make them in traditional way.
Our travels took us to Meteora where we visited a monastery. The land used to be filled with water, but due to an earthquake the water drained out of the canyon, leaving massive rock formations. This impressive landscape is the perfect reclusive and beautiful place to go for a life devoted to prayer and study. Or in our case, be be tourists and walk through a monastery and learn about the monastic movement and way of life.
There were so many great things about today, but I'll only name two. Our learning centered around the official and predominant religion in Greece, Greek Orthodoxy.
This morning we visited the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Demetrius. My favorite parts were the sights and sounds, both which were incredibly beautiful.
Afterward we visited the Rotunda of Galarius, constructed around 300 AD. An interesting fact is that the Rotunda had been used as a place of worship by Muslims, Jews and Christians. What a cool history! These structures are impressive and beautiful; pictures simply cannot capture their grandeur.
What an exciting day it has been! We went to the river where Lydia was baptized and then ate at "her house". Geeks do a great version of the hamburger, by the way.
After lunch we saw ruins where Paul would have preached the good news and walked on a road he would have taken. The sights were breathtaking and beautiful.
We also visited the port city Kavala and talked about the visions of Paul.
Today was filled with many beautiful and interesting things, so be sure to catch me in person see all the neat photos! Below are a couple photo highlights.
