Greece, Part I

Just seven mere days after Justin's near-passport-fiasco, we were finally en route to Greece!

Greece had been on my bucket list for just about forever. Ever since I was in middle school and first dabbled into mythology and then in high school in AP Euro when we studied ancient history, I have been fascinated with Greek history/culture/food. I remember doing an extra credit project at the Greek Orthodox church here in Nashville, thinking how neat it was. And the Greek festivals - always so fun! My college roommate had spent a summer in Greece after high school, and she had all these amazing pictures of the islands hanging up in her room. She'd tell cool stories about her adventures, and I kept thinking, "man - one day....."

Well, back in April of this year, that day finally came. After hearing wonderful things about a tour company that my parents utilize that specializes in pilgrimages, Justin and I decided to go on one ourselves (after all, my parents raved about it so much, it made sense that they would also be willing to watch the kids while we went)! My top pilgrimage choices have always been the Holy Land, Italy, and Greece - so I had Justin narrow it down from there. Then we saw that the Greece trip (entitled "Through the Footsteps of St. Paul" - that highlighted his journeys in Greece) could also include a three day Mediterranean island cruise, and we were sold. (We also rationalized that it would be really neat to do Italy one day with the kids and the Holy Land could wait until maybe it wouldn't be so scary to travel in that vicinity.)

I was definitely anxious leaving the kids for so long (the longest we had been apart was a weekend), and I knew that Xavier, especially, was very nervous about being away from us, as well. I also knew that it was a lot to ask having my parents watch the kids for 11 days, which is why we picked the school year (as opposed to the summer) to go. In retrospect, I probably stressed my parents out a little more with the long laundry list of things to remember about school schedules and pick-up/drop off, added to the morning traffic that they forgot how to deal with and a crazy amount of extra curricular activities that our kids have somehow found themselves involved in. So thanks, mom and dad!

Anyway, after a long flight (during which we caught up on some movies and drank lots of complimentary wine), we finally set foot in Thessaloniki, Greece. After we met some other group members and checked into the hotel, Justin and I decided that rest was for the weak and immediately headed to the waterfront to explore before dinner.

Thessaloniki waterfront

We just found this amusing.

The next day, after the best breakfast of Greek pastries and other yummy deliciousness (which we were spoiled with being the normative breakfast throughout the trip), we trekked 3 hours to Philippi, an ancient city where Paul established the first Christian church in Europe and baptized the first woman (named Lydia) in Europe. In fact, we even had Mass there - at the same site - where Lydia was baptized! We checked out some ruins, including the prison where Paul and Silas were imprisoned. It was just so neat actually visiting places that we read about in Scripture! We stopped for lunch in a wealthy port town called Kavala, where we had tasty seafood and got to know a few other members of our group. When we got back to Thessaloniki, Justin and I explored a little more on our own - including finding a gyro place around the corner of our hotel. Yum!

Where Paula and Silas were imprisoned

Roman Forum in Philippi

Stadium in Philippi

An aqueduct in Kavala

Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Thessaloniki

At the Thessaloniki waterfront

Beer at the gyro joint near our hotel

Day Four: We said our goodbyes to Thessaloniki to make our way to our next destination up windy rolls and up mountains. The drive was long (although we broke it up for snacks and to stop at a few areas where Paul had preached) and made me a little nauseous, so Justin and I decided to skip lunch and go for a walk instead. When we met up with the group, we drove up more mountains to a scenic view of the Meteora monasteries. Justin strayed a few feet from the group to get a better shot of the view. After a while, I went to check on him. Imagine our surprise when we returned to where the bus was (seriously just 2 minutes later!) to find that the bus wasn't there! We tried to chase after it, but we weren't sure where it could've possibly gone. Luckily I remembered the wise words of one of my 3-year-old students, "When you're lost, hug a tree." So we stayed put, thinking that surely it wouldn't be long before they returned for us. To pass the time, we prayed a rosary. Then another. And when they still didn't come for us, Justin and I started making our contingency plans (which honestly weren't very good - we were envisioning banging on monastery doors begging for help). Thankfully, after we started praying our third rosary, our bus appears! We were probably "missing" for just under an hour, and our guide didn't notice until they got to the hotel (which, thankfully, wasn't very far) and were distributing the keys! As I had quipped, "I now understand the parable of the lost sheep now that I was one." From that moment, the group kept closer tabs on us "young folk" and we were the source of a few light-hearted jokes for the duration of the trip, haha. After that crazy adventure, I was definitely hungry for an amazing dinner and was glad to just relax and unwind for the night!

The monastery that was in the James Bond film, "For Your Eyes Only"

At least we got a good pic and a great view when we were "lost"

Lost in Meteora

Onward to the next day where we stopped at one of the Meteora monasteries that we had seen from the previous day. The views were incredible, the icons and images were authentic, and the history is simply beautiful. Afterwards, we drove a few hours before we made it to our next stop: Delphi (one of my favorites!). As per usual, Justin and I quickly dropped our stuff off at our hotel and headed out to explore. We found the best gyro and fries of the trip (which we made a point to hit up twice before we left) and then also found my favorite road to sit and people watch with a glass of wine. I loved the gorgeous mountain scenery and just the quaint, picturesque environment. Our hotel was beautiful and our room had an incredible mountain view.

One of the monasteries in Meteora

This was just one of many roadside memorials we encountered during our trip.

Delphi really was beautiful

We found the best gyro in Delphi. And yes, the fries go inside.

My favorite little walkway/restaurant in Delphi

Delphi at night

My same favorite restaurant/walkway at night

Late night gyros

Now we're at Day Six: We stayed in Delphi for a little bit, continuing to learn about Greek mythology as we visited the Oracle of Delphi and the Tholos to Athenia. We visited a museum, saw some artifacts, and got a better idea of the timeframe of the history. I must say that our tour guide, Andi, has been incredible. She has such a wealth of knowledge and she relayed it to us in an engaging manner. After Delphi, we headed to Athens. My first impression was that it was just a typical metropolitan area: lots of younger people, horrid traffic, awful parking, etc. We saw a few more ruins. We also had Mass at the Catholic cathedral in Athens. I was the lector, and the reading (we changed the readings to reflect the history of where we were) was when Paul preached to the Athenians. It totally took on a whole new meaning for me after seeing what Paul had to combat- the Paganism and the overall mindset of the ancient Greeks- and how he was somehow able to convert that entire frame of mind into Christianity. It's simply incredible! I mean, I had learned Greek mythology and ancient Greek history...and I also studied a little about St. Paul. But never had I put them all together in a historic timeframe. Wow. If Paul could be a missionary to all of the non-believers and turn them to God, then what can I do?

Our mountain view from our Delphi

Isn't Delphi beautiful?

Another snapshot of Delphi

The Treasury at the Sanctuary of Apollo which housed offerings to the Oracle of Delphi

Columns of the Sanctuary of Apollo, 1500 BC

On the left are the holes which held the tripod seat upon which the Oracle sat;
On the right is the hole from which psychedelic steam rose out of the earth.

Remaining pillars of the Temple of Athena
(seated downhill from the Sanctuary of Apollo)

Lectoring at The Cathedral Basilica of Dionysius the Areopagite

Last day before our cruise: After another delicious breakfast, we headed back on the bus for a trip to Corinth. We had Mass near the judgement seat where St. Paul was tried. It was amazing to think that he preached to pagans and non-believers, was tried, and beaten - now, centuries later, we were there along with others (including two other groups saying Mass in other languages!) who DO believe. Imagine the power of one man! And then, if he could convert others - imagine, too, the power of Jesus. Of God, the Creator. Absolutely awesome and chilling. On our way back to Athens, we stopped for a bite near a canal where the Aegean and Ionian Seas meet. Justin and I shared a spinach pie and a Greek frozen yogurt. Back in Athens, we toured the ruins - the acropolis, Mars Hill, the temples, and of course the Parthenon. Justin and I decided to stay out downtown after the tour, and we wandered around Old Town where we shopped and ate dinner. Justin captured some cool night shots of the city, I got my gelato, and we headed back to the hotel. We had been on the go since we arrived, and while it's been a fun adventure, I was exhausted and missing my kiddos but I knew I wanted to talk to them before our cruise the next day since we wouldn't have wi-fi for the rest of the trip. So we stayed up past midnight to wait for their call only to be up at the crack of dawn the next day to be ready for our cruise departure. Whew - it's exhausting just writing this recap!

Outdoor Mass in Corinth with Fr. Lee

Temple of Apollo in the city of Corinth

Canal separating the Aegean and Ionian Seas

Mmmmm. Greek spinach pie.

We got a kick out of this open air car wash.
One of many we encountered on our travels.

We had encountered a cute park across from our hotel that had some neat things like this that we thought our kids would enjoy.