Methoni, Pydna, & Athens
We left Thessaloniki early this morning for the 6 hour drive to Athens.
On our way south along the Aegean coast we stopped at two ancient ports. The first was Methoni. There is a small chapel and monument dedicated to Paul’s passage through Methoni as he left Berea hastily to escape the wrath of the Jews from Thessaloniki who pursued him in Berea. Nearby is the ancient port city of Pydna. Paul would have sailed from one of these ports to Athens.
The Pydna site was very interesting with artifacts from the Neolithic period, to the Macedonians then pre-Christian Roman and then an important early Christian church (as evidenced by tombs of bishops) and finally a Frankish period in which the basilica was converted to a castle.
A highlight of the afternoon was safely arriving at the car rental lot and saying goodbye to the rattle trap car we’ve been driving! Truly a miracle that we had no breakdowns!
Took a cab from the airport to our hotel in Athens which is just a 15 minute walk from the acropolis and the Parthenon.
The walk up to the acropolis is awe inspiring - I can’t even imagine how Paul must have felt walking up there when it was in its grandeur, with temples to all of Roman mythology. It would only be human to feel that the odds were against him. Sometimes visiting these ancient sites they are smaller than expected, or it can take some time to figure out what the ruins are and to imagine what they once were like…. Not the acropolis!!! It’s size and beauty and architecture are overwhelming, and it still is visible from nearly every point in this massive modern city.
We climbed Mars Hill ( or the Areopagus as it was called in ancient times and in the Bible). Paul explained the gospel to the Greek and Romans and as it says in Acts 17, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw the city was full of idols. He reasoned with Epicurean and Stoic philosophers.
We are grateful that some safe steps have been installed up Mars Hill! The hill is extremely slippery marble.
Dinner outside with an incredible view of the Pantheon and then calling it a day. Tomorrow we will explore the agoras that Paul would have walked through during his brief time in Athens and we are going to visit a few churches. Jacob is looking forward to seeing Syntagma square and watching the changing of the Evzone guards (look that up on you tube - they wear traditional uniforms which are quite something!)
God Bless, PB and Marge
