Well, friends, the last time I posted I was getting ready to spend 2 weeks in Greece. The first week was big conference for those of us working throughout Eastern Europe for a time of fellowship, meetings, and worship. The week was amazing and it was so wonderful to worship in English and be able to know fully and understand what we were singing and know every word that was being spoken over us. The speaker was really good and brought us some good messages, as well. I loved every minute of the fellowship I shared with some old friends, new friends, colleagues, and even met some distant relatives!
After the week of meetings and fellowship, two friends and I took off and went to Crete for a few days. We spent a couple of days in Athens on either end of our trip, then took an overnight ferry to Crete. The overnight ferry was THE WAY TO GO. We were able to get to Crete and not have to pay for another night of a hotel room. We took the overnight ferry back, as well, though the second one was not nearly as nice as the first one.
On Crete, we played lots of cards, took a bus to a sandy beach because the one we were staying by was only rocks and pebbles, and took a three and a half hour boat tour of two small islands right by the north coast of Crete. We had so much fun relaxing and had a great vacation.
For your viewing pleasure, here are a few pictures....Ok more than a few...
Inside a tunnel at the ruins of ancient Eretria, Greece. This was close to our hotel for the conference.
God gave us some beautiful sunsets...this was only one of them!!
The Theater of Dionysos on the way up to the Acropolis.
What? I was there? For real?!?! Yes, me in front of the Greek Parthenon. It was incredible. My favorite part was when the wind blew, it sounded like music coming from the way it blew through the columns. The scaffolding may have had something to do with it, but I don't know. I like to think that the wind blew long ago through the marble columns and made "music" the same way I heard it in 2009. Amazing.
The other side without as much scaffolding in view. It still amazes me that this was built so long ago without machinery. Also, I never though I would walk on or see anything older than the Mayan ruins I used to visit as a child in Central America. This was like a dream....
The city of Athens behind me. The Acropolis is on a hill almost in the middle of the city and the city goes on forever it seems in all directions. Amazing....
The Olympic Stadium. The old one. There were two pigeons here having a race that we watched. Yes, Pigeon number 1 won, even though we don't know where they were supposed to be going. Haha, it was quite humorous.
The view of Mars Hill from the Acorpolis (Acts 17).
This is said to be the exact spot where Paul stood and saw the temples to other gods in Acts 17 where he was so moved to speak to the men of Athens, including Dionysos, who was saved and this contributed to the further spread of the Gospel throughout the known world at that point. It was neat to stand there and see what Paul would have seen, hear what he may have heard, and appreciate that he was so moved to speak God's word....
Funny story. If you have ever been to Guatemala you will recognize an item in this picture. The orange quilt made of guipils (Mayan blouses) sewn together and dipped in orange dye. I had an interesting conversation with the vendor about that particular item. I told him I knew where it came from and that it came from Guatemala not Greece. He asked me how I knew and I told him how I had grown up there and knew how they were made. He would not let down and tried to convince me that "they make these in Northern Greece, too!" I decided to let him think what he wanted but still wonder how many Guatemalan quilts people have bought thinking they are from Greece.....
The Port of Pirraus and the city of Athens at dusk from our boat headed to Crete!
The old Venetian port/harbour at Chania (pronounced Hania) town in Crete early in the morning. This was beautiful.
The lighthouse at the interance to the harbour.
Olives and Tzaziki sauce. Yumm...it doesn't get any better than this!! We ate all of those olives between the 3 of us, by the way!!
The little white church on a pier at the sandy beach we went to. We walked out there and it was beautiful.
The first glass of orange juice I ever remember enjoying. I guess back in the day sometime I experienced some bad orange juice, and have never liked it since then. But I figured that since I was in Crete, which is known for oranges (and olives), I would at least give some of the local faire a chance. Man was it good!! I loved it!! Now the problem is that no orange juice that I drink ever again will live up to this!
And finally, our poor map of Athens when we were finally finished with it.
