Monday, October 27

Departure from the U.S.

This afternoon most of the participants in the Pilgrimage flew from the U.S. to Greece. Eight departed from Dulles INternational after arriving from Denver, Kansas City, and Oklahoma City; one flew separately from Denver.

Tuesday, October 28

Arrival in Thessaloniki

The eight of us who left from Dulles arrived at the Vienna Airport in Austria, and connected with our morning flight to Thessaloniki. At the Thessaloniki airport we were met by our guide, Ms. Mariana Christoforou.

As we traveled from the airport to the hotel, Marianna gave us a running tour of the city. In the city we stopped by the historic landmark, the White Tower, to stretch our legs and get a first look at this ancient, yet modern, city. At the hotel met up with our fellow traveler from Denver.

After our first dinner together at the Vergina Hotel, most of us went for an evening walk in Thessaloniki. Along the way we saw the beautiful eleventh-century Panagia Chalkeon church, the abandoned Hamza Bey mosque, and the restored Bey Hamam (Turkish bath).

Wednesday, October 29

Our first full day of pilgrimage began with an 8:30 am departure by motorcoach. Our two-hour drive to Philippi passed across the Halkidiki peninsula, and up the coast passing through Appollonia and Amphipolis which were cities through which Saint Paul passed on his way from Philippi to Thessaloniki. Enroute we paused briefly at a comfortable rest stop for coffee.

Philippi

Arriving at the archaeological site of Philippi, we first entered the theater and Marianna spoke about the ancient history of this area. Just beyond the theater we studied the fifth-century "Basilica A" noting the foundation of the raised ambon (pulpit) and the very clear outline of the paleo-Christian sanctuary templon which later evolved into the familiar iconostasion.

After discussing the shape of early Christian worship, we walked to the remains of the cell where Saint Paul and his fellow Apostle Silas were jailed. At the cell we read the Biblical account (Acts 16:11-38) of the events in Philippi, and offered prayers four ourselves, our families, friends, and loved ones.

Passing over the modern highway that parallels the ancient Via Egnatia, we visited the Roman Agora where Saints Paul and Silas were brought before the magistrates, and then we toured the fourth-century Octagon Church and the related buildings including the Heroon, the baptistery, and the bishop's offices of the early Diocese of Philippi.

Lydia

Following our visit in Philippi, we drove a few miles to the site by the Zygaktes River where the Jews of Philippi met on the Sabbath at the time of Saint Paul. At the river side, by the outdoor baptistery, Father Nicholas Papedo read the account in Acts 11-15 of the conversion and baptism in that place of the first European convert, Saint Lydia.

Kavalla (Ancient Neapolis)

We then drove to the beautiful city of Kavalla, and had lunch at a seafood taverna on the waterfront. As we ate, we contemplated the sea that the Apostles Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke had crossed to arrive in this very location.

After lunch we walked a block inland, to the memorial alongside the church of Saint Nicholas commemorating the arrival of the Apostles in that city. We read the Scriptural account (Acts 16:6-10) and offered our prayers of thanksgiving and intercession.

Relics of Saint Gregory the Theologian

Concluding our pilgrimage to the places where Christianity was first planted on the European continent, we drove a few miles north of Kavalla to the city of Karvali. There, in the church bearing his name, we venerated the relics of Saint Gregory the Theologian. They had been taken here from Pontus by Asia Minor refugees during the exchange of populations in the 1920s.

Return to Thessaloniki

Following our visit to Karvali, we drove back to Thessaloniki. After our dinner, a group of us again took another evening stroll into the city, ending up at the Plateia Aristotelou.

Thursday, October 30

Moni Vlatadon

After breakfast, our group of pilgrims traveled by bus to the upper city of Thessaloniki, and visited Moni Vlatadon. This stavropigial monastery is directly under Ecumenical Patriarchate, and houses many theology students from throughout the Orthodox world. It was built on the site where the Jewish synagogue and the house of Jason stood in the time of Saint Paul.

Standing outside the katholikon church of the Transfiguration we read the account (Acts 17:1-9) of Saint Paul's preaching in Thessaloniki. Entering the church we studied the eleventh-century fresco iconography, and offered prayers at the side chapel commemorating the location where Saint Paul preached.

Osios David

We walked from Moni Vlatadon to the katholikon church of the Latomou Monastery, Osios David. There, on a beautiful sunlit morning, we rested in the beautiful courtyard overlooking the city of Thessaloniki while Marianna discussed the history of the area with us. We then entered the katholikon to study the remarkable fourth-century mosaic icon of the vision of Ezekiel, and offered a short intercessory prayer service.

Cathedral of Saint Gregory Palamas

We left the Latomou Monastery and walked down to meet our bus which took us downtown to the Metropolitan cathedral of Saint Gregory Palamas, and venerated the relics of this remarkable saint and Theologian of our Orthodox church.

Agia Sofia

We next walked several blocks to visit the famous church in Thesaloniki of Agia Sofia (Holy Wisdom), dedicated to Jesus Christ "the Wisdom and Word" of God, which was built in the eighth century inspired by the earlier, sixth century church of the same name in Constantinople. Just off of the narthex of the church we venerated the relics of Saint Basil the Confessor.

Since it was built during the period of the iconoclast heresy, the church originally had no iconography, but only a cross high up in the apse. Later the magnificent mosaic and fresco iconography was added. With this history in mind, we reflected on the fact that the historic churches in Thessaloniki were converted into mosques in the sixteenth during the Turkish occupation, and their iconography plastered over. These ancient treasures were revealed again only after 1913 when the city was liberated, and the churches were re-consecrated for Christian worship.

Monastery of Saint Theodora

We next walked several over several blocks to the historic monastery of Saint Theodora where the relics of both their patron saint and of Osios David are kept. After venerating these sacred relics, we walked further to the church of the Panagia Acheiropoietos.

Panagia Acheiropoietos

Basilica of Saint Dimitrios

After a light lunch at an outdoor restaurant on a beautiful sunlit Thessalonian afternoon we took the bus up to the historic church of Saint Dimitrios to conclude our tour of Thessaloniki with a late afternoon visit to this great basilica. We venerated the relics of the great saint and protector of the city which remain on the solea for nine days from his feast day (October 26) before they are returned to the small chapel on November 10.

These relics still flow with myrrh, as they have since his martyrdom in AD 296. We were fortunate to each receive a small portion of cotton soaked with this myrrh from the Presiding Priest of the Basilica.

After dinner at the Vergina hotel a few of us again walked through the town and then prepared for our departure the following day.

Friday, October 31

Veroia (Berea)

We left Thesaloniki at 8:00 am, and drove for an hour to reach the city of Veroia, referred to as "Berea" in the English translation of the New Testament. At the memorial which contains the marble synagogue steps on which saint Paul once preached, Father Nicholas Papedo read the scriptural account (Acts 17:10-15) of the Apostolic mission in that city and offered a short intercessory prayer service.

Monastery of Panagia Soumela

From Veroia we drove southwest up into the mountains, passing through a beautiful autumn landscape to arrive at the Monastery of Panagia Soumela.

The monastery was built in the 1950s to house and preserve the historic icon of the Mother of God painted by Saint Luke in the first century which was blessed by the Virgin Mary herself. The icon was kept in Athens and later in Thiva (Thebes) for several centuries, then was taken to the region of Pontus on the southern shore of the Black Sea. It was placed in a monastery built on Mount Soumela and remained there for sixteen centuries where it was the most important sacred treasure of the faithful in that northern region of Asia Minor.

Following the horrible genocide of the Pontian Greeks after World war I, and the flight of those surviving this disaster during the 1923 Exchange of Populations, the icon was first hidden, then brought to Athens in the 1930s. It was placed in the monastery just south of Veroia since this was one of the principal areas in Greece where Pontian refugees had settled.

Arrival in Kalambaka

We then drove through Thessaly in central Greece, and arrived in Kalambaka on a bright sunny Friday afternoon.

Monastery of Agios Stefanos

Following lunch at the Meteora restaurant, we drove up into the magnificent and stunningly beautiful Meteora mountains. Our first visit was to the Monastery of Agios Stefanos (Saint Stephen). We were met by Sister Xeni, who showed us the historic buildings and allowed us to venerate the skull of Saint Haralambos. She also offered us traditional monastery filoxenia (hospitality) in thearchondariki and spoke to us on spiritual matters for over an hour.

After dinner at the Amalia Hotel, we prepared for our pilgrimage the next day back up to the Meteora monasteries.

Saturday, November 1

Church of the Dormition

Saturday morning after breakfast we went to the historic church of the Dormition in Kalambaka and saw the ancient Ambon (pulpit) which still stabnds in the very center of the church. We arrived toward the end of the Divine Liturgy and stayed until it was over to receive Antidoron and meet the priest.

Monastery of Varlaam

Monastery of Varlaam

In the afternoon we drove to Athens, singing the Paraklesis to the Mother of God and later on reading Great Compline and the Kanon of Preparation for Holy Communion. We arrived in Athens in the early evening, checked into the Hotel Philippos, and walked the three blocks to dinner at a nearby restaurant. We then returned to the Amalia Hotel to prepare for the Sunday Divine Liturgy.

Sunday, November 2

Matins and Divine Liturgy at the Church of Saint John the Beheaded

We left the hotel early and walked two blocks to attend Matins and the Divine Liturgy at the parish church of Saint John Gargaretos. After Liturgy we briefly returned to the hotel to have a quick breakfast.

The Areopagos and the Acropolis

At 8:30 am we were met by Ms. Dionysia who would be our guide for the day. We set out on foot to walk to the Acropolis and visit the site of the Areopagos, adjacent to the Hill of Ares (or Mars Hill) where Saint Paul preached to the Athenians. At that very place Father Nicholas Papedo read the scriptural account (Acts 17:16-34) about his journey from Veroia (Berea) to Athens and his address at the Areopagos.

Corinth

After our visit to the Acropolis, we walked to the parking lot and boarded our bus to travel to Corinth. We stopped enroute at the Corinth Canal for the traditional lunch of souvlakia and French fries.

At the Archaeological site of Ancient Corinth we walked through the agora (forum) and stood at the very place where Saint Paul was brought for trial before the Roman Govern of Achaia, Gallio. On that spot we read the final scripture passages (Acts 18:1-17) describing the events that took place there and offered our intercessory prayers.

Return to Athens

We returned to Athens, enjoyed dinner together, and retired for the evening having completed retracing the footsteps of Saint Paul in Greece during his Second Missionary Journey.

Monday, November 3

Aegina and Saint Nektarios

At 8:30 am Marianna led us to the subway and to the piers in Piraeus. From there we sailed on the hydrofoil ( the "Flying Dolphin") to the Island of Aegina.

We first visited the Monastery of Saint Menas, and enjoyed the humble yet heartfelt love and filoxenia of the women monastics who live there.

Next we arrived at the renowned Holy Trinity Monastery, and venerated the relics of Saint Nektarios. We later attended the Paraklesis to the Saint celebrated by the priest and the women monastics. We were also met by Sister Christonymfi who told us the life of Saint Nektarios and described many of the miracles worked through his intercession.

She also brought us to the archondariki to offer us monastic filoxenia.

Return to Athens

After our visit we journeyed back down the hill to the waterfront and enjoyed a wonderful lunch at a seafood taverna. We then wandered around the seafront for a short while and returned to Piraeus by hydrofoil.

Sadly after arriving at the Philippos Hotel we had to say farewell to Marianna, our faithful guide, a most-knowledgeable teacher, a dear friend, and pious fellow Orthodox Christian.

Tuesday, November 4

Free Day

This was a free day for us to reflect on the many experiences of the past few days, and to visit sites of interest in Athens.

Wednesday, November 5

Monday morning we boarded the bus for our transfer to the Athens Venizelos Airport and flight to Istanbul. Upon arrival we were met by our guide, Mr. Arman Masooglou. He first took us to the Monastery of Zoodochos Pigi at Balukli. There we saw the original Zoodochos Pigi (Life-giving Fountain), and hen said Trisagion Prayers for the Departed at the tombs of the Patriarchs in the monastery courtyard.

We then drove the short distance to the Balukli Home for the Aged. We toured the facilty visiting with the elderly residents of Greek background whose children and grandchildren most often live outside Constantinople. We also toured the adjacent hospital facilities which provide charitable health care to all who come. It is remarkable that the Greek Orthodox population of Constantinople, now numbering merely 1,800 people, can maintain these charitable foundations which benefit all the citizens of Istanbul.

After checking in at the Madison Hotel near Taksim Square, we walked over to the pedestrian walkway and enjoyed a wonderful lunch. Following lunch we walked next door to the Holky Trinity church and attended Vespers. This very large, 100-year old church is mute testimony to the size and vitality of the 100,000 or so Greek Orthodox Chrisdtians who once lived in the Pera-Taksim area of Istanbul.