The first 3 days....

Hello everyone!


So much has happened over the last two days that I don’t even know where to start. I guess at the beginning….

On the airplane I was sitting next to an 11 year old girl who was flying home by herself from a month long vacation with family in USA. She was silent for the majority of the trip, but during the last two hours, took out a scrapbook. I asked if it was from her trip and she smiled and started to tell me in broken English about her family in Chicago. Then I noticed a picture and brochure form the Carnegie Museum of Natural History. “Pittsburgh?” I asked. She said yes, and was very excited when I told her that I was form Pittsburgh. The next page had pictures of Heinz Field, Mount Washington, etc. But then she had a picture of her family reunion in Pittsburgh….and I recognized three faces! Bob, Celine and Michael Mitchell. I went to school with Michael and Celine was my CCD teacher for several years! We were so shocked that we knew the same people, and talked nonstop for the last leg of the flight. She was so sweet and smart, and I really enjoyed hearing about her “holiday” in Pittsburgh and Chicago!

The group I am traveling with is awesome. Typical CTU folk: all ages, from all over the world, and super friendly and eager to get to know everyone. Our tour guide who is with us for all of Greece is named Effie and is just like a beautiful Greek woman you would imagine from a movie: long curly hair, short and round, very generous and very talkative. She is so knowledgeable about Greek history and culture, and talks non-stop on our bus, but is so funny and interesting. We have several priests on our trip, several sisters, and several young lay women. There are 24 of us total. One woman is 73 and outdoing all of us with her energy and enthusiasm!

We stayed in Thessoloniki the last two nights. It is a neat city right by the sea. There are a ton of shops and thousands and thousands of apartments stacked on top of each other. It is weird to see the Greek characters written everywhere and to not be able to even sound out the names of things. I can only imagine what it will be like when we get to Arabic characters. Lori and I explored a little the first day to push through our jet lag and found a beautiful monastery. 97% of Greece is Greek Orthodox and their churches are just beautiful with vibrant paintings, lots of gold ornamentation and icons everywhere. There are little chapels with icons and candles, some just in little boxes dotting the roads everywhere. Effie says most of them are in memory of accidents that happened, or in thanksgiving that individuals survived accidents, or just because people like the icons and want to venerate them.

The coast of Thessaloniki

The main square in the city

Lori and I overlooking Thessaloniki

Tuesday we took our tour bus to Philippi. The ruins are magnificent. There are traces of two basilicas, an octagonal church, a city square, markets, even public restrooms, and a prison where it is said Paul was held for expelling a demon from a girl. The ruins are so complete that parts of the marble floor are still there. You really get the sense that you are walking right where the early Christians walked. At one point we sat on a shaded hillside overlooking the city and our professor Van Than read to us from Acts and the Letter to the Philippians. I couldn’t help but wonder if the people of Philippi once sat there and listened to Paul preach, or to his letters being read.

Ruins of one of the basilicas

One of the pictures I know you've all been waiting for...ancient public toilets...

After touring the ruins, we went to Lydia’s baptistery, which was built at a stream outside of the city where scholars think may be the place where Paul met Lydia and the women praying by the river in Acts. There is seating built into the hillside and bridges crossing the stream to an altar and an icon chapel. We had mass here, with some students sitting with their feet in the water. It was a beautiful mass during which we reflected about Lydia and the contribution of women to the early church. One of the priests, Eddie, who is with us said Mass and Van Than gave the sermon. Effie provided us with a pita-like bread for communion and wine. Speaking of Communion, the one Greek word I have learned is “thank you” because it is where our term “Eucharist” comes from. In Greek they pronounce “u” as “f” so it sounds something like “ef-carito.”

The whole group at Lydia's baptistry.

Today we traveled to Beroea where Paul fled once he was kicked out of Thessoloniki. they have the steps on which Paul stood when he preached to the people. We could stand on the same steps! We also visited Vergina where the tombs of the ancient Kings of Macedonia are. The museum was amazing, built right in with the tombs so that you walk into the mound of earth and can walk right up to the tombs. They also have on display many of the things found in the tombs like the gold crowns, and the gold boxes in which the bones of the king and prince were kept. It was really neat.

The steps of St. Paul in the middle.

Tomorrow we will visit the monasteries of Meteora, built way high up on huge rocks in the mountains.

Everyone here is so friendly, and thank goodness most people speak English. I am having a fabulous time so far. The food is amazing. Everything has olive oil and feta cheese on it. Please continue to pray for us and we are praying for all of our friends and family back home!

Love you all!

Darcy

beautiful Greek countryside by the sea