Neil and I recently returned from vacation tracing the steps of the Apostle Paul as he helped establish The Church in Greece & beyond.  This was not what I would call a relaxing vacation by any means, but definitely an amazing journey walking through archeological sites transporting us back into biblical times.   

Whenever Neil and I travel, it’s inevitable we are amazed at different building techniques and styles that are indigenous to the area we visit.  Greece certainly had us amazed at every turn from the ancient ruins filled with massive columns, perfectly stacked mega building stones, and elaborate marble structures to the more modern day, minimalistic, white washed homes that line the coastlines today; there was plenty to marvel over.

Our tour started with several ancient archeological sites at Philippi, Delphi, Ancient Corinth, the Acropolis in Athens, and my personal favorite- Ephesus.  Ancient Ephesus was the most fascinating because we walked through miles of uncovered ruins that helped transport us back in time to the 4^th century BC walking amongst the bustling agoras (shops), bath houses, government buildings, amphitheaters, a library, and of course elaborately built temples to honor the gods of that region.  It astounds me how the Apostle Paul met such opposition from a multitude of pagan cities that are built around mythological gods of the times as well as influenced by Roman rule but yet when you go today, it’s easy to spot beautiful churches around every corner still active today.  His mission seemed almost impossible, yet God used an unlikely vessel (once a persecutor of Christians) to carry out his mission of spreading the gospel to the gentiles. 

The churches are beautifully and elaborately decorated by exterior and interior architectural details and painted icons and murals used to tell stories and invoke emotions from it’s visitors. You can’t help but be in awe of the attention to details hand crafted in the hallways and furnishings.

One of the most amazing stops on our tour was seeing the Monasteries of Meteora.  Meteora means “suspended in the air” which is a perfect description of these remarkable monasteries suspended in air on top of uniquely shaped giant boulders reaching heights of 600 meters in the sky.  These monasteries were built in the 14^th and 15^th century as monks and nuns fled persecution during the Ottomon conquests of Greece.   Neil and I were mesmerized by these huge castle-like buildings built on the tip top of mountains.  We couldn’t help think how in the world did they get their building supplies and workers onsite.  LOL.  In one picture, you can see where even today a cable system is used to transport supplies from the mainland.  Simply incredible!

As we moved from land to sea visiting multiple Greek Islands such as Mykonos, Santorini, Patmos, & Crete we left the elaborate structures from ancient times to the more sleek, modern, white washed homes situated on the edge of cliffs and shorelines.  My favorite feature of these simple but beautiful building styles were the pop of color used to differentiate buildings and churches.  Santorini is a great example of the iconic blue domed churches sprinkled amongst beautiful, white, minimalistic network of homes and shops that line the island’s cliffs.  At every turn, the unique doors and ironwork along with the quaint stone alleyways made this island one of my favorites. 

Travelling is always fun, but there’s  nothing like getting back home to make you appreciate all that you have.  We are grateful to be back home and back to building in our local area. Not sure where our next adventure will take us, but for now, we leave Greece inspired by the Apostle Paul’s willingness to be obedient to God’s call for his life and hope to follow in that same obedience for where ever God’s next adventure takes us.