Athens & Free Day

Thursday – Athens Day Two

Having spent a day examining the Acropolis, its Parthenon, Mars Hill and the Ancient Agora, our second day of touring in Athens began with a visit to the Temple of Zeus, the grandest of ancient temples completed in the time of the Romans.  We continued to the Panathenaic Stadium where the ancients raced and where the first modern Olympics were hosted in 1896.  We then walked to Syntagma Square (Constitution Square) to visit the Greek Parliament building and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, guarded by Greek soldiers in their traditional vestments.  A short subway ride on the new Athenian Metro (in which the walls are lined with the archeological finds discovered during its construction) took us to the National Archaeological Museum where the students examined the greatest treasures from Antiquity. 

In the afternoon we had a guest speaker, Pastor Giotis Kantartzis of the First Greek Evanglical Church of Athens.  He shared with students the history of the evangelical church in Greece that currently numbers only 30,000 members in a country of approximately 11 million Greek Orthodox.  He also shared the areas of ministry their church is involved including working with the many immigrants that pass through Greece hoping to find employment in Europe.  The session ended with QandA from students and a time of prayer for the work on the church in Greece.

 

After dinner many students met to work on their small group presentations based on I Corinthians.  We'll be visiting Corinth on Saturday.

Friday – Free Day

Students were given the day on their own to explore the many sites of Athens.  Whether a hunt for souvenirs in the historic Plaka marketplace district or visiting one of Athens’ prestigious museums, the students enjoyed their time of rest, relaxation, and reflection. 

Tomorrow we will drive to Ancient Corinth, where Paul lived and ministered for an extended period of time.  We will study his letter to the Corinthians and share in communion in the very place where the early church would have shared communion nearly 2,000 years ago.  We’ll then hike up the Acrocorinth, a medieval fortress that now lies hauntingly above the ancient village. 

From Corinth we will drive to Patras, the third largest city in Greece, to catch an overnight ferry to Italy.  Our fearless bus driver Theodore will accompany us, and we will head to Florence, the greatest of the Renaissance city states.  There we will explore the magnificent architecture, artwork by Da Vinci, Raphael, and Caravaggio, and Michelangelo’s magnificent statue of David.  Our next post will likely be from the Eternal City: Rome!

In front of the Temple of Zeus with the Parthenon in the background

So excited to be in Greece!

Caesar says the fighter is not fit to live in the Panathenaic Stadium

Standing with the guards at the tomb of the unknown soldier

Pastor Giotis Kantartzis of the First Greek Evanglical Church, Athens

Students enjoying their free day

We'll miss the fresh Greek food, but there's more good food to come in Italy!