-
Day 10 – Walking in the Footsteps of Paul
Thessalonica Wednesday, October 16, 2024 Our first stop was at the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki. There we saw a few ruins of the Roman Temple of Thessaloniki. The most interesting museum item was the Derveni papyrus, a papyrus roll carbonized among the remains of a burial site covering a tomb. It dates back to the…
-
Day 9 – Walking in the Footsteps of Paul
Berea Tuesday, October 15, 2024 I mean, you know it’s going to be a great day when you wake up to this. We couldn’t see the Neapolis (Kavala) port very well last night so I took a picture this morning. This is the port Paul sailed into after leaving Troas and on his way to…
-
Day 8 – Walking in the Footsteps of Paul
Philippi Monday, October 14, 2024 We left at 7:30 and caught a glimpse of the Trojan horse used in the movie Troy… Before getting on the 30 minute ferry ride… That included both cars and people… We said goodbye to the port as the sun began to rise. This memorial is dedicated to the Battle…
-
Day 7 – Walking in the Footsteps of Paul
Pergamum and Alexander Troas Sunday, October 13, 2024 In order to get to Pergamum, or Bergama as it is now known, a cable car ride is necessary. Buses used to drive up this hill but the roads are narrow and it was dangerous so the cable car was built. Bergama is a HUGE complex. We…
-
Day 6 – Walking in the Footsteps of Paul
Ephesus Saturday, October 12, 2024 We had to say goodbye to our lovely hotel in order to keep walking in the footsteps of Paul. But first the Apostle John stole the spotlight as we began the day visiting the St. John Basilica. While this church is from the 6th century, archeological evidence has proven that…
-
Day 5 – Walking in the Footsteps of Paul
Hierapolis, Laodicea, Colossae Friday, October 11, 2024 We started today getting high…really high. The morning began early with breakfast at 5:30 and being picked up at 5:50. We picked up a few more people and then got to where the hot air balloons were. They were very impressive. The five of us who went were…
-
Day 4 – Walking in the Footsteps of Paul
Smyrna, Sardis, and Philadelphia Thursday, October 10, 2024 4:00 am. That’s when the alarm clock went off. Why? We were catching an early plane from Istanbul to Izmir. Once we arrived in Izmir we headed to Smyrna. Why Smyrna? We reminded ourselves of the importance of the Christian church in Smyrna by reading Revelation 2:8-11…
-
Day 3 – Walking in the Footsteps of Paul
Our Second Day in Istanbul Wednesday, October 9, 2024 One of the highlights of Istanbul is Hagia Sophia. Built by Emperor Justinian in 537 as a Greek Orthodox Church. It took 10,000 workers and 1,000 masters to complete this in less than 6 years. A geometrician and mathematician were employed to head up the project.…
-
Day 2 – Walking in the Footsteps of Paul
First Day in Istanbul Tuesday, October 8, 2024 After over 9 hours of sleep our group woke up refreshed and ready for the day. The breakfast was elaborate, complete with our own honeycomb to put honey on our rolls. We meet our guide, Omur, in the lobby before hopping on our private bus and driving…
-
Day 1 – Walking in the Footsteps of Paul Pilgrimage
Arriving in Istanbul Monday, October 7, 2024 Fortunately our flight was pretty uneventful. We land in Sabiha Gokcen International airport (SAW) in Istanbul from London Heathrow at 1:30 pm local time (6:30 am eastern time). After passport control, luggage, food, money, and cell phone service, we catch the Havabus to our hotel, the Point Hotel…
The PCUSA Pilgrim Pastor 