Day 8 – Berea and Thessaloniki

We started pretty early, as the drive from Athens to Thessaloniki. Since the National Highway isn’t complete, the driver took us on a scenic route through the mountains to Berea (modern-day Veria), where Paul visited and commended them on their approach to Paul’s teaching. The Jews in Berea took what Paul told them about the Gospel, and searched the Old Testament scripture for anything that would prove Paul wrong. Founding none, they became believers.

The route was beautiful, with lavender and poppy fields, small villages and farms. When we arrived, our highly-skilled bus driver manages to park near our destination, which was a memorial to Paul’s visit on the site of what they believe was the 1st Century synagogue where Paul taught.

After Berea it was a one-hour bus ride to Thessaloniki. We were dropped off near the agora, which was bustling with activity.

The mission: lunch and shopping. We ate with John and Carolyn Salvesen, Debbie Truitt from Bear Creek Bible Church, and Karen Gates from Portland. Once again, I ate outside the box! This dish is called “Bites a la Crème”. It was delicious.

After lunch we walked about Thessaloniki, just the two of us, bought some souvenirs, some cough meds, and ambled through the market.

Aristotle, the tutor of Alexander the Great, gets his own statue on the public mall. Note the street performer. He stood still the whole time we approached and walked by him.

We met up with our group and were driven to the seaside to the “White Tower”. This tower was constructed by the Ottomans sometime after the army of Sultan Murad II captured Thessaloniki in 1430. Until 1912, an inscription in Ottoman Turkish verse above the door attributes the tower’s construction to (Arabic year) 942 (1535–1536) on the orders of Sultan Suleiman. During the period of Ottoman rule, the tower became a notorious prison and the scene of numerous mass executions of Christians, most famously of the Janissaries who revolted during the reign of Mahmoud II. It was known as the “Red Tower” for almost 400 years.

After this we walked about Thessaloniki little ways long the waterfront to the statue of Alexander the Great who was born in Macedonia (the region where Thessaloniki is).

We got back on the bus and were taken to our hotel, the Capsis Thessaloniki Hotel. Much nicer than the last couple of places we’ve stayed.

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Tomorrow, the last day of tours. We go to Philippi, and the back to Thessaloniki where I will deliver my second devotional.