Greetings from Greece!

I’m currently in Salamanca, Spain, but before we get to my Spanish adventures I have to tell you about my time in Greece.

My mom and I spent 9 wonderful days traveling all over mainland Greece, from Athens to Corinth to Meteora to Thessaloniki to Edessa and back to Athens.

I thought that going to the University of Alabama would have prepared me for the Greek alphabet, but it was all Greek to me. *da dum tss*

Our trip began in Athens. No visit to Athens is complete without visiting the ancient Acropolis and the Parthenon.

The ancient Greeks are revered for their intellectual, cultural, and social achievements. The ruins of their temples, theaters, hospitals, and agoras are evidence of their search for meaning. Their pursuit of truth points to God, who is the Truth.

Even though the ancient Greeks lived before Christ and did not worship the one true God, there are glimpses of truth, goodness, and beauty hidden within their religion, philosophy, and culture.

The Catholic Church recognizes in other religions that search, among shadows and images, for the God who is unknown yet near since he gives life and breath and all things and wants all men to be saved. Thus, the Church considers all goodness and truth found in these religions as "a preparation for the Gospel and given by him who enlightens all men that they may at length have life." (CCC843)

Athens is dedicated to Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom. She was the virgin goddess, sworn to purity when her father, Zeus, the king of the Greek gods, received a prophecy that one of Athena’s offspring would destroy him.

I cannot help thinking of another virgin, Mary, who is often seen as a personification of wisdom. Unlike Athena, however, this virgin would miraculously have a son. This son would indeed destroy Zeus along with the other pagan gods.

To me, the parallels between Mary and Athena are uncanny. The Parthenon, the remarkable temple dedicated to Athena, protector of Athens, was converted into a church in the sixth century. This church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, mother of the whole world.

Also in Athens we saw Areopagus Hill where Paul preached to the Athenians (Acts 17). We followed Paul to Corinth to see the Bema of St. Paul where he was put on trial by the Jews (Acts 18). How interesting to learn about the historical context within which Paul established the church in Corinth! Fully understanding his many letters, including First and Second Corinthians, requires knowledge of the societies he preached to in those times.

From Corinth, we drove to Meteora, a cluster of unique rock formations topped with monasteries dating back to the 14th century. We rented e-bikes and biked between the 6 functioning monasteries, going inside all but one of them. This was probably my favorite day!

The combination of natural and manmade wonders (the rocks and the monasteries) point upwards, literally and figuratively. They lift the viewers’ eyes towards the heavens and God.

Greek Orthodox churches are very distinct: dark, a little bit cluttered, full of lanterns, and covered with iconography. It was so intriguing to learn about the symbolism in their iconography and churches.

On to Thessaloniki, the second largest city in Greece!

While in Thessaloniki we encountered an unlikely person who soon became close to our hearts: St. Demetrius the myroblyte and patron of Thessaloniki. What the heck is a myroblyte? I’ll let you ponder that as I tell you a little about his life.

St. Demetrius was an early Christian martyr who lived during the 3rd century. He was martyred for his faith by the Roman Emperor Galerius during the Roman persecution of Christians.

Now for the most amazing part. His relics were discovered in the 7th century. Amazingly, a stream of myrrh issued from the relics along with a fragrant odor (myroblyte = myrrh gusher) His relics continue to exude myrrh even to this day. Once a year the chest containing his relics is opened and the myrrh is collected.

The relics are housed in the Church of St. Demetrius in Thessaloniki, which also contains the remains of the ancient Roman bath where Demetrius was imprisoned and martyred. This picture is from part of the baths that was converted into a fountain during the Byzantine times to hold the miraculous myrrh for the pilgrims to collect and take home. Of course, we had to buy some vials of myrhh from the gift shop. St. Demetrius, pray for us!

It is beautiful to see how Christianity has flourished despite being so heavily persecuted at its onset. Emperor Galerius thought that by killing Demetrius he was stopping him from further spreading the Gospel, and yet, because of Demetrius’ death and following miracles, the martyr has converted many more people than Galerius could have imagined.

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. - Genesis 50:20

Tired of the city, the end of our trip was spent visiting two natural wonders: the thermal baths at Loutra Pozar and the waterfalls in the town of Edessa.

We relaxed in the pools of Loutra Pozar, feeling the tiny bubbles coming up from the rocks and warming the water. It was so interesting to experience these natural “hot tubs”.

In Edessa, the giant waterfall has created a primary cave, meaning that it was created over time by the deposition of dissolved limestone on the mosses growing under the waterfalls. The inside of the cave looked like a giant drip castle.

Nature is like a giant playground that God made for us to enjoy!

We returned to Athens before parting ways. We ended the trip the best way possible with Baklava and ice cream.

Good bye Greece! Hello Spain!

(A beautiful panorama in Meteora, you can see 2 of the monasteries on the right)