The bus drove us through green forests, steep canyons, tiny villages, and Greek orthodox shrine boxes along the sides of the road.
We weren't sure if these marked the site of traffic fatalities or were just reminders to worship as people went about their daily travels.
Arriving at Meteora, the bus pulled off to an overlook so we could take pictures before the rain came. We had a lot of rainy days, but we were so grateful to be there, it didn't dampen our enthusiasm at all!
The monastery itself was at the top of a steep set of stairs. I lost count of how many steps, but we were all feeling the burn by the top. A beautiful mini chapel was open for us to experience. We imagined the dedication it took for monks to live here, not to mention navigating those steps to fetch their supplies and provisions. In Jerusalem, we had to carry groceries from the parking garage down 2 floors, and there were elevators to help us. Until the 1920's the monks and visiting pilgrims used ropes and baskets to get to the top!
Galerius also built this huge rotunda. It has been a church, a mosque, and a church again. Some say it is one of the oldest Christian churches in the world, and it is definitely the oldest church in Thessalonica.
This is a cave in Philippi noted as the type of place Paul could have been imprisoned in. He wrote many of his epistles from prison, but in Philippi an earthquake miraculously freed Paul and the other prisoners. This miracle resulted in the conversion of the jailer and his household.
This headstone was very poignant. The seated figure represents a deceased mother, and the living person on the right is holding the child, as if promising that he will help the child remember and honor the memory if its mother.
