Day 5 – Kavala – 17 June Wed
Today was a welcome ‘rest day’ where we were free to discover the beauty and the history of this very beautiful ‘village’ of just over 100,000 people, living in very close proximity to the magnificent port and dock for which Kavala has been famous down through the centuries. The magnificent range of mountains to the rear creates a natural amphitheatre affect, with the closely packed residential buildings rising up in a curved shape around the picturesque harbor that gives the city its natural beauty.
Its history traces back to the 7th Century BC under the name Neapolis. King Philip, father of Alexander the Great, annexed it for the Macedons, making it the port for his stronghold at Philippi. Later under the Romans it became a major port, and being located on the great ‘via egnatia’, it became a staging port of some significance.
It was in 49AD that the Apostle Paul disembarked here from Troas in Turkey, on his way to find the Philippians and to establish the first Christian Church in Europe (more about that tomorrow). In memory of this, in the 7th/8th Century it was renamed ‘Christopolous’ (Christ’s city) but was changed to ‘Kavala’ when it fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1391. The Ottoman domination ceased in 1912 when it was occupied by the Bulgarians, but which was short lived when it was liberated in 1913, but which in turn fell to the Germans in 1941 until 1944.
Interestingly, the city was the base for Brutus and Cassius before the Battle of Philippi in 42BC when they were defeated by the forces of Mark Antony and Octavian, who apparently based themselves at Neapolis.
Such rich history for the staging post for the Christian church with the arrival of the Apostle Paul in 49AD.
After breakfast, and before we were let loose on the town, we gathered for quiet reflection upon the Scriptures, and the significance of present day Kavala. The Bible describes how St Paul had arrived in Troas, with plans to go to Bythinia (east) but God had moved in his heart through a dream of a man of Macedonia begging him to ‘come over to Macedonia to help us’ (Acts 16). He concluded that God had called him to go, and he departed Troas by boat, arriving at Neapolis, present day Kavala before proceeding to Philippi.
The reflections this morning were very relevant, about those doors in life that close to us, but where God opens doors through which he calls us to new opportunities. The door was opened to St Paul, while other doors were closed. He sensed the call of God and was faithful. The rest is history, as they say. From Neapolis, St Paul went to Philippi.
Today Julie and I spent the day together. We purchased fresh bread rolls, some ham and cheese slices and fruit, packed them in our back-pack and went exploring together. We initially paused by the beautiful Cathedral ‘Agios Pavlos’ dedicated to St Paul, the Patron of Kavala. We then stood in awe of the ‘Kumares’, the significant remains of the magnificent aqueduct built by Suleiman the Magnificent to supply water to the barren rocky Panagia peninsular (the old town perched high above the harbor with fort on top), which was built around 1530.
We then climbed the very steep, cobbled narrow lanes to the Kavala Fortress, which sits high like a crown atop the rocky hill above the harbor. We loved the time spent here, which gave gloriously unimpeded views down over the great city into which St Paul sailed almost 2,000 years ago. Built in the 15th century, it stands on top of the original Byzantine acropolis, with remnants of the outer city wall still evident.
We then strolled in the 35 degree heat down to the peninsular but still high above the harbor, where we found a shaded spot to enjoy our ham and cheese (almost melted) rolls, in the peace and solace of a tiny park but with million dollar views. As we set our sights on returning, we came across the ‘Kafe Briki’, perched high and protruding out over the top of the most glorious view of the entire village of Kavala. We opted for coffee on the shaded deck with the glorious view, but noticed that the ‘Kafe’ had wi-fi! With apologies to my International friends, we delighted in tuning our iPhone in to Sydney 2GB Radio to listen to the call of the 2nd ‘State of Origin’ game of Rugby League between NSW and Qld! By the end of the game (NSW the victors!) we had consumed three (!) ‘Frappes’ each, which are a Greek version of an Iced Coffee, but with enough caffeine to guarantee to keep you awake for a week!
It was now about 4pm, so we wandered very slowly back, the heat pouring down still, but taking time to enjoy the cobbled lanes, the beautiful ancient houses, and the sweeping views to the mountains and the harbor. Dinner followed, served promptly at 7pm, during which the heavens really opened and the seaside port of Kavala was flooding momentarily. The weather promises to continue all through tomorrow.
To end our evening, there were nine of us from our training session of 1985/86 – “Proclaimers of the Gospel’ was our Sessional name. We celebrated our first reunion for more than twenty years, sitting in a nearby coffee shop telling stories until our cheeks too were awash, but in our case with tears from too much laughter! It was a great way to end a great day in the northern reaches of the beautiful Aegean Sea.
From our 6th floor Hotel room with a view over the same waters that carried St Paul ashore almost 20 centuries ago, we send our love!
Until tomorrow….
KRA
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