Day 6 – June 18 – Kavala to Alexandroupolis
It was another early start for the day – we assembled for breakfast at 7am, with bags packed and outside our rooms by 8am. The breakfasts here at the Oceania Hotel, while nice, did not seem to have the breadth of delicacies that we have become accustomed to on our travels. Nevertheless, we enjoyed the conversations and the morning coffee before being loaded on to our bus in full spirits for a good day together.
We headed for the archeological site of Philippi. St Paul first set foot on European soil at Kavala (Neapolis) but he quickly headed for the major centre of Philippi. There was no Synagogue. The Bible says that he and his companion Silas ‘went outside the city gate’ to the river, where he expected to find a place of prayer. He found there were some women gathered there, and he began to speak with them. One of them was Lydia, whom the Bible describes as a ‘seller of purple cloth’, and according to the Scriptures (Acts 16), ‘the Lord opened her heart to respond to the Lord’s message’. She and her household were baptized, and the Christian church on European soil was birthed!
The Bible is very descriptive of subsequent events – Paul and Silas healed a slave girl of spirit possession, they were denounced to the city’s magistrates, beaten and flogged and thrown into prison. During the night, an earthquake shakes the prison. The jailer was convinced that the prisoners would have fled, but when he found both Paul and Silas were free of their shackles but still there in their cell and had not fled (knowing the implications for the jailer), the jailer’s response was to also put his faith in Christ. He too was baptized into the Christian faith, along with his household.
These events were foundational to the beginnings of the Christian church in all of Europe. Here is where the Church began, in what was the Roman Garrison town of Philippi. Close to the border with Bulgaria, the history of Philippi can be traced back as far as 700BC, but it wasn’t until about 358BC when King Philip II took control of the region, giving the city his own name. King Philip was the father of Alexander the Great.
It was rather exciting to know that we were about to visit the famous centre of Philippi. Only about 15k from Kavala, it was literally just over the mountains that ringed Kavala. It would not have been a day’s walk for St Paul and his companions, known to be Silas and also Luke, the author of ‘Luke/Acts’. The ‘we’ language especially in this chapter 16 indicates that Luke was not only biographer but eye witness to these momentous events.
Arriving in Philippi, we entered a large archeological site where the magnificent buildings, churches, a Roman theatre/forum were all being carefully unearthed, which actually began with Napoleon in the 19th century. It was quite a marvel. We stood in the blazing heat of the day, listening intently to our Greek guide Athena describe the life of Philippi in the days of St Paul. We stood in the magnificent Roman theatre, a small version of a stadium, with stone circular seating for some 600 people who would be entertained by the plays, but also the gladiators, fighters and even the animals devouring the Christians in the later century of persecution that began under the reign of Emperor Nero.
We walked through the numerous churches that had been constructed from stone and marble, but all of which had succumbed to the ravages of weather and the centuries, and were now being unearthed piece by piece, and with those pieces a story emerging of the growth of the Christian church since that humble day when St Paul baptized Lydia and her household, and then the jailer and his household, at the river Gangitis.
That was our next stop. We drove a little way, barely 2km, to a beautiful setting. The river was like many rivers in Australia – tree lined, shallow, clean and fast flowing over rocks, making the bubbling, rushing sounds that rivers make. Over the centuries, mankind had developed some concrete steps, a small arched bridge, and a tiny amphitheatre for the many thousands of people every year who make their way like us to this spot that stands for so much in our Christian history.
There were already several bus loads before us. Each group took time to sing and reflect, before moving on for the next. Our group went aside to reflect, sing and pray until the central pool area had become free that allowed many to take photos and appreciate the beauty of that setting.
One hundred meters away was a beautiful chapel, a small cathedral which was the ‘Baptistery of Lydia’. The frescoes covering the walls and the high dome made the chapel stunningly beautiful. The place was crowded with so many visitors, but it was well worth the experience.
As fast as our visit to Philippi came, it was time to leave. We drove away, still reflecting on the events that took place here nearly 2000 years ago that were of so much significance to the growth of the Christian church around the world.
We returned to Kavala for lunch at the beautiful waterfront, before all boarding the bus once more for our final destination for the day – the very northerly town of Alexandroupolis. It was a two hour drive. The toll of the days claimed almost everyone on the bus. I suspect that we were all asleep before we were jolted to life by Athena’s lovely voice over the microphone with the news that it would be another 7am start again tomorrow.
The Alexander Hotel is one of the finest in which we have stayed this trip. We had about two hours before dinner, which also lived up to its reputation.
Tomorrow we depart the beautiful shores of Greece, crossing the Aegean Sea to Turkey, in reverse of the ‘Footsteps’ of the one whom we are following. However, tomorrow we will spend time reflecting on the meaning of ANZAC, by visiting the landing beaches of Gallipoli.
From the edge of the Aegean Sea, up near the border into Turkey, and not far south of the Bulgaria border, we send our love.
KRA
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