Rhodes

A bronze monument built 304/284 B.C. Collapsed during earthquate in 225 B.C. Weighed 250 tons and was 90-129ft. high.This Colosus was one of the seven wonders of the world. Grand Palace

Gate of Wall to City

The walled town of Rhodes

Rhodes with its walled town is Greece's biggest & most cosmopolitan resort. The town of Lindos can be reached on foot or by donkey and from here there is a breathtaking view of the Pelagos and of St. Paul's Bay, where the apostle dropped anchor on his way to Ephessos, Turkey(then Asia Minor). The Grand Master's Palace and fortifications are still in good repair and are some of the most interesting sights to be seen on the island.

Rhodes tradition held in Lindos on the southeast coast of the island, has the Apostle Paul's ship arrive at the island in the small harbor and stay in their city and preached, bringing many people into the new faith. (Acts 6:5)

Santorine/Thira

Santorine is the most extraordinary island in the Aegean. A volcano rose here from the sea in prehistoric times, deposited its lava on the flanks of a high rock already there and an island was born. Many archaeologists believe that Santorini is in fact the site of the lost city of Atlantis. Sailing into the gulf, one sees gaunt & sheer cliffs rising all around. The ascent from the port to the town of Santorine/Thira is made either in the comfort of the cable car, or up a zig-zag stairway on mules. Many of our group rode the mules , but I rode the cable car. You can see homes dug out in the cliffs as you ascend to the top. From the summit, the panoramic view over the flooded crater to the small, still active volcanic islands in the bay is breathtaking .

Kusadasi/Ephessos

Top - Sitting on the latrines...Next - Ephessos...Next - Camel, mode of travel.

Next- Road with columns(Street of Curetes)...Next -The library of Celsus...Last - The Grand Theatre.

Here we have pictures of the famous archaeological site of Ephessos. What was once Asia Minor - today is Turkey. This town is a shoppers' delight, crowded with little shops of exotic merchandise. Bargaining is a must and be sure to accept a cup of the local mint tea or Turkish coffee. Among the Turkish cuisine you can have fresh kalamari (squid) or an octopus salad. The most interesting history of this area is the ancient city of Ephessos founded in the 8th century B.C. The Ephesians worshipped Artemis, sister of Apollo, and Goddess of Fertility. From the remains of the port road which led to the old harbour is a magnificent view of the impressive amphitheatre, world renowned for its excellent acoustics. It was here that St. Paul preached to the Ephesians, imploring them to cease their worship of Artemis, and to turn to Christianity. Nearby you can see the prison where he was incarcerated as a result of scheming by silversmiths and politicians, who considered his teachings to be dangerous to their financial interest. During the 6th century A.D. Christianity flourished on the spot where St. John was buried.

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Crete

Crete is the Mediterraneans 4th and Greece's largest island. It is mountainous and fertile with many attractive beaches and picturesque scenery which attracts literaly thusands of visitors each year, and unquestionable, the most famous attraction of all is the site of King Minor Palace at Knossos.The palace Knossos is an introduction to the brilliant culture originally built 2000 B.C. Destroyed 300 years later & replaced by a magnificent group of buildings now partly reconstructed. For Paul's journey see Acts 27:7-15.

Mykonos

Known as the 'St Tropez of Greece,' Mykonos is the dreamland of sun lovers and fashion lovers; a walk through the town showed us many famous fashion names and popular jewellery designers. Its picturesque landscapes, dotted with white-washed houses and quaint windmills, and its excellent beaches draw tourist from all over the world. Even the roads are whitewashed, and colours are not permitted except on the doors and shutters of the quaint houses, and to decorate the domes of the 365 churches on this little island.

Hydra

After touring Greece , we boarded ship and started our tour of the Greek islands. Our first stop was the Island of Hydra and we were astonished at the spectacle of snow-white houses rising in succession above one another from the water's edge towards the crest of the rock. Hydra is a rocky island with a treeless ridge about two to four miles wide. - only a few acres of arable land. Hydra still reserves the appearance of a tiny old-world port untouched by time. There are no cars on the island and the only form of transport is the age-old friend of man, the donkey.

The Corinth Canal

The Corinth Canal, begun 1882 and completed in 1893. The idea of cutting a canal through the narrow neck of the isthmus which joins the Peloponnese to the rest of Greece was conceived in classical times and seriously investigated by several Roman emperors. The present canal is 6,939 yards long, its bed width is 75.6 as at Suez, the depth of water is 26.3. It shortens the voyage between the Adriatic and the Piraeus by some 200 miles.

Corinth

Corinth is one of the oldest towns of Greece. At one time the largest city. Its vast luxury, loving wealth brought about total destruction by the Romans in 146 BC and remained uninhabited until by order of Julius Caesar in 44 BC. This explains why there is only one Greek ruin, the seven Doric column of the 6th century, Temple of Apollo.(at top)

After lying waste for a hundred years, Corinth was rebuilt in 46BC. Corinth was a Greek port of great importance, situated on the narrow neck of land separating the central part of Greece from the Peloponnesus.

It was to this community, greedy for power, dedicated to pleasure, fascinated by rhetoic and knowledge, that Paul came and It was here that Paul lashed out against immorality causing a riot, but was acqquitted by Roman proconsul, Gallio. (Acts 18)

Corinth was destroyed by an earthquake.

Mars Hill

Areopagus had authority over religious life of Athens. Hearing of the new doctrines advanced by St. Paul, the council felt obliged to gain first hand information. What they heard was one of the most famous speeches recorded in the New Testament.(Acts 17:19-32)

Acropolis

The Acropolis with a capital A always means the Acropolis in Athens. Acropolis means the highest point, an easy defensible upper town. In Athens are Antiquity's most splendid group of buildings. They served both as a fortress and as the sacred sanctuary of Athens, its tutelary goddess. Today it is crowned by the ruins of three temples and an entrance way. The architectural perfection of which has not been surpassed in 2500 years. The first ancient monument on the southern slope of the Acropolis is peisistratus' 6th century BC, the theater of Dionysus. Performances here were attended by the entire population of the capital and lasted from daybreak to sunset. They were known as the festival of the Dionysis and combined plays and Bacchananian feasts. The front row of 67 seats was intended for Vips and the one in the center was occupied by the officiating priest at the festival. Another theater: that of Herodes Atticus, built by 2nd century AD as a memorial o his decesed wife. Seating capacity 5000. It remains in a good state of preservaton and the Athens Festival of Music & Drama is held here every summer.

Parthenon

The Parthenon, on the hill of the Acropolis, is, of course, what every visitor to this city wants to see. Built as a temple in honour of the Greek goddess Athena, protectess of the city and Goddess of Wisdom, the Parthenon is one of Europe's most famous landmarks, and the symbol of this city where western thought and culture were born.

The temple had eight fluted columns at either end and 17 on each side. The sculptural decorations - 92 metopes, 44 statues ornamenting the gables and frieze 523 ft. long. The Parthenon was a place of worship and a national treasury, containing buillion as well as priceless ornaments.

Changing of the Guard

This is the Presidential Guard of the unknown soldier.The guard's uniform consists of a multi-pleated white muslin kilt and white blouse under a black, gold embroidered wool jacket.

Athens

Approximately nine miles from the port of Piraeus, lies the city of Athens, capital of modern Greece. It was during the 2nd century BC that Athens was made part of the Roman Empire, and was recognized as a major seat of learning and culture throughout the known world. In 49 AD, the arrival of St. Paul in Athens on one of his many journeys through the Mediterranean lands introduced the people to Christianity.

Delphi

The Treasury of the Athenians at Delphi

More of the ruins of Delphi

Delphi was the holiest place in Greece. The most celebrated oracle of Antiquity rose terrace upon terrace above what the ancients call the 'navel of the earth.' It was said it was located when two eagles flying from opposite ends of the earth met here midway. The Parnassos is a term frequently applied to the area on either side of the spine of mountains extending northwest from the border of Atticica. This region is rich in mythological & historical allusions.

Meteora

Monastery of Tranfiguration Walking to the Monastery

The Monk Athannasius founded the Monastery of the Transfiguration, in the 14th century, on the great Meteora and imposed the austere rules of the Holy mountain, rigorously excluded women.

Beroea

Where Paul was imprisoned. (Acts 17:10-14)

Market

Top -Liver, Calf Fries, Heart- Center -Part of Market - Bottome- Different types of Olives

Greece makes more pasta than Italy. They import very little - eating what is in season. They grow tobacco, figs, grapes, almonds & olives. One-third of Greece is agriculture - the rest is rocky and mountains. It rains in the Spring and Fall and the rest of the time they irrigate.

Thessaloniki

Acts 17:1 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Synagogue of Jews.

Thessaloniki was a bustling seaport city at the head of the Thermaic Gulf. It was an important communication and trade center, located at the junction of the great Egnatian Way and the road leading north to the Danube.

The background of the Thessalonia church is found in Acts 17:1-9. Since Paul began his ministry there in the Jewish synagogue, it is reasonable to assume that the new church included some Jews. However, I Thess. 1:9-10 and Acts 17:4 seem to indicate that the church was largely Gentile in membership.

Kavala (Neopolis)

Kavala is the 5th largest town in Greece. It was here Paul first set foot on European soil- here is the busy waterfront.

Batistry at Philippi

Baptistry at Philippi -Stained glass windows of Paul & Lydia

Lydia

It was in Philippi that Paul preached his first sermon to the women washing their clothes in the Gaggitas river . Recorded in Acts 16:12-18 is the account of the first European convert, Lydia, a native of Thyatira (Asia Minor) and a seller of purple dyed cloth. After her profession of faith she was baptized in the Gaggitas River, today a stream flowing through the fertile valley of the region.

We had an interesting experience here where a Baptistry had been erected to memoralize the baptise of Lydia. We all went inside and sang "Blest Be The Tie That Binds," with another Christian tour group that was there.

Philippi, Greece

Egnatia Way connected the East with Rome. Philippi was situated on this main highway.

After the tour of the Holy Land, I went to Greece and followed the footsteps of Paul. We flew into Athens and immediately boarded another plane to Thessaloniki and stayed at the Olympus Hotel for the time we were in Macedonia. We then boarded a bus for a full day excursion to Amphipolis, Philippi and Kavala (Neapolis). This was where Paul first set foot on European soil.

Philipppi is eastern Macedonia's outstanding archaeological site. Here it was that Brutus had his fatal meeting with Caesar's ghost when he and Cassius were defeated by Mark Anthony & Octavian in 42 B.C.

Philippi during the time of St. Paul was a Roman garrison town and the chief city in the province of Macedonia. It is located 10 miles inland from the port city of Kavala (the biblical city, Neapolis).The biblical account of Paul's initial visit to Philippi is found in Acts 16:11.

Paul and Silas ran into trouble when they exorcised an evil spirit from a slave girt who made her owners a great deal of money through her fortune-telling. They were arrested, severely beaten, and thrown in prison. Acts 16: 16-39

End of Tour

This was a fascinating journey and I hope you have enjoyed seeing the pictures and reading a little about the places I visited. To see the entire tour, go back to October 2009.

The Sphinx

The Sphinx, a lion couchant with king's head is cut out of solid rock. The damage you can see on it dates from the Mamhukes, who used it as a target for their shooting practie. Between the paws there is a small alter.



The Sphinx and Pyranids of Giza remain through the ages to lure and mystify virtually all visitors to Egypt.



Go back to the start of this tour of Israel, Jordan and Egypt which started in October 2009.

Pyramids

The pyramids were not built by slaves, but farmers who during the rainy season could not cultivate their land because the Nile had flooded, so they built the pyramids for their masters.

The pyramids, as history relates, were built as tombs for Egyptian kings, the belief being a man's body had to be preserved and protected so his soul could live forever.

At Giza the great pyramid of the Cheops, was built by Pharaoh Cheops for himself as a tomb about the year 2600 B.C. The material used was mainly Mokattam limestone. 100,000 men took twenty years to set 2.3 million stone blocks, each weighing 2 1/2 tons, one upon the other. Originally the height of the pyramid was 481 1/2 ft.. Stooping, we climbed up through a narrow corridor into the King's Chamber, in which an empty, broken granite sarcophagus stands.

The Chephren Pyramid, built by King Chephren about 2650 B.C. is only some four feet lower than the Great Pyramid. The pyramid of Mycerinus is the smallest of the three pyramids, being barely 200 ft. high. It was built by King Mycerinus about 2600 B.C.

Avenue of the Sphinxes (Rams)

Tomb of Sadat, Cairo

The Tomb of the much revered President Sadat, who was assassinated in 1981. It is especially splendid to see at night when, like many of Cairo's antiquities, it is impressively lighted.

Valley of the Kings

Rameses II, The Great, reigned for 67 years. He lived for 110 years and had 70 wifes.

Across the Nile by ferry from Luxor is the Valley of the Kings where rulers of the 18th, 19th and 20th Dynasties prepared rock-hewn tombs for themselves. As a rule a steep stairway descents into the tomb to a corridor, which leads to an anteroom; here there are usually several other rooms. The granite sarcophagus containing the royal mummy was placed in the very last of these rooms. All wall surfaces and pillars are covered with coloured reliefs and hieroglyphs.

Tomb of Tutankhamon

All entrances to tombs face north, believing the king will unit with the North Star. Tomb of 'Tut' though the smallest is one of the most famous. The precious finds made here have not been surpassed for vaiety and priceless magnificence.

Tombs do not depict life of King, but depict the 'Book of life.'

Egypt is the last stop on the Holy Land trip. Go back to October for beginning.

Miscellenous pictures

Loading sugarcane



Making vases out of Alabaster



Men restoring temples

Colossi of Memmon

Colossi of Memmon are two 52 1/2 ft. high seated statues of Amenophis III. They flanked the entry, in ancient times to a Temple of Amenophis, of which barely the foundations have survived. Each figure has been, sculpted from one great sandstone block, which was brought down from the mountains near Cairo. The face of these Colossi, even in ancient times, stemmed from the peculiar wails which one of the colossi made at sunrise. We now know that these sounds were caused by a change of temperature and atmospheric humidity, in a crack in the figure. Emperor Severus had the figures restored and the 'Song of Memmon' was heard no more.

Queen Hatshepsut

The mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut (pronounced hat-sheap-suit) is a terrace temple; its layout is unique in Egypt. Partly cut from the solid rock, the temple rises in three terraces, which are connected by central ramps. It was dedicated to the God Amun, but names of Hatchepsut have been chiseled away by her jealous nephew and stepson. Tuthmosis III who seized power after her death and sought to efface any reminders of her. 1500 B.C.

Luxor

We flew from Cairo to Luxor where we stayed in the Etap Hotel right on the Nile River. Luxor is part of ancient Thebes, the capital city of the ancient Egyptian empire and the most important of all Egyptian cities. Its golden age was during the 18th, 19th and 20th Dynasties and then it was a world city, even by our standards. Here the Pharoahs created buildings truly worthy of kings and on such a gigantic scale that even we, creatures of the 'Age of Technology,' are deeply impressed and marvel at the massive proportions of everything.

Aswan Dam

Our first stop was to view the Aswan Dam, built over half a century ago (1902), now demoted to the rank of a mere reservoir dam by the new great High Dam, the Sad el Ali some 4 1/2 miles south of the earlier dam, The crown of the dam is over three miles long, 164 ft. thick and towers more than 360 ft. above the river bed. The inland lake crated by the dam is more than 375 miles long penetrating some 155 miles into the territory of the Sudan. Lake Nasser is the largest manmade Lake in the world. The Nile River is damned.

Egypt

We ended our Holy Land trip in Egypt. The above map was current when we were there- not so today. We walked across Sinai desert into Egypt showing our passports at four check points. Entering Egypt was almost as bad as entering Israel, where we were physically examined. WE were detained 2 hours at the El Arish Border before starting across the desert to Cairo. We crossed the Suez Canal on a Ferry We saw many date palms and miles & miles of sand dunes. Only Bedouins and camels live the the sand dune area. They get water from wells that are 2 meters deep. We had a military escort all the way with a police escort to our hotel.

It was here the Egyptian solders came across Abraham and brought him before Pharoah, who loaded him with gifts and sent him back to his people with an escort. In Sinai too, Moses received the Ten Commandments. The Holy Family had to cross this peninsula in their 'Flight into Egypt' and in these mountains persecuted Christians sought and found refuge in the time of the Romans.

Bedouins Home

The coloring of Petra's veined sandstone is a marvelous natural wonder. The city is miraculous, a genuine wonder in its combination of a strange natural beauty with remarkable architectural achievements of man. Petra is by no means a dead city. Bedouins still live in the caves carved by the ancients. Their living derived from the traditional herding of sheep and goats and by selling souvenirs and acting as guides to sightseers.

Even tho touring Jordan was most interesting, this trip was mostly to see and focus on the Holy Land. Go back to october 6th to see the beginning.

Petra, Jordan

We rode donkeys or camels down an incline and through the narrow opening - the only way to enter Petra.

Petra means rock. It is 4050 ft. high and surrounded by sandstone mountains ranging from 180 ft. to 300 ft. high. There is only one entrance 150-160 ft. wide (very narrow). An opening made naturally by the Red Sea (Petra was under the Red Sea 500,000 years ago). An opening squeezed between sheer, soaring rock walls. Found again in 1812, excavations were started in 1902, and opened for visitors in 1925.