Northern Greece

It's been a little while since I've written which is due to several things: 1) No one wants to hear about what I've been doing in school. Trust me... It's a little boring! 2) I've been sick (I will tell you about that one) and finally 3) I've been on my trip.

First things first... Being sick! If you can avoid it DO NOT GET SICK OVERSEAS! And pray very hard that we never get socialized medicine in America. When I got back from the cruise, I and several other people had nasty coughs and colds. We attributed it to the amount of smoke we inhaled. I do NOT understand how this entire country is not dead from lung cancer. EVERYONE smokes! And when I say everyone, I mean everyone. Well when everyone got better and I didn't I finally went to the doctor. When I walked into the room I was afraid I was going to leave more sick than when I walked in. Do you know the instruments they use to check in your ears, throat, and all that? Well typically they have plastic sanitary covers but these were metal and definitely did not. After using them the doctor would toss them into a rusted metal bucket. He only spoke a few words of english so everything had to be translated from Greek into English. Turns out I had a nasty case of bronchitis. Well I went on with life as normal and the next day went into Athens. Later that evening while I was singing my bronchi and lungs started to shut down on me and I hyperventilated. They took me to the hospital where at first they told me that I wasn't sick at all. Finally they decide that OH YEAH I really was sick with bronchitis and to top it off I have RAD (Reactive Airway Disease). Essentially it is sickness induced asthma which shuts down your breathing tubes when exposed to too much smoke, smog, etc. Of course the funniest part was that my doctor looked like a plumber and took about 8 smoke breaks while he was examining me. They gave me a relaxant with a sedative which made me a little loopy. Apparently I have an underlying fascination with humpty dumpty and duck tape when on medication-- This is a re-occurring theme.

Alright so I just finished up from trip to Northern Greece. We were gone from Thursday until late Sunday evening. Thursday we left early in the morning and headed towards Delphi. When we left it was warm with lots of sunshine. By the time we got to Delphi it was freezing cold and pouring rain. This location was the site of the Delphic oracle, considered the most important oracle in the Greek Classical world and was a major worship site for the god Apollo. The oracle was always a woman who only worked about 9 days out of the year. She sat over an area where gases seeped from the earth, most likely making her high, allowing her to give those "fantastic" predictions. Unlike the other tour groups who headed back to their buses when it started to rain, the stupid intrepid americans pressed ever onward. From there we headed towards the museum to look at lots of ancient statues and rocks. It was kind-of interesting but I was wet and slightly disgruntled.

That night we stayed at a spa hotel. The road out there was something a tour bus should never have been on. It was a dirt country road with sheep on the side of the road. Once we finally got there and made our way down to the room we all made a bee-line for the thermal mineral water. We looked really cute decked out in our shower caps they insisted we wear. It felt amazing! There were bubbly areas, waterfalls, and high powered jets. I think I'm getting really spoiled with these multi-course dinners. Mom, you have a lot to live up to when I get back. Here's the link for the pictures of Day 1.

Delphi and Museum: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004446&l=e098d&id=1523040053

I finally fell asleep at 1 am and had a 6:30 wake-up call. I have never been a big fan of coffee but since coming to Greece I have become a coffee-addict. It's all that holds me over on these trips. We got on the bus that morning and our tour guide tells us: "We've never stayed here before so we asked the people here if there was a short-cut through the mountains. So we are going to have an adventure together." The fog was so thick you couldn't see anything outside the windows. A couple hours later we came to a split in the road and Katerina, our guide said, "Well we are a little lost so let's take a vote which way we should go. Left or right?" We finally arrived at the monastery, ONLY 2 hours late. We were supposed to see two but settled for the one with the least steps. As soon as we stepped off the bus it began to pour AGAIN! One of the requirements to enter the monastery was to wear a skirt. I was fuming under my breath all the way up at the people who decided THAT was a good idea. As is evident by the pictures I got throughly soaked. The inside of the monasteries don't really interest me that much but the outsides make for awesome pictures. While we were there I felt like I had been transported to an alternate reality. There are not enough words to describe how beautiful this place was. The pictures don't do it justice. Standing on the balcony of the monastery I felt an inner sense of peace sweep over me. The hills were covered in lush green, water trickling down the mountains forming waterfalls crashing down towards the earth. The fog gave the place a mystical aura, nestling in around us, shielding us from the world. Honestly I could move there and be happy for the rest of my life. Back on the bus again... My theme song for this trip became on the road again. Our last stop for the day was at the modern day alter to Paul. I didn't enjoy this, thought it was a little pointless but there are still pictures of it. It's all part of documenting my journey.

Meteora (Monastery) and Paul's Alter: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004447&l=180ef&id=1523040053

So what are we to... Second evening? That means I would have been staying at a 5 star hotel. The outside was very impressive but I still couldn't flush the toilet paper so I think I'm ranking Holiday Inn above them. We have a different idea about how to rank hotels in the states than they do over here. But seriously it was really nice. More multi-course meals and AMAZING pillows You come to value the small things in life and good pillows are one of them.

Click on this album to see pictures of me in both the hotels:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004454&l=e98b5&id=1523040053

Our third full day was probably the longest. For the first time it was actually sunny though! Our first stop was at the river which is believed to be the spot where Paul met Lydia and she was baptized. A monument has been built with a small "amphitheater" down by the river. Up from the river is a church which is a church dedicated solely to baptism. Our guide said that she believes it is the only church solely dedicated for that purpose in the world. As we were finishing our tour they were preparing to baptize a baby girl. The river was one of my favorite spots. It was beautiful and I got lots of pretty pictures. From there we headed to the ruins of Philippi. The only way to accurately describe the archeological site is LOTS AND LOTS of rocks. It was interesting but my favorite site thus far has definitely been Ephesus. After a while it all begins to look the same. A few notable points however were the baptistry shaped like a cross and the floor with all the elaborate designs that's still miraculously intact.

River and Philippi: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004448&l=a0f89&id=1523040053

From there we got back on the bus AGAIN... (Is anyone sensing a pattern here?) and started making our way towards Thessaloniki. I had always thought it was pronounced nika, but any disillusions I had were quickly corrected by the native Greeks. Of course no trip to Greece would be complete without a stop to take pictures on the Egnation Way. What was unique about walking on the remnants of this road was that we know Paul walked on it. There's no guessing, no maybes, we know. Now he may not have stood exactly where I did and I know he certainly wasn't posing for pictures but there is a special feeling knowing you are "walking in the footsteps of Paul." Since being here, hiking the terrain, walking the roads the ancients walked, and being hauled all over creation I have gained an ENORMOUS amount of respect for the determination and perseverance it took to spread the gospel to all the known world. Before I was like, that's cool. I didn't have an understanding of just how HUGE an undertaking that really was. For some reason I always thought of Jerusalem and Rome being next door to each other which they are most definitely NOT! Even by modern transportation it takes forever to get anywhere! We wrapped up the day with stopping in Thessaloniki to take pictures and relax a little down by the wharves.

Pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004449&l=a2128&id=1523040053

Next morning, Sunday, up early again. We got back on the bus and started in on our city tour of Thessaloniki. Major highlights of the tour were seeing the White Tower, a Greek Orthodox Church, and the Statue of Alexander the Great. The White Tower was former known as the bloody tower because so many people were killed there. It's name was changed when a prisoner was forced to white-wash the entire thing. I would NOT want that job. We stopped at the Orthodox Church because it has been built on the site where an ancient synagogue used to be. Historians and archeologists believe that Paul probably worshipped at it. Finally was the statue of Alexander. I have decided that it would be amazing to be called Rebecca the Great. So I made sure I took a picture with the statue and tagged myself as Rebecca the Great. While there I also managed to get a few pictures in of Mount Olympus. Unfortunatly we can't hike it otherwise I think most of us would.
We settled in for the next 10 hours, as we made our way back "home" from Macedonia. You better have REALLY liked who you were sitting next to. Luckily for me I did not have a seat-mate. Although, my entire body still hurts from sleeping in really awkward positions. That bus ride was longer than my trip from Detroit over to Europe. Our final stop for this trip was at Thermopylae Pass.... Can anyone say 300 Spartans? I think it was more of a stop for the guys but it was interesting just the same. Actually as I'm writing this I'm watching 300. It's pretty sweet to be watching the movie and go... HEY I've been THERE!

Pictures: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004452&l=4bafb&id=1523040053

Let's see... Here are some other misc. things from the trip you might find a little amusing. As I've said numerous times... The drivers over here are HORRIBLE! Except for the bus drivers. As the guys on my trip would say-- They're PRO! Pretty much I would put them up against any driver in the states. They take us places in a tour bus that I would never want to take a car... Mountain roads in the fog, down streets that should be one way but are accommodating 2 cars, etc. They make turns that look impossible!

Last thing and then I think I'll finally get this published. I've been working on it for the past 3 days. This one just hasn't come together as easily as some of the others have. When I get back home the first thing I will do is go use a toilet, regardless of whether I need to use one or not. Everyone you go into flushes a different way, most don't have toilet seats, and some there is no toilet at all. These are called squatty potties. Essentially you squat down and pee in a hole in the ground. I have discovered I have a "shy" bladder and there are just some conditions that it refuses to go in. Luckily at the majority of the rest stops the restrooms were really nice. The only problem was that we weren't the only bus having to use the restroom. Greek women would get off and shove to the front of the line. They get up really close to you and the second a stall door opens elbows start flying and it's a knock-down-drag-out to see who will beat the other one out. We were getting increasingly aggravated when our professors wife, Tish (who is one of the most AMAZING people I know), tells us to try and block them out, saying, "Stand strong girls!" Moments later one of our girls came out of the bathroom and said there's no toilet paper in here. So Tish promptly motions to one of the Greek women and tells them to use that one. She then proceeds to send several more into it and tells the rest of our girls to do the same. Who knew going to the restroom could get so down right dirty and turn into an all out war.

I do have a interesting story about how I spent my recovery day on Monday but that is for another blog and for when I have a little more time. In the meantime here is one more album, my flower album:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2004453&l=05b14&id=1523040053
The flowers over here are SO beautiful I've decided just to create an album dedicated to them. I'll re-post this link at different points when I've added more pictures to the album. I leave for Egypt on Tuesday so look forward to hearing about my impressions and seeing LOTS of pictures. I'm pretty sure I get to ride a camel and I'm SO excited! Hopefully there will be one more blog entry before I leave... We shall see. While I'm not actually in school a whole lot the time I am is very intense.

I miss everyone and pray God's blessings on you.

Love, Rebecca