Pilgrims are expectant

Pilgrim life definitely has a rhythm to it, and in that, we continue to expect great things from our journeys together, immersing ourselves in our experiences.  We had some good perspective on this approach in our text for the day - Philippians 3:17-21 - and all agree that we grow so much more individually and collectively when we embrace these experiences, no matter how foreign or different they might seem.

Our journey continued north, through the countryside of Greece (which looks a lot like wine country in the Central coast or Northern part of California), making a stop first at Beroea to visit the area that Paul fled to when escaping his looming arrest by the Thessalonians.  Noteworthy for the group was a quick trip to a memorial on the street, then a walk down to the Jewish quarter, where we saw the synagogue that Paul visited.  We read from Acts 17:10-15 for some context to our location, and enjoyed mention of the specific synagogue that we were standing in front of!  We wrapped up our time in Beroea by discovering a wonderful river flowing through the neighborhood and quiet, meandering streets that eventually led us back to the downtown area.

Vergina was our next stop, taking us to an underground museum that houses the impressive remains and tombs of King Phillip, Prince Alexander IV, plus an impressive assortment of antiquities and ancient relics that date all the way back to 4th century B.C.  The use of the natural space (underground), combined with the modern technology of temperature and humidity controlled cabinets made for a very interesting display, with a lot of information for those who really "dig" archaeological ruins (poor pun intended).

We rolled into Thessaloniki in the early evening to get oriented to the city...the big tour will begin tomorrow.  We visited an active Greek Orthodox church, then walked down to see the ruins of a roman agora where Paul addressed the Thessalonians.

We took PHOTOS, naturally.  You will view (and enjoy) them, of course!