After a restful day and night on board our cruise ship, we reached our next port of call, Athens (Piraeus) Greece. We were met at the docks by our tour bus and our tour guide, and then we were off to our first stop, the ruins of Corinth.
On the way to Corinth, we stopped at an ancient canal that was built to move ships from the harbor to a palace (I think it was a palace??) I don't remember the whole story, but I did take a photo! We stopped at a little roadside "touristy" stop and enjoyed a little shopping and a snack, and then hiked down to a walkway, that spanned the canal. I have included a picture of the sign for the women's restroom also, I thought it was too cute!
I loved Corinth!! There is still a little village there.........the homes were just like I had imagined.....stuccoed and with red tile roofs, and each home had its own little walled garden, and an orchard.
When we drove up to the site of the ancient city of Corinth, I was in awe of the great columns that I saw in the distance. I am still amazed at what has survived over thousands of years. After a short tour-guide speech, we were able to walk all around the site and even allowed to walk in and through areas that had been homes, and bath houses, and market stalls. We stopped to have a Bible study at the site of the Behma Seat, and then we walked around the museum.
The museum had some fascinating displays, and I really enjoyed it. My favorite item in the museum was a mirror, made from polished bronze, dating to the Apostle Paul's day. It put me in mind of the verses in Paul's first epistle to the Corinthian church, about seeing in a mirror dimly, but some day we will see face to face. By looking at it's polished, but not so clear surface, I can better understand what he meant! (See 1 Cor. 13) We weren't allowed to take pictures of any of the displays, so I don't have one to show you.
We left Corinth and headed to downtown, modern day, Athens, where we stopped to have lunch (authentic Greek foods, very yummy!), and then we hiked up to the site of Mars Hill, and the Acropolis.
Mars Hill was one of my favorite places. The stairs up to the top of the hill, are the same ones that have been used for thousands of years, and that means that I walked where the Apostle Paul had walked. I have included a picture of the marble cobblestone roads that are still in use, since the days of Paul.
The Acropolis was awe inspiring too. It is very well preserved and as you can see from the photos, restoration work is still going on. I loved all of the marble and stone carvings, so detailed and beautiful.
From the Acropolis you could see the ancient temple of Zeus and an ancient amphitheater.
After our tour in Athens, we were given a bus tour of the modern day city of Athens, and then we headed back to the ship.
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