Tuesday 24 February 2015

Our World Tuesday,ABC Wednesday , G for Greece

This week we have arrived at the letter G, which inspires me to write something about Greece, the cradle of the western civilisation.
Greece is having a very difficult time now. We hope that their new government can help them back to a better economic situation. We hope Creece will stay in the European Community.






Wikipedia says:"

The Phaistos Disc, found in the Minoan palace of Phaistos in Crete.


Greek territories and colonies during the Archaic period (750-550 BC).

The earliest evidence of the presence of human ancestors in the Balkans, dated to 270,000 BC, is to be found in the Petralona cave, in the northern Greek province of Macedonia..........  Neolithic settlements in Greece, dating from the 7th millennium BC, are the oldest in Europe by several centuries, as Greece lies on the route via which farming spread from the Near East to Europe.



The first time I travelled to Greece was in April 2007. We started in Thessaloniki where we stayed 2 nights. One of the first sights was the church in Philippi dedicated to Lydia, a seller of purple.
(Acts 16: 11-22).
Wikipedia:" Tyrian purple , also known as Tyrian red, royal purple, imperial purple or imperial dye, is a bromine-containing reddish-purple natural dye. It is a secretion produced by one or more species of predatory sea snails in the family Muricidae, rock snails originally known by the name Murex."





                        Inside the church there is a magnificent dome, the painting of which is representing   
                         Jesus being baptized by Johnt he Baptist.Look at those colours!





Outside the church a service was going on near the water where Lydia was said to have been baptized by Saint Paul.

After Philippi we went to see the ruins of an agora where Paul preached in a  former court of justice,
which was called"basilica" by the Christian community.









Some parts and sights I shall write about in other posts, but now I can show you something of Delphi,


 Every body has heard the expression "it's an oracle of Delphi", not knowing what it means.

I'll write more about it later.
Delphi was considered to be the centre of the world in ancient times .
Legend has it that Zeus took two eagles and let them loose in two opposite directions. The place where they met was called Delphi.





Wikipedia :
Delphi is both an archaeological site and a modern town in Greece on the south-western spur of Mount Parnassus in the valley of Phocis. In myths dating to the classical period of Ancient Greece (510-323 BC), the site of Delphi was believed to be determined by Zeus when he sought to find the centre of his "Grandmother Earth" (Ge, Gaea, or Gaia). He sent two eagles flying from the eastern and western extremities, and the path of the eagles crossed over Delphi where the omphalos, or navel of Gaia was found.".


















 A visit to the Meteora was very surprising. See later post.

 A church dedicated to Saint Sophia



                                                         
 Acropolis


These are just a few photos of Greece, more are to follow in the next few weeks.

Greece is a country of ancient religion and Christianity, a country of highly developed culture and impressive architecture surrounded by beautiful nature. 


 We arrived at the sixteenth round of ABC Wednesday and the letter G. See more lovely and interesting words starting with G. Click on the logo in the sidebar and refer please to the ABC on Wednesday meme  and Mrs Nesbitt.

Welcome to Our World Tuesday! This meme continues in memory of the work of Klaus Peter, whose "that's My World" brought people together from around the world every Monday to share the wonders therein--big and small.Please click on our  logo for "Our World Tuesday" in the sidebar. Thank you Team of O. W. T.!


18 comments:

Sylvia K said...

Such a terrific post, Wil, and such beautiful captures!! Thank you for sharing these! My husband and I spent two weeks in Greece many years ago when he was stationed in Germany! It was a real thrill for him particularly because he was a Silver Medalist in the Olympics held in Tokyo just a few years before. I will never forget that trip!!! Hope you have a great new week!!

Gattina said...

I made a roundtrip through Greece and visited all sites in 2008. I was very disappointed, the sites were neglected, the people very unfriendly and I always compared to Turkey's sites !

Brenda said...

I love this post Wil. Thank you for all of the beautiful photos and information. I want to show this my husband. I will be coming back to read about it a few more times. Most of what you said was all new to me. Blessings to you Wil!

Anonymous said...

So much amazing history in Greece. I'd love to visit one day. Lovely post filled with lots of great information!

ChrisJ said...

Both my husband and son visited Greece briefly quite a few years ago. They loved it. I am so interested in all the places you have visited there. I have a smattering of knowledge about the history of the country because of my interest in Biblical studies. (I know that should be a small 'b' but can't bring myself to do it. :) ) I also am aware of the economic problems of Greece, but not too many of the details. Looking forward to seeing more photos.

Photo Cache said...

Greece is not only historical it's also so beautiful.

My ABC WEDNESDAY

Hildred said...

Lovely photos Wil, - I find it most interesting to learn about other civilizations.

Roger Owen Green said...

GREAT shots.
My daughter is named for that story in the book of Acts!

ROG, ABCW

Indrani said...

Excellent pics. I was in Thessaloniki only for a day. I didn't see this church but saw few other byzantine churches.
Happy ABCW!

Unknown said...

Ik ben er nog nooit geweest maar hoop er ooit eens te mogen zijn.

Over de politieke kwestie laat ik me maar niet uit dat heb ik al op mijn log gedaan ;-)

Mooie bijdrage Wil !

Trubes said...

Hello Wil,
lots of interesting information here, a good and informative read too and oozing with ancient monuments.
We have had several trips to the Greek Islands which are very beautiful.
Interesting that you followed the path of St Paul, as we did in Turkey, a much travelled disciple of Christ was he!
I do hope the new Greek Government can sort out their finances, It seems the EU are going to bail them out, let's pray it works!
Best wishes,
Di,
ABCW team.


Louisette said...

I have love for Delphe place, also Ephese,have a nice end week,Greeting from Belgium in Mons

http://louisette.eklablog.com/

Anonymous said...

how the economy of Greece? There is not much news now. There are not many Greeks in New Zealand, but there is a not so nice story about them in our park, where they were brought over to grow olives,

Ann said...

So much bible history here, would love to visit and see that magnificent dome.
ann

Obsessivemom said...

What beautiful pictures. I find Greek Mythology fascinating and have been sharing stories with the kids of my book club. They're as hooked as I am. It is a lot like Indian mythology with stories within stories. I'd love to visit Greece one day.

eileeninmd said...

What a wonderful post! Greece is on my bucket list of places to visit. For now, I have enjoyed your wonderful trip photos.. Thank you for sharing your visit.. Have a happy day!

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

As beautiful as it is historical! Thank you for sharing both the history and the beauty.

Unknown said...

Weer prachtige foto's Wil,
je zou wel reisbeschrijvingen kunnen maken met die foto's van jou ;-)

Ik krijg er in ieder geval wel reislust van.

Fijne woensdag.