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.

The Lion Gate, Mycenae.

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.!