2025 Greek Pilgrimage - Day Two

Walking in the Footsteps of Paul: Thessaloniki to Kalambaka

Today, we retraced the path of the Apostle Paul through northern Greece.

We began in Thessaloniki, a city where Paul’s preaching once stirred such a commotion that he was accused of “turning the world upside down” (Acts 17:3–6). Walking through the Archaeological Museum and the grand Basilica of St. Demetrios, we learn how faith and history blend seamlessly here. St. Demetrios himself, a Roman proconsul martyred for Christ, remains a symbol of courage and devotion.

Our next stop was Veria (Berea), the very place Paul fled when opposition grew too fierce. Here, Acts 17:10–12 comes to life as you imagine Jews and Greek believers eagerly accepting this radical new faith.

As soon as it was night, the believers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. As a result, many of them believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.

As we hit the road again, we learn a fun fact about Greece…it’s very mountainous…who knew?! 80% of the country, even! We spend the afternoon crossing over the mountains and making our way to our next destination.

By late afternoon, we reached the Meteora.  In Greek, "Meteora" means "suspended in the air" or "suspended in space"  describing the imposing rock formations upon which the Meteora monasteries are built, as the monasteries seem to float or hang in the sky.  

We saw all of the remaining monasteries in the area (out of the initial 24 monasteries that once existed, only six remain), and we were able to enter the Nunnery of St. Stephen. The interior was incredible, but alas, photography was not allowed.

And finally, after some rock scrambling for more incredible views and photos, we arrived in Kalambaka for the night.

What a day!

Donna Matthews

P.S. No luggage again today. Maybe it'll find us 🤷🏻‍♀️, but we're not especially hopeful.