A Day in Ancient Phillipi

Today was an incredible day. Just waking up and knowing that I was in Greece was exciting enough, but that was nothing compared to what our day held in store us. We went to Phillipi, to visit the ancient city that was evangelized by Paul. It was amazing. There were SO many ruins everywhere. It was incredible to see everything. What was particularly powerful was the theater where Paul is almost sure to have spent significant time preaching. Also we found the prison where Paul was placed until the earthquake set him and the other prisoners free. We were also able to see the place where Lydia was baptized, the first European. Lastly we climbed up to the top of a Venetian fortress in the town of Kevala that defended the major port city in the region for hundreds of years. After all that sight seeing we stopped at a cafe/restaurant for dinner and I got the best fish I had ever had. All told it was in incredible day of some really amazing sights. Not to mention increased awareness of Greek culture and some fascinating historical insights.

I've really tried to only put insightful photographs on the blog. Know that I had to individually import each of these so they're up here specifically because I think they show something about the experience I'm having.


This is a picture of what most of the topography of Greece resembles. Dry, arid, and mountainous. Very little real vegetation to speak of. This is on the car ride to Phillipi.


This is a picture of the acropolis of Phillipi. It was the watchtower for the surrounding countryside and looked much like one of the signal towers from Lord of the Rings. Of course we climbed it.


The original city walls surrounding the city.


The theater of Phillipi. The acoustics here were phenomenal.







The following are various shots of the ruins that have been excavated.









I am standing on the old Roman Road between Rome and Constantinople (which ran right by Phillipi). Those stones date back to the time of the Romans.

Another shot of where the road ran.




Ancient toilets.

The remains of a church.



Pictures of an awesome mosaic that is still being excavated.












Paul's jail cell in Phillipi.




The baptismal at the church in Phillipi.


After we hiked up the mountain behind Phillipi to look at the watchtower on top, there were some amazing views. On the left side of the mountain was the modern city, complete with the above depicted olive groves.

That's the watchtower in the distance, almost there!



The view of the ruins from the summit.

Some shots of the fertile valley neighboring the city of Phillipi. VERY uncommon for Greece.



A close up of the tower.


Pictures from the church which stands next to the stream where Lydia was baptized.

It was really cool inside.


The stream itself. I took some water from the creek. I'm not sure what to do with them it at this point.

The city of Kevala, and you can see the Venetian castle at the top of the city. Of course we climbed that too.

Caleb and I before our food was served.

That's all for now. More I'm sure to follow in the coming days. Suffice it to say things have been amazing thus far and are only looking up.