Good morning
Visit of Athens

At 6 in the morning, we were awake our suitcases were ready to go with our name and number of the floor and cabin for the ship.

Down stair everybody eat their breakfast. People talk to each other, with our name tag it was easy to remember names and states.

Around 7:30 this morning all our suitcases were in the hall. After the breakfast all the luggages were gone in the buses, people were waiting in line in this big hotel to go in a separate bus.

We had another tours bus with a different tour guide, the first one was from Athens, this one was from Thessaloniki. She was also very knowledgeable.
We ask her if the tours guides will come with us on the cruse , she said yes, and she was so happy to see her mother in Thessaloniki, her hometown.

Athens history: 478 BC The League, of which a large number of Greek cities were members, had its initial purpose to counter the Persian threat by joint action.
Within it, Athens acquired a leading role and soon emerged as the first city of Greece.

At the same time. Pericles the creator of the golden age the most brilliant period of Athenian history, had become the city's political leader.
In this time democracy reached its most mature expression and in every field of intellectual activity and the arts it was an age of greatness and glory.

After many wars ,decline began.Athens in the time of the Apostle Paul was not of course, the flourishing city of the classical period, but it still retained some measure of the glory of the past and its numerous monuments, witness to its supremacy in the arts and sciences.
The Agora was the political, administrative, commercial and religious centre of the city.
The acts of the Apostles renders is certain that Paul visited the Agora.

The preaching of Paul does not seem to have met with the same response in Athens as it did in other large cities of Greece. The Athenians adopted an attitude of scepticism toward him, particularly when he spoke of the resurrection of the dead, where as Paul regarded it as a weakness of Greek thought that it was unable to comprehend the message of Resurrection contained in Christianity

Although the Athenians were unable to agree with Paul's views they do not seem to have persecuted or arrested him, as was the case in other places.

In the end, the ancient Greek religion was dealt a mortal blow when in the fifth century the emperor Theodosius II forbade heathen worship and when , in 529 AD, Justinian closed the city's schools of philosophy.

Later with the triumph of Christianity, many of the ancient temples of Athens were converted into Christian churches.

After seen the Acropolis the Parthenon the Agora so many interesting things to see, we went to a very nice restaurant in Athens.

Everything was well organize. We arrive at the port of Pireas and embarkated in the Ocean Majesty.

We were about 450 peoples. I admired the organization, it was very good , to me it was perfect.



When we went to our room our luggages were there, all of them. Then we went for the Lifeboat Drill

Dr Stanley received us with a speach

First seating dinner was at 5:30. I looked to find where was the restaurant like every body else.I had the guide

The restaurant was with tables of 4 or 6 or 8. Ours was a table of 8 with white tablclothe and white napkings.

We meet our new friends, somebody pray before we eat,and we started the intreductions. Conversation came easely. We had a menu with many choice. The chef prepared us an international menu'

After the dinner Dr Stanley had a Bible Study. It was so conforting to hear the word of GOD.
After that it was a show.
That night I slept so well

Thank you LORD
In JESUS Name

With love
Christie

The next day it was Thessaloniki

Bonjour

A 6 heure du matin, nous etions reveillees nos valises etaient prete, avec notre nom numero et cabine pour le bateau.

Tout le monde prenait leur petit dejeuner. Les gens se parlait et avec notre nom et Etats sur une etiquette accroche sur nous , c'etait facile de ce rappeler les noms et l'etats de chacun de nous.

A 7:30 ce matin toutes nos valises etaient dans le grand hall de l'hotel. Apres le petit dejeuner les valises etaient ranges dans les bus ,et les gens attendaient en ligne pour aller a leur tour dans ces grand bus.

Nous avions un autre bus avec une nouvelle guide. La premiere etait d'Athens et la second est de Thessalonique. Elle etait aussi tres informe.

Nous lui avons demande si les guides venaient avec nous en croisiere, elle a repondu oui et etait impatiente de voir sa mere a Thessalonique.

Histoire d'Athenes:En 478 av. J.-C.cette alliance, a laquelle participaient de nombreuses cites grecques avait comme bur initial d'opposer un front commun au danger perse . Athenes acquit en sont sein une place dominante et devain la premiere cite de la Grece.
Parallelement, sur le plan politique, le pouvoir etait passe aux mains de Pericles, le demuirge de "L'age d'or" la periode de la plus brillante de l'histoire athenienne. C'est sous Pericles que la democratie atteignit son apogee et que tous les domaines de la pensee et de l'art connurent des moments de grandeur et de gloire.

Apres les guerres commencait le declain d'Athenes. Athenes, a l'epoque de Paul, n'etait evidemment pas la ville florissante de la periode classique, mais elle conservait la gloire de son passe et de tres nombreux monuments, temoins de sa superiorite dans le domaine de la penseeet de l'art.

L'Agora constituait le centre politique, administratif, commercial et religieux de la ville. Les "Actes des Apotres" rapportent avec certitude que Paul visita l'Agora.

La predication de Paul a Athenes ne dut pas connaitre le meme succes que dans d'autres villes de Grece. Les Atheniens l'ecouterent avec scecepticisme, particulierement lorsqu'il leur parla de la resurection des morts.
Paul considerait comme une faiblesse de la pensee Grecque le fait qu'elle ne pouvait pas saisir ce message particulier du christianisme.

Cependant, bien que les Atheniens ne fussent pas d'accord avec ses idees, il ne semble pas qu'ils le pourchassere ou l'arreterent, comme cela avait ete le cas dans d'autres regions.

La religion grecque antique subit un coup fatal au Ves., lorsque Theodose II interdit aux paiens de pratiquer leurs cultes, puis un deuxieme, lorsque Justinien ferma les ecoles de philosophie en 529 apr. J.-C.
La victoire du christianisme eut pour consequence la transformation en eglises chretiennes de nombreux temples antiques d'Athenes.

Apres avoir visite l'Acropole, le Pathenon,l'Agora, tellement de choses interessantes a voir, nous sommes alles dans un tres bon restaurant d'Athenes.

Tout etait bien organise. Nous avons embarque sur le Ocean Majesty.

Nous etions a peu pres 450. J'admire leur organization, c'etait tres bien, pour moi c'etait parfais.

Lorsque nous sommes allees dans nos chambres nos valises etaent deja la, toutes les valises. Nous sommes alles au lounge ou les instructions de sauvetage nous ont ete expliquees.

Dr Stanley nous a recu

Le premier diner etait a 5:30. Je cherchais comme tout le monde ou ce trouvait le restaurant, malgre notre petit guide.

Le restaurant etait avec des tables de 4 de 6 et de 8. Notre table etait de 8 avec des nappes et des servittes blanches

Nous avons fait connaissance. Quelqu'un a prie avant le repas, et nous avons commence les conversations qui ce sont faitent facilement.

Apres le diner Dr Stanley nous a fait une etude sur la Bible. C'etait reconfortant d'entendre la Parole de DIEU.

Apres cela il y avait un show.
Cette nuit J'ai tellement bien dormis

Merci SEIGNEUR
Au Nom de JESUS

Avec amour
Christie
Le lendemain c'etait Thessalonique