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Crossing Over Into Greece: Day 7


The actual horse used in the Troy movie,
and it was just outside our hotel in Canakkale
Today was basically one thing, traveling! We left our hotel this morning along the Aegean Sea in Canakkale and were able to ride the ferry across Darnels Strait. We continued driving for about three hours until we reached the Turkey/Greece border. After going through border control, we had to transfer from the bus/tour guide we had been using throughout Turkey to a new bus/guide for our time in Greece. It was a unique experience but it was necessary. We said goodbye to Funda and hello to Dora, our guide for Greece.

After about two hours, we made it to our first stop, the town of Kavala. During Biblical times, this town was known as Neopolis, the location where Paul first stepped foot onto Europe to further the Gospel
.
Picture depicting St. Paul's arrival
The town has changed much since that time due to conflicts with the Ottoman Empire of Turkey where the city was leveled. We saw a Greek Orthodox Church that had a beautiful painting of Paul's arrival to the area, and claims that at its front door is where Paul would have actually stepped foot onto the ground. This is because the water at the time would have come up to where the church now sits. After seeing this site, we spent some time walking along the water front town and enjoying the beautiful Sunday afternoon.

We got to our hotel at about 6:30, the earliest we have made it to our hotel on this trip thus far. Tonight we will rest, and tomorrow we will head to Philippi in the morning before heading to what was Corinth in the afternoon. It is hard to believe that our trip is already halfway over, but I feel like the best is yet to come. Blessings on you all from Kavala, Greece!
Port in Kavala, Greece

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