For an hour, I walked around the old ruins. I found the remains of Philip’s theater on a hillside of the Acropolis. A few goats were eating the tough grass where, many years ago, people had shouted during sports events.
A Roman Temple
On the flat land, there stood a lonely piece of a Roman temple. There were no people worshipping there now. Only a farmer came by and offered me some coins he had found in the fields.
Visiting Tarsus and Malta
Ten years earlier, I had visited Tarsus, the birthplace of the Apostle Paul, in Asia Minor. Later, I went to Malta, the island where Paul was shipwrecked. Now, at Philippi, I found the ruins of a temple, the place where the Romans had once imprisoned Paul. Paul had visited Philippi three times. I sat on a broken stone and read the story of his visits in the Bible, in the book of Acts The Turkish Quarter .
Philippi’s Forgotten City
Philippi is now a dead city. The people who have built small homes out of its ruins know nothing about its past. They sit together, smoke cigarettes, and make coffee for travelers like me.
The Road to Kavala
I rode towards Kavala, traveling along the famous Via Egnatia road that stretched from Dyrrachium to Byzantium. Many years ago, Ignatius, the Bishop of Antioch, traveled this road on his way to his death in the Roman amphitheater in Rome Guided Tour Istanbul.
A Strange Encounter
My thoughts were mixed as I rode along. I passed an old, dusty cart being pulled slowly along the road. Inside were two Turkish ladies, cloaked and heavily veiled, so only their beautiful eyes could be seen. They were young and attractive. As I rode by, they lifted their veils and smiled at me, showing their faces. It was like a challenge: Are Christian women as beautiful as Muslim women?
