On Friday, 3 May 2024, Cheeky Chaplain sets off on the next leg of his pilgrimage ‘In the footsteps of St. Paul’, this time to Syracuse and Malta.
He hopes to visit Etna, Syracuse, Valletta, Rabat and Saint Paul’s Bay.

Do take a look at the Syracuse and Melita web-site pages and please add your comments (and prayers) to this blog.

Thursday, 2 June 2022

After sharing breakfast, the pilgrims split up into two groups. Ed and Anna continued their Macedonian visit with a visit to the tomb of Philip II of Macedon at Vergina.

Cheeky Chaplain visited the Kavala Archaeological Museum that morning (housing exhibits from the Neolithic to modern times):

then after lunch the three of us (Robin, Faith and myself) drove the 160km back to Thessaloniki Airport for our return flight to London, which landed at 22:10.

Monday, 30 May 2022
The pilgrims spent the day exploring Kavala (ancient Neapolis). We started at St Nicholas Church with the striking monument telling the story of St Paul’s calling to Macedonia and his sea journey to Neapolis.

Afterwards we visited the castle and the aqueduct.

Tuesday, 31 May 2022
Today we visited ancient Philippi where apostle Paul and Silas were beaten with rods  and imprisoned by the  magistrates of the Roman colony. We inspected the so-called prison and Curia where the magistrates  held court  at one end of the forum. The  site is extensive and in excellent condition and includes  an impressive theatre together with the remains of three basilicas,  bishops residence and octagon church.

On leaving the ruined city we travelled the mile or so up the road to Saint Lydia’s baptistery where Paul had baptised Lydia – the first person in Europe to be baptised.

We  five pilgrims joined together in a short service where we reaffirmed our  baptismal vows  and sprinkled each other with the water from the river –  A moving and spiritual experience for us all.

Wednesday, 1 June 2022
Our last full day in Kavala.  The five pilgrims spent the morning walking the section of the Via Egnatia from the port of Neapolis towards Philippi as did Paul and Silas. We  started at the junction of Macedonias Street and Egnatias  Street  and were soon climbing the well preserved and maintained Roman road  which ends about 1 km further on near the  Kavala General Hospital.  We certainly felt that we were walking in the footsteps of Saint Paul.

The afternoon was spent swimming at the Paralia Kalamitsa beach – most refreshing.

 

Thursday, 26 May 2022

Arrived at Thessaloniki airport 19:00, uneventful and strait forward flight. Picked up car hire and drove into the city of Thessaloniki. Checked into Hotel Orestias Kastoria for three nights. Shared delicious dinner at Restaurant Kanoya (21:00) with Robin and Faith by the Roman Forum. Returned to hotel (23:30), shower and bed – tired but well satisfied.

Friday, 27 May 2022
Early rise at 6:00, coffee and out to explore the city. The city of Thessaloniki is a splendid place rather relaxed in many respects for the second city of Greece. The historic city centre has many sites to explore.  With a glorious blue sky and temperatures from 30 to 32°C, the three of us made a start at the Roman forum which Paul and Silas would certainly have known in its first century form.  Current excavations and consolidation meant that much of the site, including the Odeon and Stoa, were not open to the public however.

Galerius, on succeeding Diocletian as Augustus of the eastern Empire in 305 A.D., made Thessalonica his Imperial capital and built many buildings to reflect this. The Rotunda is the best preserved of these, now the Church of St. George. Then on to the Arch of Galerius. Galerius was notorious for his persecution of Christians.

After a good lunch, we continued by visiting the remains of the Palace of Galerius and adjacent Octagon, then finally to the so-called ‘White Tower’ (16th century) on the seafront.

My Godson Edward and his wife Anna arrived at Thessaloniki Airport at 22:05, but had a ‘prang’ in their hire car driving into town and arrived at our hotel some four hours later! Mercifully no one was hurt.

Saturday, 28 May2022
Ed and Anna returned to the airport to pick up a replacement hire car and then joined the three of us for lunch and a visit to the Thessaloniki Archaeological Museum. The museum is extensive, modern, and houses a large collection of Roman artefacts.

Previously, the three of us had walked the length of the eastern city wall to reach the north-east “Chain” tower from which magnificent views of the city below are available. The climb up hill to the tower was hard going in the heat with little shade, but well worth it. The five of us enjoyed a most convivial dinner, then back to our hotel (The Orestias Kastoria) which we can thoroughly recommend.

Sunday, 29 May 2022
Up at 8:00 to church bells, followed by the sound of the Orthodox morning office being sung. Checked out of the hotel to drive (in our two cars) to Kavala (ancient Neapolis), via Amphipolis.
Amphipolis is a delightful little town somewhat off the main traffic route today, but an important stopping off point on the Via Egnatia in St. Paul’s day. We pilgrims visited the famous Lion of Amphipolis monument (which the Saint almost certainly would have seen) before crossing the River Strymon into the town itself where the remains of its ancient Acropolis contains the ruins of four basilicas – which testify to its importance as a place of pilgrimage during early Christian times. The ancient river bridge and the Kasta Tomb were not open to the public during our visit.

A 62km drive east along the A2 road brought us to Kavala (ancient Neapolis).

 

On Thursday, 26 May 2022, Cheeky Chaplain sets off on the next leg of his pilgrimage ‘In the footsteps of St. Paul’, this time to Macedonia.
He hopes to visit Thessaloniki and Philippi (where his namesake was beaten and incarcerated and where, just outside the city, he baptised Lydia and her household).

Do take a look at the Neapolis, Philippi, Amphipolis and Thessalonica web-site pages and please add your comments (and prayers) to this blog.

13 December:
Cheeky Chaplain and his two companions travel down to Caesarea Maritima, about 130 km from Jerusalem.
The Apostle Paul would have known Caesarea quite well since he stayed here on return to Judea after his second and third ‘missionary’ journeys and, of course was imprisoned here for two years before his final journey to Rome. Our journey from Jerusalem was rather faster and more comfortable than his, but due to time constraints we were unable to visit Antipatris on route.

We entered the ancient city at its southern end with a visit to the much restored Theatre. It was here in 44 A.D. that King Herod Agrippa I was stricken with a heart attack after failing to correct those who hailed him as a god, and died five days later ‘eaten with worms’ , as recorded in Acts 12:21-23.
The Promontory Praetorium, a truly palatial residence of the Roman procurators of Judea with its rock-cut pool and broad vistas of the coastline, is the most significant Pauline site in the city. Cheeky Chaplain could imagine St. Paul, chained to the left hand of his soldier guard, but sustained by the Holy Spirit during his imprisonment here. He may have written one or more of his epistles as a prisoner in ‘Herod’s Palace’.

Continuing north from the praetorium, we viewed Herod’s splendid Hippodrome – more than 250m long with seats for 10,000 spectators, then on to the podium of the Temple to Augustus and Roma, built facing the once magnificent harbour on a natural eminence. Lunching here, pilgrims may gaze out to sea at the remains of the harbour breakwater. Its construction employed the innovative use of hydraulic concrete. The impressive remains of the High-level Aqueduct that provided the city with water may be examined at the public beach a short drive further north. This completed our visit to Caesarea and we returned to Jerusalem.

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Our last full day in Jerusalem. Walked the city wall, which gave a new perspective to many of the sites and places we have got to know.

After lunch shopping in Jaffa Street, Mamilla Mall and the Old city.

15 December:
Cheeky Chaplain and his two friends share a final morning in Jerusalem, then it’s off to Ben Gurion Airport for the return flight to the UK.

9 December:
Cheeky Chaplain and his old friend Robin left Luton Airport on the 9:00 flight to Tel Aviv on their way to Jerusalem. Four and a half hours later we reached Ben Gurion and Cheeky Chaplain was asked by officials the name of his father and father’s father! Then after taking a ‘sherut’ to Jerusalem, we reached our destination – a Self catering apartment in Yemin Moshe. A good dinner at a local restaurant set us up for a peaceful evening with stunning views of the Old City from our accommodation – a great start to the visit.

10 December:
Entered the Old City at 9:00 by the Jaffa Gate passed the Citadel and had an initial exploration of the many souks and passageways.

On to the Via Dolorosa and the Stations of the Cross – for me, the courtyard of the Church of the Flagellation, near station II and the Ecce Homo archway on the site of the Antonia Fortress, was the most moving as I contemplated the suffering and humiliation of our Saviour even though this traditional site is now questioned. The fifth station is understood to be where Simon of Cyrene carried the cross for Jesus.

On a first visit, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre – the traditional site of Golgotha – takes a bit of getting used to, but beyond the marble and lamps it is possible to watch and pray in the simplicity of silence – and we were blessed with quietude since few tour groups were present.

 

Cheeky Chaplain experienced the Peace of Jerusalem with prayer in the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer on Muristan Road.
Standing in the Western Wall Plaza and looking at what remains of Herod’s Temple after it’s destruction by Titus in 70 A.D., the visitor may ponder on the enduring power of faith.
Lunch at the Cardo Maximus of Hadrian’s Aelia Capitolina, and a first look at Zion Gate, was followed by some down to earth supermarket shopping in preparation for the arrival of Edward (Robin’s son), the third member of our pilgrimage – who knocked on our door in Yemin Moshe at 18:30 after a safe journey from London.

11 December:
Today we spent some time exploring the Citadel at Jaffa Gate in the Old City and then revisited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Western Wall of the Second Temple.

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In the afternoon, it was down the Cardo and through Zion Gate to visit the Cenacle, David’s Tomb, the Church and Monastery of the Dormition and then the Church of St. Peter of Gallicantu.
The Church of the Dormition marks the place where, according to tradition, the Virgin Mary passed from this life in eternal sleep. Holy Eucharist, sung and sometimes in English, is very beautiful in this warm and welcoming church.
The present Cenacle building dates from Crusader times, but is believed to be on the site of the Upper Room where Our Lord shared the Last Supper with the disciples and where they received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The Cenacle very probably continued through the first century as the original church of Jerusalem.
Below the Cenacle is “King David’s Tomb” – highly revered in Judaism, and fully occupied by Orthodox worshipers in prayer and reading of the Psalms. Cheeky Chaplain was given the Hebrew priestly blessing – Birkat Kohanim (Numbers 6:23):
‘May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord make his face to shine upon you,
and be gracious to you.
May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you,
and give you peace.’
– and he replied with the first verse of Psalm 65, in English!
‘Thou, O Lord, art praised in Zion : and unto thee shall the vow be performed in Jerusalem.’
A very intense and moving occasion.

St. Peter’s Church – another must for the pilgrim to Jerusalem – is built on or near the site of the House of Caiaphas where Peter denied knowing Jesus three times before cock-crow (Gallicantu).

12 December:
Hired a little Fiat car!
Spent several hours at the Israel Museum until it closed at 14:00 it being the start of Sabbath at sundown. The Shrine of the Book houses the Dead Sea Scrolls – of particular interest is the Great Isaiah Scroll and those dealing with the rules of the Essene community.
The 1:50 scale model of Jerusalem in 66 A.D. is wonderfully helpful to Pauline pilgrims. The Archaeology Wing is superb and includes the Pilate Inscription from the theatre at Caesarea , the magnificent bronze of Hadrian and many other artefacts from the Roman period in Israel. This was particularly helpful on the eve of our visit to Caesarea Maritima.

 

On Monday Cheeky Chaplain sets off on the second leg of his pilgrimage ‘In the footsteps of St. Paul’, this time to the Holy Land.
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Do take a look at the Antipatris and Caesarea web-site pages and please add your comments (and prayers) to this blog.

4 November:
Last night we had a long talk with Berna, who was leasing the Ali Paşa Konağı Hotel for three years and running the place on her own. We were the only guests apart from one other who we never met as he spent the night hunting wild boar! We talked about matters of faith and I felt strangely moved.
This morning we set off on our return journey to Attalia (Antalya), passing through some breathtaking mountain scenery before descending to the Pamphilian plain and the sea once more. After breaking for lunch and a visit to the Roman remains at Side (near Manavgat), it was back to Antalya Airport to return our hire car and a long wait (over 10 hours) for the flight back to Bristol. We took this opportunity to reflect on our journey together as fellow pilgrims and to share the many spiritual insights given us.

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5 November:
Our aircraft touched down at 5:45 in the morning to a dark and rainy Bristol – we were home!
There is much to tell and photographs to share. Cheeky Chaplain hopes to do this in his next blog post.

2 November:
Today had a quiet day. In the evening we went to the weekly celebration of Dervish dancing at the Dervish cultural centre Konya. The centre was a magnificent building, which was funded jointly by the Turkish government and by the European Union. The whirling dancing was a most attractive form of devotion and an integral part of the Sufi way. It was probably the highlight of our visit to Konya.
3 November:
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