This was a day of walking through ruins and standing in awe at the work of ancient hands and marveling at the influence of peoples thousands of miles from Delphi—The Phoenicians, Egyptians, and other southern Mediterranean peoples.

As we continue to learn each day, Ancient Greece, and in many ways still, modern Greece, stood as a never closing portal between the East and West, imbibing the cultural influences of those nations borders the Mediterranean and offering their influence on music, art, and language as well. Nowhere is that evidenced more than in the civic, religious, and political life of the Roman Empire. 

Our tour guide shared that Greece is often overlooked on the modern world stage. People the world over come to mainland Greece to see her ruins but rarely to glory in her beautiful and divinely manifested topography. 

It is Sunday here and my heart and mind is with you, Palmer. I am missing singing the Gloria with you all, missing bread and incense and the wonder of our prayers lifted together. 

Faithfully,

Ryan 

Up next, day 6: Aegean cruise, day 1, Athens to Mykonos