Turkish coffee
brewing
We toured Veria where the Apostle
Paul had frequently spoken. Although
Paul was a Jew, he took a Greek
name and frequently toured and
wrote in Greece. No doubt, he
thought that Greek influence in the
Roman Empire would do more to aid
the spread of Christianity.
Since Paul was a Roman citizen, he
was exempt from the punishment of
crucifixion. He is believed to have
been executed in Rome about 67 A.D.
We toured a synagogue, where only
two Jews survive. About 460 of
the congregation were massacred
in Nazi death camps, while about
200 managed to escape through
hiding in Orthodox homes or other
means. The great majority of these,
134 of the 200, emigrated to Israel
after the War.
Southeast of Thessaloniki in the
Halkidiki region, three peninsulas are
included, known as the 3 Fingers. On
separate tours, one by boat and one
by land, we viewed two of them.
One of this duo contains a unique
monastery or series of 13
monasteries, known as Mount Athos
Byzantine Monasteries , UNESCO.
About 2,300 Orthodox monks and
some worker assistants live in
these monasteries. They have an
autonomous arrangement with the
Greek government, perhaps similar
to Vatican City governance. Monks
grow their own food and wine and
are very close to self-sufficient.
No women at all are allowed on
monastery properties. Male outsiders
can visit, if an advance appointment
is made and approved.
Apostle Paul
Athos. Also, a fragment of the
original crucifixion cross is
supposedly stored in one monastery.
Halkidiki is known for great beaches,
although we didn’t have time to try
them out. All of its hotels comprise
about 80,000 beds, including 16
five star organizations and 16
with a green key designation.
Marianna’s Products is a unique
family run farm, started in 1987,
that specializes in cultivating vine
leaves. These come from vines
growing very close to the ground.
In addition to vine leaves, which
account for 75% of sales, the farm
develops numerous other pro GV7G2