We will transfer to the Athens Airport and fly to Rome. Our local guide will meet us at the airport and take us on a bus orientation tour of Rome, including an inside visit of the Colosseum. Tonight we will enjoy a pizza dinner at the Trattoria Nuova Stella. We will spend three nights in the Hotel California, within walking distance of the train station in Rome. (B/D)
Notes from the travelers (Joshua):
Day 6- Athens and Rome
We started our day off with breakfast in our Hotel Philippos in Athens and then made our way to the airport to fly over to Rome. It looked like it all of us were going to make it onto the plane, but by God's grace we did. We landed in Rome a short (relative to our LA to London flight...) 2 hours after and began with a bus tour of the city led by our guide Al. Many of the buildings, statues, and fountains dated back to Ancient Rome. It really puts things into perspective- we think things are old if they're over a hundred years old, but these had lasted for thousands of years. Especially amazing were the 12 miles of towering 30+ foot long brick walls circling the city, constructed around 600 BC.
We then stopped off to begin our tour of the Colosseum, which was unbelievably huge and made of stone. Going through the Colosseum and learning about its history was truly a unique experience. We headed back to our Hotel for some much needed rest and enjoyed a delicious four course Italian dinner of eggplant, pasta, steak, and dessert tart.
We ended our day with devotions led by Mr. Fant which focused on the difference between knowledge and true wisdom which comes from seeking the Lord. The Romans certainly had great skill in architecture to be able to build works such as the Colosseum but perhaps they lacked wisdom and a value for life, with many being killed in that arena for sport thousands of years ago. He challenged us to have knowledge but through the grace of God to apply it wisely.