Greece – what a contrast to Turkey. No wonder these countries have been protagonists over the years. History has seen Alexander the Great and the Greek Empire of the 4th century BC ruling over Asia Minor [Turkey] and the Ottoman Empire ruling over Greece from the 14th century AD. And of course in recent history the flashpoint of conflict has been Cyprus.

The contrast we have seen has been Turkish mosques versus Christian Orthodox churches and a country with ties to the Muslim Middle East versus a country with ties to the Christian West. [The old division between Eastern Orthodox Christianity versus Western Roman Christianity now pales into insignificance]. Greece and Turkey are both secular democratic republics but Turkey appears to have retained much more of its Muslim taboos than Greece has retained Christian taboos. The sex shops and strip clubs of Athens are very noticeable arriving from Turkey and hardly a good incentive for a devout Muslim tourist to want to convert to Christianity. While Orthodox churches are very prominent in Greece they can’t match the saturation of mosques in Turkey. Church bells however, do make for relief from the drone of the minaret.

Turkey is a much larger country with 78 million people compared to Greece with only 11 million. The Turks are very focussed and ambitious to develop their country while the Greeks appear more relaxed, maybe because they have had ‘the good life’ longer. Less people also means less congestion in the city – not so many traffic jams and more room to walk on the footpaths. There are not so many markets but lots of cafes with large outdoor eating areas.

The freeway system in Greece is first class with many four lane highways connecting the major cities. Tunnels through the many mountains mean few slopes to climb. While the hills won’t slow you down, there are plenty of toll booths where you have to pay an operator. Maybe this and the high cost of petrol [$2.30 per litre] are the reasons the highways are empty.

Archeology wise, the Parthenon in Athens is very impressive although cranes and scaffolding being used to restore it reduced its appeal. Philippi, Corinth and Ephesus were all impressive and I can imagine the Apostle Paul walking these streets spreading the Gospel. The Bema [rostrum for speaking in the pubic square] was probably used by Paul on many occasions to proclaim the message. Thessaloniki has a beautiful waterfront but its city wall going back to biblical times did not give us a great insight into St. Paul. There is so much history in Greece and sites to explore so different from Australia.

For ‘wow’ factor, the monasteries of Meteora and the Greek islands are something else. We visited the Varlaam and St. Stephen’s monasteries built in the 14th century atop vast rocks which are absolutely breathtaking. How they could have got the materials up there and then built on the smooth slippery rocks is one of the great engineering feats of the world.

The Greek Islands lived up to their fame with visits to Mykonos, Patmos, Crete and Santorini. The blue waters are stunning as are the brilliant white houses with blue patches. Narrow market streets, quaint little cafes and restaurants, and beautiful sunsets make for picture postcard perfection. What a privilege to have experienced it.

Greece identifies as a Christian country. The Greek Orthodox Churches are everywhere. However our limited experience would seem to indicate most Greeks have lost interest in the institutional Church and have only a nominal faith. A young taxi driver we met said he likes some of the things Jesus said but he thinks the Church is just a business. His knowledge of what Jesus said was from scripture classes in school. I pray God would raise up another Apostle Paul to re-evangelise both Greece and Turkey and establish once again a vibrant Body of Christ in this most beautiful part of the world.