Two months late, but better than never, I'm finally posting about the Shanbours' visit. Pres. Pelagia's sister, Kh. Makrina, her husband Fr. Michael, and their son Symeon came to visit back in late May.
One Sunday, we celebrated with our spiritual father, Fr. Spyridon, at Panagia Ahiropoiitos, the 5th century basilica in the center of Thessaloniki. Above, you can see the kids playing on some of the ruins from the church.
Above and below, the kids are playing with their cousin Symeon in the courtyard outside the church.
In the background is the apse of a small side chapel to St. Paraskevi.
We stopped in the pedestrian square nearby to feed the pigeons.
Here are Symeon and Paul playing with a turtle outside St. Nicholas Orphanos, with its famous iconography.
Outside St. Nicholas Orphanos, we encountered one of the wandering Gypsy accordion players, which the kids enjoyed.
The next Sunday we celebrated Liturgy in Lakkia, a village about 20 minutes east of Panorama. Above, the kids are playing afterwards in the playground next to the church.
When we went to explore the Upper City with the Shanbours, I noticed that the park just outside the city walls, with the cave which St. Paul stayed in after being kicked out of Thessaloniki, was open for the first time in our 6 years here. The park is owned by a private Christian brotherhood and they are now doing some upgrades to the site to make it open to the public. They let us come in while the works were undergoing. In the photo above, you can see the small covered area that was erected many years ago around the cave.
The Shanbours walking along the old city walls.
Fr. Michael looking down at the city from near the Trigonion (aka Chain) Tower, the northeast tower of Thessaloniki.
For more photos, click here.
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