3/31/98: Boarded 7am train to Thessaloniki. There was only first class tickets available. Pricey but very nice. Greek countryside was gorgeous in the misty morning and foggy afternoon. Better than postcards. We were surprised to see shepherds along the way, tending flocks of sheep. Ruth noticed a University of Chicago logo on emblazoned on a tote bag a fellow rider was carrying. Because she worked there, she inquired and found that the fellow’s name is Demetrios, and he is a neuroscientist professor there. Who would have thought we’d bump into a colleague on our trip? He was quite friendly, but the fellow he was with seemed snobby. We found a cheap hostel in Thessaloniki. Nice town right on the northern Aegean coast. Walked along the water front, had some ice-cream.
3/31/23: When Paul traveled to Thessalonica on his second missionary journey, he spent three weeks teaching in the Jewish synagogue. The majority of Thessalonian Jews attacked Paul and his companion Silas, along with Jason who was hosting them. But in Acts 17:4 we read that “some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and quite a few prominent women.”
