Thessaloniki Part 2: LAST DAY

delicious

Well, it's been real, but this trip is over! We hit a few more of the items on our list:

what does that say?

1. Bougasta breakfast? Check! This was very difficult though, because we couldn't tell which, if any, of the signs said "bougasta". I said the word "bougasta" and guy behind the counter looked at me as if I were crazy. Luckily, an angel, (i.e. a Greek who knew English) walked past and helped us order everything we wanted, which happened to be every kind of bougasta (cheese-filled, spinach-filled, and meat-filled) and two cappuccinos. This was way too much food. We gave the rest to the two elderly men seated next to us. They seemed happy to get it. Parakalos!
   
   
2. This wasn't on the list, but I needed a pharmacy. There had been some major chaffing during the race, and I was pretty sure I needed Neosporin. The pharmacy was a debacle. He spoke no English. We spoke no useful Greek. We looked for antiseptic creams, but came up empty. Every time he tried to help us...we groaned. Every time we tried to speak to him, he laughed. Finally, I did this: Genius! Antiseptic acquired for the low, low price of 0.69 Euros.
3. Thessaloniki Museums? Check! We went to the Roman Forum and its associated museum. Wait! Wasn't the Roman Forum in Rome? Yep, but there was another Roman forum in Thessaloniki which they unearthed after the Great Fire of 1917 and have spent decades restoring. It was really cool because there is a whole civilization hidden beneath Thessaloniki. They can't dig it all up because it's beneath residences and office buildings but...wow right? We also went to the White Tower. Lame. But went towards the check mark.
4. An authentic gyro off the street? Check! Contrary to the popular belief that traditional gyros are made with lamb, they are actually made with pork. So we got those. They also stuff them with fries...that's probably not very historical, but it tastes really good!

   
5. Shopping? Semi-check?! Bianca went "trinket" shopping for items with which she could make jewelry for her upcoming "Harry Potter" party. Moment of silence to let that sink in. (Silence)
• She spent 45 minutes in there. 
• I couldn't take it so I went and sat in the park across the street. I would have taken pictures (there was a fountain and a number of small and beautiful clementine trees), but the area was rather seedy. There was a crazy barefoot man screaming random gibberish right next to a man who nonchalantly fed dozens of pigeons, while other smoked cigarettes all around me. It was a harsh 45 minutes for me.
6. Visiting a Greek Orthodox church? Check! The one that can be seen from our balcony. It's quite beautiful inside. I lit a candle for my bff, then sat in the chairs for some "house of worship" quiet time. I've been doing that in churches everywhere we go, and it seems really peaceful and calming. The uncommon thing in the Greek Orthodox church is the kissing of icons. They kiss every thing in that place it seems as part of their worship. I'm interested to look up what that signifies.
7.  Pastry shop? Check! On our way home from dinner we picked up two pastries. 

And just like that our time in Europe had come to an end (except for flights).  It's strange how there are times that you want to end and some that you would like to last forever. There is singing, dancing, laughter (all these we would have lengthened) and then there is weeping and sorrow (we would have these shortened or eliminated altogether). It made me think of Ecclesiastes 3's "a time for everything." There was a time to run a marathon, and a time to hobble down the street in pain. There was a time to saunter around the streets of Italy and Greece carefree, and a time to be bogged down by the annoyance of the airport. But really, my favorite scripture in Ecclesiastes 3 is:

"He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart..." Ecclesiastes 3:11

I love this part because in the previous 10 verses every good thing is balanced out with something bad (excerpt from v. 2 - 4):

A time to give birth and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. 
A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up. 
A time to weep and a time to laugh;

It's a roller coaster existence, all of it deemed appropriate by God's sovereignty, meaning we're very much out of control. And yet...we want forever. God has set eternity in our hearts and has ordered our lives in such a way that through the good and the bad, we want more of it.. 

And the awesome thing is: He grants that (John 3:16).

The more we want at first is carnal and temporal. But the more we live, the more we experience, the more "times" we go through (especially as Christians) the more we want the "more" to be something divine and holy. This trip has been great. But the time for it is over; however, during this time it's brought me into closer relationship with God. Daily devotionals? I've never spent so so much time on my blog in such a short period of time. Reading scriptures, writing prayers. This was the time for this. And tomorrow it will be the time for something else...all of it a manifestation of yearning that puts us back to the relationship God had with Adam, conversing in the cool of the day. 

Eternity is set in our hearts. It's why we don't want good times to end, and for those who seek God, and who understand that reconciliation with God is a restoration of that really cool relationship that initially existed, we keep looking for the next season of our lives. We know that this balancing act of good and bad is simply the "all things" working together for good spoken of in Romans 8:28. But there's a time for knowing that too I guess. 

Lord, we thank you for all the times and the seasons in our lives; for the laughter, the tears, and everything in between.  Bless us with the ability to see past what's temporal and see how each event is shaping and preparing us for an eternity with you. In Jesus name, Amen.