Spring Break Trip - Patmos

Sunday I took the ferry boat to Kos and then transferred to another ferry to Patmos. Due to Turkey time, the boat from Bodrum left about 15 minutes late. Because of this, I almost missed my connection! My worst nightmare almost came true! But I made it and enjoyed the views of the islands that the ferry went to before arriving in Patmos. It is really neat to travel on the Mediterranean on a boat, as that is the way that all travelers throughout history would have traveled. You can always see land as there are so many islands in the Mediterranean. I imagined that we would be in open, choppy waters, but it was generally calm waves.

                    

I arrived in Patmos about 1pm and found my hotel right away as it was about 30 steps from the dock. The hotel owner hardly spoke English, maybe 10-20 words, but the restaurant attached to the hotel had a worker who spoke English so we were able to communicate through him. The owner was very sweet. I got all checked in and then he offered to make me lunch before I ventured out to explore the island. So after a wonderful meal with a coke, I headed out to find the two major sites to see on Patmos: the Cave of the Apocalypse, which is where they believe that John received his vision of Heaven, and then wrote the Book of Revelation, and the Monastery of St. John, which is where monks have been living for centuries because of Patmos' importance to Christian history. The ferry terminal is in the town of Skala while the Monastery is in the town of Chora, which is about a 4km walk up to the top of a hill. Well, when I began my walk, instead of taking the direct route up the hill to the town of Chora, I took the round-about way south, where the road winds its way through the countryside and along the coast of Patmos. I think this route was at least 8km. It was very beautiful and peaceful to think that the islands I am seeing in the distance around Patmos are the same ones that the apostle John saw 2000 years ago. And the countryside is breathtaking. But I was getting very worried that I would never make it to Chora. I met a woman along the road who was walking her dogs and spoke perfect English and she told me that I had taken the long way, and that there was a direct road to Chora from Skala that was not so long. This was a relief as I was not too excited to walk the 8km back to Skala. I did eventually find Chora and the Monastery, but it was closed by the time I reached it, so I wandered through the streets of Chora for a while. The houses are all the classic Greek white with very narrow streets, twisting and turning every which way. But it’s not too big of a town, so I was never completely lost. It is fun to explore new places. It’s like your on a scavenger hunt for authentic Greek culture. Walking down the direct road back to Skala, I passed the entrance for the Cave of the Apocalypse, but it was closed as well as it was getting dark by this time. So I knew where my two destinations for the next day’s adventures would be. I found a nice restaurant to eat at where I ordered Moussaka, authentic Greek food made of eggplant, meat, and noodles, sort of like lasagna, and returned to my room for an early night.

The next morning I woke up as the sun was rising, as my room sort of faced east. My room had a balcony with a view of the pier, so I sat outside for about an hour, watching the sun rise and the town slowly wake up. The best part was watching the fishermen prepare their boats for the day. It is so relaxing to be in a small town and see the people perform their daily activities. I don’t think I’ve ever taken the time to watch fishermen prepare to go out to sea. And I got to do it on Patmos! John was a fisherman, and then he became a fisher of men. God was certainly making connections for me on this trip. At that moment I felt like I had been transported back in time to when Jesus was here on earth, calling his disciples.

I found breakfast at a local cafe and then went to the Cave of the Apocalypse. To reach the cave you must descend about 50 stairs. And then, right before you is the entrance to the cave. They have created an extension of the cave which includes a chapel like area with an altar. Around the chapel and cave are many paintings depicting scenes from the Book of Revelation. There were some people restoring the gold trim on the paintings in the chapel area, but otherwise I was the only tourist for most of the time. They allowed me to take pictures, which I am very grateful for, because their store was not open for me to buy postcards. They have a place where they believe John laid his head while he was having the vision. I sat down on a bench in the cave near that spot and read the entire book of Revelation. Even if this cave was not the place that John was at when he had his Revelation, to read the book of Revelation on Patmos was inspiring. We know that this book of the Bible was written here and that God revealed a glimpse of Heaven here, on this island. I just had to let that sink in for a while. It was truly amazing. For a time the restorers left for a lunch break, and so I was the only one in the cave. The benefits of traveling solo! I got to immerse myself in God’s Word in the peace and quiet and let The Word speak for itself. This was definitely one of the highlights of the entire trip!

I continued up the hill to the Monastery and arrived just after lunch time. I could not find the main entrance, but found someone on the premise and was told that it was closed for the day. I was a little frustrated that they were only open in the morning as that information was not provided anywhere. So I found a place to sit and enjoy the sunshine, trying to decide what to do next. I ate a snack and decided to try to find the actual entrance to the monastery. I had walked by it at least 3 times! Only I can walk past the entrance to a huge monastery multiple times. As I was coming onto the main square, an older gentleman walked onto the square as well. I then climbed up the ramp to the entrance of the monastery to at least get a picture of the gate and this man followed me up the ramp. I turned to him and did a “bummer” expression as the doors were locked to the monastery. We exchanged a little conversation, as much as we could when I cannot speak Greek and he could not speak English. He then pulls out a key and points towards the door and gestures as if saying, “I have a key and can get you into the monastery if you would like.” I was so overjoyed and extremely awed at how the Lord 

works. At just the right time I found the entrance to the monastery so that this man, who I’m guessing lives in the monastery, was coming back from buying groceries. After coming all this way, a wonderfully kind monk will let me in to experience part of the monastery. The monastery is a UNESCO world heritage building, so there is a museum, but of course it was closed.

 I was able to take pictures of the amazing frescos on the walls and ceilings outside of the chapel and listen to the monks chant and sing, which I’m guessing they don’t do during tourist hours. I felt overwhelmingly blessed to have this small picture into the life of a monk. It was truly amazing. The old man just watched me wander around in awe for a while, then reminded me to close the door behind me as I leave the monastery. And then he left. Sometimes I think he was just an angel in disguise for me to be able to see this monastery. I am forever grateful to this kind man who let me in to see the monastery after touring hours.

I headed back down the hill, watched the sun set over Patmos, and headed to the pier to wait for my overnight ferry to Rhodes. The ferry is actually really nice. It feels like a mini cruise ship. One floor is all cafes and places to eat and lounge, while up one floor is an outdoor covered area and an area to stand outside and enjoy the breeze on your face. Of course, the lower levels are for the many cars, semi-trucks, motorcycles, and other transportation vehicles. It is truly amazing how much could fit in the ferry. I found a few chairs and fell asleep, ready to wake up in Rhodes.