As you visit the rock forest of Meteora ("in the heavens above") in western Thessaly, imagine the Apostle Paul walking that treacherous terrain on his missionary journey. The breathtaking Byzantine monasteries are spectacularly perched on soaring, sheer-sided gray sandstone pillars. In the 13th century, monks sought refuge in cliff-side caves before fleeing higher to build the original wooden shelters that later became these monasteries. After a monastery tour, travel to scenic Delphi, the religious center of the ancient Greek world and marked by the conical stone called the omphalos ("navel"). Walk the Sacra Via to the Athenian Treasury, Theatre, and the Temple of Apollo, where the oracle performed her prophetic rituals. As you consider the incredible amount of pagan influence just in Delphi alone, you will gain a new appreciation for the tremendous spiritual opposition the Apostle Paul faced in preaching the Gospel of Christ here. The museum has many ancient treasures, including the fifth-century bronzed charioteer so detailed you can see his eyelashes. Continue to Athens overnight.