St. Paul's Anglican Church, Athens, Greece, Dec. 2012

Yesterday I was happiest to make it to St. Paul's Anglican Church thanks to the helpful desk staff at the Alassia Hotel. They wrote out directions and I took the Metro underground to Syntagma. I proceeded to go the opposite direction right off. An English speaking Cretan man I asked told me where I'd made a wrong turn and offered to walk along with me to ensure I got to church on time. With his kind help I did indeed. After church I was invited to the church bazaar in a grand building behind the church, fronted by a carousel. There I had coffee and a sandwich and enjoyed a choir singing carols. The second advent candle has been lit. I almost felt a bit like Christmas. In the church there was much evidence of donations to the church from the families or members of the British military. No doubt this stemmed from their service in wWIi in Greece. I had the sense of a very British enclave here with this church as a kind of oasis. I've attended other Anglican churches around the world and always feel welcome and at home. I generally feel at home in any church but there's an orderliness about Anglicans that gives it a little extra for my personal taste.