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DAY
01: NORTH AMERICA / ATHENS.
Tour members will gather at the ticket counter at the
airport two hours prior to their departure to Europe.
DAY
02: ATHENS.
Upon arrival in Athens, you are met by your guide and bus
driver. Transfer to your hotel with the rest of the day al
leisure. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.
DAY
03: ATHENS.
"Men of
Athens, I perceive that in every way you are religious. For
as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship,
I found also an altar with this inscription ‘to an unknown
God’. What therefore you worship as unknown, this I
proclaim to you . . .”
 Today
we visit Athens, one of the most glorious cities in the
world and the cradle of western civilization as we know it
today. For twenty five centuries, the panorama of this city
is dominated by the rock of the Acropolis; we see the ruins
of the Parthenon, the Erectheum and the Propylae.
Thereafter, we will view Mars Hill where Paul spoke to the
ancient Athenians about the one and only God. From here we
have an excellent view of the ancient agora; former center
of the Athenian public life. We continue for a drive through
the city to see the House of Parliament on Syntagma Square,
the evzones in their picturesque uniforms guarding the
Presidential Palace and Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. We also
see the Library, the University, the Panathenaic Stadium
where the first Olympics of the modern era were held, the
temple of the Olympian Zeus and Adrian's Arch.
DAY 04:
EPIDAURUS / CORINTH.
Today we
drive to Epidaurus. The sanctuary of Asclepios at Epidaurus
is a spiritual place worth traveling around the world to
visit! In fact the ancient Greeks did just that in order to
pay tribute to their spiritual entities in the face of
Asclepios, and to ask the gods for remedies for their
physical ailments. It was a healing center as well as a
cultural center in ancient times. Epidaurus was built around
the 3rd Century BC and is adorned with a multitude of
buildings most famous of which is the ancient Theater of
Epidaurus. Return to Athens via Corinth.
“Do not
be afraid, but speak and do not be silent; for I am with
you, and no man shall attack you to harm you; for I have
many people in this city." (Acts
18:9).
 Short
stop for pictures at the Corinth Canal and then continue to
the site of ancient Corinth, Paul's beloved city and site of
his most extensive ministry. Dominated by the Acro-Corinth
rising 1700 feet above the ruins, the marketplace is laid
out exactly as it stood in the days of the great Apostle.
We see the bema (the judgement seat) where Paul stood before
Galilo and preached (Acts 18). The museum contains a superb
collection of artifacts portraying life in ancient Corinth.
Return to Athens taking the coastal road along the Saronic
Gulf which connects the Aegean Sea with the Ionian Sea.
Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
DAY
05: PIRAEUS.
Transfer to port and embark the cruise vessel for your 3 day
cruise. Our first port of call is the island of Mykonos;
cubic white houses and those world famous windmills. Free
time to explore this lovely island.
 DAY
06: RHODES.
Rhodes,
the island of "roses", is the legendary home of the sun god
Apollo. The old town (which is the largest inhabited
medieval town of Europe) and its mighty fortifications
(built by the crusaders of St. John) are the finest
surviving example of defensive architecture and is of great
interest to all visitors. An optional tour takes us
to Lindos. This entire city is guarded by medieval walls
which were constructed by the Knights of St. John in the
14th century. Within, stands the ancient Acropolis of Lindos,
400 feet above the sea. From the Acropolis a breathtaking
view covering the great expanse of the Aegean Sea and St.
Paul's Bay, where the Apostle cast harbor during his
historic voyage to Ephessos.
DAY
07: KUSADASI / PATMOS.
“And it
came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul
having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus; and
finding certain disciples . . ." (Act 19:01)
Continue
to Kusadasi, a lively Turkish port and gateway to ancient
Ephessos. Our optional tour takes us to visit Ancient
Ephessos, the Greek colony founded by the Athenians. Here
history truly comes to life; walking towards the ancient
harbor down a marble road rutted by the wheels of countless
chariots. You pass architectural masterpieces like the
Magnesian Gate and the Library of Celsus before arriving to
the Great Amphitheater where Paul spoke to the Ephesians.
We continue our cruise for the island of Patmos. Considered
a holy island for the Christian religion it was here in
Patmos where John the Divine, while in exile, wrote the
Apocalyptic Revelations which constitute the last part of
the new Testament. Our tour (optional) takes us up to the
monastery of St. John which still keeps its character of a
medieval fortress. Inside the walls you will be able to
admire the Byzantine wealth of the Christian Orthodox
religion while from its ramparts you will have the most
stunning panoramic view of the luminous sea.
 DAY
08: HERAKLION / SANTORINI.
Early morning arrival to Heraklion, Crete, legendary
birthplace of Zeus and where the Minoan civilization began.
Optional visit to the Palace of Knossos. Next we visit
Santorini - one of the most beautiful of the Greek Islands.
Optional visit to Acrotiri. Often compared to Pompeii,
Acrotiri boasts a much earlier age and preserves amazing
ruins dating from the second millennium B.C. See beautiful
pottery, the two and three story houses, once decorated with
renowned wall paintings, staircases and a great variety of
rooms; the roads and the squares of a city 3,500 years old.
DAY
09: PIRAEUS / ATHENS / METEORES / LARISSA.
After we disembark the ship, we continue to the Meteora
Monasteries, perched upon the summits of gigantic rocks,
which have been etched into variety of strange shapes. Grey
gigantic stalagmites rising towards the sky, they seem to be
nature's gift to the pious who opted for monasticism and for
a life totally dedicated to the worship of God. The
monastic history of the Meteora goes back to the 11th
century A.D. when the first hermits sought peace and
solitude in the rifts and caves of these rocks, but the
first monasteries were not built until the 14th century A.D.
attaining their peak in the 16th. Of the 13 large and 20
small monasteries and hermit’s cells, only four are not
occupied: Megalo Meteora, Monie Varlaam, Monia Aghias
Triadas and Moni Aghiou Stefanou. Apart from portable
icons, miniatures, ecclesiastical robes, utensils and
crosses, all of them excellent examples of Byzantine art,
the Meteora Monasteries also contain rare editions and
manuscripts. Continue to Larissa for dinner and overnight.
DAY 10:
KAVALA / PHILIPPI / THESSALONIKI.
“Setting sail therefore from Troas, we made a direct voyage
to Samothrace and the following day to Neapolis"
(Act 16:11).
"And
from thence to Philippi which is the chief city of that part
of Macedonia, and a colony; and we were in that city abiding
certain days.” (Act 16:12).
We visit
the beautiful city of Kavala (ancient Neapolis), and from
there on to Philippi which was a Roman garrison town and the
chief city in the province of Macedonia. It was here that
Paul won his first European convert, a woman named Lydia,
the market place (where Paul and Silas were brought before
the rulers), the cistern which tradition identifies as the
place where St. Paul were imprisoned. We continue to
Thessaloniki for dinner and overnight.
DAY 11:
THESSALONIKI / VERIA / ATHENS.
“Paul
came to Thessaloniki with Silas and following his usual
custom, he went to the Synagogue where he used the Jewish
scriptures as the source for his preaching.”
(Act
17:2-4).
 We
become acquainted with this great city, the “Queen of the
North”, where Paul wrote two epistles to the ancient
Thessalonians. Built by King Cassandros and named after the
sister of Alexander the Great, the city flourished under the
Byzantine Empire and it’s most important buildings date from
those days. Today it is considered the second capital of
Greece, the Queen of the north. Our city tour takes us
along the water front to the massive White Tower and nearby
Triumphal Arch of Gallerius, built in 303 AD. We shall also
see St. Demetrios Church with its valuable mosaics and
frescoes will drive up to the upper town which offers a
marvelous view of the city. The site where the monastery of
Vlatadon was built is believed to be the location where
Jason’s house once stood and where Paul was accommodated
during his visit to Thessaloniki. Continue to Veria (Beroea)
where we visit the monument dedicated to Paul; we see the
Bema where he stood and preached to the people of Veria.
Then on to Athens for dinner and overnight.
DAY
12: ATHENS / NORTH AMERICA.
Transfer to the airport for your flight home, the end of a
marvelous tour. |
