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Day 1: Istanbul Arrival
Arrive in Istanbul. Join the short orientation
tour. Then transfer to the hotel for a welcome,
dinner and overnight.
Day 2: Istanbul
Discover the Byzantine and Ottoman treasures of
Istanbul. Visit the Blue Mosque, unique with six
minarets, the Roman Hippodrome Square, and the
St. Sophia Church, which is considered one of
the world's greatest architectural marvels. In
late afternoon we will have a night boat tour in
Bosphorus waterway. Return to hotel. Dinner and
overnight.
Day 3: Istanbul - Troy - Canakkale
In the morning, visit to Istanbul Archaeological
Museum with special emphasis on the Siloam
Inscription from Hezekiah's tunnel, the Thanatos
inscription stone from Herod's temple, the Gezer
Calendar and the tile panels from the Ishtar
Gates of Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. Drive to
Gallipoli (Gelibolu), through the European lands
of Turkey. Cross the Dardanelles Strait (Canakkale)
by ferryboat. Visit the ancient Troy, actually
Truva, The immortal city of Homer's Iliad and
Odyssey - of the legendary Helen of Troy - the
Trojan horse. Dinner with HPU graduates who live
in the area. Check-in at hotel for dinner and
overnight.
Day 4: Troas - Pergamum - Izmir (Smyrna)
After breakfast, we drive to the archaeological
site of Troas where the Apostle Paul received
the "Macedonian Vision" (Acts 16:6-13) and then
to Pergamum, actually called Bergama, one of the
Seven Churches of Asia (Rev. 1:11; 2:12). At
Pergamum we explore the impressive Acropolis,
the steepest theatre in the world, the
Asklepieion, famous medical centre of classical
times, see the Alter of Zeus which is mentioned
as the "Throne of Satan" in the book of
Revelation, the marble columns of the Temple of
Trajan and the Library which was foremost in the
world and was long a rival of the equally famous
Library of Alexandria in Egypt. Its wealth of
volumes was estimated at over 200,000. It
inspired the invention of parchment. We will
also visit the Red Basilica. After the tour we
continue on to Izmir for check-in at hotel,
followed by dinner and overnight.
Day 5: Ephesus - Izmir
In the morning we drive to Ephesus, cradle of
early Christianity (Rev. 2:1-7). The Apostle
Paul preached to the Ephesians and lived and
laboured here for three years, thereafter
sending his Ephesian epistle. This city was also
an important base for the ministry of the
Apostle John, and may have been the community of
the beloved disciple. We tour the spectacular
ruins where excavations still continue in this
once great and important city, which was founded
in the 10th century BC. Walk through history
along marble streets lined with wonderful public
buildings, among them the Baths of Scholastica,
the Library of Celsus, the Temple of Hadrian and
the Theatre. The Temple to the goddess Diana of
the Ephesians was enormous in size and was one
of the seven wonders of the ancient world. After
the tour return to Izmir for dinner and
overnight at hotel.
Day 6: Izmir - Kusadasi (Embarkation on
cruise ship)-Patmos
At 11:00 a.m. we embark on the cruise ship from
Kusadasi and sail for Patmos, Greece. At 3:30
p.m. we arrive at this beautiful mysterious
rocky island where the exiled Apostle John wrote
the Book of Revelation. We enjoy a short journey
to the village of Chora where the Monastery of
St. John the Evangelist is built within the
walls of a strong fortification. As we walk
uphill towards the entrance of the Monastery we
will admire the wonderful panoramic view of the
island. We will see the courtyard, the Monks'
dining room and the old bakery before entering
the main church. Then we will visit the small
museum containing priceless ecclesiastical
treasures. Then we will return to our motor-coach
to continue on to the nearby Grotto of the
Revelation, the "traditional site" where the
heavenly voice of God revealed to St. John the
future of humanity (Rev. 1:12-21). Above the
Grotto stands the church of the Apocalypse, a
sub-unit of the main Monastery. We will walk
down the steps to visit the Grotto and see the
silver niches in the wall, which tradition
states mark the pillow and ledge used as a desk
by the author of the Book of Revelation. After
the visit, drive back to the port of Scala and
embark on the ship for an evening sailing to
Rhodes at 8:30 p.m.
Day 7: Rhodes, Greece
At 7:00 a.m. we arrive at Rhodes. This
stronghold was built by a Crusading Order, which
originated from Palestine, and in older days, it
boasted of another achievement of the then known
world - The Colossus of Rhodes! Our optional
morning half-day excursion takes us to visit the
Temple of Athena on the majestic rocky Acropolis
of Lindos, with the blue Aegean Sea beneath it
and the sophisticated, whitewashed artists'
colony at its foot.The New Testament mentions
that on his way to Rome, Paul's vessel spent
some time here in the small harbour (Acts 21:1).
We have the afternoon free in Rhodes for a most
delightful experience. Stroll around the
medieval walled city; enjoy the cosmopolitan
atmosphere from one of the elegant cafes in the
marina. Sail for Heraklion, Crete at 6:00 p.m.
Day 8: Heraklion Crete, - Santorini, Greece
At 7:00 A.M. we arrive at Heraklion Crete, (Acts
27:7-13), one of the sites on the Apostle Paul's
3rd missionary journey. An optional excursion
takes us from the lively bustling city to visit
the Minoan Palace of Knossos, legendary home of
the Minotaur (half bull and half man). The
Palace houses the Hall of the Royal Guard.
Decorated with frescoes and shields, the Hall of
the Double Axes, the King's Chamber housing the
alabaster throne amidst paintings of griffins
and lilies and the Queen's Apartment, adorned
with murals of dolphins and spirals reminding us
of the legend of the Labyrinth. We return to our
motor-coach and drive to the city of Heraklion
where we will have free time for browsing at the
shops. Return to the port for embarkation on the
ship and sail for Santorini at 11:30 a.m.
We arrive in Santorini at 4:00 p.m.
Disembarkation by tender-boats, weather
permitting. For our optional excursion we take a
mule or the cable car up to the whitewashed town
of Thera; perched high on the rim of the ancient
volcano, the eruption of which (1,600 BC)
literally buried a flourishing Bronze Age town,
which has now been excavated at Akrotiri. Sail
for Piraeus at 9:00 p.m.
Day 9: Piraeus, Athens
At 6:00 a.m. arrive at Piraeus. We disembark
approximately 7:30 A.M. after breakfast. We meet
the local Greek guide and start our morning city
tour. We climb up to the marble-capped Acropolis
and visit the famous Parthenon and the
Erechtheion. Our tour continues with the
highlights of modern Athens: we pass by the Tomb
of the Unknown Soldier, Parliament House,
Presidential Palace, Panathenian Stadium, Temple
of Olympian Zeus, the Academy, the University
and the National Library. After the tour we
check in at hotel in Athens. Dinner and
overnight.
Day 10 : Athens - Delphi
After breakfast at 8:00 a.m., we depart from
Athens and drive to Delphi, on of the centers of
Hellenic world. We visit the Theatre and the
Sanctuary of Apollo [legendary center of the
Oracle of Delphi], the Treasury of the Athenians
and the Archaeological Museum, which contains
some of the finest examples of Greek sculptures
including the highly regarded bronze "Charioteer".
We will see the great ancient training center
with its Gymnasium where athletes trained for
the Pythian Games. This visit to Delphi gives an
excellent insight into Greek culture that
impacted the early church.
Return to our hotel in Athens. In the evening we
will have our optional farewell dinner in one of
the Greek traditional restaurants in Plaka.
Return to hotel with our bus before midnight.
Day 11: Athens Departure
Check-out of the rooms and transfer with our
representative to Athens International Airport "Eleftherios
Venizelos" for departure flight back home.
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