Day
1
Arrival Athens
Arrival to Athens airport where we will meet our guide and driver after the customs and drive to the city having an orientation tour before getting to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day
2
Athens tour
After breakfast we will visit Athens to see the important archaeological sites in the city, the Acropolis and Mars Hill where St. Paul preached “So they took Paul and brought him in front of the city council, the Areopagus, and said…”(Act 17:19). See places of interest like the Academy, Greek Parliament, National Library, Temple of Zeus, the Panathenaic Stadium and the Royal Palace. See also the Roman Cathedral of St. Dennis “Some men joined him and believed, among whom was Dionysius…” (Act 17:34). Then we will have free time in Plaka area, the ancient section of the city, to explore this amazing area. Dinner and overnight at our hotel.
Day
3
Athens-Veria-Thessaloniki
Today we will drive to Thessaloniki passing through the amazing nature of the country. We will visit Veria (Berea) “As soon as night came, the believers sent Paul to Berea” (Act 17:10). We will see the Bema where Paul found people who eagerly received his message, “examining the Scriptures daily to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11). We’ll continue to Thessaloniki, the Capital of Macedonia where “Paul and Silas traveled on through Amphipolis and came to Thessalonika’’ (Act 17:1) and we will have a panoramic tour. Continue to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
Day
4
Kavala-Philippi
Head to see the town of Philippi, named after Philip of Macedonia, father of Alexander the Great. In Philippi, St. Paul had saved the servant women of evil spirit “In the name of Jesus Christ I order you to come out of her…”(Act 16:18) and as result were thrown with Silas into jail “After a severe beating they were thrown into jail…” (Acts 16:23). We’ll visit the place where Lydia had been baptized “One of those who heard us was Lydia. After she and the people of her house had been baptized…” (Act 16:14-15). Visit the modern city of Kavala, ancient Neapolis, the sea port where “Paul had arrived from Troas through Samothrace” (Act 16:11) and the St. Nicolas church, with its unique mosaic. Back to Thessaloniki for dinner and overnight.
Day
5
Thessaloniki-Kalabaka
This day we will explore the second largest city in Greece, Thessaloniki, where St. Paul preached and founded a church and to whom he wrote two epistles (Acts 17:1-9; 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians). We will see the White Tower, the Arch of Galerius, the churches of St. Demetrius and St. Sophia, the Roman Forum and Rotunda. Continue to Kalabaka for dinner and overnight.
Day
6
Kalabaka-Athens
Today we will visit the unique hanging Byzantine monasteries from the medieval centuries at Meteora, where we will visit one of them. Meteora Monasteries located among striking scenery, perched on top of the huge rocks where you can see exquisite specimens of Byzantine art of the 11th century and are accessible only by stairs or pathways into the rock. We’ll continue our journey to Athens where we will have few hours at leisure at city center. Dinner and overnight at your hotel.
Day
7
Athens-Mykonos (on cruise)
Embark the Greece and Turkey 3-day cruise with the first stop at famous island of Mykonos. You will have free time to explore this amazing island and see the windmills and the Little Venice, before returning to the ship for evening entertainment. All meals are included on board.
Day
8
Ephesus-Patmos
Dock this morning at Kusadasi, and enjoy an excursion to the ruins of Ephesus which was once the capital of the Roman province of Asia, and where the recipients of Apostle Paul’s famous epistle (Acts 18:19-26;Ephesians). We will see the Theatre, the Temple of Diana, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. We will have some time for shopping of the local products like leather and carpets. Continue to the Greek island of Patmos to discover the “Jerusalem of the Aegean” and visit the Monastery of St. John and to the Cave of the Apocalypse, where John the Evangelist wrote the Book of the Revelation during his exile (Rev. 1:9-11). All meals are included on board.
Day
9
Crete-Santorini
This morning we woke up at the largest island in Greece, Crete, the home of the great Minoan Civilization dating back to 4000 B.C. We will visit the Knossos Palace Complex which is considered the oldest European city and the central site of the Minoan Kingdom. The afternoon we’ll stop at Santorini, the “Black Pearl of the Aegean”, where we visit the cliff-top village of Fira for one of the world’s most breathtaking panoramas. It’s accessible either by cable car or donkey and you will have some time here to explore it. All meals are included on board.
Day
10
Corinth-Athens
This morning we arrive to Athens port, disembark and drive along the coastal road to Corinth where Paul had met Aquila “There he met a Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, and recently come from Italy…” (Act 18:2). Continue along the wonderful beach of Kinetta, make a brief stop at the amazing human made Corinth Canal and from there to ancient Corinth. Visit the Museum, the Bema where “Paul gave his whole time to preaching the message...” (Act 18:5), along with the Doric Temple of Apollo, the Asklepion and the Agora. Paul stayed in Corinth for one and a half years “So Paul stayed there for a year and a half…” (Act 18:11). Afterwards we see the port of Cenchreae where he sailed to reach Ephesus “Before sailing from Cenchreae he had his head shaved because of a vow he had taken.” (Act 18:18). We drive back to Athens to visit the important modern and archaeological sites of the city, the Acropolis Hill and neighboring monuments, including Mars Hill where Paul spoke “So they took Paul and brought him in front of the city council, the Areopagus, and said…”(Act 17:19). Also, places of interest such as the University, the Academy, the National Library, the Temple of Zeus, the Panathenian Stadium, Omonia Square, Constitution Square and the Royal Palace, will be seen. We will see the Roman Cathedral of St. Dennis dedicated to Dionysius “Some men joined him and believed, among whom was Dionysius...” (Act 17:34). If time permits, we have some free hours to explore the ancient portion of the city, Plaka area, with its narrow paths, shops, taverns just at the foot of Acropolis. Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight
Day
11
Departure
Today we will depart our hotel to the airport for the departure flight holding our best and unique memories home.
