Day 1:  USA - ATHENS. Tour members gather at the ticket counter at the airport two hours prior to our departure to Europe.

Day 2:  ATHENS. Upon arrival in Athens, we are met by our guide and bus driver. Transfer to our hotel with the rest of the day at leisure. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Day 3:  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 ascend 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.

“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)

We board our coach for Corinth, taking the coastal road along the Saronic Gulf to the Corinth Canal, which connects the Aegean Sea with the Ionian Sea.  Short stop for pictures and 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 judgment 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 for dinner and overnight.

Day 4:  ATHENS - VERIA - VERGINA - THESSALONIKI.

“The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Beroea; and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue.”  (Acts 17:10-14)

This morning we 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. Continue to Vergina, where excavations in 1978 discovered three very important royal tombs. The most important tomb is believed to be that of Philip II of Macedonia, the father of Alexander the Great. We return to Thessaloniki and explore this great city starting with a drive 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 and 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. Dinner and overnight in Thessaloniki.

Day 5: THESSALONIKI - KAVALA.  Today we begin our travels with a tour of Thessaloniki, 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 waterfront 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 and 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. We then continue to the beautiful city of Kavala for dinner and overnight.

Day 6: KAVALA - CANNAKKALE.  Visit Kavala, the modern port city, ancient Neapolis, where Paul accompanied by Silas, Luke, and Timothy, first set foot in Europe.  We drive to the Greek/Turkish border.  Cross and continue to Cannakkale for overnight.

Day 7: PERGAMUM - IZMIR.  Drive to Pergamum, the great city of Bergama, a city of the Book of  Revelation, where one of the seven churches is located.  One of the best preserved ancient sites in Turkey.  Paul embarked by ship to Palestine and to Truva, the city of Troy, where the vision of a man from Macedonia appeared to Paul beseeching him to “come and help us.”  Continue to Izmir for overnight.

Day 8: Izmir - Philadelphia - Pamukkale.  Morning tour of Izmir, the biblical Smyrna, home to one of the Seven Churches.  Continue to Alasehir, the site of Philadelphia, the youngest of the Seven Churches.  See part of the city wall and the remains of the early Church.  Drive to Pamukkale for overnight. 

Day 9:  PAMUKKALE - KUSADASI - EPHESSOS.  Visit the principle tourist attraction of western Turkey, and several large pools with water temperature at 95 degrees.  In the crystalline waters of the spring one can clearly see the columns and column capitals of ancient Hierapolis.  Visit ancient Hierapolis with its rich Roman and Christian remains, its extensive well-preserved Necropolis and some Church ruins. Proceed to Kusadasi and visit the ruins of Ephessos - the most impressive archeological site in Turkey.   Extensive excavations have facilitated the restoration of old Ephessos.  From the harbor a thirty five feet wide marble paved and pillar lined street led into the interior of the city.  Paul would have approached the city through this street, entering it through the northern gate, called the Magnesian.  Paul suffered many trials and tribulations in Ephessus leading finally to his imprisonment.  Overnight in Kusadasi.

Day 10: KUSADASI - ISTANBUL.  This morning we fly to Istanbul. Visit the Church of St. Sophia, the oldest Christian Basilica where the ecumenical councils were held, the Hippodrome of old Constantinople.  Continue with visits to the Imperial Topkapi Palace, residence of the Ottoman Sultans between the 15^th and 19^th centuries and contemplate the world’s richest porcelain collection of the Ming Dynasty of China.  Overnight in Istanbul.

Day 11:  ISTANBUL.  Our first stop is the Blue Mosque.  The only mosque built with 6 minarets, decorated with famous Iznik tiles.  Then on to the famous Grand Bazaar, a labyrinth of over 4500 little shops, built in the 15^th century.  It is the major highlight of the city and very popular among  locals and tourists.   Shops mainly sell gold jewelry, carpets and silver bibelots ceramics.  Continue for the Bosphorous tour, the winding strait separating Europe & Asia.  Along the shores is a delightful mixture of the past and the present, as well as the grand splendor and quaint beauty of the modern hotels, ancient wooden villas, palaces of marble, fortress and small fishing villages.  Overnight in Istanbul.

Day 12: DEPART.  Transfer to the airport for our return flight home- the end of a most enjoyable pilgrimage.