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| Day 1 |
ATHENS
Arrive Athens airport, meet and transfer to your hotel. Dinner and overnight. |
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| Day 2 |
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ATHENS & CORINTH
Today we begin from Athens with a sightseeing tour of this fascinating city. Our expert guides take you to see the highlights of the city. We will also visit Mars Hill where Apostle Paul addressed the men of Athens, the ancient agora and of course, the Parthenon on Acropolis Hill. We then leave by the coastal |
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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 |
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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 Gallo and preached (Acts 18). The museum contains a superb collection of artifacts portraying life in Ancient Corinth. |
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| Day 3 |
CRUISE EMBARKATION / MYKANOS
Transfer to port and embark cruise vessel. At 11:00 am we sail for the island of Mykonos. This island combines in a unique way the luxuriant and sophisticated lifestyle with the simple and yet charming life of a Cycladic island. Stroll Mykonos' narrow streets, bordered by famous boutiques, visit the hundreds of tiny chapels and take pictures of the famous windmills! |
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| Day 4 |
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RHODES
The Rhodians maintain that Apostle Paul stayed in their city and preached, bringing many people into the new faith. The small port of Lindos, bears the name "St. Paul's Harbor" commemorating his landing and teaching. Ship remains docked here all day. |
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| Day 5 |
PATMOS / DISEMBARKATION in KUSADASI / EPHESUS
We continue our cruise for the island of Patmos; it was here where John the Divine, while in exile, wrote the Apocalyptic Revelations, which constitute the last part of the New Testament. The monastery of St. John still keeps its character of a medieval fortress. Inside the walls you will be able to admire its |
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Byzantine wealth while from its ramparts you will have the most stunning panoramic view of the luminous sea. |
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Continue to Kusadasi, where we disembark. From here our tour takes us to nearby Ephesus. Here history truly comes to life; walking towards the ancient harbor 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. Dinner and overnight in Izmir. |
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| Day 6 |
PERGAMUM & THYATIRA
Morning departure from Izmir, the biblical Smyrna to Pergamum, where one of the seven churches is located. See the Asclepium, the medical center of the ancient world, then the Acropolis. Proceed to Thyatira, where another church of the Revelation stood. Return to Izmir for dinner and overnight. |
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| Day 7 |
PHILADELPHIA, SARDIS & LAODICEA
Morning departure to visit Philadelphia, one of the seven churches. Continue to Sardis, the most picturesque of the seven churches. John told the Christians of Sardis that the letter in Revelation was from "the One who holds the seven spirits of God, the seven stars". He admonished them to "wake up and out some strength into what is left". Proceed to biblical Laodicea and its surviving monuments, including the stadium and two theaters. Return to Izmir. |
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| Day 8 |
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ISTANBUL
We fly to Istanbul, formerly known by its Greek name "Constantinople" which was the capital of the Byzantine Empire. The first slop of the sightseeing tour is the mysterious labyrinth of Topkapi Palace, former residence of the Sultans. We slop briefly by the Hippodrome, early site of reckless chariot races and then the |
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Blue Mosque with its deep blue Iznik tiles and 260 stained glass windows. Dinner and overnight in Istanbul. |
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| Day 9 |
ISTANBUL
Today we take an enchanting Bosphorus cruise. Running between the Sea of Marmara and the Black Sea, both former lakes during earth's geological changes, Bosphorus is 22 miles long and considered one of the most important waterways in the world. Then on to the famous Grand Bazaar, with its four thousand shops offering a wide variety of |
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goods, ranging from carpets, kilims, gold, leather goods and souvenirs. Dinner and overnight in Istanbul. |
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| Day 10 |
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ROME
Transfer to the airport for your departure or extend with two nights Rome. Flight to Rome. Arrival Rome, transfer to your hotel. Dinner and overnight. |
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| Day 11 |
ROME
Begin your tour of Imperial Rome and learn about the glory and grandeur of the Eternal City. See the Seven Hills, the Roman Forum, Arch of Titus and Arch of Constantine; thence into the Colosseum for an explanation of its history. Slop at Trevi fountain and continue to Church of St. Peter in Chains to see the famous Moses by Michelangelo and the |
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original chains in which St. Peter was brought captive to Rome. Dinner and overnight in Rome. |
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| Day 12 |
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VATICAN & CHRISTIAN ROME
After breakfast we enjoy a guided tour of the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel see mysterious Vatican City, the Sacred Museum, the Vatican Library and the incredible Sistine Chapel, built to the precise dimensions of the original Temple of Solomon as described in the Bible for its famous Fresco of "Genesis" by |
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Michelangelo. In the afternoon, we'll visit the Catacombs, St. Paul's Basilica, the largest in Rome after St. Peter's and Old Appian Way. Dinner and overnight in Rome. |
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| Day 13 |
DEPARTURE
Transfer to the airport for your flight home. |
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