DAY 1 - MAY 14, 2012 - Departure from USA to Istanbul, Turkey

DAY 2 - MAY 15, 2012 - Arrive in the morning in Istanbul. Istanbul was founded in 667 BC and is where East meets West as well as the world’s only city that spans two continents.

After we check in to our hotel and freshen up, we will visit St. Anthony of Padua Church, which is the largest Roman Catholic Church in Istanbul today. Here Father Patrick will celebrate Mass for us.

Group Welcome Dinner at Neyzen Restaurant in Kumkapi Fishermen village.

Overnight in Istanbul at Hotel Titanic - www.titanic.com.tr

DAY 3 - MAY 16, 2012 - Breakfast at hotel. We start our day with a guided visit to Hagia Sophia which is one of the most impressive and important monuments from early Christianity. Built on the site of an earlier 4th century basilica, this 6th century building, still intact, was modeled after the Pantheon in Rome.

Next we visit the vast sumptuous complex of the Topkapi Palace built by Mehmet II between 1459 and 1465.

Then on to The Cathedral of the Holy Spirit, alternatively known as the St. Esprit Cathedral and has been a destination of several papal visits to Turkey, including Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, and Pope Benedict XVI.

The last stop of our day will be to the Spice Market and Grand Bazaar which is one of the largest covered souks in the world.

Dinner at Hotel Titanic - Overnight in Istanbul

DAY 4 - MAY 17, 2012 - Breakfast at hotel. We depart Istanbul in the morning and fly to Izmir, a thriving port city with a rich past.

Upon arrival we will visit Saint Polycarp Church, the oldest church in Izmir, it represents ancient Smyrna’s role as one of the seven churches in Revelation. Saint Polycarp was converted by John the Apostle.

Then on to the town of Kusadasi, with it’s palm-lined boulevard and is reputed for one of the most attractive cities of the Aegean. Free time until dinner.

Dinner at hotel and overnight in
Kusadasi - Hotel Marina - www.marinahotelkusadasi.com

DAY 5 - MAY 18, 2012 - Breakfast at hotel. Then off to the House of Mary on the mountain where the current 13th century house was built on the 1st century foundation. It is also believed to be where the Virgin Mary spent the last years of her life along with St. John the Theologian. Father Patrick to celebrate Mass at the altar next to the House of Mary.

Our next stop is a visit to the main archaeological site of Ephesus (the city of the Bible and one of the seven cities in St. John’s Book of Revelation) and one of the largest restorations still in progress with miles of ancient treasurers including the newly opened sloping Roman villas, library, Museum of Ephesus, and the temple of Artemis. From AD 52-54, St. Paul lived in Ephesus, working with the congregation. He wrote between 53 and 57 AD the letter 1 Corinthians from Ephesus (possibly from the “Paul tower” close to the harbor, where he was imprisoned for a short time). Later St. Paul wrote the Epistle to Ephesians while he was in prison in Rome (around 62 AD).

Next we will visit St. John’s Basilica with an overview of the Ephesus harbor and the temple of Artemis, completed in its most famous phase around 550 BC and listed as one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. We continue back to our hotel in the picturesque Turkish village of Kusadasi.

Dinner at hotel and overnight in Kusadasi at Hotel Marina

DAY 6 - MAY 19, 2012 - Breakfast at hotel. Today we embark on our two-day cruise with departure at noon. Our first port of call is Patmos known as the Jerusalem of the Aegean. In the late afternoon we will tour the monastery of St. John, a fortress-like retreat named after St. John the Evangelist, who came to Patmos in the first century A.D. After his exile from Ephesus. Also we will visit the Cave of the Apocalypse where St. John wrote the Book of Revelations.

Lunch, Dinner, and Overnight on Cruise Ship - www.louiscruises.com

DAY 7 - MAY 20, 2012 - Breakfast on ship. Father Patrick will celebrate Sunday Mass on the ship. Today’s port of call is Santorini, which is perhaps the most breathtaking of all Greek islands where a volcanic eruption in 1500 BC destroyed the center of the island leaving a crescent shaped rim of cliff where the town of Thira clings. You may choose an optional tour of sailing around an active volcano crater or enjoy this lovely island on foot.

Lunch, Dinner and Overnight on Cruise Ship

DAY 8 - MAY 21, 2012 - Breakfast on ship. We disembark in Athens at Piraeus Port early morning and travel to Corinth and Mycenae. Our first stop is at the Corinth Canal where the adjacent mountains reflected in the water are some of the most impressive in Greece.

Then to Corinth, the city that inspired many of St. Paul’s most familiar letters. Stops at the Archaeological Museum, the Market Place, the Bema, and the Temples. We will see the ruins of the Church of Corinth and see the pillars, steps, and public worship place where St. Paul preached and it will enhance your understanding and love of 1 and 2 Corinthians. The ruins of this important cultural center are fascinating as we walk along the stone path that Apostle Paul walked. Weather permitting, Father Patrick to celebrate an outdoor Mass in Ancient Corinth.

After the visit to ancient Corinth we travel to Mycenae where the remains of the ancient city date back to the Bronze Age to see the famous Lioness Gate and the Tomb of Agamemnon in the shape of a Beehive.

Travel back to Athens and check into our hotel to freshen up.

Group dinner will be at the Hotel Bretagna Roof Top Restaurant overlooking the Acropolis and Syntagma Square.

Overnight in Athens Hotel Titania - www.titania.gr.com

DAY 9 - MAY 22, 2012 - Breakfast at hotel. Father Patrick to celebrate Mass at St. Denis’ Roman Catholic Church. Then we will visit the Acropolis, Agora, Areopagus, and the newly opened Acropolis Museum.

Group dinner in the old Athens area called the Plaka, beneath the Acropolis.

Overnight in Athens at Hotel Titania
DAY 10 - MAY 23, 2012 - Breakfast at hotel. Today we travel to Meteora with stops at Distomo and Delphi.

The Monastery of Osios Loukas - St. Luke is one of the most important monuments of the Byzantine Era, and listed in UNESCO’s World heritage sites. The main shrine of the monastery is the tomb of St. Luke, originally situated in the vault, but later placed at the juncture of the two churches.

We then continue to Delphi. Delphi in Greece and its oracle was one of the most sacred places in the ancient world. Situated in the breathtaking surroundings by the mythical Mt. Parmassus, where Pan and the nymphs were said to have lived, it is still an enchanting site. The ancient Greeks believed that Delphi was the center of the world and the oracle foretold the future of kings and common men.

We then continue our travel to the town of Kalambaka with some free time before dinner.

Group dinner in Kalambaka, Greece at a family owned Restaurant Meteora.

Overnight in Kalambaka at Hotel Divani - www.divanis.com/meteora

DAY 11 - MAY 24, 2012 - Breakfast at hotel.

Our first stop is at the Meteora Monasteries with their exquisite specimens of Byzantine art. The Monasteries are perched on top of huge rocks that seem to be suspended in mid-air. We will visit the Varlaam and Roussanou Monasteries.

We then travel northward and stop to visit King Phillip’s (Alexander’s father) tomb. Beroia, now Veria was first recorded in 500 BC and belonged to the Kingdom of Macedon and in 168 BC became Roman together with the rest of Macedonia. In 64 AD the Apostle Paul preached the new faith to the Jewish community of the town (Acts 17 10-13 and 20, 4). Here there is an ancient synagogue where he spoke and the mosaics of St. Paul with a plaque of scripture regarding the “more noble” church.

Then to Thessaloniki where St. Paul preached in 49-50 AD and wrote two epistles to the ancient Thessalonians. We will visit St. George Church, Galerius Arch, Church Agia Sopia, and the small shrine known as the Altar of St. Paul on a hill where he preached.

Dinner at hotel and overnight in Thessaloniki at Hotel Capsis - www.capsishotel.gr

DAY 12 - MAY 25, 2012 - Breakfast at hotel. We start with a visit to Kavala, the ancient city of Neapolis where St. Paul, Timothy and Silas first landed on European soil. Neapolis was later renamed Christoupolis because it was the first European city to accept Christianity. We will visit the Roman Aqueduct and the ruins of the Acropolis.

Then we travel to Philippi where St. Paul preached and delivered his first sermon in Europe. We will see the prison where St. Paul and Silas were thrown, the completely excavated Roman forum, and the site of where St. Paul baptized Lydia, the first European convert to surrender her life to Christ.

Weather permitting, Father Patrick to celebrate an outdoor Mass for us.

Group Farewell Dinner at Palati Restaurant located at the famous Ladadika.

Overnight in Thessaloniki at Hotel Capsis.

DAY 13 - MAY 26, 2012 - Depart Thessaloniki for a flight back to USA.