Greece

January 8, 2016

Days 1, 2

Depart the United States.
You will be met in Athens and will be transferred to your hotel for a relaxing night enjoying Athens in the evening.

Day 3

Begin your tour of Athens – the cradle of Western Civilization.
Visit the ancient Acropolis and see the Parthenon, Mars Hill, the Temple of Athena, the Theatre of Dionysus, and tour the National Archaeological Museum.
See Hadrian’s Arch, the ruins of the Temple of Olympian Zeus, and the sight where the first modern Olympic Games were held.
There will also be free time for shopping in the Plaka district and the Agora marketplace.
In the afternoon, enjoy an optional journey to Sounion to visit the famous Temple of Poseidon, and/or in the evening opt to experience the popular Sound and Light show that will literally illuminate Athen’s past.

Day 4

Travel to the ancient city of Delphi, considered by early Greeks to be the center of the world and also mentioned by Homer in his writings.
Your visit will take you along the Sacred Way to the Athenian Treasury, the Theatre and the Temple of Apollo.
You will also visit the Delphi museum while there.
Use the same road used for millennia as you walk along the marble Sacred Way.

Day 5

Visit the rock forest of Meteora where famous Byzantine monasteries were built precariously on the spectacular, sheer rock pinnacles there. Centuries ago, monks retreated to the cliff-side caves there, and eventually built monasteries in the same locations. You will get to visit one of these monasteries.

Day 6

Travel to the region of Philippi, like Paul and Silas, and see the ruins of the Christian basilicas there.
You’ll visit the place where Paul baptized Lydia, the first Christian to be baptized on European soil.
You’ll also see a crypt dating from the Roman period which may have served as a prison for Paul.
You’ll see the famous Acropolis, the Market Place, Basilica and the Theatre.
You’ll also visit Neapolis (Kavalla), one of Greece’s most picturesque ports, and the very place where Paul landed with Timothy and Silas.
While there, you will also see the Roman Aqueduct and Acropolis.

Day 7

Travel to Thessalonika you will visit the the Archaeological Museum, St. George Church, and the Galerius Arch which rises over the Via Egnatia.
You will also see two beautiful basilicas in the city: St. Sophia and St. Demetrios.
Then travel to Veria (Berea), where Paul discovered the Jews had accepted the Christianity along with some Greeks.
Next, travel through the Olympus Mountains and the beautiful Greek countryside.
We will be traveling via the Thermopylae Pass, the site of an historic Greek victory against the Persians.

Day 8

We then arrive in Corinth, where you will visit the Archaeological Museum, the Market Place, the Bema and Temples.

Day 9

Explore Athens on your own or enjoy an optional one-day cruise (additional $70).
Or, take a three day cruise extension to Ephesus.
Cruise through the Aegean Sea to the Turkish port of Kusadasi, where you can take an excursion to the ancient city of Ephesus, and also visit Patmos, primarily known as the place where St. John received the book of Revelations.
Return to Athens on the evening of Day 11.

Day 10/12