Greece & Turkey Tour with Bishop Dave Nagler - Pacifica Synod - ELCA

Day 1, October 22:  Departure

Depart from the USA on our flight to Istanbul (IST). Meals on board.

Day 2, October 23: Arrival – Istanbul

Upon arrival at Istanbul Airport, welcome by English-speaking assistant and transfer to hotel.
The remainder of the day is at leisure. Dinner and overnight at a hotel in Istanbul.

Day 3, October 24: Istanbul – Aya Sophia - Blue Mosque

Breakfast at the hotel. After breakfast, depart from the hotel to visit the ancient city. We visit the Blue Mosque, well known for its interior decorations. Next, we visit the Hippodrome from the Byzantine period and then the Aya Sophia church from the 6th century. After lunch, we will visit the Topkapi Palace, the residence of the sultans of the Ottoman Empire, famous for its excellent collection of jewelry and porcelain.

Day 4, October 25: Istanbul – Grand Bazaar - Bosphorus Boat Tour

Breakfast at the hotel. Enjoy a full-day tour with lunch, and visit the Grand Bazaar, then we will take a peaceful tour of the Bosphorus by boat, from which we will be able to contemplate the two shores: the Asian part and the European part. Rest of the day continue discovering the picturesque, Suleymaniye Mosque, Pierre Loti Hill,  Today's Istanbul honors and preserves the legacy of its past while looking to its modern future. The variety of this city fascinates its visitors, for its museums, churches, palaces,  mosques, and bazaars. Dinner and overnight at a hotel in Istanbul.

Day 5, October 26: Istanbul – Izmir - St John’s Cathedral

Breakfast at the hotel. In the morning, transfer to the airport to take your flight to Izmir. visit the ruins of St John’s Cathedral in Selcuk. In Kusadasi, we will visit the House of the Virgin Mary, supposedly the last resting place of the Mother of Jesus. 

Day 6, October 27: Kusadasi - Ephesus

Breakfast at the hotel. Continuation to Ephesus, the best preserved ancient city in Asia Minor during the 1st and 2nd centuries had a population of 250,000 inhabitants, monopolizing the wealth of the Middle East. We will visit the Temple of Hadrian, the Roman Baths, the Library, the Odeon, and the Theater. Dinner and overnight at a hotel in Kusadasi.

Day 7, October 28: (Start 3-night Cruise) Kusadasi – Patmos - St. John's Monastery

Breakfast at the hotel. Transfer to the port of Kusadasi and embarkation on the 3 nights cruise Iconic Aegean in order to set sail to the Island of Patmos. Arrival at Patmos and disembarkation and free time to visit the island then take the excursion to St. John's Monastery. Embarkation at the indicated time to set sail to Rhodes. Full pension on board.

Day 8, October 29: Rhodes 

Arrival at the Island of Rhodes around 07:00 hrs. Disembarkation. You´ll have the opportunity to visit the medieval Rhodes and the acropolis of Lindos, with the ancient temple of Athena built in 300 BC. You will have the opportunity to see the houses of the captains and the Church of Our Mrs. Lindos, the acropolis with the Doric temple of Athena, which was built on a previous monument. Then, in the city of Rhodes, go through the Porta d'Amboise to walk along the street of the knights, where you will see the residences of the knights separated according to the order and whose shields they still display today. In the afternoon, boarding at 6:00 p.m. and departure to Crete. Full board on board.

Day 9, October 30: Crete – Santorini

Arrival at the Island of Crete and disembarkation. Departure at the time is set by a cruise boat to the famous island of Santorini, formed by the half-submerged crescent of a volcanic caldera. Perched atop high cliffs, reach the island's breathtaking view of Santorini, arrival, and disembarkation. Towards Athens. Full pension on board.

Day 10, October 31: Athens – Corinth

Arrival at the Port and after breakfast, disembarkation. Depart for a full-day tour to Ancient Corinth. Departure to Ancient Corinth, the city, which was the center of trade for many centuries. To begin, we will stop at the famous channel, called the Isthmus in Greek, the place where the Peloponnese and central Greece meet, as well as the Aegean and Ionian seas. The canal was completed at the end of the 19th century by the government of Charilaos Trikoupis and saves ships the more than 400 km it takes to go around the Peloponnese peninsula. We will visit Ancient Corinth with its amazing artifacts, some of which date back to 6000 B.C. The remains of the city, which include the agora (market) and the temple of Apollo (6th century BC) clearly show how rich and important Corinth was in antiquity. The Romans rebuilt the city in 44 B.C. to later make it the provincial capital of Greece. On our way back to Athens, we will make a brief stop at the site of the ancient port of Cehries, where Saint Paul disembarked from Thessaloniki. For Christians, Corinth is mentioned in the New Testament, when Saint Paul addressed the residents of the city in his two epistles, First and Second Corinthians. It is mentioned again in the Acts of the Apostles during the evangelical work of Saint Paul. At the end of the tour, return to Athens. Overnight in Athens.

Day 11, November 1: Athens – Mars Hill  – Acropolis 

Breakfast at the hotel and we travel directly to the center of Athens to start our half-day panoramic city tour of Athens.  gives you an opportunity to observe the striking contrasts that make Athens. Then to see the Panathenaic Stadium where the first Olympic Games of modern times were held in 1896. Continue and pass by the Temple of Olympian Zeus, the Hadrian’s Arch, Rising some 377 feet above the land below and not far from the Acropolis and Agora (marketplace), Mars Hill served as the meeting place for the Areopagus Court, the highest court in Greece. Mars Hill is the location of one of Paul’s most important gospel presentations at the time of his visit to Athens during his second missionary journey (Acts 17:16–34). It was where he addressed the religious idolatry of the Greeks who even had an altar to the “Unknown God" then visit the ancient roman agora, On the Acropolis visit the Architectural Masterpieces of the Golden Age of Athens: The Propylaea, the Temple of Athena Nike, the Erechtheion, and finally “the harmony between material and spirit”, the monument that “puts the order in the mind”, the Parthenon. return to the hotel. Free evening in Athens. Overnight in Athens.

Day 12, November 2: Athens – Departure

Following breakfast at our hotel, we are met by our English-speaking concierge for our private transfer to Athens airport (ATH). We fly home and arrive the same day. 

NOTE: The schedule is subject to change due to various factors and the tour guide’s discretion.