Day 1 and 2 DEPARTURE and ARRIVAL
Our pilgrimage began as we departed the United States on our
international flight. We were met in Athens by our representative and
transferred to our hotel for dinner and a relaxing evening.Follow the Footsteps of
Paul with Bob &Drango
October 1999
Day 1 and 2 DEPARTURE and ARRIVAL
Our pilgrimage began as we departed the United States on our
international flight. We were met in Athens by our representative and
transferred to our hotel for dinner and a relaxing evening.
Day 3 ATHENS The architectural splendors of this ancient city are as magical as ever. Follow our guide on a journey to the world-renown Acropolis with the Propylaea entrance. Continue to the ruins of the Parthenon, Erectheum, Mars Hill, the Agora (ancient market place and center of Athenian public life), the House of Parliament, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Presidential Palace. This afternoon we journeyed to Sounion to visit the famous Temple of Poseidon.
Day 4 THERMOPYLAE PASS, OLYMPOS MOUNTAINS, TEMBI
VALLEY, VERIA and THESSALONIKA Journey through the beautiful and historic Greek countryside, via the Thermopylae Pass, whose name still stirs the Greek heart. Here, 400 years before Christ, 300 Spartans stood against 30,000 Persians. The heroic Spartans are said to be buried in a mound which is still visible to the modern visitor. our journey continues in the shadow of the Olympos Mountains. When Paul arrived in Veria, he went immediately to the Jewish synagogue, where he discovered the Jews had accepted the new faith along with some highborn Greeks. Travel along the Tembi Valley, where according to legend, Apollo spent his weth. We left the ancient gods behind as we enter Thessalonika. The New Testament books of Thessalonians are Paul’s correspondence with the people of this church. We visited the old city ramparts, the Archaeological Museum, St. George Church, an ancient Roman monument which was transformed into a church; and the Galerius Arch which rises over the Via Egnatia. We also saw two of the most beautiful basilicas in the city: St. Sophia and St. Demetrios, dedicated to a distinguished member of the Roman army and a martyred Christian convert.
Day 5 AMPHIPOLIS, PHILIPPI, and NEAPOLIS Like Paul and Silas, we traveled to Amphipolis, where we saw the ruins of many Christian basilicas. In Philippi, Paul was moved to preach his first evangelical sermon to women who had gathered at the river. He baptized Lydia, a cloth merchant, to become the first Christian to be baptized on European soil. We visited the place where this event is remembered. We also saw a crypt dating from the Roman period which is thought to have served as a prison for St. Paul. we saw the famous Acropolis, the Market Place, Basilica and the Theatre. We visited Neapolis (Kavalla), Greece’s most picturesque mainland port. Paul landed here with his disciples, Timothy and Silas. Here we saw the Roman Aqueduct and Acropolis.
Day 6 METEORA In western Thessaly, outside of Kalambaka is the rock forest of Meteora where famous Byzantine monasteries perch precariously on summits of soaring, sheer-sided grey rock pinnacles of varied and spectacular shapes. Their history goes back to the 14th century when the monks sought refuge in cliff-side caves, then fled higher to build the original wooden shelters, later transformed into monasteries. We visited one of these picturesque monasteries.
Day 7 DELPHI An ancient city of fame and wealth, Delphi was considered by early Greeks to be the center of the world. The exact age of Delphi is not known, but it is mentioned by Homer. our visit took us along the Sacred Way to the Athenian Treasury, the Theatre and the Temple of Apollo, of which six columns have been restored. We visited the Museum where, among other treasures, we saw the unique 5th century B.C. bronze charioteer.
Day 8 CORINTH and CENCRAEAE In Corinth, the city that inspired many of St. Paul’s most familiar letters, we visited the Archaeological Museum, the Market Place, the Bema and Temples. After a touching farewell to the people of Corinth, Paul traveled across the plain to the harbor of Cenchraeae where he embarked for Ephesus. Wel followed his route,
Cruise to Greek Isles and Turkey
Day 9 PIRAEUS and MYKONOS This morning, boarded the MS Triton in the Port of Piraeus. In the evening, we arrived at the world-famous Greek Island of Mykonos. This is one of the most beautiful places.
Day 10 RHODES You will visit the old city built by the Knights of St. John. The city has changed little from medieval days. Walls as thick as 12 meters, topped by decorated parapets and towers, surround the restored city.
Day 11 PATMOS and EPHESUS This morning arrived in Patmos for a visit to the Monastery of St. John and the Grotto of the Apocalypse (Revelation). We then set sail for Kusadasi, Turkey, and journeyed to Ephesus where Paul spent three years during his ministry. It was to this community that Paul may have written his Epistle to the Ephesians. We visited the ruins of St. John’s Basilica where early Christian tradition tells us the "disciple whom Jesus loved" was buried.We saw one of the "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World", the ruins of the Temple of Diana (Artemis). Here, we visited the theatre where Paul preached.
Day 12 ATHENS We disembarked after breakfast and explored Athens.
