A 11-days Pilgrimage to Greece and Turkey with Pastor Timothy Homan Mammoth Lakes Lutheran and Grace Lutheran Church Bishop

Make your way to your local airport, where you will board your overnight flight. Onboard, meals will be served to you.

Arrive in Athens - Greece - Upon landing at Athens Airport, make your way to the baggage claim area and collect your luggage. Proceed to the arrival hall, where you will be greeted by your tour guide and/-or driver. Board the bus to transfer to your hotel. Enjoy some time to relax after check-in. Dinner at the hotel and overnight in Athens.

Athens - After breakfast at the hotel, start with a tour of the oldest city in the world, Athens! Visit the rock that has dominated the panorama of Athens for twenty-five centuries, the Acropolis. At the Acropolis, you will see the ruins of the Parthenon, Erectheum, and Propylene. After, you will ascend Mars Hill of where Saint Paul spoke to the Athenians about the one and only God (Acts 17:22) Dinner and overnight in Athens.

Athens, Corinth - Today you will proceed to ancient Corinth. Under the shadow of the towering Acropolis,Saint Paul lived in Corinth for two years. While here, Saint Paul felt great grief over what the Gentile Church in Corinth has become. As a result, he wrote four letters, all with the overarching theme of love. In Corinth, have the opportunity to view the remains of the first century shops, the site of the Saint Pauls trial by Gallio, the Fountain of Peirene, and the Temple of Apollo. Following your visit to Corinth, return to Athens hotel for dinner and overnight.

Athens - Start 3-day Cruise (Celestyal Cruises) to Mykonos - Following breakfast, proceed to the Piraeus port, where you will board your 3-day cruise. Your first stop will be the Island of Mykonos, the most cosmopolitan of the Greek islands that attract visitors from all over the world. After docking, transfer to Hora, the capital of the island. Enjoy a walking tour that will take you on the narrow cobbled streets of the city. Pass by chic boutiques, elegant nightclubs, and white-washed houses to arrive in Alefkandra. This part of Mykonos, known as the "Venice of Mykonos", as homes have wooden balconies and are built on the sea. Historically, these homes were of the wealthy merchants and captains. Return to the cruise ship for dinner and overnight.

Enjoy breakfast on board in the lively Turkish port of
Kusadasi. We then transfer to the small village of Mt. Koressos. Visit the stone chapel situated upon the site,
where the Virgin Mary spent her last days following the crucifixion of Christ. Following this visit, walk through the Magnesian Gate to the ancient Ephesus. The cruise journey continues to Patmos, where you will transfer to the village of Chora. enjoy free time before returning to the ship.

This morning awaken and transfer to the largest city on the island of Crete, Heraklion.
While in this administrative capital, visit the in 1899 discovered ancient ruins of the Palace of Knossos. The palace is
currently partially reconstructed and believed to have been the mythical Labyrinth of King Minos and the seat of
ancient Minoan culture. Here is where Saint Paul met the owner/-and captain of the ship and was warned by him of
continuing his journey to spread Christianity in Rome. Following this historical visit, embark by ship to the idyllic island of Santorini. Santorini is definitively the most breathtaking island of all of the Greek Islands. Upon arrival in Santorini, visit Thira with its iconic white-washed houses, narrow streets, open-air cafes, and glittering boutiques that cling to cliffs. This evening enjoy your last dinner and overnight on the cruise ship.

After your breakfast, you disembark the cruise ship and you visit the center of the
ancient world (navel) of the earth, Delphi. Its prestige extended far beyond the boundaries of the Hellenic world. On the slopes of Mount Parnassus in a landscape of unparalleled beauty and majesty, lie the ruins of the Sanctuary of. Apoilo Pythios. Visit the site and the museum and continue to the breathtaking rocks of Meteora. Dinner and overnight at your hotel in Kalambaka.

After breakfast, board the motorcoach for a short drive to the
Meteora Monasteries. In the eleventh century, some monks settled within caves. However, as the Turkish
occupation increased, the monks were forced to move their settlements higher upon the rocks until they were
unreachable by any opposing enemy. These settlements became Monasteries by bringing building and lifting
materials by ladders and baskets. Notorious for preserving the Hellenic religion as well as their academics and arts.
During your visit, you will be able to view stunning Byzantine art, as well as the breathtaking scenery that surrounds
the monastery. Traveling northward into Macedonia we visit King Phillip's (Alexander's father) tomb in Vergina, one
of the most outstanding finds in all of Greece. A stop will be made in Berea to view the ancient synagogue where
Paul spoke and the Bema surrounded by mosaics of Paul and the plaque of scripture regarding the "more noble"
church. The New Testament books of I & Il Thessalonians will come alive to us today as we arrive in the delightful
harbor city of Thessalonica. En route to the hotel we will view the old city ramparts; the newly excavated Forum, St.
George Church, an ancient Roman monument which was transformed into a church and the Galerius Arch which

rises over the famous Via Egnatia. We spend two nights in Thessaloniki.

After breakfast, start your journey with the first stop of the day in
Philippi. Philippi was the city where Saint Paul the Apostle delivered his first sermon and, he established the 1st
church in Europe. "And from there (He went) to Philippi, which is the leading city of the district of Macedonia and a
Roman Colony. We remained in this city some days". (Acts 16:12-18). It is also the site where Saint Paul baptized a
woman named Lydia, the first convert to Christianity in Europe. Visit the Roman Forum, where Saint Paul cast a
spirit out of a fortune-telling woman. View the prison (now in ruins) where Saint Paul and Silas were thrown into by
the owners of the fortune-tellers. Continue to the modern port city of Kavala, which was once the ancient Neapolis.
This port is where Saint Paul, Silas, Luke, and Timothy landed when they sailed into Europe. After enjoying this city

by the sea, return to Thessaloniki for your dinner at the hotel and restful overnight.

After an early breakfast and heartfelt farewells, transfer to the Thessaloniki airport for return flights home.