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FOLLOWING THE FOOTSTEPS OF ST. PAUL
 Day 1: New York / Istanbul We take our overnight flight from JFK-New York to Istanbul. Meals and beverages served on board.
 Day 2: Istanbul / Adana Arrival in Istanbul Ataturk Airport. After clearing the customs, transfer to domestic terminal to catch our flight to Adana. We meet our tour guide at the airport and check in to the hotel.
Overnight in Adana. (D)
 Day 3: Antioch After breakfast at the hotel, we drive to Antioch. Antioch has been founded in 300 BC and it was the headquarters of St. Paul's Missionary Journeys. St. Peter, St. Paul,
St. Barnabas and St. Timothy all preached in this place where Jesus' followers were first called Christians. We will visit the mosaics museum and St. Peter's Grotto, the cave church known as the meeting place of the early Christians. Next we will visit Seleucia Pieria, which was the port city of Antioch in ancient days. The most interesting monument here is the Tunnel of Titus, which is a tremendous canal dug for the purpose of diverting waters of Orontes River. We will return to Adana for dinner and overnight. (B)(L)(D)
 Day 4: Adana / Tarsus/Cappadocia Today we will drive to Tarsus to visit the birthplace of St. Paul (10 AD). Here we will visit the Tomb of Sardanapulus and Cleopatra's Gate. Then we drive to Cappadocia and stop at Derinkuyu. This is an underground city carved into soft rocks resembling a huge labyrinth of tunnels, rooms, kitchens, wine cellars and passageways. A huge chimney ventilates this 8-levelled dwelling, which was used by early Christians to hide from Roman and Byzantine persecutors. Then we continue on our journey to Cappadocia whose effect on the visitors is like that of a village out of Grimm's Fairy Tales. Overnight in Cappadocia. (B)(L)(D)
 Day 5: Cappadocia Today we will explore the Goreme open air museum, Avanos, the monastic Zalve valley, a pottery making town and Uchisar.
We will visit Apple Church, the Church of St. John the Baptist and the Buckled Church in Goreme. We will return to hotel for overnight. (B)(L)(D)
 Day 6: Cappadocia After breakfast, we will drive to Ihlara valley to visit painted cave churches, Guzelyurt (Karballa), the birthplace of St. Gregory of Nazianzus and the underground city of Kaymakli. Return to hotel for overnight. (B)(L)(D)
 Day 7: Cappadocia / Derbe / Lystra / Konya Early departure to Konya (Iconium). It became an important Christian city following St. Paul's preaching. A Phrygia legend says that Konya was the first city to be founded after the flood. Here we will visit
the Mevlana Museum and the 13th century Whirling Dervish Monastery. After lunch, we will drive to Derbe which was a city in the district of Lycaonia in the Roman province of Galatia in south central Asia Minor. It sat on a major route connecting Iconium to Laranda and was about 60 miles from Lystra. Paul and Barnabas fled to Derbe and Lystra on their first missionary journey when city officials of Iconium plotted to stone them (Acts 14:6-21). Paul does not mention suffering any persecution in Derbe (2 Tim 3:11). Today our 3 rd stop will be Lystra. Lystra, hometown of Timothy served as a market town of Lycaonia in south central modern-day Turkey. Paul preached here on his first missionary journey (Acts 14:6-22). After he healed a lame man, the superstitious citizens immediately assumed that he was Hermes (messenger of Zeus) and Barnabas was Zeus himself (same as the Roman god Jupiter). There was a temple to Zeus near the gates of the city and a statue of Hermes dedicated to Zeus was found here as well. We will return to Konya for overnight. (B)(L)(D)
 Day 8: Konya / Pisidian Antioch / Antalya Today we will drive to Psidian Antioch. This city was founded in the 3rd century by either Antiochus I or II, but it only achieved prominence after it was re-founded as a Roman colony by Augustus in 25 BC. Three members of the imperial family served as honorary magistrates of the city from 15 BC to 35 AD, attesting to the importance of this Galatian city. It was here that St. Paul changed world history by opening Christianity to the pagan world. We will visit the church of St. Paul, the Roman bath, Temple of Augustus and Museum. Drive to Antalya for overnight. (B)(L)(D)
 Day 9: Antalya / Demre / Hierapolis (Pamukkale) Early departure to Demre. It was one of the six great cities of the Lycian civilization which was first settled in the 5th century BC. The rock tombs, theater and Church of St. Nicholas commemorate the life and work of this fourth century bishop. St. Nicholas provided the dowries for three poor girls who would not have been able to marry otherwise, the beginning of our Christmas giving tradition. Continue to Hierapolis, the "Sacred City," which is located at present-day Pamukkale. In the first century, it was part of the tri-city area of Laodicea, Colossae and Hierapolis. This connection between the cities lies behind Paul's reference to Hierapolis and Laodicea in his epistle to the Colossians (Col 4:13). Before 70 AD, Phillip moved to Hierapolis, where he was believed to have been martyred. Overnight in Pamukkale. (B)(L)(D)
 Day 10: Hierapolis (Pamukkale) / Kusadasi Today we will tour the beautiful snow-white "frozen waterfalls" and see the Roman thermal baths, The Apollo Temple, theater, main streets, gates and Necropolis. Drive to Laodicea, one of the Seven Churches of the Revelation and visit the Church of Laodicea and ruins. Next, visit Mount Honaz National Park and the Biblical site of Colossae. After lunch, drive to Kusadasi for overnight. (B)(L)(D)
 Day 11: Kusadasi / Patmos / Kusadasi Today we will travel by a private boat to the Greek Island of Patmos and visit the cave where St. John wrote the Book of Revelation. Then, we will spend some time at St. John's Monastery. Return to Kusadasi for overnight. (B)(L)(D)
 Day 12: Kusadasi / Ephesus / Izmir (Smyrna) Drive through the colorful town of Kusadasi to reach Mt. Koressos. Situated in a small valley, it is here where we will visit the humble chapel which lies on the site of the little house where the Virgin Mary is believed to have spent her last days. Despite the many controversies, the Christian world still favors this belief and the site has been officially sanctioned by the Vatican for pilgrimage. Continue on to Ancient Ephesus and walk through the Magnesian Gate which is the entrance to the ancient city of Ephesus. See the Odeon (concert hall), the fountain of Trajan, the steam-heated Baths of Scolastica, the Temple of Hadrian and the Latrians, the library of Celsus and The Great Theatre, where the St. Paul preached, which is the largest theater in antiquity having a capacity of 25,000 people is still in use today for concerts. Then visit the Temple of Artemis (one of the Seven Wonders of the World). Our last stop here is to visit the Basilica of St. John, which was erected over his grave in the 6th century AD by the Emperor Justinian. Drive to Izmir for Overnight. (B)(L)(D)
 Day 13: Izmir / Sardis / Philadelphia / Izmir Smyrna was the second city to receive a letter from the apostle John in the book of Revelation. Acts 19:10 suggests that the church there was founded during Paul's third missionary journey.
Then, we will drive to Sardis. The city enjoyed a further period of prosperity under Roman rule. It was ravaged by an earthquake in AD 17 but was rebuilt by Tiberius. Christianity came to Sardis at an early stage, no doubt through the missionary activity of St. Paul. It is mentioned in Revelations (1:11 and 3:4) as one of the Seven Churches of Asia. Next we will drive to Philadelphia. It was founded in 189 BC by King Eumenes II of Pergamum (197-160 BC), who named the city for the love of his brother who would be his successor, Attalus II (159-138 BC). Lacking an heir, Pergamum King Attalus III Philometer bequeathed his kingdom, including Philadelphia, to his Roman allies when he died in 133 BC. Rome set up the province of Asia in 129 BC by combining Ionia and the former Kingdom of Pergamum. The ancient city of Philadelphia had several temples. Like nearby Sardis, it was hit with a devastating earthquake in 17 AD; the city was rebuilt with the help of Emperor Tiberius. Ancient Philadelphia was the headquarters of the sixth of Seven Churches of Revelation. Return to Izmir.
The rest of the day is free to explore the city and its ancient bazaar. (B)(L)(D)
 Day 14: Izmir / Pergamum / Thyatira / Bursa Early departure to Pergamum. Pergamum was an important capital in ancient times, built on a cone-shaped hill rising 1,000 feet above the surrounding valley. Its Greek name means "citadel." Most of the extraordinary buildings and monuments in Pergamum date to the time of Eumenes II (197-159 BC). We will visit the famed library, the terrace of the spectacularly sited hillside theater, the main palace, the Altar of Zeus, and the propylaeum of the Temple of Athena. The ancient city is composed of the Acropolis, whose main function was social and cultural as much as it was sacred; the Lower City, or realm of the lower classes; and the Asklepion, one of the earliest medical and therapeutic centers on record. Pergamum was the one of the Seven Churches of Revelation. Our next stop is Thyatira. Thyatira became an early center of Christianity. The apostle Paul visited the city on a number of occasions during his missionary travels. Lydia, the woman converted by St. Paul at Philippi, was from Thyatira (Acts 16:13-15), and the church at Thyatira was one of the Seven Churches of Revelation (Rev. 2.18-29)The Emperor Vespasian began great undertakings at Thyatira; it was also visited by Hadrian in the year 123, and by Caracalla in 215. We know from testimony given by St. Epiphanius that at the beginning of the third century almost all Thyatira was Christianized. A bishop of Thyatira attended the Council of Nicea in 325 and the Council of Ephesus in 431. We will visit the ruins including a public building (basilica) dating from the 5th or 6th century AD. In places it is preserved to a height of 16 ft. There are also columns and arches from an ancient portico dating from about the 4th century AD. Several Greek inscriptions lie among the ruins of ancient Thyatira. We will continue on our journey to Bursa. Rest of the day is free to explore
the city. Overnight in Bursa. (B)(L)(D)
 Day 15: Bursa / Nicea / Istanbul Today we will visit the Green Mosque and the Green Mausoleum in Bursa. Then we will drive to Nicea through the iznik lake road. Two Ecumenical councils were held here: the First Ecumenical Council of 325 and the Seventh Ecumenical Council of 787.Visit the ruins of the St. Sophia Church where the Seventh Ecumenical Council was held here. After lunch we will drive to Istanbul. Rest of the day you are free to explore the city on your own. Overnight in Istanbul. (B)(L)
 Day 16: Istanbul After breakfast at the hotel, we will start our full day Istanbul tour. Istanbul is the only city in the world that bridges Europe and Asia, and we will explore some of Istanbul's many treasures that bridge the past and present. Our first stop will be the ancient Hippodrome, where chariot races and athletic events took place during the Roman Period. Next, visit Istanbul's most famous treasure - the Blue Mosque, named for the beautiful Iznik
tiles which give the mosque its interior color, and the Museum of Hagia Sophia, a Christian cathedral built in 536 AD. Later, to the Topkapi Palace, home of the Ottoman sultans. After lunch, we will visit the Mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent, built at the peak of the Ottoman Empire and decorated with baroque paintings. At the end of the tour we will have an opportunity to shop in the Grand Bazaar, one of the oldest and largest covered market places in the world. Overnight in Istanbul. (B)(L)(D)
 Day 17: Istanbul This morning we will take a Cruise on the Bosporus the winding strait that separates Europe from Asia. Enjoy the view of the old wooden villas, marble palaces and the ancient fortresses. You will have
a chance to explore the city on your own for the rest of the day. Farewell dinner at the hotel. (B)(L)(D)
 Day 18: Istanbul / New York Today after breakfast in the hotel we transport to the airport and begin our journey home. We take with us new friendships, memories and inspiration to last a lifetime. (B)
Tour Includes:
- 17 Nights in 4/5 star hotels
- 15 Dinners, 15 Lunches and 17 Breakfasts
- Ground transportation by A/C buses or minivans
depending on the size of the group
- Site seeing as indicated in the itinerary with
English speaking guide throughout the tour
- All entrance fees to museums
- Hotel taxes, service charges, and baggage
handling
- International airfare from New York to Istanbul
- Bilingual Elegant Adventure tour leader
throughout the tour
Price:
- Double occupancy per person price: $3,750. Airport taxes
$200-$450 not included in the price.
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