Turkey, The Second Holy Land

Paul’s Missionary Journeys

The Seven Churches of Revelation, Sites of the Ecumenical Councils

Led by:

The Rev. Allan Warren

Church of the Advent
Boston, MA

April 10 - 23, 2016

DAY 1: Sunday, April 10, 2016 - Depart from the Boston Airport on Turkish Airlines to Istanbul. M

DAY 2: Monday, April 11, 2016 - Late afternoon arrival into Istanbul, Turkey.  There, we will connect to our Turkish Airlines flight into Kayseri, Turkey’s fourth largest city, where we meet our driver and guide and then drive the short distance to Urgup where we spend three nights.  Overnight Urgup/Nevsehir(No meal provided upon arrival.  You will have time to purchase dinner at the Istanbul Airport.)

DAY 3: Tuesday, April 12, 2016 - Today will be our first chance for an optional hot air balloon ride.  Then, we have a full day excursion of Cappadocia to view the fairy chimneys which were formed through years of erosion.  We also visit Goreme where the paintings in the ancient churches have a special place in Christian art as the effects of both the East and West are discernible.  We will see a whirling dervish performance and overnight in Urgup/Nevsehir. BD

DAY 4: Wednesday, April 13, 2016 - Today is our second chance for a hot air balloon ride.  We continue our exploration of Cappadocia and visit Selime.  We will see Zelve where the entire village was carved into the rocks as a hiding place during the period of Christianity.  We see Uchisar and the Peribaca Valley and return to Urgup/Nevsehir for dinner and overnight. BD

DAY 5: Thursday, April 14, 2016 - We continue southwest today and visit Agzikarahan where we see the old caravansary built in 1239.  Then we travel on to Ihlara where the Melindiz River has carved a rift into the sheer cliffs.  The cliffs are pierced by thousands of churches, chapels and caves.  We will hike through this valley and have lunch before we continue to Konya where we will visit the tomb of Rumi.  Dinner and overnight Konya. BD

DAY 6: Friday, April 15, 2016 - We depart for Antalya, a beautiful port city used by Christian armies en route to the Holy Land during the Crusades.  We travel to the narrow coastal area between the Taurus Mountains and the northern reach of the Mediterranean Sea, a district known as Pamphylia.  We visit Aspendos and see the best preserved ancient theater in Turkey with its incredible acoustics.  We see the acropolis, a Roman aqueduct, the agora and the Nymphaeum, a sanctuary to the nymphs built around a fountain decorated with a marble dolphin.  Afterwards, we proceed to Perge where Paul preached when arriving from Cyprus (Acts 13-14) with Barnabas.  Dinner and overnight in Antalya. BD

DAY 7: Saturday, April 16, 2016 - We begin our day with a visit to the world famous Antalya Museum.  The province of Antalya is endowed with the richest natural and historic treasures of Turkey.  It includes the ancient regions of Lycia, Pamphylia, Cilicia and Psidia which form the most interesting archaeological sites of the earliest man.  The area’s history is displayed at the Antalya Museum which ranks third among Turkey’s historical and archaeological museums with only the Istanbul and Ankara Museums ranking higher.  We will proceed to Laodicea, one of the Seven Churches of Asia Minor addressed by name in the Book of Revelation.  We continue to Pamukkale where we will have the possibility of a relaxing soak in the mineral-rich volcanic spring water.  Dinner and overnight Pamukkale. BD

DAY 8: Sunday, April 17, 2016 - Today after a leisurely breakfast, we stroll through the ancient Roman city of Hierapolis, the “Sacred City”. In the first century it was part of the tri-city area of Laodicea, Colossians and Hiearpolis.  This connection between the cities lies behind Paul’s reference to Hierapolis and Laodicea in his epistle to the Colossians (Col 4:13).  Before AD 70, St. Philip moved to Hierapolis, where he was believed to have been martyred.  On the way to Kusadasi, we will visit Aphrodisias, the city of AphroditeAphrodisias is one of the oldest sacred sites in Turkey.  First dedicated to the ancient Mother Goddess and then the Greek goddess Aphrodite, it was the site of a magnificent Temple of Aphrodite and the home of a famous marble sculpture school whose marble products were known in the Roman World.  Overnight Kusadasi. BD

DAY 9: Monday, April 18, 2016 - We visit Selcuk where we see the ruins of the Basilica of St. John which ranked with Hagia Sophia as one of the largest Byzantine churches.  The grave of St. John the Divine is located here.  We visit Mary’s House, thought to be the last home of the Virgin Mary, and Ephesus, the best-preserved ancient city in the world.  Once on the sea, Ephesus is now 3 miles inland. Paul preached at the stadium (Acts 19) and the theater and wrote some of his Epistles here.  We visit the Double Church of Mary and return to our hotel in Kusadasi for dinner and overnight. BD

DAY 10: Tuesday, April 19, 2016 - Today we explore the Ionian cities in the region.  We visit Miletus, the city where St. Paul made his farewell to the Ephesians on his third missionary journey and Didyma, an oracular center having a temple of Apollo which is one of the best preserved from the ancient world.  Return to our hotel in Kusadasi for dinner and overnight. BD

Day 11: Wednesday, April 20, 2016 - After breakfast we travel to Bergama, the modern name for the ancient Greek-Roman site of Pergamum, another of the Seven Cities of Revelation and a magnificent architectural and artistic center in its heyday.  We visit the Acropolis, Asklepion, and the ruins of the ancient library which once contained 200,000 books.  We will take a late afternoon flight from Izmir to Istanbul for dinner and overnight. BD

Day 12: Thursday, April 21, 2016 - In the morning we meet our driver and go directly to our waiting boat for a cruise on the Bosporus to the Black Sea where we will have lunch.  We return to Istanbul and visit the Kariye Museum which occupies what was once the Church of the Holy Savior in Chora.  The 14th century mosaics and frescoes depicting biblical scenes are considered to be among the finest Byzantine works in the world.  We see the massive Constantinian walls which are 10 to 20 feet thick and protected ancient Constantinople from attack.  We will have dinner and overnight in Istanbul. BLD

Day 13: Friday, April 22, 2016 - We begin with a visit to Topkapi Palace, located on Seraglio Point where the Bosporus meets the Golden Horn.  The palace was home to the sultans and their harems until 1868.  The museum here contains breathtaking jewels, robes and other riches from the time of the sultans.  We visit the Hippodrome, once a Roman stadium and the Yerebetan Saray (Sunken Palace), part of an underground network of waterways.  We explore the great Blue Mosque, a grand monument to Islam and Hagia Sophia (Church of Holy Wisdom), Christendom’s most important church for 900 years before it was turned into a mosque in 1453.  The mosaics were once covered with plaster and have since been uncovered.  We visit the famous Spice Market, the center for spice trade in Istanbul, and the Grand Bazaar, one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world.  We have time for a little shopping before our “farewell to Turkey” dinner and overnight in Istanbul. BD

Day 14: Saturday, April 23, 2013 - Homeward Bound!  We depart for Istanbul Atatürk Airport where we bid goodbye to our driver and guide and board our Turkish Airlines flight back to Boston. BM

Price:  $3,139.00 per person.  Price based on double occupancy and a minimum of 17 pilgrims.  Air from Boston, MA Airport.

Pricing does not include airline taxes and fuel surcharges currently at $435.50 per pilgrim and subject to change until the tickets are issued.  Air transportation available from other cities.  Single supplement:  $699.00.  Land Only:  $2,665.00

Roommate needed.  If a roommate cannot be found, I understand that I will be charged for the single supplement.

Tips for the driver and guide are NOT included.

A deposit of $300.00 per person due with application and copy of passport.

Final payment due January 8, 2016.

Terms and Conditions:
◊ 1. PRICES ARE CASH.  AMERICAN EXPRESS ACCEPTED FOR FINAL PAYMENT ONLY ADD'L 3.5%.
◊ 2. Names as on passport.  If name is incorrect and tickets reissued, $50 fee plus change fees from airline.
◊ 3. $100 deviation fee plus any additional airfare, hotel, tour or admission charges.

Worldwide Pilgrimage Ministries provides the following basic travel insurance for you at no additional cost:
◊ Accident and Sickness Medical Expense    $50,000
◊ Common Carrier A D & D                              $25,000
◊ Trip Delay, Missed Connection                       $1,000
◊ Medical Evacuation/Repatriation                $250,000
◊ Baggage/Baggage Delay                        $1,500/$250
◊ Emergency Assistance

An application for travel insurance will be included with the receipt for your deposit. It is recommended that you purchase additional coverage.  Go to our website www.worldwidepilgrimage.com and click on Travelex Insurance to read the coverages and rules regarding existing conditions or call 800-228-9792 Location # 09-1983.

Cancellation Penalties
◊ Until January 7, 2016:  $150.00 plus any unrecoverable fees.
◊ January 8 – February 19, 2016:  $250.00 plus any unrecoverable fees.
◊ After February 20, 2016:  NO REFUND

Meals: B Breakfast, L Lunch, D Dinner, M Meals on Aircraft

The itinerary is subject to change due to local conditions or at the discretion and direction of the leader or guide.