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0513BA5 - Journey of St. Paul Pilgrimage 10 days from Boston


Trip Flyer
Airline Name Baggage Information
British Airways http://bit.ly/QL20IP

$50 Early Booking Discount if Reserved by August 5, 2024

Special Package with this Trip :
International departure taxes of $151 plus current fuel surcharges of $402 are included (subject to change).

Tour Code Departure Date Cost per person
BA0513GS 05/13/2025 $5099.00
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Trip Details

We depart the USA on our flight aboard a wide-bodied jet. We enjoy in-flight movies, dinner, and breakfast while aloft.
We arrive in Athens this morning, are met by our guide and enjoy a short orientation tour of the city and celebrate Mass at the Cathedral of St. Dionysius before we continue to our hotel for our “welcome” dinner and overnight.
This morning we visit the legendary Acropolis. We see the chief jewel of the Acropolis; the Parthenon, the Temple of Winged Victory, the Propylea and the Erechteum with its peerless Porch of Maidens. Beneath the Acropolis is the Areopagus or Mars Hill. This is where St. Paul made his famous "Men of Athens" speech revealing a considerable knowledge of the Greek philosophy and character. We break for lunch on our own before we drive along the coastal highway to Corinth, with a splendid view of the Aegean Sea. After a short stop at the Corinth Canal which connects the Aegean and Ionian Seas, we arrive in Ancient Corinth. We visit the ruins of Corinth, where St. Paul worked with Aquila and Priscilla. Included are the first century shops, the Agora, Temple of Apollo, and the Bema Seat. Conditions permitting, we celebrate Mass on the very site where St. Paul preached. We return to Athens and check into our hotel. We can explore the culinary delights of Athens tonight, as dinner will be on our own. Overnight at our hotel.
We are transferred from our hotel to the seaport of Lavrio, where we board our cruise ship for our three-day cruise to the Greek Islands and Turkey. We arrive at the island of Mykonos with its whitewashed houses and winding streets. We are free to explore this picturesque island, startling white against the multi-hued sunset. Time permitting, we have the opportunity for Mass at Holy Rosary Church before boarding our ship. Dinner and overnight aboard our ship.
This morning our ship docks in Kusadasi where our excursion takes us first to “Mary’s House”. Early Christian tradition believes that before His crucifixion, Jesus entrusted the safety of the Virgin Mary to St. John the Evangelist. St. John moved Mary to Ephesus for safety. She lived here with St. John. We celebrate Mass while here. Some of the most spectacular ruins of the world are to be found in Ephesus, the early Christian of city to whom St. Paul wrote his famous epistle. Together with our tour guide, you will pass the Magnesian Gate. Traces of the Hellenistic, Roman and Early Christian period are scattered everywhere: the Agora, the Odeon, the Library of Celsus, the marble-paved main Street of the Kouretes, the Thermal Baths of Scholastica, Trajan’s Fountain, the Public Latrines, and the Houses of the Patricians, the Prytaneum, Hadrian’s Temple, and the Great Theatre. We return to our ship for lunch where we continue to Patmos, which was considered sacred and is often referred to as the "Jerusalem of the Aegean." It was here that the Evangelist St. John received the inspiration for the Apocalypse. Our excursion visits the Monastery of St. John, a huge fortress-like building dating from the 11th century. We also visit the grotto, where tradition says that St. John wrote the Book of Revelation. We return to our ship for dinner and overnight.
This morning we arrive at Crete and visit the ancient city of Knossos, with constant habitation from the Neolithic era until the 5th century A.D., is beyond doubt the land that “gave birth” to the first civilization of Europe, the Minoans. We visit the excavations first begun in 1878 by the Heraklion Minos Kalokairinos and later the British Sir Arthur Evans were to complete the scientific research, bringing to light the Minoan palace in its entirety, which was, according to tradition, the residence of the wise King Minos. Return to our ship for lunch while sailing to Santorini. This afternoon, we visit Santorini, the island thought by many to be the lost continent of Atlantis. Here we join a visit to Oia Village. On route admire the panoramic view of the Aegean Sea and neighboring islands. Built on the Caldera rim, Oia Village is an excellent example of Cycladic architecture. We explore by walking along the cobblestone streets and the white-washed houses with blue shutters which appears as a beautiful travel poster. We celebrate Mass at the Cathedral of St. John. Our excursion ends in Fira where our guide will show us the way to the cable car back to the ship. We enjoy dinner and overnight on our ship.
This morning we arrive in Lavrio where we disembark and drive the highway north catching a glimpse of Mt. Olympus and proceeding through the towns of Lamia and Larissa. We arrive in Kalambaka and continue to nearby Meteora whose pillar-like rocks provide an amazing site. The Meteora (meaning “suspended rocks,” “suspended in the air,” “in the heavens above”) is one of the largest and one of the most important complexes of Eastern Orthodox Monasteries in Greece. The six Monasteries are built on natural sandstone rock pillars at the northwestern edge of the Plain of Thessaly. After visiting two of the monasteries, we continue to our hotel for Mass, dinner and overnight.
This morning we depart Kalambaka and drive north to visit Vergina a modern town in Greece and the location of the ancient capital of the Macedonians, called Aigeai. We continue to Veria (Beroea of the New Testament) where St. Paul visited on route to Athens and the Scriptures say the people were "More noble than in Thessaloniki." St. Paul and St. Silas the Martyr were taken here after the Thessaloniki pagans attacked them. After a break for lunch on our own, we drive through the plains of Thessaly, the legendary home of the Greek Gods ending in Thessaloniki where we celebrate Mass at a local parish Church of the Immaculate Conception. Finally, We drive to the old town to see the place where St. Paul preached the gospel to the Thessalonians. Then we visit the St. Demetrius Church, the white tower, the Arch of Galerius and get into the spirit of this fabulous town. We continue to our hotel for dinner and overnight.
Our full day excursion takes us along the ancient route of St. Paul, through mountain passes and plains on the traces of the Old Egnatia Avenue. We continue to Ancient Philippi, where Paul established the first church in Europe. Weather permitting, we celebrate an outdoor Mass at Philippi at the traditional site where St. Paul baptized St. Lydia. We break for lunch on our own and then continue a short drive to Kavala on the site of ancient Neapolis, where St. Paul landed on the way to Philippi before returning to Thessaloniki in the late afternoon. We enjoy our “farewell” dinner and overnight at our hotel.
This morning we transfer to the airport for our return flight home arriving later today with memories of a lifetime.
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