8 Day New Year 2022

Join us for a spectacular day. Our first stop after leaving lovely Kusadasi is the House of the Virgin Mary on Mount Bulbul (“canary”). Prior to his crucifixion, Jesus Christ entrusted his mother to St. John the Evangelist, who took her to Ephesus and hid her in a hut at the foot of Mount Bulbul, where he brought her food and water every day. The Virgin lived here until the 101st year of her life, around 60 A.D. In 1957 the Vatican recognized the House of the Virgin Mary as the dwelling in which the Virgin spent the final years of her life, and for the last five-and-a-half decades it has been an important pilgrimage site for Christians and Muslims. There is a fountain here whose waters are said to be therapeutic. We then visit St. John the Evangelist’s Basilica, a cross-shaped chapel built in the 6th century by Emperor Justinian. Modeled after the now lost Church of the Holy Apostles in Constantinople, it was one of the most important Christian pilgrimage sites of the Middle Ages. Our next stop is Ancient Ephesus, one of the 12 cities of Ionia. This is a stunning marvel in the hills above the Aegean coast, one of the world’s largest open-air archeological museums. Founded by the ancient Greeks circa 2000 BC, it was the wealthiest of the Ionian cities and one of the most important cultural centers in the Mediterranean. The city was dedicated to the goddess Artemis, and its Artemision, a temple in her honor, took 120 years to complete and was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Ephesus later became the second-largest city in the Roman Empire, at one time home to a quarter-million people. It was the first and most significant city in the Roman province of Asia and one of its key ports. Millennia ago the Aegean receded west, stranding the city on its sun-seared hillsides. It is believed Paul wrote his Letter to the Ephesians here. It was the most important Christian city between Rome and Antioch. Ephesus is rivaled only by the Forum and the Acropolis as one of the most complete classical cities in Europe, even though only 13% of the city has been uncovered! You can wander through the Odeon and the Prytaneion, then stroll between the marble colonnades of Curetes Street to visit Trajan’s Fountain, Hadrian’s Temple, the Scholastica Baths and the astonishing Terrace Houses. Nearby, where Curetes Street becomes Marble Street, is the spectacular Library of Celsus, which has been almost entirely reconstructed, and the Agora. Every step here takes you deeper into the Hellenistic, Roman and early-Christian eras; you’ll notice inscriptions on many of the city’s columns. The Great Theater of Ephesus, where St. Paul once preached, was carved into the side of Mt. Pion in the 4th century BC. It held up to 24,000 spectators and is still renowned for its outstanding acoustics – even today it hosts concerts and other performances. From Ancient Ephesus we drive to the Rug Village for lunch and a demonstration of traditional Turkish carpet weaving. From the Rug Village we journey to the ancient city of Miletus, near the coast, which was one of the greatest and wealthiest cities in the ancient Greek world. St. Paul stopped here on his Third Missionary Journey, on his way back to Jerusalem. Miletus was located at the mouth of the River Meander, and its four harbors and strategic location made it an important port and commercial center. Miletus became the most important of the 12 cities of Ionia and was one of the first cities in the ancient world to mint coins – Homer mentions Miletus in The Iliad. The city’s fortunes declined, however, as the Meander silted up its harbor. There are many well-preserved ruins here, including a Temple of Apollo, a Byzantine church and the theater. After our tour of Miletus we return to the ship. (without the House of the Virgin Mary) Join us for a spectacular day. Our first stop after leaving lovely Kusadasi is Ancient Ephesus, one of the 12 cities of Ionia. This is a stunning marvel in the hills above the Aegean coast, one of the world’s largest open-air archeological museums. Founded by the ancient Greeks circa 2000 BC, it was the wealthiest of the Ionian cities and one of the most important cultural centers in the Mediterranean. The city was dedicated to the goddess Artemis, and its Artemision, a temple in her honor, took 120 years to complete and was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Ephesus later became the second-largest city in the Roman Empire, at one time home to a quarter-million people. It was the first and most significant city in the Roman province of Asia and one of its key ports. Millennia ago the Aegean receded west, stranding the city on its sun-seared hillsides. It is believed Paul wrote his Letter to the Ephesians here. It was the most important Christian city between Rome and Antioch. Ephesus is rivaled only by the Forum and the Acropolis as one of the most complete classical cities in Europe, even though only 13% of the city has been uncovered! You can wander through the Odeon and the Prytaneion, then stroll between the marble colonnades of Curetes Street to visit Trajan’s Fountain, Hadrian’s Temple, the Scholastica Baths and the astonishing Terrace Houses. Nearby, where Curetes Street becomes Marble Street, is the spectacular Library of Celsus, which has been almost entirely reconstructed, and the Agora. Every step here takes you deeper into the Hellenistic, Roman and early-Christian eras; you’ll notice inscriptions on many of the city’s columns. The Great Theater of Ephesus, where St. Paul once preached, was carved into the side of Mt. Pion in the 4th century BC. It held up to 24,000 spectators and is still renowned for its outstanding acoustics – even today it hosts concerts and other performances. From Ancient Ephesus we drive to the Rug Village for lunch and a demonstration of traditional Turkish carpet weaving. From the Rug Village we journey to the ancient city of Miletus, near the coast, which was one of the greatest and wealthiest cities in the ancient Greek world. St. Paul stopped here on his Third Missionary Journey, on his way back to Jerusalem. Miletus was located at the mouth of the River Meander, and its four harbors and strategic location made it an important port and commercial center. Miletus became the most important of the 12 cities of Ionia and was one of the first cities in the ancient world to mint coins – Homer mentions Miletus in The Iliad. The city’s fortunes declined, however, as the Meander silted up its harbor. There are many well-preserved ruins here, including a Temple of Apollo, a Byzantine church and the theater. After our tour of Miletus we return to the ship.

Prices

Adults: $96, Children: $54

This all-day Istanbul tour is an in-depth tour of some of Istanbul’s holiest sites. We begin at the Hippodrome in the Old City. The Old City, known as Stambul, was where the ancient city of Byzantium once stood and today includes the neighborhoods of Eminonu and Fatih. Within the Old City lie the Byzantine church Hagia Sophia, the University of Istanbul and Fener, the historical Greek quarter, which is home to the Orthodox Patriarchate. One of the many highlights of Sultanahmet Square, the Old Hippodrome of Istanbul was an ancient circus built before the founding of Constantinople. A public recreation space designed to resemble the Roman Circus Maximus and its characteristic “U” shape, which participants had to circle seven times, the Hippodrome was a public recreation space for opulent horse and chariot racing spectacles. The Blue Mosque, Istanbul’s largest and most beautiful, is also called the Sultan’s Mosque, since it was built, between 1609 and 1616, by order of Sultan Ahmed I, who was 20 years-old at the time and is now buried within its walls. An exceptional example of Islamic architecture, many of the pious begin their journey to Mecca from the Blue Mosque. The sultan wanted to build the most magnificent mosque in all of Islam, and he wanted no expense spared – he even demanded a dome of pure gold, which was impossible because of the weight of gold. His architect built the dome from simple materials and surrounded it with six exquisite minarets and, when confronted by the sultan, pretended he had misunderstood, that he had heard “alti” (six), not “altin,” (gold). It is called the blue mosque because of the blue tiles upon its interior walls. After the Blue Mosque we visit legendary Hagia Sophia, also known as the “Church of the Wisdom of God” and “the Great Church.” The Church has long been a symbol of Constantinople and Istanbul. From the date construction began, in 537, during the reign of Justinian, until 1453, Hagia Sophia served as an Eastern Orthodox cathedral and the seat of the Patriarchate of Constantinople, except for the period between 1204 and 1261, when it was converted to a Roman Catholic cathedral under the Latin Empire. The building was used as a mosque from the fall of Constantinople, on 29 May 1453, until 1931. It is now a museum, where beautiful mosaics completed over the course of more than 12 centuries are on display. It is considered one of the preeminent extant examples of Byzantine ecclesiastical architecture. A UNESCO World Heritage Site the Topkapi Palace Museum was the acropolis of ancient Byzantium. Initially constructed between 1460 and 1478 by Sultan Mehmed II, the palace, initially called the “New Palace,” served as the home of the Ottoman sultans and their courts until the middle of the 19th century. The basic design of the palace, which was designated a museum by Ataturk in 1924, encompasses a number of exquisite courtyards and gardens. Its collection includes Ottoman and European silverware, European porcelains and glassware, weapons, manuscripts, Islamic relics, portraits of the Sultans and even some of their robes and other clothing. Topkapi is one of the locations in the Oscar-winning 1964 caper, Topkapi, which starred the legendary Greek actress, singer, author and Minister of Culture Melina Mercouri. We’ll have lunch here at the Konyali Restaurant, where we’ll enjoy a delicious meal and a view of the Bosphorus. We leave Topkapi Palace for some incredible shopping at the awesome Grand Bazaar, also called Kapali Carci (“Covered Bazaar”), one of the oldest and largest covered markets on earth. The bazaar, which first opened in 1461, comprises about 61 streets and welcomes up to 400,000 visitors per day to its maze of banks, cafes, fountains, shops, shrines and workshops. You might actually be able to “shop ‘til you drop!” This will be our final stop, unless your Istanbul excursion includes mass at Holy Spirit Cathedral. A Baroque church built in the mid-1800s, this is the second-largest Catholic Church in Istanbul and has been a destination for all of the Popes who have visited this holy city, including Pope Benedict XV – follow in their footsteps, and be sure to visit the statue of Benedict in the courtyard.

Prices

Adults: $0, Children: $0

Athens is the world’s ancient capital. St Paul preached at Mars Hill near the Acropolis and the ancient Agora was one of his many meeting places. We travel further afield as he did, to Corinth where we will first stop for a photo opportunity at this amazing feat of engineering, the Corinth Canal. We’ll enjoy a great view. Built between 1881 and 1893, the fourmile- long waterway cuts through the Isthmus of Corinth and follows much the same line as a canal planned in Roman times. The waterway is 70 feet wide, 26 feet deep and 170 feet high. We head for ancient Corinth where St Paul lived, preached and wrote around 50-52 AD and we will visit a number of the sites associated with his stay. He established a church and wrote two epistles to the Corinthians. During the 6th century BC, it was one of Greece’s richest cities. Located in the northeast corner of the Peloponnese and at the head of the Gulf of Corinth, the city controlled the narrow Isthmus and the two seas on each side. Excavations, begun in 1896 and still ongoing, revealed the Temple of Apollo and Roman ruins. Paul spent 18 months in the city before the Jews of the city charged him with breaking the law and brought him before the proconsul Gallio at the city’s place of judgment (Bema). He dismissed the charges. In Corinth Paul met Aquila and Priscilla, Jews recently expelled by Emperor Claudius from Rome. They became faithful followers. The three of these were tentmakers (or leather workers) and may have had their place of business in the city’s commercial marketplace, the agora. This would have given Paul numerous opportunity to speak with customers and passers-by about the resurrection of Christ. All three later sailed to Ephesus to continue their missionary work. No canal boat crossing.

Prices

Adults: $0, Children: $0

This jam-packed excursion promises all the highlights of Athens and its history in just half a day. You’ll set off by bus from the port into the center of Athens, where during the panoramic drive you’ll get to gaze up at the Temple of Olympian Zeus and pass by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which sits in front of the Greek Parliament. Our first destination is the Panathenaic Stadium, where the first Olympic Games were held in 1896. Next, it’s on to the stylish ‘Trilogy of Athens’ – the University of Athens, National Library and the Academy of Athens – before you reach the Squares of Omonia and Syntagma in the heart of modern Athens. Here you’ll also get a glimpse of picturesque Plaka tucked beneath the Acropolis, and then it’s onwards to Propylaea where the Temple of Athena Nike lies. Last but not least, it’s time for the final highlight of the tour - the iconic Acropolis. You’ll join a guided exploration to see the mighty Parthenon, symbol of the city, closer than ever before and stand on ground that has witnessed centuries of history. From here, you’ll also admire the glorious Odeon of Herodes Atticus before you reach the final stop – the New Acropolis Museum – to uncover and marvel at more famous works from classical antiquity.

*Passengers departing from Piraeus, take the excursion, on the last day of their cruise, after disembarkation.

Prices

Adults: $108, Children: $80