Journeys of Paul Mediterranean Cruise

Join Rev. Tori Hastings, Canterbury pastors, and guest speaker Rev. Brian Erickson for a 10-night Mediterranean cruise October 2024. For the complete brochure and to register, click here.

Oct. 8 & 9 – Depart the USA
Depart the USA. Arrive in Cairo, Egypt the next day.

October 10 – Cairo
This morning visit the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities to view the unique collection of Pharaonic art and the renowned treasures of King Tutankhamen. Afterwards, visit the Pyramids of Giza, constructed over 1,000 years before the birth of Moses. See the Great Sphinx and have the opportunity to ride a camel in the desert near the Pyramids. 

October 11 – Cairo
Enjoy a felucca ride on the Nile. Tour the Old City and see the Citadel of Saladin, built in 1183 A.D., and view the Alabaster Mosque of Mohammed Ali. In Old Cairo, visit the Abu Serge Church built over the traditional site of the house where the Holy Family lived during their stay in Egypt.     

October 12 – Cairo / Istanbul
Transfer to the airport in Cairo for your flight to Istanbul. The bejeweled capital of Istanbul sits between two continents and is home to 450 mosques.  Enjoy a panoramic tour of Istanbul before embarking the Azamara Pursuit docking in the bustling Bosphorus.

October 13 – Istanbul
Today visit the famous Blue Mosque with its six minarets and sparkling interior. Walk through St. Sophia (Hagia Sophia), which was the largest church in Christendom for 1,000 years, built by Justinian (532-537 AD). The church has 107 columns, fossil-embedded, white marble floors, and beautiful glass mosaics. Today, it is the Museum of Byzantine Art. Enjoy the aroma of cinnamon, cloves, thyme, and other exotic spices as you explore the Spice Market. Sail from Istanbul this evening on your way to Canakkale, Turkey.

October 14 – Canakkale (Trepez), Turkey 
Not far away is Troas. Here, on his second missionary journey, Paul had a vision in which he was called to Macedonia (Acts 16: 8-13). Later, during his third journey, Paul spent a week in Troas preaching. On one occasion he also resurrected Eutychus who fell to his death from a window while sleeping (Acts 20: 6-12). In Troy, history is buried in myth and mud. Nine layers of the fabled city have been excavated. Homer’s Iliad relates the legendary story of the Trojan War. 

October 15 – Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey 
Today you will be visiting Ephesus, where Paul had a two-year ministry and where the disciple John and Jesus’ mother, Mary, are buried. With a population of more than 250,000, Ephesus was the fourth-largest city in the world. View the Library of Celsus, originally built in 125 AD, which once held nearly 12,000 scrolls. Visit the temples of Hadrian and Domitian and the great theater, where Paul witnessed. Visit the Terrace Houses, which give us great insight into family life during the Roman period.

October 16 – Bodrum, Turkey (on your Own)
Dock in the spectacular city of Bodrum where the the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, one of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World was located. Drive to Miletus to see the ongoing excavations of where Paul bid farewell to the elders of the church at Ephesus at the end of his Third Missionary Journey. See the ruins of Didyma, whose oracle was considered second only to Delphi in the ancient Greek world. 

October 17 – Santorini, Greece (On Your Own)
Explore Santorini, one of the most beautiful of the Greek islands. Its picturesque whitewashed villages with brilliant blue domes dot the cliffs above the Aegean Sea. The island itself perches on the edges of a volcano whose eruption 3,500 years ago is thought to have led to the collapse of the Minoan civilization. Shore excursions are booked through Azamara.

October 18 – Nafplio, Corinth (Nafplio)
Visit the seaport town of Nauplion, which was first capital of modern Greece from 1829-1834. See the Venetian fortress of Palamidi as you travel inland to Corinth.  The Apostle Paul met fellow tentmakers Aquila and Priscilla in Corinth and received a vision from the Lord saying, “I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city” (Acts 18:10). As Paul spoke, Crispus (chief ruler of the Synagogue) and many others believed and were baptized (Acts 18:8), establishing the church at Corinth to whom Paul later wrote his two epistles. Tour the city of Corinth and the Museum of Corinth. Couples will have the opportunity to renew their wedding vows. Take the optional hike to the top of Acrocorinth. On your way back to the ship for your final overnight, enjoy a panoramic tour of Athens to see the House of Parliament, the Presidential Palace, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Continue to the ancient city of Epidaurus. The theatre at Epidaurus is the best-preserved example of a classical Greek amphitheatre in the Mediterranean.

October 19 – Athens (Piraeus, Greece)
Disembark today and enjoy the rich architectural splendor of the ancient city of Athens as your guide introduces you to the world-renowned Acropolis, the Propylaea, the Parthenon, and the Erectheum. Stand on Mars Hill as the Apostle Paul did when he proclaimed, “I found an altar with the inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom, therefore, ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you” (Acts 17:23). As you stroll the agora (ancient marketplace and center of Athenian public life), recall that this was where the Apostle Paul preached “Jesus and the resurrection” to the skeptical Athenians. Enjoy the afternoon and evening on your own to shop, dine, or experience the Acropolis by night. .Overnight in Athens

October 20 –  Return to the USA

For the complete trip brochure and to register, click here.

Questions? Contact Tori Hastings at tori.hastings@canterburyumc.org.