A Pilgrimage to Greece Including a 4 -Day Greek Isles Cruise - Tsh Oxenreider

We depart on an overnight flight from Newark to Athens. Dinner and breakfast will be served on board. (Add-on airfare from most major airports, as well as premium and business class upgrades, are available upon request.)

We arrive in Athens and meet our English-speaking Greek guide who will accompany us during the land portion of the trip. We’ll begin our trip at the Catholic Church of St. Dennis, where we’ll celebrate Mass. We’ll then settle into the hotel and enjoy a Greek dinner before getting a well deserved night of rest. Overnight in Athens. (breakfast & dinner included)

After breakfast we’ll drive to Delphi, the center of the ancient world and “navel” of the earth, whose prestige extended far beyond the boundaries of the Hellenic world. On the slopes of Mount Parnassus in a landscape of unparalleled beauty lie the ruins of the pagan Sanctuary of Apollo Pythios. We then visit the Orthodox Monastery of Osios Loukas, dedicated to the local hermit and healer, Holy Luke. The monastery is considered one of the most beautiful in Greece with a treasury of priceless icons. Dinner and overnight in Athens. (breakfast & dinner included)

Following Mass with the local faithful in Athens, we embark on a city tour. Athens is one of the most glorious cities in the world and the cradle of western civilization as we know it. We visit the Acropolis: the rock that has dominated the panorama of Athens for twenty-five centuries. There, we’ll see the ruins of the Parthenon, Erechtheum, and Propylaea, then ascend Mars Hill, where St. Paul spoke to the Athenians about the one and only God (Acts 17), and finally see the ancient Agora, the former public center of Athenian life. The afternoon and dinner are free to explore the city on your own. Overnight in Athens. (breakfast included)

After breakfast we’ll board the Celestyal Olympia, then settle into our cabins and explore the ship. Beverages are included, so grab a cool drink and meet on the deck as we depart the mainland and enjoy the beautiful views. Our first stop is the island of Mykonos, the most cosmopolitan of the Greek islands which attracts visitors from all over the world. After docking, we’ll head to Hora, the island’s capital, and leisurely explore the narrow, cobbled streets of the city, pass by chic boutiques, elegant nightclubs, and whitewashed houses to arrive in Alefkandra, known as the “Venice of Mykonos” with historic homes donning wooden balconies built on the sea for the wealthy merchants and captains. We’ll then return to the ship for dinner and our overnight. (breakfast, lunch, & dinner included)

After breakfast on board we’ll disembark at the lively Turkish port of Kusadasi, then head to the small village of Mt. Koressos where we’ll visit the small stone chapel on the site where the Virgin Mary spent her last days following Christ’s crucifixion. We’ll continue to ancient Ephesus and begin our walking tour, which takes us through the most magnificent excavations in the world. The last stop on the walking tour is the Great Theater, with a capacity of 25,000 people, where St. Paul preached. We’ll then follow the exact route that Mark Anthony and Cleopatra once rode in procession via the Arcadian Way. This main street runs from the Great Theater to the main city’s harbor.We’ll return to Kusadasi and enjoy free time to explore on our own before boarding the ship, when we then stop in Patmos, where we’ll visit the Monastery of St. John the Theologian. This marvelous structure was built 900 years ago and continues to stand strong. In addition to the stunning main church with outstanding frescoes, we’ll view the beautiful courtyard, dining room, and bakery. We’ll then head to the small museum which houses priceless ecclesiastical treasures such as books, manuscripts, mosaics, icons, textiles, vestments, and jewelry. We’ll then board a bus to the Monastery and Grotto of the Apocalypse for a once-in-a-lifetime experience to stand at the site where the Book of Revelation was written. We’ll return to the ship for dinner and our overnight. (breakfast, lunch, & dinner included

The island of Rhodes is a mix of Roman and Byzantine architecture, as it was one of the most important seafaring and trading centers in the Eastern Mediterranean during ancient times. It’s now under the protection of UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. We tour Rhodes together in the morning, then you’ll enjoy free time to explore on your own. You may return to the ship for our included lunch, or enjoy lunch on your own in town. An optional excursion to the ruins of Lindos, an ancient fishing village on Rhodes, may be purchased on the ship. Dinner and overnight on the ship. (breakfast, lunch, & dinner included)

We’ll head to the largest city on the island of Crete, Heraklion, to see the ancient ruins of the Palace of Knossos, discovered in 1899 and partially reconstructed. This ancient palace is believed to have housed the mythical Labyrinth of King Minos and is the seat of ancient Minoan culture. It’s also the site where St. Paul met the owner and captain of the ship who warned him about continuing his missionary journey to Rome. We’ll return to the ship and sail to the idyllic island of Santorini, the most breathtaking of all the Greek Islands. We’ll take the cable car to explore Thira, with its iconic white-washed houses, narrow streets, open-air cafes, and glittering boutiques that cling to steep cliffs. We’ll then enjoy our last dinner & overnight on the ship. (breakfast, lunch, & dinner included)

We’ll disembark our ship and drive to ancient Corinth. Under the shadow of the towering Acropolis, St. Paul lived in Corinth for two years, where he grieved over the spiritual formation of its still-young church and ultimately wrote four letters here. We’ll explore the remains of first century shops, the site of St. Paul’s trial by Gallio, the Fountain of Peirene, and the Temple of Apollo. In the late afternoon, we’ll enjoy a lunch stop and a winery tour to learn about local wine. Dinner is at leisure. (breakfast & lunch included)

We’ll enjoy a day at leisure in Athens to explore the city, visit a museum, or simply soak up the local atmosphere. Tonight we’ll come together for our farewell dinner with Greek folklore dancing. (breakfast & special dinner included)

Today marks the end of our odyssey. We’ll say our heartfelt farewell to a pilgrimage that will last in our memories, then head to the airport for our return flights home. (breakfast included)