8 days, $2295 from Dallas

Includes airfare, fuel surcharges, great hotels, transfers, many meals, touring and more!

Hosted by Dr. Brad McCoy
May 8 - 15, 2010

When one thinks of 'biblical locations,' one naturally thinks first of sites in and around the land of Israel. However, much of the New Testament is set in locations in Greece and Turkey. Our 'Follow the Footsteps of the Apostles Paul and John Tour' will allow you to sail the Aegean Sea (Acts 27) and to see some of these strategic New Testament locations including: Athens (Acts 17), Ephesus (Paul's 2nd and 3rd Missionary Journeys; the Epistle to the Ephesians, and the city in which the Apostle John spent the latter portion of his life); Patmos (the Roman prison island from which John penned the Book of Revelation); and the island of Crete (the setting for the Book of Titus).

Itinerary at a Glance & Port Call Times

BASIC TOUR ITINERARY Day   Destination/Port of Call Arrive Depart 1 Saturday Depart USA     2 Sunday Athens     3 Monday Piraeus/Athens   11am Mykonos 6:30pm 11pm 4 Tuesday Kusadasi, Turkey 7am Noon Patmos, Greece 4:30pm 9pm 5 Wednesday Rhodes 7am 6pm 6 Thursday Heraklion, Crete 7am 11am Santorini, Greece 4:30pm 9pm 7 Friday Piraeus/Athens 7am   8 Saturday Athens/USA     Classical Greece Extension 8 Saturday Athens, Mycenae & Olympia      9 Sunday  Olympia, Nafpaktos & Delphi      10 Monday  Delphi & Kalambaka      11 Tuesday  Meteora & Athens      12 Wednesday  Depart Greece/Arrive USA

Detailed Itinerary

Day 1, Saturday, May 8: Depart USA. Your exciting pilgrimage begins as you depart the U.S. Embark today on your transatlantic flight to Athens. Meals will be provided during the flight.

Day 2, Sunday, May 9: Arrive Athens. Arrive today in Athens, the birthplace of western civilization. You'll be met by our representative and then escorted to your hotel, centrally located near Constitution Square and the famous Plaka (Old Town). Hotel Titania (D)

Day 3, Monday, May 10: Athens/Piraeus & Mykonos. Transfer to Piraeus this morning to board your cruise ship, the Louis Cruise Lines' Aquamarine. Spend the afternoon enjoying the sun, sea breezes, pool and shipboard facilities.

Arrive at the gorgeous island of Mykonos later this afternoon. Stroll through the winding streets of this lovely island or just sit seaside and unwind, watching the sunset while listening to traditional Greek music.

Before heading back to the ship, enjoy a stroll through Mykonos town with its labyrinth of winding alleyways and whitewashed buildings, basket-laden donkeys, cascading geraniums and upscale shops and cafes. (B,L,D)

Day 4, Tuesday, May 11: Kusadasi, Turkey & Patmos, Greece. Arrive at Kusadasi in Turkey. Just ten kilometers from the port of Kusadasi is the ancient city of Ephessos, where you'll find an archaeological site that ranks among the wonders of the world. Explore this fascinating town where history truly comes to life on an optional tour that includes the the Great Theatre of Ephessos, which had a capacity of 25,000 people, and the Library of Celsus dating from 135 A.D.

Later this afternoon, return to your ship for lunch aboard as you sail toward Patmos, Greece. Disembark at Skala harbor, a lively place with whitewashed houses, flowered courtyards, tavernas and shops. The Island of Patmos is famous in history as the place where St. John wrote the Book of Revelation. An optional tour takes you to the cave where St. John lived and the nearby Monastery, built on one of the island's highest points, housing priceless icons and manuscripts in its Treasury. Return to the ship for dinner and overnight. (B,L,D)

Day 5, Wednesday, May 12: Rhodes. Today you'll visit Rhodes, the beautiful "Island of Roses," where you can stroll around the city and see the Palace of the Grand Master, built by the Knights of St John. In the heart of the city of Rhodes is the largest inhabited medieval town in Europe, a fascinating web of Byzantine, Turkish and Latin ruins. Its mighty fortifications provide the finest surviving examples of defensive architecture of the time.

Lindos, with its whitewashed houses clustered beneath a soaring castle-capped acropolis, is Rhodes' most picturesque village and most important Doric settlement because of its natural harbor and vantage point built 125 meters above sea level. Wander about on your own or take advantage of optional shore excursions. (B,L,D)

Day 6, Thursday, May 13: Heraklion & Santorini. Arrive in Heraklion, Crete, early this morning. An optional shore excursion will take you to see the ruins of Knossos, the ceremonial and political center of the Minoan civilization on Crete, just five kilometers from Heraklion city center. The palace at Knossos was an intricate collection of over 1000 interlocking rooms, used as a religious and administrative center, as well as for workshops for artisans and food processing. The ruins have largely been excavated and much of them colorfully painted and restored.

Back in Heraklion, the open air market is a must-see, where a boisterous crowd buys and sells everything from goats and sheep to huge cauldrons of fresh yogurt. Other points of interest here include the Archaeological Museum, one of the finest in Greece, housing exquisite findings from Knossos and other Minoan ruins, numerous Venetian fortresses, fountains and loggias scattered throughout the city and the Historical Museum of Crete, with its Byzantine and folklore collections.

Return to the ship to continue sailing to Santorini. This striking island is a volcanic crater immersed in the sea. The island is famous for its breathtaking and rugged landscapes, whitewashed houses, open-air cafes and glittering boutiques which cling to steep cliffs, accessible by foot, cable car or mule.

Enjoy an optional tour of Santorini that takes you up along the volcanic caldera. Pass through the rocky landscape and several traditional villages to Oia, a town that brims with many fine examples of Cycladic architecture. Return to the ship for a final evening at sea. (B,L,D)

Day 7, Friday, May 14: Athens. Disembark from your ship at Piraeus this morning and start your Athens sightseeing. Follow your guide to the world renowned Acropolis and witness the architectural wonders of the Golden Age of Pericles: the Propylea, the Erectheum and the Parthenon. Take in breathtaking panoramic views of the city and observe the Agora (market-place), where many ancient philosophers spent their time.

Continue with a bus tour in the center of Athens and admire the Old Olympic Stadium, the University, the Academy, the temple of Olympian Zeus, Constitution Square, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and much more. Tonight enjoy a farewell dinner together with your fellow group members. Titania Hotel (B,D)

Day 8, Saturday, May 15: Depart Athens/Arrive USA. Today you'll be escorted to the airport for your flight back home with a new insight into Paul's life and teachings. Or continue on our Classical Greece Extension. (B)

Classical Greece Optional Extension

Why not take advantage of your already-included international airfare and visit the classical cities of Corinth, Mycenae, Olympia, and Delphi? Your extension includes superior hotels, most meals and guided touring of the most fascinating of the classical cities of Greece including entrance fees to places visited.

Day 8, Saturday, May 15: Athens, Mycenae & Olympia. After breakfast this morning, board your touring coach and begin a tour of the classical cities of Greece. Drive across the Corinth Canal, which connects the Ionian Sea with the Aegean, to the Peloponnesian Peninsula, where 4,000 years of history are more fully and comprehensibly illustrated than anywhere else in Europe.

Here we'll visit the famous theater of Epidaurus, the best preserved in Greece, which reached the height of its fame in the 5th & 4th centuries B.C. The acoustics are so perfect that even from the last of the 55 tiers, every word can be heard. Continue to ancient Mycenae, which, according to the poets, was founded by Perseus and built with the aid of the mythological Cyclops. Drive on to Olympia, birthplace of the Olympic games, for dinner and overnight. Hotel Amalia Olympia (B,D)

Day 9, Sunday, May 16: Olympia, Nafpaktos & Delphi. This morning we'll tour the archeological site and museum at Olympia, where the Olympic games were conceived as a tribute to Hercules, son of Zeus. These games were the most important international event in the Hellenic world from 776 B.C. to 393 A.D. and continue today, with the lighting of the Olympic flame that is carried by runners throughout the world. Visit the Sanctuary of the Olympian Zeus and the Museum.

This afternoon we drive via Patras to Rion, Antirion and picturesque Nafpaktos, where according to mythology, Hercules slew the Erymanthine boar and where we'll view the lovely circular Venetian harbor. Continue our drive to Delphi for dinner and overnight. Hotel Amalia Delphi (B,D)

Day 10, Monday, May 17: Delphi & Kalambaka. After breakfast we'll explore the ancient site of Delphi, located on the slopes of the breathtaking Mount Parnassus, in a landscape of unparalleled beauty and majesty. Here lie the ruins of the Sanctuary of Apollo Pythios, the Treasury of the Athenians, the Temple of Apollo and the museum, which contains masterpieces of ancient Greek sculpture including the famous bronze Charioteer.The site had been sacred since at least the Bronze Age. According to legend, the shrine was originally guarded by the she-dragon Pytho. She was killed by Apollo who then took over the oracle. In antiquity, Delphi was regarded as the center of the world.

Later, we'll depart for the small town of Kalambaka, built at the foot of the majestic gray rocks, at the point where river Pinios leaves the Pindos Mountain. Hotel Amalia Kalambaka (B,D)

Day 11, Tuesday, May 18: Meteora & Athens. This morning we will visit the spectacular Meteora monasteries, perched upon the summits of some precipitous and isolated rocky pinnacles, which rise above the almost flat valley of the Pinios river, 9 km beyond Kalambaka. The monastic history of Meteora goes back to the 11th century AD, when the monks constructed inaccessible eagle's nests in the crannies of these rocks and today, four are still occupied.

Later this afternoon we'll drive back to Athens, via Thermopylae, famous battleground from the Persian wars. Arrive in Athens and check in at our hotel. Hotel Titania (B)

Day 12, Wednesday, May 19: Depart Greece/Arrive USA. Today you'll be escorted to the airport and bid farewell to Athens as you board your flight back home. Your exciting journey comes to an end as you arrive in the USA later today. (B)

Louis Cruise Lines MV Aquamarine

See specifications, deck plans & photos of the ship.

The cruise ship MV Aquamarine is Louis Cruise Lines' most recent acquisition. With her chic and modern design and array of amenities and comforts typical of those of an upscale hotel, the MV Aquamarine provides the perfect floating base for exploring the beauty of the Greek Isles.

With 525 spacious staterooms and suites, the Aquamarine can accommodate over 1200 passengers. Her 339 outside staterooms and 186 inside spacious staterooms, are tastefully decorated and equipped with individually controlled air-conditioning, ample closet space, private bathroom, radio and telephone.

Follow the Footsteps of the Apostles Paul & John
Tour Prices

Tour price, per person double occupancy	$2295
Single room supplement	$330
Airline departure taxes, fuel surcharges & airport fees	$190
Port taxes	$110
Optional travel insurance (recommended)	$129

Optional Cabin Upgrades

Cat. A (outside w/ porthole), double occupancy	$80
Cat. A (outside w/ porthole), single occupancy	$120
Cat. TA/TB (outside w/ window), double occupancy	$140
Cat. TA/TB (outside w/ window), single occupancy	$210
Cat. SA/SB (deluxe outside), double occupancy	$270
Cat. SA/SB (deluxe outside), single occupancy	$540

Classical Greece Extension Prices

Extension price, per person double occupancy	$789
Single room supplement	$289

All prices shown reflect a cash discount of 3% for payments by check
only. If final payment is by credit card, please add 3%.

Reservations

Please download the reservation application and fax or mail it to us, together with your $300 per person deposit. Fax to: 215-572-9803. Mail to P.O. Box 505, Jenkintown, PA 19046.

Reservation application PDF

For additional information, please contact:

Dr. Brad McCoy
Pastor, Tanglewood Bible Fellowship
Adjunct Professor, Cameron University
2509 Virginia Street
Duncan, OK 73533
Tel: 580-252-3365 or 580-255-7115

About your tour host, Dr. Brad McCoy

Brad McCoy (B.S. Lamar University; Th.M. Dallas Seminary; Ph.D. Trinity Seminary) has been the Pastor of Tanglewood Bible Fellowship in Duncan, Oklahoma (www.tbfduncan.org) since December of 1988. He has traveled, toured, taught and led tours to Israel and Jordan six times since 1999. He has also led and/or been involved in over twenty international mission trips to Puebla, Mexico, Esquintla, Guatemala, Harbin and Quiquihar, China and Mafraq, Jordan.

He is an Adjunct Instructor at Cameron University where he teaches in both the Communications and the English Departments. He has taught courses on 'The Bible as Literature' at Cameron since 2006. Dr. McCoy is also a Visiting Instructor at Jordan Evangelical Theological Seminary (JETS) in Amman, Jordan. He has taught graduate level theology courses at JETS on three different occasions since 2003.

In conjunction with this Footsteps of Paul and John Tour, Dr. McCoy will present many insights both theological and practical into the background and the meaning of the major Pauline Epistles, the Gospel of John, the Johannine Epistles and the Book of Revelation.

Destination FAQs

Quick answers to Frequently Asked Questions about travel to Greece.

Quick answers to Frequently Asked Questions about travel to Turkey.

Included Features

• Flights from Dallas via scheduled carriers including fuel surcharges (flight schedule)
• Superior hotel accommodations at the Hotel Titania in Athens
• 4 nights in standard inside cabins (cat. F) aboard the Aquamarine
• Buffet breakfast daily and dinner in Athens and all meals aboard the cruise
• On the Classical Greece extension, 3 nights accommodations at the Superior First Class Amalia Hotels in Olympia, Delphi and Kalambaka
• On the Classical Greece extension, buffet breakfast and dinner daily (except in Athens)
• All group transfers
• Professional, English-speaking tour guide