CC Pacific Hills Greece and Rome 2024

Come join us on a trip to Greece and Rome with Pastor Dave Rolph

Day 1, September 14 – DEPART USA

Your pilgrimage begins as you depart the USA on your international overnight flight.

Day 2, September 15 – ARRIVE IN GREECE 

You will arrive in Thessaloniki, Greece, where you will be met by our representative and transferred to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 3, September 16 – AMPHIPOLIS, PHILIPPI, and NEAPOLI (KAVALA)

Follow in the footsteps of Paul and Silas to Amphipolis and explore the ruins of the many Christian basilicas there. In Philippi is a baptismal site commemorating where God opened the heart of Lydia (a seller of purple from Thyatira) to hear the words of Paul (Acts 16:13 -15). Lydia and her household were the first Christian converts baptized on European soil. View the Roman-era crypt thought to have served as a prison for the apostle Paul, and explore Philippi’s famous Acropolis, Marketplace, the Basilica of Paul, and Theater. Today’s last stop is Neapolis (Kavala), one of Greece's most picturesque mainland ports where Paul landed with his disciples, Timothy and Silas. See the Roman Aqueduct and Acropolis before returning to Thessaloniki for dinner and overnight.

Day 4, September 17 – THESSALONIKA and VERIA (BEREA)

Discover Thessaloniki, where Paul was accused of turning the world upside down with his preaching of Christ (Acts 17: 3 -6). As you explore St. George's Basilica, believed to be built over the synagogue where Paul preached, reflect on the two epistles the apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church here. Stroll through the Archaeological Museum and the beautiful basilicas of St. Sophia and St. Demetrios, dedicated to a distinguished Roman proconsul martyred for his Christian faith. Along the Via Egnatia stands the Galerus Arch, and you can look out over the second largest city in Greece from the Old City Ramparts, some dating back to Roman times.  Follow the path of Paul when he fled Thessaloniki for the safety of Veria (Berea), where Jews and some honorable Greeks accepted the new faith (Act 17: 10-12). Continue on to Kalambaaka for dinner and overnight.

Day 5, September 18 – METEORA and DELPHI

As you visit the rock forest of Meteora (“in the heavens above”) in western Thessaly, imagine the apostle Paul walking that treacherous terrain on his missionary journey. Gaze up at the breathtaking Byzantine monasteries spectacularly perched on soaring, sheer sided grey sandstone pillars. In the 13th century, monks sought refuge in cliff side caves before fleeing higher to build the original wooden shelters that later became these monasteries.  After a monastery tour, travel to scenic Delphi, religious center of the ancient Greek world and marked by the conical stone called the omphalosor (“navel”).  Walk the Sacra Via to the Athenian Treasury, Theatre and the Temple of Apollo, where the oracle performed her prophetic rituals. As you consider the incredible amount of pagan influence just in Delphi alone, you will gain a new appreciation for the tremendous spiritual opposition the apostle Paul faced in preaching the Gospel of Christ here. In the Museum are many ancient treasures, including the 5th century bronzed Charioteer, so detailed you can see his eyelashes. Continue to Athens for overnight.

Day 6, September 19 – CORINTH and CENCHREAE

Tour the city of Corinth, where the apostle Paul met fellow tentmakers Aquila and Priscilla 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.  Discover the Archaeological Museum, Marketplace and Temples.  As you walk among the ruins, stand on the Bema, where the apostle Paul stood before Gallio to face charges brought against him by the Jews. Stop briefly at the port town of Cenchreae from which Paul later departed for Syria (Acts 18: 12 -18).  Return to Athens for dinner and overnight.

Day 7, September 20 – EMBARK IN PIREAUS & MYKONOS

Board the ship and sail the blue waters of the Aegean Sea. In the evening, you will arrive at the world-famous Greek Island of Mykonos, where gleaming, white-washed buildings seem to climb atop each other to reach the azure sky.

*Shore excursions today will be booked directly through Miray Cruise Line and are not included

Day 8, September 21 – SANTORINI

Disembark at Santorini, one of the most beautiful of the Greek islands where picturesque, whitewashed villages topped with brilliant blue domes stand in stark contrast to the sheer drop cliffs overlooking 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 today will be booked directly through Miray Cruise Line and are not included

Day 9, September 22 – EPHESUS & PATMOS

This morning, you arrive in Kusadasi, Turkey, and journey to Ephesus, where the apostle Paul spent three years of his ministry. He planted a church here and later wrote to them in his Epistle to the Ephesians. Many of the ruins of Ephesus (known as “the marble city”) have been restored to show the city as it was in the apostle Paul’s time. Visit the Agora and imagine where Demetrius the silversmith, sold his silver shrines of the Greek goddess Artemis. Stroll through the great theater where Paul witnessed faithfully for Christ. Not far away is the stadium where chariot races took place and gladiatorial combats were held. Tradition has it that the Apostle Paul himself fought here against wild beasts. Visit the ruins of St. John’s Basilica, where early Christian tradition tells us the “disciple whom Jesus loved” was buried. View one of the “Seven Wonders of the Ancient World”, the ruins of the Temple of Diana (Artemis) before setting sail for the Island of Patmos to visit the Monastery of St. John, high on the mountain overlooking the entire island. Walk down to the Grotto of the Apocalypse and the caves where it is believed that the exiled Apostle Paul John lived and was inspired by God to write the Book of Revelation as well as other letters to the early church.

Day 10, September 23 – ATHENS

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 this 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" (Acts 17:18) to the skeptical Athenians. Also see the House of Parliament, the Presidential Palace and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This afternoon is free to explore Athens on your own or enjoy an optional journey to Sounion to visit the famous Temple of Poseidon (additional $75).  Dinner and overnight is spent in Athens.

Day 11, September 24 – FLY TO ROME

Say farewell to Athens and fly home to the USA or to Rome today. When you arrive in Rome, Italy where you will be met and then you will travel along the Appian Way. Step beneath the surface into the Catacombs of Callixtus, built along the Appian Way. Here 16 Popes from the 2nd through 4th Centuries were interred, though they have been removed to various churches over the centuries. Check in to your Rome hotel this evening and enjoy dinner and rest.

Day 12, September 25 - ANCIENT ROME

History is woven through the streets and neighborhoods of Rome as in no other city. Explore the many wonders of ancient Rome as you visit the magnificent Colosseum and the Pantheon. From the most sacred hill of ancient Rome, Campidoglio, view the Forum. See the Circus Maximus, Arch of Titus, famous Baths of Caracalla, the Arch of Constantine, and the Victor Emanuel Monument. View the Monti Region, Rome’s most ancient neighborhood which spreads over three of her seven hills. In the afternoon, explore the romance of Rome as you climb the graceful Spanish Steps and stop at the famous Trevi Fountain. Legend says those who toss a coin into the fountain will one day return to Rome to toss another into the waters of Trevi. Return to your hotel in Rome for dinner and overnight.

Day 13, September 26 - VATICAN AND CHRISTIAN ROME

Experience the glory of Christian Rome today as you visit the Vatican, home to one of the greatest museums in the world. And, of course, tour St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo’s frescoes, now restored to their full, colorful glory. Tour the Catacombs of St. Sebastino and see some of the only surviving examples of early Christian art. In the 1840s, Pope Gregory XVI took steps to preserve the catacombs and their treasures. Visit the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, which stands over the place Constantine built the first church over St. Paul’s grave before returning to your hotel to begin packing for your return journey home.

Day 14, September 27 - RETURN TO USA

Transfer to the airport this morning for your return flight to the U.S.A.