Detailed Itinerary of the PCS Greece Trip 2012
June 19-June 26


DAY       1              FLIGHT FROM PHILADELPHIA TO ATHENS (LAYOVER IN LONDON)

You’ll depart in the afternoon for your overnight flight to Athens.

DAY       2              ARRIVE ATHENS (2 NIGHTS)

You’ll arrive in Athens late in the day and meet your local tour manager at the airport.  Then you’ll drive downtown to the Athens Gate Hotel for check in and for a short break. In the evening you’ll have dinner in a local restaurant and then return to your hotel.

DAY       3              ATHENS (BIRTHPLACE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION)

Our morning commences with a visit to the Acropolis, which has dominated the skyline of Athens for over 2,000 years.  A citadel was built on the rock in Mycenaean times, and was the first of a series of temples that honored Athena, the city’s divine patroness.  In 480 BC the Persians captured the Acropolis, and the Athenian leader Pericles rebuilt the site according to his plan of unsurpassed beauty and grandeur.  During our tour of the Acropolis, we will view: the Propylaia, the monumental entrance to the complex; the Temple of Athena Nike; the Parthenon, the temple to Athena which crowns the Acropolis; the Erectheion, dedicated to Poseidon and Athena; and the Theater of Herodes Atticus, originally built in AD 161.  Our time on the Acropolis concludes with a visit to the Acropolis Museum, featuring a superb collection of treasures excavated from the area.  Our day continues as we view Hadrian’s Arch, an enormous triumphal arch built by the Roman Emperor, which is still a symbolic entrance to Athens.  The Temple of Olympian Zeus is the largest temple in Athens, and we will get a sense of its enormous size on our visit when we view the 15 columns that remain of the original 104.  We will hike to Mars Hill which is in the shadow of the Acropolis.  It is here that the Apostle Paul preached his famous sermon about the unknown god (Acts 17).  In addition to some needed rest and acclimation to the change in time zone,  we will explore and dine in the lively Plaka Area, the historic heart of Athens.  In the afternoon we will take a drive to Sounion where you’ll see the Temple of Poseidon and have some time on the beach. In the evening you’ll have dinner and then return to the hotel.

DAY       4              ATHENS - PIRAEUS - ISLAND CRUISE (3 NIGHTS) – MYKONOS -  (O/NIGHT TO KUSADASI)

This morning we make an early departure and travel to the port city of Piraeus, where we will board our cruise ship (The Aegean Pearl) and begin our three-night Aegean Cruise.  Our first port of call will be the Island of Mykonos, where we will be free to explore the labyrinthine alleys of Hora.  Hora is the quintessential Cycladic town, and features: the remains of a small Venetian Kastro (fortress); the Panagia Paraportiani, island's most famous church; the Alefkandra Quarter, better known as Little Venice for its cluster of homes built overhanging the sea; and the famous Windmills of Kato Myli, featuring stunning views back towards Little Venice.  We return to the ship late this afternoon and set sail for the western coast of Turkey.  We will sleep in cabins and have the opportunity to eat all of our meals on board the cruise ship.

DAY       5              ISLAND CRUISE - KUSADASI (TURKEY) & PATMOS – (O/NIGHT TO CRETE) 

This morning we arrive in Kusadasi, Turkey, where we will take an excursion to the ancient city of Ephesus, one of the best-preserved Roman cities in the world. Our visit will include: the Amphitheater, where St. Paul preached to the Ephesians; the Library of Celsus and a stroll along the ancient Roman streets, with original mosaics still intact.  We return to the ship and sail to Patmos, where our afternoon will include an excursion to the foreboding St. John’s Monastery.   Our overnight sailing departs at 21:00 hours and takes us through the night to our next destination of Crete.

DAY       6              ISLAND CRUISE - CRETE & SANTORINI - (O/NIGHT TO ATHENS)

We have chosen not to have a shore excursion on the island of Crete.  Instead, we will give students the option of exploring the port city accompanied by chaperones.  Following our brief stay on Crete, we sail to Santorini, one of the most beautiful and unique islands in the world.  Upon our arrival, we will take a Donkey or Gondola  Ride to Fira, one of the most scenic towns in the world, with a spectacular location on the edge of the caldera.  Fira offers unmatched views down and out to sea, and to the offshore islands.  We will have the afternoon to explore Santorini’s capital, featuring beautiful buildings, churches and windmills.  Be sure to take a Volta (stroll) Along M. Nomikou Street, one of the most exquisite in the Cyclades, which follows the edge of the caldera.  We return to the ship right before sunset and set sail for mainland Greece.  

DAY       7              ARRIVE PIRAEUS - DAY TRIP TO MYCENAE, CORINTH & EPIDAURUS - ATHENS (1 NIGHT) 

Your cruise arrives in the Port of Piraeus this morning at approximately 7:00am and we take our private bus as we travel to Mycenae, a fortified Palace Complex uncovered by archaeologist Heinrich Schielmann in 1874.  The complex is one of the earliest examples of sophisticated citadel architecture, and only the ruling class would have inhabited the hilltop palace.  Highlights of our visit will include:  the 13 century BC Lion Gate; Grave Circle A, with six royal family shaft graves; the Royal Palace situated at the acropolis summit; and the Secret Stairway, a flight of 99 steps dropping to a cistern deep beneath the citadel.   We continue outside the palace complex, where will visit the Treasury of Atreus, the most outstanding of the tholos tombs.  Dating from the 14th century BC, it is one of only two double-chambered tombs in Greece.  We continue to Corinth, one of the largest and most prosperous cities in ancient Greece and the site of an important Roman colony.  You may know that two of the New Testament books were letters to the church in Corinth, so this ancient city holds significant importance in Christian history. The ruins of the ancient city are spread out for miles, but we will focus on the ancient marketplace (agora) where the Apostle Paul worked as a tentmaker.   In this same area we will also see the site of the Bema seat, where the judge for the ancient Isthmian Games would declare and crown the winner.  We conclude our afternoon with a scenic drive to Epidaurus, an extensive therapeutic and religious center, dedicated to the healing god Asklepios.  We will visit the Theater of Epidaurus, the most famous and best-preserved of all the ancient theaters in Greece.  The theater could accommodate up to 14,000 spectators, and the acoustics are still a marvel of engineering.   We spend our final night in Athens with dinner at The Athens Gate Hotel.


Day        8            LAST MINUTE SHOPPING AND DEPARTURE

You’ll check out of your rooms, have breakfast and then have some free time in the Plaka for last minute shopping. You’ll depart late morning for the drive to the airport for your return trip.