In the Footsteps of the Apostles
Under the Auspices & the Presence of H.G. Bishop David
Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of New York & New England
You are invited to
Turkey 2024
Arriving in Istanbul by Friday, September 20, 2024 – Departing from Izmir on Monday, September 30, 2024
Price: $3,300 per person (Double Occupancy).
Text Fr. Andrew (203) 455-7447 for information about Airline reservation & Trip
H.G. Bishop David will Honor us during the Trip
To Reserve or for more information, please text
Father Andrew
203-455-7447
Checks should be Payable to “St. Peter & St. Andrew Church.”
Attention: Father Andrew Awad
Address: 138 Evergreen Hill Road
Fairfield CT 06824
You can send payment through Venmo @Abouna or Zelle @ 203-455-7447
International Flights Information
Please click here to register for the TRIP
Day 1, Friday, September 20, 2024 – Meals: Dinner
Arrival in Istanbul, transfer to the hotel. Dinner and orientation. Overnight at the hotel in Istanbul
Day 2, Saturday, September 21, 2024 – Meals: Breakfast and Dinner.
Istanbul-Constantinople is in no need of introduction. We will start our tour of the glorious imperial city with a visit to what was once the heart of Eastern Christendom, the Cathedral of Hagia Sophia, Hippodrome, and its older “neighbor” Church of Sergius and Bacchus, also known as “Little Hagia Sophia.” After the lunch break, we will visit the church of St. George of the Greek Patriarchate in the Phanar district and the Church of the Mother of God at Blachernae, home of the famous miraculous apparition of the Mother of God. Dinner and overnight in Istanbul.
Day 3, Sunday, September 22, 2024 – Meals: Breakfast and Dinner.
This morning, we will start a visit to one of the oldest churches in the city, the Basilica of Hagia Irini. We will proceed to the Underground cistern and the Grand Bazaar [or the Spice Market]. Later in the afternoon, we will board a boat for the cruise on the Bosphorus. Dinner and overnight in Istanbul.
Day 4, Monday, September 23, 2024 – Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
Morning flight to Kayseri, the Caesarea in Cappadocia of old. From the airport, we will drive to the Pasabagi Valley with the cave hermit dwellings and Uchisar citadel, which consists of an old village huddled around the base of a huge rock cone. In Antiquity, the rock cone was used by the Romans and the Byzantines as a fort. We will finish our day at the Goreme Open Air Museum. Many of this wondrous region’s dwellings were inhabited until the 1920s, monasteries were populated, and churches were in use. The sad events of the early 20th century turned most of the once densely populated villages into ghost towns and “open-air museums.” Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Cappadocia
Day 5, Tuesday, September 24, 2024 – Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
Optional hot air balloon ride early in the morning.
Today, we will continue our exploration of one of the most interesting regions in Turkey – Cappadocia, which is also incredibly important in Christian history. In the morning, we will drive to visit Eskigumus Monastery, the most impressive and southerly of all Cappadocian monasteries, which were lost in history and rediscovered only in the mid-20th century. It is very well preserved and has some of the best-preserved frescoes in all of Cappadocia. As a short drive from the Eskigumus monastery, there are remains of the church of St. Constantine and Helen. Remains of the Ancient Basilica and the walls of the medieval church still preserve wonderful Byzantine frescoes. On the way back, we will visit Derinkuyu, an underground city. The cave city is an ancient multi-level dwelling near the modern town of Derinkuyu in Nevşehir Province. It is said that the “city” is large enough to have sheltered as many as 20,000 people with their livestock and food stores. It is the largest excavated underground city in Turkey and is one of several underground complexes found throughout Cappadocia. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Cappadocia.
Day 6, Wednesday, September 25, 2024 – Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
In the morning, fly to Izmir, the old Smyrna. From the airport, we will drive to the ancient city of Ephesus. It is impossible to overstate the It is impossible to overstate the importance of this city in the historical context. The city is closely associated with important New Testament and Early Church historical figures; two of the Seven Ecumenical Councils recognized by the Orthodox Church were conducted there. The city’s antiquities are well preserved and, in some sense, rival those of Pompeii in Italy. Among many other sites, we will visit the site of the Artemision (one of the Seven Wonders of the World), the Museum, the Basilica Tomb of St. John the Theologian, and the Cave of the Seven Sleepers. Dinner and overnight at the hotel in Kusadasi
Day 7, Thursday, September 26, 2024 – Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
The Island of Patmos is mentioned in the Book of Revelation and is ascribed by the earliest Christian tradition to St. John the Theologian. In the book, it is stated that St. John was on the Island of Patmos when he received his revelation, and hagiography completes that account by stating that St. John was expelled to Patmos from the city of Ephesus, where he resided and preached for a long time. The most important pilgrim destinations on the island are the Cave of the Revelation and the Monastery of St. John. We will visit both and then stop for lunch at a traditional Greek tavern in one of the villages. Dinner and overnight in our hotel in Kusadasi.
(Please note that travel to Patmos is weather-dependent. Under unlikely but possible circumstances of the Coast Guard not allowing charted boats to travel from Kusadasi to Patmos due to high winds or inclement weather, an alternative excursion to Miletus and Didyma will be offered). Dinner and overnight in Kusadasi
Day 8 Friday, September 27, 2024 – Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
In the morning we will visit the picturesque village of Şirince. The village prospered when Ephesus was abandoned in the 15th century, but most of what can be seen dates today from the 19th century. Records from the beginning of the 19th century indicate that the village had more than 1,000 houses, all inhabited by Greek Orthodox Christians.
1922, following the Greco-Turkish war and subsequent population exchange, the village was abandoned by the native population that never returned. Today, Şirince is a lively tourist destination on a picturesque mountain slope.
Our next stop will be Ancient Laodicea. Among many other things, it is important as a host place of a Council that, in the 4th century, formulated rules specifying Biblical Canon. An ancient house was recently excavated, and a strange room was expended for communal use. Some scholars believe this is the remnant of the Ancient house church, where the faithful gathered for prayers and possibly Eucharistic meals. Dinner and overnight in Pamukkale.
Day 9 Saturday, September 28, 2024 – Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
The first stop of the day will be at Ancient Hierapolis, located just a short drive from our hotel. We will walk through the ancient colonnaded street and have a look at the beautiful travertines. Those who would want to climb to the martyrium built over the site where Apostle Phillip was executed.
Our next stop will be at Sardis, another important center of the Ancient Roman Empire in Western Anatolia. It is also mentioned as one of the seven churches in the Book of Revelation. The site of Ancient Sardis contains several important remnants of the Ancient secular and religious buildings. Dinner and overnight in Izmir.
Day 10, Sunday, September 29, 2024 – Meals: Breakfast and Dinner
This morning, we will drive a bit north of Smyrna to visit Pergamon, one of the greatest learning centers in the Ancient World. It is believed that the city Library was second only to that of Alexandria. Here, a new substance for writing parchment was invented and called pergamena after the name of the city itself. Pergamon is mentioned in the Book of Revelation and from the site was sanctified by the martyric death of its first Bishop Antipas. On our way to the hotel, we will explore parts of Izmir, the Smyrna of old. It is one of the region’s oldest cities, sanctified by the Apostles’ preaching and by the martyr’s death of Polycarp, the disciple of St. John the Theologian and the city’s Bishop. For an overnight, we will remain at our hotel in Izmir
Day 11, Monday, September 30, 2024 – Meals: Breakfast
Transfer to the airport (Izmir). Departure
Price includes:
- Istanbul to Cappadocia, domestic flight
- Cappadocia to Izmir domestic flight
- 3 nights at Crown Plaza Old City Hotel in Istanbul or similar
- 2 nights at Yusuf Yigitoglu Boutique Hotel in Cappadocia or similar
- 1 night at Moevenpick Hotel in Izmir or similar
- 1 night at Doga Thermal Hotel in Pamukkale or similar
- 2 nights at the Elite World Hotel in Kusadasi or a similar
- 2 nights at Moevenpick Hotel in Izmir or similar
- Daily Breakfasts
- 10 dinners at the hotels
- All land transportation by private A/C bus with a driver
- Tolls, parking fees, fuel, driver’s & guide’s expenses
- Professional licensed English-speaking tour guide
- Entrance fees to mentioned sites in the program
- Accommodation tax at hotels
- Tips to hotels
- Headsets
- Service charges and local taxes
Price does NOT include:
- Roundtrip International Air
- Lunches and drinks
- Turkey Visa (if needed) fee to be obtained online before arrival www.evisa.gov.tr
- Travel and Health insurance, any insurance
- Tips to the tour guide ($50 per person) and the driver ($20 per person)
- Anything that is not mentioned above under inclusions
- Single Room Supplement $850
Air balloons in Cappadocia are an optional extra.
Those who do will be taken early in the morning for a balloon ride.
Standard Balloon Tour: 04:00 AM to 05:00 AM – 1 hour € 300 Hot Deal € 250
Deluxe Balloon Tour: 04:00 AM to 05:00 AM – 1.30 hour € 450 Hot Deal € 375
https://www.hotairballooncappadocia.com/Rates_Hot-Deals.html