Cruise The Ageaen Sea

&

Tour the Land of Israel

with

Bruce Porter and Latterdaytravel.com

Cruise and Tour will include 

 

 

-All transfers, meetings, assistance, touring as per itinerary

-All Entrance fees to Sites

-Top English speaking professional guide/and experienced escort with each excursion.

-Deluxe and modern air-conditioned bus 

Round-trip Airfare

-Our  PERSONALIZED services THROUGHOUT the tour.

The cruise and tour package also includes class lectures and discussions on sites and bus

by Bruce H. Porter

 

                    

Itinerary

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Day 1 Thursday-September 11

Flight from US to Athens:

 

Day 2 ​ Sunday-September 12

Athens:

Arrive in Athens mid-afternoon bus tour of city before arriving to our Hotel for the night.

 

Day 3 Monday-September 13

Mykonos, Greece:

 

Morning Embarkation on our Celestial Cruise.

First Port of Mykonos Greece, will visit the village and walk through the narrow streets of this picturesque village, visiting the shops in this labyrinth of pathways that was created to confuse the pirates in a day gone by.

 

Day 4 Tuesday-September 14

Kusadasi, Turkey, and Patmos, Greece:

 

Early arrival in Kusadasi, Turkey for a tour of  the ancient site and ruins of Ephesus. The excursion to Ephesus is included in the cruise package and well worth the time. This is the city where the Apostle John lived and according to tradition took care of Mary the mother of Christ where she died. It was here that Paul taught and was almost murdered for disrupting the manufacturing and sale of false gods. Paul always had two stops in every town the first the synagogue to begin his teaching and the second was always prison because of his preaching. In this major Roman port in the Mediterranean, Paul became familiar again with the damp walls of confinement. In the afternoon we will make a stop at the island of Patmos, Greece the small island (today about 3000 people) where the visions of the Book of Revelation were revealed and then recorded by the Apostle John.

 

Day 5 Wednesday-September 15

Rhodes, Greece:

 

Today we have a stop at Rhodes, Greece. As we pass through the straights once spanned by the legs of the ‘Colossus of Rhodes” we will be able to spend some time in the walled city. This is another picturesque city that became a stopover for the Crusaders. Our Cruise package includes a tour of the Castle and the Crusader barrack’s and hospital. This is a great place to find a café for the typical Greek Salads or Gyro, finished off with some gelato.

 

Day 6 Thursday-September 16

Crete – Santorini, Greece:

 

Today we begin with a short stop in Crete, Greece at the city of Heraklion, one of the stops of Paul during his missionary travels. In the afternoon we will stope at the scenic Santorini, Greece. On the edge of the rim of a volcano this town is probably one of the most photographed of the Aegean Sea.

 

Day 7 Friday-September 17

Athens:

 

We will wake up at our embarkation port for our disembarkation. We will have a visit to the Acropolis in Athens, see the Olympic stadium, and spend some time in the ancient agorah or Plaka walking the streets of shops and souvenirs.

 

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Day 8 Saturday-September 18

Athens – Tel Aviv:

 

Depart Athens arrive in Tel Aviv, Israel where we will be met by our bus and local guide as we make our way to our hotel for the night.

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Day 9 Sunday-September 19

Tel Aviv – Sea of Galilee:

Caesarea, roman Aqueduct, Mt Carmel/Mukhraqa, (Megiddo) Nazareth, 

 

This morning we will make drive along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea to Caesarea on the Sea.  As the capital of the Roman occupation Caesarea was the center of activity and place that Paul was imprisoned and preached before Festus.  We will see the Roman Theatre and Hippodrome.  On our way out of this beautiful city we will see the Crusader fortifications and then make a quick stop at the Roman aqueduct.  Traveling on the Via Maris our next stop will be at Mt Carmel where Elijah tangled with the priests of Baal.  We will stop for lunch at a great restaurant run by a Druze family, and then climb the hills to Nazareth stopping at the Church of the Annunciation and if time permits, we will stop at Cana where the marriage and first recorded miracle of changing water to wine took place. We will then make our way to the Sea of Galilee.
Tonight we will stay in Tiberius.

 

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Day 10 Monday-September 20

Galilee:

Mount of Beatitudes, Tabgha, Peter’s Primacy, and Capernaum, Boat Ride and Yardenit:

 

This morning we begin by visiting the Mount of Beatitudes and discussing the purpose of this first sermon and then on to Capernaum, the place where so many wonderful events, miracles and teachings of the Savior took place. This was the city that Christ called is home. Here He taught and lived with Peter's family. The original foundation of the synagogue where the Savior taught still exists with a 4th century synagogue standing on the same foundation. We will stop at the place of Peter's Primacy and the site of the Feeding of the Five Thousand. Following our lunch, we will have a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee and see how the early apostles would cast their nets into the sea. While on the boat we will discuss the miracles of walking on water and the calming of the sea that took place there. Before the day is through, we will stop at the Jordan River with a private place to discuss the Baptism of Christ at the hands of John and discover the scriptural meaning of this most important ordinance. At the end of the day we will return to our hotel and dinner in Tiberius

 

Day 11 Tuesday-September 21

Galilee – Masada, Jericho - Jerusalem:

 

Today we will continue down the Jordan Rift Valley past the modern and ancient site of Jericho to Masada. We will walk on the top of this 13-acre plateau that was the last stand of the Jewish Zealots. On our way toward Jerusalem there will be a short stop at the discovery site of the Dead Sea Scrolls, a village called Qumran where it is traditionally taught that John the Baptist may have lived. The oldest documents and manuscripts of the Old Testament were found here. We will have an opportunity to walk through the ruins of Qumran where the scribes prepared copies of the scriptures that would speak from the dust centuries later. If time permits, we will have an opportunity to take a dip in the Dead Sea.  We will have a brief stop in Jericho for a refreshment and see the traditional Mount of Temptation. Tonight, we will stay in Jerusalem the City of Gold as we prepare to experience the sights/sites and feelings of the most important events concerning the salvation of humanity.

 

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Day 12 Wednesday-September 22

Jerusalem:

Model City and Shrine of the Book, Bethlehem Shepard’s Fields, Pool of Siloam. Jimmy’s

 

Today we begin by visiting. Shrine of the Book and the Model City of Jerusalem so that we can get a better understanding of the lay-out of the ancient city of Jerusalem and see the display of the Dead Sea Scrolls. From there we will travel to Bethlehem to see the traditional site of the birth of Christ and a visit to the ‘Shepherd’s Fields” to get a better understanding of the events surrounding the Nativity. We will have lunch near the fields of Boaz where Ruth put the moves on the man of her dreams.  We may have time to go through Jaffa Gate and walk through the Old City or go to the Western Wall before returning to our hotel.  Tonight, Bro Porter will take those who would like to walk through the Old City and visit a few friends and favorite spots.  We will see the Roman Cardo and the Broad Wall of Hezekiah, the same wall that Laban was responsible to guard the night that he lost his head in a drunken stupor. We will overnight again in Jerusalem

 

Day 13 Thursday- September 23

Jerusalem:

Temple Mount, Pools of Bethesda, Ecce Homo. Walk through Old City, The Cardo, Hezekiah’s Broad wall, Western Wall and Davidson Center, The Roman Road and Southern Steps.

 

This morning we will ascend to the place where the Temples of both Solomon and Herod once stood. We will see the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque. Here we will discuss the rebuilding of the temple and the threshing floor purchased by King David. We will visit the original Pools of Bethesda, and the pavement, or judgment hall where Pilate condemned Christ. We will have lunch on our own at the Jewish Quarter. We will make our way to the Western Wall and the Davidson Center to walk on the Southern Steps to explore the excavations south of the Temple Mount. Here we will walk on the sidewalks and stairs that Christ and His Apostles trod as they entered the Temple area. We will discuss the Triumphal Entry as we stand on the very stones that the Savior walked into the city that day.

 

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Day 14, Friday- September 24

Jerusalem:

Mount of Olives Garden of Gethsemane, Upper Room and Garden Tomb

 

Today we retrace the footsteps of our Savior during the last few hours of his life beginning with a visit to the Mount of Olives and descend to the Garden of Gethsemane. We will have a private spot in the garden to contemplate the Atonement and discuss the mission of the Life of Christ. We will visit the traditional site of the Upper Room and the Last Supper and the house of Caiaphas. The highlight of the trip concludes at the site of Golgotha and the Garden Tomb where we will discuss the life, death and resurrection of the Savior. Here also we will have a private area to share a few thoughts about these sacred events. We should be done a little early today for dinner giving us a little extra time to prepare for the flight home in the early morning.

 

Day 15: Saturday- September 25

Jerusalem – Home:

Morning Flight from Tel Aviv to London and then our non-stop flight to Phoenix

 

Shore Excursions

Two shore excursions are included in the price of the cruise for Ephesus and Rhodes. Other excursions can be booked with the Cruise 

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Land Tour of Israel will include: buses, guides, entrance fees hotels, all breakfasts and evening meals. All transfers included and roundtrip airfare from Phoenix, AZ to Athens, Athens to Tel Aviv and return from Tel Aviv to Phoenix

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When it comes to gaining gospel knowledge, it is best to have your spiritual feast along with a  temporal one.  This extensive cruise/tour includes lectures and visits to Athens, Ephesus, The Holy Land, and more.

 

Discover the home of the Bible and visit the sites of both the Old and New Testaments, focusing on the Life of Christ and His Prophets.  Every hill, every stone has a story to tell and a testimony to bare of the divinity of the Bible.  You will never read the scriptures the same as your mind and memory will take you to Israel and our journey again and again.