Day 1: Arrival in Ankara
   Upon your arrival in Ankara, you are met with a friendly 'merhaba' (hello) and escorted to your hotel. You have the day free to begin exploring Ankara or to relax at your leisure. Dinner and overnight at hotel.


   Day 2: Ankara / Cappadocia
   You'll spend this morning exploring Ankara's ancient past in the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations. Though thoroughly modern in appearance Ankara's history and that of the surrounding area dates back to the Bronze Age and the Hatti civilization. After lunch continue on to Cappadocia's deceptively desolate landscape. Dinner and overnight at hotel.


   Day 3: Cappadocia
   In the morning, explore the cave churches of Goreme and Zelve, which early Christians decorated with colorful frescoes depicting their beliefs from the 7th through the 13th centuries. At one time, there was said to be a church for every day of the year. Lunch. Than several photo-stops. Nature, history, art and life itself meet nowhere else in such harmony and unity as it does in Cappadocia. Dinner and overnight at hotel.


   Day 4: Cappadocia / Mersin
   This morning you'll visit the underground city of Kaymakli, which extends beneath the surface 14 stories. Kaymakli is where the early Christians, escaping persecution, fled to seek sanctuary underground. It is here that they built complete cities where they could live for months at a time undetected. Than drive to Mersin. Lunch en route. Dinner and overnight at hotel.


   Day 5: Antioch / Adana / Tarsus / Mersin
   Begin your day with a visit to the cave where St. Peter first celebrated the mass near Antioch. A center of Christian life, it was here in 46 AD that St. Paul gave his first sermon inside a synagogue and started to attract converts to the Christian faith. Here the name Christian was first used. The church dedicated to St. Peter, the first church built by man, stands on the west side of the city. Most of the walls have disappeared, but the superb mosaics and inscriptions, which entirely cover the floor, are worth seeing. Lunch en route. Dinner and overnight at hotel.


   Day 6: Mersin / Lystra / Konya
   Drive to Lystra, declared a holy city for Christian pilgrims by the Vatican. In Paul's day it was the cosmopolitan capital of the Roman Province of Cilicia. Proceed to Derbe . Explore the city wall, bath and well. Lunch en route. Dinner and overnight at hotel.


   Day 7: Konya / Antalya
   In the morning, you'll visit the Mevlana Museum, which is the burial place of Mevlana Celaleddin Rumi, an Islamic mystic and founder in the 13th century of the Mevlevi order of the Whirling Dervishes. Than, a beautiful drive from the Anatolian plateau to Antalya, rising from the Turquoise depths of the Mediterranean. Set amid amazing scenery of sharp contrasts, Antalya, Turkey's principal holiday resort is an attractive city with shady, palm-lined boulevards and an award-winning marina. It was here that St. Paul preached and Hadrian ruled. Lunch en route. Dinner and overnight at hotel.


   Day 8: Perge / Side / Antalya
   A full day to visit the many nearby Greco-Roman cities of antiquity. Begin in Perge where a scrape of your shoe reveals the same mosaic walkway St. Paul must have strolled to reach the theater where he preached. After lunch, visit Side where an ancient bath has been transformed into a museum housing the many classical remains of the region. Sit in one of the best preserved theaters in the world. Dinner and overnight at hotel.


   Day 9: Laodikea / Hierapolis / Pamukkale
   In the morning, drive to Denizli. Lunch en route. In the afternoon, explore the recently excavated theater of Laodikea (Denizli). Then on to Hierapolis, the home of St. Philip the Evangelist to explore the necropolis, churches and baths. Nearby, enjoy the view of Pamukkale's cascading tiers of white limestone. Dinner and overnight at hotel.


   Day 10: Sardis / Philadelphia / Smyrna
   Today you'll be able to visualize a trinity of Biblical references from visiting the cities of Sardis and Philadelphia where St. Paul preached, to staying in the city of Smyrna (Izmir), which St. Paul praised for its peoples' faithfulness. Visit the church of Polycarp. Lunch en route. Dinner and overnight at hotel.


   Day 11: Ephesus / Izmir
   "There are no gods made with hands" are the words said by St. Paul. Sit in the theater in Ephesus where St. Paul preached these very words. Stroll along the marble roads past the Library of Celsus and Hadrian's Temple. After lunch, visit the nearby Basilica of St. John and the last earthly home of the Virgin Mary. Dinner and overnight at hotel.


   Day 12: Thyatira / Pergamum / Bursa
   Visit Thyatira (Akhisar) known for its guilds of artists in the time of St. Paul. Then, onto Pergamum, home to the famous physician Galen. Explore the remains of the Asclepion, the theater built into the steep hillside and the red court of Pergamum, (also known as the red church). Lunch en route. Dinner and overnight at hotel.


   Day 13: Nicea / Istanbul
   In the morning, visit Nicea, the Byzantine capital for 100 years upon the occupation of Constantinople in the 13th century. Continue onto legendary Constantinople (Istanbul) and seat of the Holy Roman Empire. Lunch. In the afternoon, Istanbul, with its natural beauty, rich historical heritage, many lodging facilities and developed transportation system is one of the most important tourism centers of Turkey. Dinner and overnight at hotel.


   Day 14: Istanbul
   This morning see two masterpieces of Byzantine art - the Kariye and St. Sophia museums. Savor the beauty of the colorful biblical mosaics and frescoes that adorn the insides of both museums which now live side-by-side with Islamic calligraphy. St. Sophia was the first Christian cathedral built in the world. After lunch, visit the more worldly pleasures of the Topkapi Palace and the stain glass, Iznik tiled interior of the Blue Mosque. Dinner and overnight at hotel.


   Day 15: Istanbul
   Bid a leisurely farewell to Istanbul with a cruise on the Bosphorus. After lunch browse through colorful labyrinth tunnels of the Grand Bazaar. One could visit Istanbul for the shopping alone. The Grand Bazaar, in the old city is the logical place to start. This labyrinth of streets and passages houses more than 4,000 shops. Dinner and overnight at hotel.


   Day 16:
   Departure from Istanbul Airport.