|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Day 1 |
|
US
|
| |
|
Fly from the U.S. to Athens, Greece.
|
|
| |
|
| Day 2 |
|
ATHENS, GREECE
|
| |
|
Arrive in Athens and transfer to the Hotel King George. Cocktail reception this evening at the hotel.
|
|
| |
|
| Day 3 |
|
ATHENS | PIRAEUS | EMBARK
|
| |
|
While visiting the monuments of the Acropolis in the morning, commissioned by the great Athenian Golden Age leader Pericles, reflect upon the influence of Aspasia, his mistress. One of the true “women behind great men,” Aspasia is indicated in ancient sources as having directly contributed to the sublime rhetoric of Pericles’ Funeral Oration, the Socratic method and the intellectual methodology of Plato. In the afternoon visit the National Archaeological Museum, with its treasures. Alternatively, there will be an excursion to Brauron to visit the Sanctuary of Artemis, and to the Kerameikos, Athens’s ancient cemetery Board Corinthian II in the late afternoon.
|
|
| |
|
| Day 4 |
|
BODRUM, TURKEY
|
| |
After a morning at sea cruising in the Aegean, arrive in Bodrum, ancient Halicarnassus, the birthplace of the “father of history,” Herodotus, and Queen Artemisia, a military advisor to Xerxes and the only female commander of a naval vessel during the famous Battle of Salamis. The city was also the site of the famous Mausoleum, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. In the 15th century, the Knights of St. John built the massive castle of St. Peter here. Visit the citadel, which houses the Museum of Underwater Archaeology and the Carian Princess Hall, displaying finds from the sarcophagus of Ada, sister of Artemisia. |
|
| |
|
| Day 5 |
|
RHODES | LINDOS | RHODES, GREECE
|
| |
|
Rhodes was the home of Kallipateira, who flouted the male-centered culture of Greece to become the only woman ever to attend the ancient Olympics. The daughter, sister and mother of Olympic victors, she disguised herself as a trainer to watch her son. Her disguise fell as she embraced her victorious son, though in honor of her champion family, she was freed from punishment. Ascend Monte Smith, the site of the ancient acropolis, and see the restored 2nd-century B.C. stadium, the theater and the ruins of temples dedicated to Zeus, Athena and Pythian Apollo. In Lindos, enjoy lunch and ascend to the acropolis by foot or by donkey.
|
|
| |
|
| Day 6 |
|
FETHIYE | LETOON | XANTHOS |FETHIYE, TURKEY
|
| |
Corinthian II will navigate the scenic Bay of Fethiye to dock at the port city of the same name. Drive to Letoon, the shrine dedicated to Leto and her children, Apollo and Artemis. Legend has it that Leto, pregnant by Zeus, gave birth on the island of Delos and brought her children here to wash them in the nearby river. Excavations indicate that the site was linked to the worship of the Mother Goddess since early times. Visit the remains of temples and other buildings, and continue to Xanthos, the most imposing of all ancient Lycian cities, built below a great cliff. |
|
| |
|
| Day 7 |
|
TASUCU | SILIFKE | TASUCU
|
| |
|
Picturesque Silifke was the ancient Seleucia ad Calycadnum, founded in the late 3rd century B.C. Achieving a period of prosperity during the Roman period, Silifke was an early center of Christianity, and here we meet an important person of that pivotal period, St. Tecla. A friend and follower of St. Paul, she was tortured and imprisoned for her faith in her native Iconium (modern Kenya). Upon fleeing to Silifke, she built a grotto on a mountain near the town, where she lived out her life. Many cures were attributed to her, which quickly spread her fame throughout the region and contributed to the growth of Christianity. We follow the ancient pilgrims’ road to St. Tecla’s grotto. Nearby are the remains of a large basilica, built by Emperor Zeno in 476. We also explore Silifke and visit the 2nd-century A.D. Temple of Zeus and the Archaeological Museum.
|
|
| |
|
| Day 8 |
|
TARTUS | PALMYRA | TARTUS, SYRIA
|
| |
From Syria’s port of Tartus we take an overnight excursion to Palmyra. An extraordinary archaeological site, Palmyra was ruled for part of the 3rd century A.D. by one of antiquity’s most powerful personalities, Queen Zenobia. She took over after her husband’s death, but Rome refused to recognize her and sent an army to expel her. She met the Roman force in battle, defeated it and led her army against the rest of Syria, Palestine and Egypt, bringing the entire territory under her control. During our two-day sojourn at this unforgettable place, which was a vital link on the historic Silk Route from China to Europe, we will have time to leisurely explore the city’s prodigious remains, including its colonnaded streets, temples and tower, and to contemplate the grandeur of Palmyra under Queen Zenobia. Overnight at the Hotel Cham. |
|
| |
|
| Day 9 |
|
AT SEA
|
| |
|
Relax aboard as Corinthian II cruises towards Egypt.
|
|
| |
|
| Day 10 |
|
ALEXANDRIA | CAIRO, EGYPT | DISEMBARK
|
| |
Founded by Alexander the Great in 332-331 B.C., Alexandria became the paramount city of the Hellenistic period and a great center of learning, culture and science. On the death of Alexander in 323 B.C., Egypt was entrusted to Ptolemy, one of his generals, who founded a dynasty that lasted until 30 B.C. The last Ptolemaic monarch was Cleopatra, whose life, beauty, prowess and relationship with Mark Antony have fascinated writers and the public from ancient times to the present. Disembark in the morning and explore the remains of this once resplendent city, including the finds from ongoing excavations in its harbor. In the afternoon, drive to Cairo and spend the night at the Hotel Le Meridien Heliopolis, located near the airport. |
|
| |
|
| Day 12 |
|
CAIRO | USA
|
| |
|
Transfer to the airport for return flights to the U.S.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
