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Turkey, Greece Study Tour with Bethel Bible Church
October 25 - November 5, 2019
Led by Ross Strader, Eric Barton
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Trip Blog Posts
Istanbul
posted on Tuesday November 05 2019 at 12:00 am UTC
We awoke this morning and had breakfast on the roof terrace of our hotel, long before the sun rose. Our backdrop was the Parthenon, dramatically lit as the star of the city. Our morning was dedicated simply to travel back to Istanbul, but then we went into high gear. We grabbed a quick snack—and...
Greece
posted on Monday November 04 2019 at 12:00 am UTC
The day started with breakfast on the rooftop of our hotel in downtown Athens. We had an amazing view of the Acropolis, which we would visit later that day. We met our Greek tour guide, Christiana and bus driver Christos, in front of the hotel and off we went. An hour later, we stopped to see the...
Ephesus
posted on Sunday November 03 2019 at 12:00 am UTC
After a restful evening cruise last night we headed out again Saturday morning to the city ruins of Ephesus. It is hard to realize the city of Ephesus as a thriving city of well over 200,000 people. A leading port city which is no more. A city constructed and engineered far...
Western Turkey
posted on Saturday November 02 2019 at 12:00 am UTC
HEALING CENTER OF ASKLEPIOS – At the base of the acropolis of Pergamum lies the ancient healing complex devoted to the god Asklepios. This complex was founded in the 4th Century B.C. around a sacred spring. The famous 2nd Century AD physician Galen practiced here and made his reputation treating...
The Lycus Valley
posted on Friday November 01 2019 at 12:00 am UTC
Before dawn we boarded our rolling classroom heading to a full day. Four of the seven churches of Revelation 2-3 were on our itinerary: Philadelphia, Sardis, Thyatira, and Pergamum. White unpicked cotton bolls brought to mind the words of Jesus: "the fields are white unto harvest." ...
From Spiritual Bankruptcy to Spiritual Treasure
posted on Thursday October 31 2019 at 12:00 am UTC
Up, up, and away! We started the day with a hot air balloon ride over the Pamukkale region. 800 meters from the ground, we had breathtaking views of red roofs, cedar trees, and a patchwork quilt of agriculture – cotton, olives, pomegranate, and even sheep fields. The most unique site would be the...
The one who brings us true life
posted on Wednesday October 30 2019 at 12:00 am UTC
After spending the night in Konya, we left and recognized the anniversary of the Republic of Turkey “Happy Republic Day”! After boarding the bus for Pisidian Antioch, Ozan gave us a comprehensive history lesson of the country of Turkey which spanned the last 10,000 years until present. Eric...
Heritage and culture
posted on Tuesday October 29 2019 at 12:00 am UTC
After a traditional breakfast at our hotel, we started our journey to Goreme National Park Museum. While some of our group wore hiking gear expecting a Yosemite-like adventure, and some others wore loafers anticipating a quaint indoor museum, what we found on arrival was unprecedented preservation. Pulling...
Capadoccia
posted on Monday October 28 2019 at 12:00 am UTC
After a great dinner and a good night’s sleep, we boarded another flight from Istanbul to Kayseri in the region of Cappadocia in central Turkey. This area was mentioned in Acts 2, and Peter included the believers here in the recipients of his first epistle. The terrain here is dry and hilly, dotted...
Travel...and lots of it
posted on Saturday October 26 2019 at 12:00 am UTC
We all made it to Houston Bush Intercontinental Airport. We have been planning and preparing and praying for this opportunity for many months, so it’s a little surreal to finally be awaiting take-off. Everyone made it through security and check-in, and even got a little dinner before we board Turkish...
Preparing for Turkey, Greece
posted on Monday September 23 2019 at 5:32 pm UTC
Our trip will be here before you know it! Once we're on the ground we'll post periodic updates and photos. Check back often or get update notifications using the subscribe options on this page. We'll be sharing our travel experiences online with you, our friends and family, to not only bring you...