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Turkey, Greece Study Tour with Faith Chapel Billings
April 20 - May 1, 2025
Led by Steve Poetzl
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Trip Blog Posts
Day 09 - Corinth, Olive Oil Farm, Free Time
posted on Thursday May 01 2025 at 12:00 am UTC
The last day of our adventure begins with a ride toward the Peloponnese peninsula. On the bus, our guides discussed the importance of the battle of Salamis and the formation of the idea of Democracy. We owe a lot to the country of Greece. Following the footsteps of Paul, we visited the ruins of the ancient...
Day 08 - Acropolis, Mars Hill, Acropolis Museum
posted on Wednesday April 30 2025 at 12:00 am UTC
Kaili Merida!!!  (that’s hello in Greece). We are off in the bus after meeting our guide, Maria. Several of us noticed graffiti everywhere on the city building. I took a picture of a fish on the side of the building. That’s the kind of graffiti I like. The Acropolis is a fortified...
Day 07 - Athens Olympic Stadium
posted on Tuesday April 29 2025 at 12:00 am UTC
Travel day. While the driver loaded the luggage at 05:15am, we had a quick breakfast and the bus ride to airport took about 45 minutes. Izmir to Istanbul to Athens. I am proud to say we didn’t lose anyone through the airport even though we walked a mile and a half though a gauntlet of gift shops....
Day 06 - Priene, Miletus
posted on Sunday April 27 2025 at 7:00 pm UTC
We are on the bus again for another jammed packed fun day in beautiful western Turkiye. One of the first announcements from our guides is where the next bathroom break will be. Thank goodness. I thought I had missed one in Turkiye. First stop: the ancient Hittite city of Priene, later becoming the...
Day 05 - Ephesus, Turkish Rug Shop, Ephesus Museum
posted on Saturday April 26 2025 at 10:00 pm UTC
We started our day with an inspirational message by Jason and his wife, Carmen. God still works in miracles!! Then we traveled to ruined city of Ephesus, which was an incredibly wealthy Roman city in the first century. We toured the homes of ancient wealthy citizens and observed the opulent lifestyle...
Day 04 - Temple of Artemis, St. John's Basilica, Evening Cruise on the Aegean
posted on Saturday April 26 2025 at 12:00 am UTC
Today we started out visiting the ruins of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. Based on the single standing column, you would never guess that it had once been one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Nearby was St. John's Basilica, a church built in the 6th century over the grave of...
Day 03 - Hierapolis, Laodicea, Aphrodisias
posted on Thursday April 24 2025 at 9:00 pm UTC
Day 3 started out with an adventure - an early morning hot air balloon ride! How incredible to float over some of the sites we would see later that day. What looked like snow is actually the white travertine deposits in the warm mineral pools. Hierapolis means "Holy City", because of the temples to gods...
Day 02 - Sardis, Colossae
posted on Wednesday April 23 2025 at 8:00 pm UTC
OK, THIS HAS TO STOP! They have been feeding us way too much. I think I’ve gained an extra 7 pounds in the last three days as evidence by the desert line at every meal. We started with a tour of the city of Sardis and ended in Colossae. We were treated to wonderful insights from Terry, Peter and...
Day 01 - Smyrna, Pergamum
posted on Tuesday April 22 2025 at 8:00 pm UTC
We woke bright and early to the most incredible breakfast ever with orange juice served in tulip glasses. Our first stop was Smyrna. We were introduced to the apocalyptic/prophetic language of John in revelation two. Then we were handed rocks. I almost ate them until someone instructed us to smell them:...
Day 00 - ARRIVAL IN TURKEY
posted on Monday April 21 2025 at 9:00 pm UTC
The Road to Eudaimonia. Ancient philosophers, Greek philosophers like Socrates, Plato, Aristotle explored Eudaimonia, linking it to virtue, reason and the pursuit of a good life. We, the Mötley Crew of Faith Chapel are in pursuit of a Holy God. Let the adventure begin in Turkiye....
Preparing for
posted on Monday March 31 2025 at 4:40 am 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 along...
Preparing for Turkey, Greece
posted on Tuesday January 21 2025 at 8:18 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 along...