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“I've just returned from another fantastic few weeks with Richmond holidays. Epic skiing, great company, and wonderful accommodation. Being the ministry leader I expected it all to be one way traffic, yet I was enormously blessed by clients and staff alike and came back higher than Mont Blanc! It was very encouraging to see so many wanting to holiday from their jobs but not from God”
Ben Shaw, Alps, Feb 09

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Seven Churches of Asia

13th to 20th September 2010

We are delighted to announce that our Seven Churches of Asia Derek Hillstour will be led by the excellent Derek Hills.  A Londoner, Derek trained for the ministry at Spurgeon's College in the 1960's and has been serving Baptist churches for nearly forty years, Currently he is Senior Minister at Tonbridge Baptist Church.

Monday 13th to Monday 20th September 2010

Day 1: ISTANBUL arrival

Upon our noon at Istanbul International Airport "Kemal Attaturk". Meet, assist and transfer to hotel. Its original name is Byzantium then Constantinople. It is a most fascinating city, which actually crosses two continents Europe and Asia. It is a city of amalgamation of bazaars, minarets, mosques, churches, palaces, and restaurants catering to every one's taste, museums, customs and twelve million people.

 We will enjoy a panoramic bus drive showing the various highlights of this cosmopolitan city such as the Byzantine Walls of Constantinople, the Sea of Marmara and Bosphorus shorelines.Check into our hotel  Dinner and overnight.

Day 2 : ISTANBUL

Discover the Byzantine and Ottoman treasures of Istanbul. We visit St. Sofia, the (church of the sacred wisdom), converted to a mosque from a Christian basilica after the fall of Constantinople in 1453. We see the Hippodrome and the Obelisk brought from Egypt. Then our next visit is the Blue Mosque with its six minarets. Before lunch we will visit the Underground cistern . Lunch. Continue with the Grand Covered Bazaar. Dinner and overnight at hotel.

 Day 3 :  ISTANBUL 

Morning private Bosphorus cruise in Istanbul . After free time in Spice Market lunch near Spice market.Visit Chora Church and museum .Afternoon We will visit the Topkapi Palace which was the residence of the Ottoman sultans, with its fabulous treasure chambers.

Overnight in Istanbul.

Day 4 : ISTANBUL - SEVEN CHURCHES AT EPHESUS AND LAODICEA

Transfer to Istanbul airport.  Fly to Izmir. Airport Transfer. Visit the City of Ancient Ephesus & Laodicea. 

Today we enjoy a visit to the ancient city of Ephesus including the Basilica of St. John and the Ephesus archaeological museum. The Apostle Paul preached to the Ephesians and lived here for three years. This church also received an epistle from him. We tour the spectacular ruins where excavations still continue in this once great and important city, which was founded in the 10th century BC.

Walk through history along marble streets lined with wonderful public buildings, among them the Baths of Scholastica, the Library of Celsus, the Temple of Hadrian and the Theatre. The Temple of Diana of the Ephesians, another of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was built in this city. We visit the Basilica of St. John and the Ephesus archaeological museum. Lunch at a selected restaurant.

We visit Laodicea (present name Denizli) yet another of the Seven Churches of Asia Minor [Rev. 1:11; 3:14; Col. 2:1; 4:13-16]. We see the ancient theatre, the remains of basilica and ancient stone water pipes. Aphrodisias is our next stop. We visit the best-preserved ancient stadium ever excavated where the seating capacity was 30,000. We see the odeon with its extraordinary blue marble stage, the Temple of Aphrodite that marks the site of ancient veneration, Hadrian's Bath and the Bishop's Palace, part of a building christened by the archaeologists. Lunch is provided at a local restaurant.

Overnight stay in Pamukkale.

 Day 5 : SARDIS - PHILADELPHIA - THYATIRA - PAMUKKALE

Overnight in Bergama

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Day 6 : PERGAMON - SMYRNA - ST. POLYCARP

Today we depart early in the morning to one of the most picturesque areas of any of the Seven Churches of Asia [Rev. 1:11; 3:1-4], Sardis, presently Sart. This was the capital of the ancient Lydian kingdom of the 6th century BC, portrayed as a dying church. We visit the great Temple of Artemis and the Temple of Cybele, which became a Byzantine Church. We will also visit some ancient Lydian houses, and the restored gymnasium and reconstructed Synagogue. We also see the last several meters of the royal Persian Road from Susa to Sardis built by Cyrus the Great and the «golden» river Pactolos. Lunch en route.

Then we continue our journey to Philadelphia, nowadays called Alasehir, another church of the Seven Churches of Asia [Rev. 1:11; 3:7], and the only church not censured. There we see the remains of a Byzantine basilica built of brick, with a bit of high arch and some 11th century frescoes. We drive to the healing city of Hierapolis, actually Pamukkale, the white «cotton fortress» where hot mineral water bursts from the earth and cascades over steep cliffs forming pools, channels and stalactites. The therapeutic waters were known to the founders of Hierapolis and of Laodicea in 190 BC. In Hierapolis [Col. 4:13] we visit the Martyrium of the Apostle Philip where he was martyred during the persecutions ordered by Domitian.

We visit the Gate of Domitian, the Arcadian Way, the 2nd century AD Theatre, the Nymphaion, the Temple of Apollo, the Plutonium and the Necropolis. Check in at hotel for dinner and overnight.

Transfer to Izmir Airport. Fly back to Istanbul. Overnight in Istanbul

Day 7 : LAODICEA - APHRODISIAS - KUSADASI

FREE DAY IN ISTANBUL- our Tour leader will offer a choice of places to visit or ideas for the group.

Day 8 : ISTANBUL - HOME

Pick up from hotel and transfer to Istanbul for your flight back home

Includes:

# Accommodation in 3 star hotels including breakfast and dinners
# Lunches
# All sightseeing & entrance fees
# English-speaking professional Guide
# Private arrival & departure transfers
# A/C transportation by 46 seater coach
# Parking, high-way, ferry crossing fees,
# Special pre departure information pack
# All porterage
# Izmir - Istanbul  flight ticket 

 

Excludes:
# Visa fees
# Drinks and meals not mentioned in the itinerary
# Personal expenses
# International Flight tickets
# Tipping

We will be travelling in a Deluxe Motor Coach throughout with an experienced local driver and an excellent local guide in addition to Derek's Richmond leadership.

All Entrance Fees, local tourist taxes, maps and prospectuses are included in your price.

PRICES
£695 per person in a twin room with en-suite facilities
£160 single room supplement

DEPOSIT £200

FLIGHTS - your transfers to and from Istanbul airport are included, where you will be met by a Richmond host
Easyjet from Gatwick and Luton
BA from Heathrow
Pegasus Airlines from Stansted
Turkish Airlines from Stansted & Heathrow

The Istanbul-Izmir-Istanbul flights in the middle of the Tour cost in the region of 80 to 100€ - these can be booked at the time of booking your place on the tour.

 

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