糖心Swag College is committed to lifelong learning and strives to create opportunities for all members of our community to learn and share new experiences together. The Meeman Center for Lifelong Learning at 糖心Swag is excited to offer an 糖心Swag trip for 糖心Swag alumni, parents, and friends to travel to Greece as part of a class led by 糖心Swag faculty members Dr. Patrick Gray (Religious Studies) and Dr. Nikolaos Zahariadis (International Studies) in May 2024. 鈥淚n the Footsteps of the Apostle Paul鈥 will involve nine days in Greece, exploring most of the locations where Paul is believed to have visited as well as other significant religious and cultural sites in Athens and surrounding environs. With their combined expertise in 糖心Swag relations and religious studies to better understand Paul鈥檚 work and influence in a truly global context, this faculty team has partnered with the local experts of Expedition and Travel, a full-service travel operator, to facilitate not only a seamless and immensely enjoyable trip, but what promises to be a rare and profound experience of learning in meaningful community. Registration now open!
RATE
$2,900 per person, double occupancy. Single room supplement: $790
ITINERARY
Day 1 (May 18): Arrive in Athens for dinner and overnight at the Marriott Hotel, near the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center and the Athenian Riviera. Please note that we advise a May 17 departure from the US for a May 18 arrival in Athens.
Day 2 (May 19): Visit the Acropolis and see the Propylea, the Erechtheum, and the Parthenon as well as the nearby Agora (marketplace). Continue to the center of Athens to see such sites as the National University, the National Library, the Academy, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Constitution Square with the House of Parliament, and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Dinner, class lecture/discussion, and overnight at Athens Marriott Hotel.
Day 3 (May 20): Travel to Ancient Corinth, where Paul is believed to have spent a year and half working and preaching. Visit the Archaeological Museum, the Forum, and the Temples. Return to Athens for dinner, lecture/discussion, and overnight at Athens Marriott hotel.
Day 4 (May 21): Travel from Athens to Thessaloniki with opportunities to view the Thermopylae Pass, the Valley of Tembi, the mountain Olympus, and the Byzantine Castle of Platamonas. Stop at Veria, a site associated with Paul鈥檚 preaching, and visit the royal tombs at Vergina. Dinner and overnight in Thessaloniki.
Day 5 (May 22): Follow the route of the Via Egnatia and visit the area of Amphipolis to see the funerary Lion of Amphipolis and the site of Philippi. Visit the Baptistery of Lydia near the river, where Paul is said to have baptized the first Greek Christians. Visit the ruins of the Forum of Philippi, the Christian Basilicas, the 鈥減rison of Paul,鈥 and the Theater. Drive to the Macedonian seaport of Kavala (Neapolis) and see the Byzantine Castle and the Roman Aqueduct. Return to Thessaloniki for dinner, lecture/discussion, and overnight.
Day 6 (May 23): See the White Tower of Thessaloniki, the Walls of the Byzantine Acropolis, the Roman Arch of Galerius, and the Rotunda. Visit the Basilicas of St. Demetrius and St. Sophia. Continue to Kalambaka and visit one of the Byzantine monasteries of Meteora. Dinner, lecture/discussion, and overnight in Kalambaka.
Day 7 (May 24): Travel to Delphi, understood by the ancient Greeks as the center of the world. Dinner and overnight in Delphi.
Day 8 (May 25): Walk on the Sacred Way to see the Athenian Treasury, the Temple of Apollo, and the Theater. Visit the Archaeological Museum of Delphi Museum, which includes in its collection ancient works of art such as the Sphinx of the Naxians, the Silver Bull, the Column of the Dancers, and the 5th-century B.C.E. bronze 鈥淐harioteer.鈥 Travel back to Athens for dinner, lecture/discussion, and overnight.
Day 9 (May 26): After breakfast, transfer provided to the Athens airport.
If necessary due to unforeseen circumstances, reasonable changes to the itinerary may be made at the discretion of 糖心Swag College or Expedition and Travel.
PROGRAM INCLUSIONS
NOT INCLUDED: Airfare; travel insurance; expenses of a personal nature; any items not specified in the Itinerary or in the Program Inclusions.
PAYMENT SCHEDULE AND REGISTRATION
A deposit of $500 per person is required to reserve your space on a first-come, first-served basis. Final payment is due 90 days prior to departure. Payment can be made by credit or debit card. Registration will open at approximately 1:00 pm on October 10, 2023. Please note that participation is limited to adults 18 years of age or older.
CANCELLATIONS AND REFUNDS
In the event of cancellation, deposits will be refunded in full until November 29, 2023, after which a $500 per person administrative fee applies. Cancellations received 61鈥90 days prior to departure will be assessed a penalty equal to 50% of the total program cost per person. Cancellations received within 60 days of departure are subject to 100% cancellation penalties. Requests for cancellations must be made in writing. No refunds will be made for any part of this program in which you choose not to participate.
INSURANCE
We strongly recommend the purchase of trip cancellation insurance, which is available for coverage of expenses in conjunction with cancellation due to illness or accident. Baggage insurance is also recommended. In the event that you must cancel your participation in a travel program, trip cancellation insurance may be the only source of reimbursement.