TURKEY: May 5-17, 2024

GO Encounter: Cross Cultural Field Experience

(HUM 2010 – Global Encounter Syllabus)

Program #240505B, with Dr. Christy Hill

This Program is only available to students and approved participants by Grace College, Winona Lake, IN.

Day One: Monday, May 5, 2024. Departure Day

Depart Chicago for Istanbul. Overnight: In flight.

Day Two: Tuesday, May 7, 2024. Arrival Day.

Arrive at Istanbul airport, meet your escort (local guide) and driver and transfer to your hotel. You will have a welcome dinner, and dinner. The area around your hotel is interesting, so those who slept on the flight may want to wander a bit before bedtime! Overnight: Istanbul (D).

Day Three: Wednesday, May 8, 2024. ISTANBUL

Today, our Turkish guide will show us some of the highlights of one of the world’s most fascinating cities! We want to visit the historic church at Hagia Sophia, stand in the midst of the ancient Roman Hippodrome, wander the halls of the world-class collection at the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. We will also have to take a little time to shop at the world famous “Grand Bazaar!” Overnight Istanbul (B,D).

Day Four: Thursday, May 9, 2024. TROY

This morning we will depart Istanbul for a drive to ancient Troy, with a ferry cross and view of the Dardanelles. The scenery is delightful, but you will also get to engage in some stories of Turkey, both past and present. Who hasn’t heard of Troy? This will be a time for a brief visit to the place where the “west was born” in the epic poetry of Homer. Overnight: Canakkale (B,D).

Day Five: Friday, May 10, 2024. TROAS – PERGAMON

Let’s start today with a great Turkish breakfast, and then travel to Troas, where the Apostle Paul had his famous vision of the “Macedonian man” (cp. Acts 16). On to Pergamon, one of the seven churches of Revelation 2-3, and an incredible cliff fortress city! We will finish our day with a drive to ancient Smyra, now called Izmir. Overnight: Izmir (B,D). 

Day Six: Saturday, May 11, 2024. SMYRNA – THYATIRA – SARDIS - PHILADELPHIA

We have much to see today, as we traverse the countryside to see the excavations of four cities of Revelation 2 and 3. These ancient sites will remind us of the problems first century believers faced, and help us discuss the way the instructions of Jesus to them aided them. We will also get some modern interactions along the way in coffee, tea and sweet shops! Overnight: Hierapolis / Pamukkale area (B,D).

Day Seven: Sunday, May 12, 2024. COLOSSAE - LAODICEA - HEIRAPOLIS

The Epistle to the Colossians came from a city that has not been excavated, but has to be climbed to appreciate it! The powerful views from the Hierapolis cliff, the city where the Apostle Philip was martyred, and the “cotton castles” of the hot springs are not to be missed. Overnight: Hierapolis / Pamukkale area (B,D).

Day Eight: Monday, May 13, 2024. EPHESUS

There are few sites in all of the Roman world that were as impressive as Ephesus, and with the excavations, you will be overwhelmed by her beauty and preservation. Overnight: Kusadasi (B,D).

Day Nine: Tuesday, May 14, 2024. MILETUS.

While much of our program focused on the Apostle John and Revelation 2-3, this will be an opportunity to engage the life and writings of the Apostle Paul, at the place where he offered a “final address” to the Ephesian elders that visited him to hear him in Miletus. It was a sobering address, and this city was the first to hear it. Overnight: Kusadasi (B,D).

Day Ten: Wednesday, May 15, 2024. IZMIR – ISTANBUL

Flight Izmir to Istanbul. After we arrive back in Istanbul and have lunch, we will have a delightful experience at a Turkish Bath in the afternoon. You don’t want to miss this cultural experience! Overnight: Istanbul (B,D).

Day Eleven: Thursday, May 16, 2024. ISTANBUL

We want to start our day with a visit to the Spice Market near the Bosphorus and recall the role spices played in the power and prestige of the Ottoman Empire. Next, we will visit Topkapi Palace, the center of Ottoman rule. In the forecourt, we can see the ancient church at Aya Irini where some of the earliest debates of Christian theology were engaged long agoIn the afternoon, we will have some free time for last minute shopping and exploration. Overnight: Istanbul (B,D).

Day Twelve: Friday, May 17, 2024. Depart ISTANBUL for home.

After breakfast, we travel to the Airport for our flight home (B).