Greece/Turkey Study Tour 2006

Pictures from Delphi

2006-06-22T14:32:00.000-04:00

The Theater at Delphi

Gallio Inscription

A Day at Delphi

2006-06-22T14:23:00.000-04:00

Hello From Athens,

Everyone is fine and doing well.

Today we visited the Ancient Site of Delphi. It is a beautiful site and the favorite of many people. I think that it is my favorite site in Greece. You are high up in the mountains but you have a commanding view of the sea below. Ancient Greeks climbed the hills to worship Apollo and Athena and seek guidance from the oracle at the Temple of Apollo. They also gathered for the Pythian Games, which is one of the four Pan-Hellenic games. There were also poetry and music contests and meetings where leaders of Ancient Greek City-States could talk politics over and come to decisions.

We made our way to the Roman Forum and then up the Sacred Way. Along the Sacred way there were once statues to honor donors, athletes, and musicians. These statues lined the Sacred Way so everyone would remember what they had achieved. Also along the Sacred Way were several treasuries of cities housing their gifts to the god Apollo. For example at the prows of the warships were lined up to commemorate the Athenian victory over the Persians. The retaining walls are built of polygonal construction to help them survive earthquake attacks.

Many of these stones are covered with inscriptions, many of these inscriptions record masters freeing their slaves. At the heart of the site is the Temple of Apollo which has a large altar in front. Adjacent to the Temple stood a bronze tripod of Platea which is made of intertwined bronze snakes. This tripod was carried off by Constantine the Great and was put in the center of the hippodrome. A part of the tripod is located at the hippodrome in Istanbul what is left of it we saw earlier on the trip

The Temple of Apollo is of Doric style and it is built over 2 fault lines which has recently been studied by geologist who have determined that a form of methane gas would have been released from these fissures which would have had a hallucinogenic effect on the priestess who would sit on a tripod over the opening and speak in a “language” only the priest could understand. People would wait in line on the seventh day of the month and would be chosen by lot to choose the order. They would tell the priest the question and he would rely it to the priestess and later return with her answer. An answer he would interpret for the one waiting. Sometimes the answers were straight forward and often the person would get the answer they desired. But sometimes the answers were veiled and opened to interpretation. Under the temple there are still passages which people climb in. The oracle would go into the basement of the temple to answer the questions.

Up above the Temple is a nice theater which was used for dramas and plays. Up even further is a stadium with stone seats and nice starting gates.

Before visiting the site we went to the museum which has several amazing objects all found during the excavations at Delphi. Delphi was home to the Pythian Games which was one of the Panhellenic Games. These games took place every four years in honor of Apollo, the god of wisdom. The temple to Apollo was home to oracle of Delphi. A priestess of the temple functioned as the oracle. People would come and ask questions of the oracle on special days. She would sit in the temple on a tripod over a crack where vapors would rise up and have a hallucinogenic effect on her and she would speak in a "priestly language" and predict the future often in vague ways.

Recently geologists and archaeologists have worked together and discovered that a fault line runs under the temple and that have hallucinogenic properties.As one of the panhellenic games as well as a home to an oracle Delphi was the most important religious site on the mainland. Several treasuries and monuments were built as each city tried to out do the other. Many of these offerings to Apollo were lost on the site and have now been recovered by archaeologists.In the museum some of the most important objects include a large Sphinx.

As I look at it I was reminded of Oedipus and the riddle of the sphinx. The Siphinian Treasury which dates to 525BC is one of the oldest Ionic marble buildings on the mainland. The pediments of the building are well-preserved. One side with the Judgment of Paris and the other with the combat of combat before Troy with the assembly of the gods. This has the name of the artist on one of the shields.The Treasure Room has amazing objects such as parts of the chryselephantine (made from ivory and gold) statues of Apollo and Artemis. Also the remains of a large statue of a bull made of silver.One of the most famous items in the museum is the Charioteer which is an original bronze which sections of the horse and chariot. This was made to honor the victor of chariot 478 or 474 in Pythian games.Also there is a famous marble statue of Antinoos. He was a famous companion of Emperor Hadrian who died by drowning in the Nile during a trip their with the emperor.Also the museum has an inscription which has musical notation on it. This is one the earliest indications of musical notation in Ancient Greece it dates to the 3rd century BC.

My favorite item in the museum was the Gallio inscription. This is an inscription that I have been talking about for many years. It makes reference to Gallio who is mentioned in Acts 18. Gallio is proconsul of Acacia. The emperor Nero wrote a letter honoring him which is preserved in this inscription. Paul was taken before Gallio by the Jews of Corinth. Here Gallio determined not to get involved in what he called Jewish disputes. Since a proconsulship only lasted one year and since Paul was only in Corinth for eighteen months this inscription establishes a benchmark in the chronology in Paul’s life and missionary journeys. So this is an important piece of evidence for New Testament studies.

Tomorrow we fly out of Athens to New York and then on to Atlanta.

I have to fly out earlier than the group go through Milan and then to DC and then meet them again in Atlanta.

John Wineland
Athens, Greece

Erastus, ArcoCorinth, Mycenae Pictures

2006-06-21T15:39:00.000-04:00

Lions Gate at Mycenae

Temple to Apollo at Corinth with the AcroCorinth in the Background

Erastus Inscription Picture

Corinth, Acro-Corinth and Mycenae

2006-06-21T15:20:00.000-04:00

Greetings from Athens again!!!

We are fine and doing well. We enjoyed our trip today.

We visited the site of Corinth. Corinth importance in ancient times was due to its location near the isthmus with mainland Greece. It had 2 important harbors which it controlled Cenchrea and Lechaion. A great deal of trade traveled through the city. So it control important land and sea routes. This is a site with a long occupation, dating from the Bronze Age like Mycenae.

It flourished from the 7th to the 4th centuries BC. It was destroyed by the Roman General Mummius in 144BC. The Romans punished Corinth because they rebelled against Roman authrity. The leveled every building in the town except for the Temple to Apollo.

The town was restructured as a Roman city and it was this town that Paul visited in the first century. He founded a church at the city and wrote 2 letters to the Christians there. The most impressive structure on the site is the Temple to Apollo it has 7 Doric columns still standing and it is one of the earliest temples in Greece.

We also saw the Bema of the city which is the likely location of Gallio's address as recorded in Acts 18 when Paul is taken before him and charged with crimes against the Jews of the city.

The AcroCorinth rising above the city was the home to the Temple to Aprodite. Her priestess served as Temple prostitutes in the city. The mobile population and this temple led to many of the problems in the Corinth church. The main road to Lechaion is well preserved and has a large fountain, several shops and even public toliet on either side of the street.

The museum has many important statues and frescos. It also has an inscription from a 5th century synagogue in the city. Corinth had an Askelpion healing center and some of the votive offerings of models of body parts offered to god for healing are on display.

The odeon and theater of the site were closed. But a few of us found a way to enter the theater area so we could see the famous Erastus inscription which mentions that Erastus a leader in the city paid for a pavement on the east side of the theater. Erastus is mentioned as a Christian convert and friend of Paul in Romans 16.

We then drove up to the bottom of the top of Acro-Corinth. Then several of us hiked to the top. This quite a hike but we were rewarded with an amazing view of the city and harbors below. This was the site of the Aprodite temple and later fortresses from the Frankish, Ottoman, and Venetian periods.

We ate lunch near the canal which was cut through the Isthmus in the late 19th century.

The we drove to Mycenae the site which provides the name for the Mycenean Civilization. The city flourished during the Bronze Age esp from 1600 to 1100 BC. Here is a good website with information about and images of Mycenae http://wms.erudition.net/mycenae.html

This site has an amazing Lion's Gate and a tholos or beehive tomb nearby. This site was excavated by Heinrich Schliemann in the 19th century who found rich burials in the Grave Circle A with several gold objects. On the citadel of the site is the Megaron which was the audience hall/palace of the King. We also visited the well preserved Tholos or beehive tomb called the Treasury of Atreus. It was a burial place for the elites of the Bronze age 14th cent. BC. With a large dromos or entranceway and the tomb itself was flanked by large columns on either side. This style of tomb is constructed of stone in a beehive shape and then earth is piled on top. The dromos is dug out each time a new burial is needed.

Tomorrow we head out for our last day of touring. We are ending with a beautiful site called Delphi, home to the oracle.

John Wineland
Athens, Greece

From the National Museum in Athens

2006-06-20T14:33:00.000-04:00

The boxer fresco from Akrotiri

Hello From Athens

2006-06-20T14:21:00.000-04:00

Greetings

We are now in Athens. We are all safe and sound after our cruise across the Aegean.

We toured the small but amazing museum in Santorini. It has the remains of Akrotiri the Pompei of the Aegean. While Pompei dates to the first century AD, Akrotiri dates to about 1650 BC. There are amzing frescos one with monkeys!! Also a chair (they were able to pour plaster of paris into the holes in the volcanic ash and they were able to recover the outline of chairs and beds etc. They have many everyday objects as well as art.

We then were able to have an hour or so to enjoy the fantastic view and then we were off to the ship. It was a larger ferry which hauled cars and motorcycles underneath. We travel to out hotel and then met in the lobby for a walk to the National Archaelogical Museum. It has amazing finds.

It has material from all over Greece including the islands. There are many fine examples of Greek pottery from all the periods from Geometric on to Black and Red figures pottery. There are many fine bronze statues also. Most which were recovers from the sea. The large bronze of Zeus is one of the finest pieces in the museum. The museum also hs the Mycenaen materials from the tombs of Mycenae. Schliemann found gold desk masks and fine gold objects. Also on display on the second floor are some of the frescos from ancient Thera.

After our visit to the museum we had dinner at the hotel.

Tomorrow we visit Corinth and Mycenae.

John Wineland
Athens

Picture of Santorini

2006-06-19T15:20:00.000-04:00

Santorini

Hello From Ancient Thera, Santorini

2006-06-19T14:52:00.000-04:00

Greetings,

Everyone is fine and doing well. We have enjoyed our day on the island of Santorini.

We left this morning from Heraklion, Crete. We traveled on a Cat 4 super fast boat. The boat moves so quickly that it is entirely enclosed, much like an airplane inside. Upon arrival we were greeted by our bus and guide. We then had a nice tour of the island, so many people were able to swin the Aegean. We also drove to the North end of the island for a spectular view of the island. A volcano exploded and formed a calderia about 1650 BC. When this volcano blew up the island exploded and the entire middle of the island blew out. This destroyed the Minoan settlements on the island and created problems for them elsewhere. Some people beleive that this explosion is the history event to which Plato refers when he speaks of Atlantis. Of course this is highly speculative.

We were scheduled to visit the ruins of Akrotiri but unfortnately the site is now closed because of an accident earlier in the year when part of the protective roof collasped on the 2 tourists and 1 guide. Akrotiri has been called the Pompeii of the Aegean. I guess we have to return later to this beautiful island to see the site.

However tomorrow we visit the museum in town and it has many of the most sceptacular finds from the site.

This is the second most desirable vacation spot in the world just behind Bali accord to our guide today.

Tomorrow after visiting the museum we will take a boat ride to Athens for the last days of our tour.

John Wineland
Santorini, Greece

Greetings from Heraklion

2006-06-18T08:58:00.000-04:00

Bull jumping Fresco, Knossos

Hello,

Everyone is fine and doing well. We visited the Palace of the Legendary Minos at Knossos. This was excavated in the early 20th century by Sir Arthur Evans. There is a large palace which has been reconstructed which has frescos and throne rooms. We saw the large storage jars (Kraters) which held the grain and oil for the palace. It is a wonderful site. Part of it was shut down for restorations.

Today's weather was probably the warmest we have faced but it was not too bad.

After a bus tour of the city where we saw the Venetian walls and gates, we ate lunch in the heart of the city.

The we had nice tour of fablous Archaeology Museum of Heraklion. We saw the famous Phaistos Disk, Linear A, and B tablets, frescoes from Knossos and the fablous gold ring of King Minos.

Tomorrow we sail to Santorini (Thira) and visit more Minonan ruins.

John Wineland
Heraklion, Crete Greece

Greetings from the island of Crete

2006-06-17T17:18:00.000-04:00

The Plane Tree of Hippocrates, Kos

Hello Everyone,

We are all fine and doing well. We are on the island of Crete home of the Minoans.

We had a busy day today. We left Turkey and traveled by boat to the island of Kos. We had a nice time visiting the island which had a fine castle and shops and resturants. The island has a fine castle built by the Hospitallers. It also has the Plane tree of Hippocrates the famous early doctor and author of the Hippocratic oath. The locals believe that he planted the huge tree.

The Apostle Paul visited this site on his second missionary journey. Acts 21

We then went to the airport and caught our flight to the island of Rhodes and then another flight to Crete. After a late dinner we are enjoying our nice hotel in Crete.

Tomorrow we will visit the ruins of the Minoan palace at Knossos and the museum.

John Wineland
Heraklion, Crete, Greece

Greetings From Bodrum

2006-06-16T14:33:00.000-04:00

Crusader Castle at Bodrum

Hello

Everyone is doıng well and having a great time on our tour.

We left the area of Ephesus this morning and drowe to the site of Afrodisia. This ıs a wonderful site with a large theater and a temple to Aprodite. The site has the largest and best preserved stadium in the ancient world. We had a footrace between three of the students. So we got a real sense of what an ancient race would have been like. There was a large tetrapylon on the site too. Thıs marked the intersection of two important roads of the city.

After visiting the site we went to the nice museum. It has much of the material found on the site. A school of sculpture was established at the site so we saw many fine examples of sculpture ın the museum. There also was a nice dısplay on the way ancıent coins were made.

After our visit to the site we had a nice lunch and drove on to Bodrum. Bodrum was called Halicarnasus in ancient times. It was the birthplace of Herodotus the Father of History. It ıs also home to the one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The mauselum of Halicarnassus.

We visited the Crusader period castle located on what was an islan. It now is attached to the mainland by a causeway. The city was captured by the Crusaders during in the First Crusade. Later the Turks captured the city. Finally the Knights of St. John the Hospitallers captured the castle in 1305. The city came under the control Sulimann the Magnificant in 1522.

It is a spectacular castle and housed inside the castle is an extensive museum of underwater archaeology. They have the remains of the earliest boat wreck ever found dating to the Bronze Age, 16th century BC and 13th BC.

They had an amazing dısplay of amphora and anchors. Everyone enjoyed our visit to the castle. Just outside the castle was a nice statue of Herodotus.

Tomorrow we leave Turkey. We will sail from Bodrum to Kos and from there fly to Crete via Rhodes.

John Wineland
Bodrum, Turkey

Group Photo at Ephesus

2006-06-15T14:46:00.000-04:00

The group in front of the Library of Celsus

A Day Ephesus

2006-06-15T14:13:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone,

Everyone is fine and doing well. They are enjoying their stay in Turkey and here at Kusadasi.

Today we headed out early and drove to the site of Ephesus. This is amazıng sıte. Thıs Greco-Roman city has extensıve ruıns. We started at the upper end of the sıte and vısıted the Odeıon and made our way down the Curetes Road toward the Lıbrary of Celsus. Along the way we vısıted the nıcely preserved bath house and Roman Tolıets. We also saw the nıce mosaıcs and the temples to Hadrıan. Many ın our group enjoyed seeıng the extensıve inscrıptions.

The Lıbrary of Celsus was one of the highlights of our trıp. It was restored by an Austrıan team of archaeologısts. We saw the sıte of the brothel and the famous footstep ınscrıptıon that some beleıve was an advertısment for the brothel.

We then entered the great theater of the ancıent cıty thıs was the sıte of the near rıot ın the cıty where Paul's mınıstry caused the sılver-smıth guild to work the crowd ınto a 2 hour frenzy callıng out great ıs Artemıs goddess of the Ephesus.

The weather was good for our trıp and the crowds were relatıvely lıght for thıs tıme of year.

We then travel to the sıte of the Temple of Artemıs. Thıs was one of the 7 wonders of the ancıent world but now only a sıngle column remaıns wıth a stork nest on top.

We then vısıted the nıce museum of the sıte of Ephesus. The hıghlıghts of thıs museum ıncluded a fresco of Socrates found ın a vılla, also the fıne statues of the Ephesıan Artemıs. There was also a colossal statue of Domıtıan and a fıne dısplay about gladıtors.

We vısıted the Church of Saınt John and saw the tradıtıonal place of the burıal of John. There ıs a fıne baptıstry ın the floor of the church and also a mosaıc of John, Jesus and Mary.

We drove back to our hotel on the Aegean. Several people from our group swam ın the ocean and one of the pools at thıs hotel.

The food has been great here and everyone enjoyed the vıew of the water. Thıs hotel was an upgrade as a gıft from the tour company. Everyone ıs doıng well and feelıng fıne and we lookıng forward to the rest of our trıp.

Tomorrow we drive to Afrodisia and Bodrum.

John Wineland
Kusadasi, Turkey

Greetings from Near Ephesus

2006-06-14T15:07:00.001-04:00

The Temple at Assos

Hello Everyone,

Everyone is fine and doing well. We are now at Kusadasi, Turkey. It is along the Aegean Sea.

Today we left the hotel at Assos and visited the site. It is a spectacular site which overlooks the seas. There is a large Doric temple on top. It was a nice walk up the hill. Paul visited here during his third missionary journey. Aristotle lived here before he became Alexander the Great's tutor.

Then we drove south to Pergamum. This is one of the seven cities mentioned in Revelation. We tour the acropolis with its spectacular theater and the Altar to Zeus. There is also a large temple of Trajan on the site. Then we drove down to visit the ruins of the Asklepios shrine. This was city where Galen lived and practiced medicine. Asklepios was the Greek god of healing.

Then we drove on to our hotel. We will be here for two nights. Tommorrow we will visit the amazing site of Ephesus.

John Wineland
Kusadasi Turkey

Greetıngs from the Shore of the Aegean

2006-06-13T14:24:00.000-04:00

Greetıngs

Everyone is fine and doing well.

I am wrıtıng to you from a hotel along the Aegean Sea. We are near the ancıent cıty of Assos. We left Istanbul thıs mornıng and drove along the Sea of Marmara. The cıty of Istanbul is a large city with about 15 million people. We drove for about 3 or 4 hours along the Sea and stopped for lunch where the ferry crosses from Europe where we were to Asia. This ıs the same route which Alexander the Great took when he ınvaded Asia Minor to seek revenge from the Persians.

After we crossed on the ferry (our bus drove on the ferry too). We stopped at Cannakale and saw the wooden horse from the recent movie Troy. They also had a model of the city of Troy.

We then drove to the city of Troy and visited the ruins. The city has 7 layers of occupation. It was windy on the site and it began to rain a little. Everyone enjoyed the site.

We then drove over to Assos which ıs along the coast. Thıs ıs the city mentioned ın Acts 19 where Paul walked from Troas and meet Luke and others and sailed on during his 3rd missıonary journey.

The water is beautiful here and you can see the island of Lesbos in the distance.

Tomorrow we will visit the site of Assos and drive south to Pergamum annd visit both the upper and lower part of the city. The we will spend the night long Aegean once agaın.

John Wineland
Assos Turkey

Greetings from Istanbul Day 3

2006-06-12T16:47:00.000-04:00

Hello,

All is well in Istanbul!! Everyone is doing fine.

We had another full day here in Turkey. This morning we visited the Topkapi Palace which served as the center of the Ottoman government and residence of the Sultan for hundreds of years. It is a large palace with a walled courtyard within a courtyard. This was the residence of the Sultan and his harem. We saw many of collections from the Sultan including fine glazed ware from China, precious jewels, imperial swords as well as religious items, e.g. containers of some of the hairs from Muhammed's beard.

After our tour of the palace we had lunch at a roof top restaurant, grilled meats, bread, rice, and watermellon.

We then drove to the Chora Church which is a small but impressive place. It has spectacular mosaics and frescos on its walls and ceilings. One section has scenes from the life of Christ.

We end the day with cruise on the Bosphorus. We boarded the boat and sailed between Asia and Europe.

After we finished our boat ride we walked to the Spice Market and several people sampled the Turkish Delight and various other candies and nuts.

Several from the group made their way to the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul to do some shopping. This is probably the largest market of its type with thousands of shops.

We end the day with dinner on the glass terrance of our hotel.

Tomorrow we head out of Istanbul for a long drive to the west coast of Turkey. We will visit the site of Troy and Assos tomorrow.

John Wineland
Istanbul, Turkey

Greetings from Istanbul Day 2

2006-06-11T11:21:00.000-04:00

Hello,

Everyone is fine and doing well!. We had a full day today. We were on a walking tour of the old city of Istanbul. To the left is a group photo we took today.

We began the day with a tour of Roman/Byzantine Hippodrome which seated 40,000 fans. Today the central part of the Hippodrome is preserved in a park. We saw an obelisk from Egypt during the reign of Thutmosis III. It was brought to the spina of the Hippodrome by the Romans. We also saw the remains of the bronze tripod which once stood before the Temple to Apollo in Delphi. We will visit Delphi later in the trip.

Then we visited the famous Blue Mosque, which was built in the 17th century. Its name comes from the blue tiles which decorate the interior. After we stopped for a group photo, we crossed the street to visit the Hagia Sophia or St. Wisdom. This church was built by Justinian in the 6th century A.D. It had the largest dome in the ancient world and it was the largest church building too. This record remained until the construction of St. Peter Basilica in Rome. It is decorated with beautiful mosaics and frescos.

We stopped for lunch near the Hippodrome, some of the group ate in the Pudding Cafe.

After lunch we visited the Byzantine Cistern which held 80,000 cubic meters of water. It is famous for appearing in the James Bond Movie "To Russia with Love" where they ran speed boats through the cistern. It was constructed during the reign of Justinian.

We then walked to the National Archaeological Museum. There we saw the famous Siloam inscription and Gezer Calendar. We also saw the sarcophagus of Alexander the Great. In the Near Eastern Building we saw several of the baked glazed tile animals and figures which once lined the entrance way to the Ishtar gate from ancient Babylon. We also saw the earliest international peace treaty between the Hittites and Egyptians.

Then we walked back to the bus and returned to our hotel. We are looking forward to tomorrow when we will visit the Chora Church and Topkapi Palace. We also take a boat ride on the Bosphorus.

John Wineland
Istanbul, Turkey

Greetings from Istanbul

2006-06-10T06:27:00.000-04:00

Hello From Istanbul.

Remember it is Istanbul not Constantinople!

We are all fine doing well in our hotel in Istanbul.

We got up early this morning in Athens and made our way to the airport. We left on an Olympic Flight from Athens to Istanbul at 8:05AM.

After we arrived in Istanbul we were joined by Adnan Shaweesh from Amman. He has helped us plan this trip. It is good to have him with us now for a while.

We were greeted by our guide Mehmet and our driver Nejat. We had the same driver 2 years ago on our Turkey Seminar. Our guide is the cousin of our previous guide two years ago.

We had a driving tour around Istanbul and along the water of the city. It is a beautiful city. Tomorrow we will take a tour of the old city. We will visit the Palace and the archaeological museum.

We are staying int he beautiful Cartoon hotel. The lobby is decorated with cartoon character from Warner Brothers and Disney.

John Wineland, Istanbul, Turkey

Our Day In Athens

2006-06-09T11:34:00.000-04:00

Hello,

This blog has been used to get everyone ready for the trip. Now I will use it to communicate with friends and family at home so you can follow along with our trip. Also you will know what we are up and that all is well.

Everyone arrived safe and sound the Athens airport and everyone has their lugguage too!!. So that is good news!!!

We travel from the airport to our Hotel the Delphi Art Hotel. After a quick break we made our way to the Acropolis. We toured the Acropolis and and the museum on the Acropolis. Then we walked down the hill to the Aeropagus, Mars Hill where Paul spoke to the Athenians. We then walked down into the Agora and visited the museum and the Temple to Hesphiston. Finally we walked around the acropolis to the Theater of Dionysius.

For more on what see saw today see the following:
http://mellon2006.blogspot.com/2006/06/acropolis-and-national-archaeological.html
http://mellon2006.blogspot.com/2006/06/acropolis.html
http://mellon2006.blogspot.com/2006/06/athens-agora.html
http://mellon2006.blogspot.com/2006/06/agora-etc-pictures.html

The hotel is very nice and tonight we will have dinner at the hotel. Tomorrow we get up early and go to the airport for our flight to Istanbul.

Keep checking the blog for updates. I will try to post them each day.

John Wineland, Athens

One Last Thing

2006-06-07T12:28:00.000-04:00

Hi Again,

One more thing. Remember to tell your family and friends about this blog. I will attempt to post a message each day to this blog. This way your family and friends will know what we are doing. They might like to floow along with our daily updates. I will post each evening unless computer access is impossible. So your family and friends will be able to see it by early afternoon each day.

So that address again is http://lee2006.blogspot.com

See you soon

John Wineland, Athens Greece

ARE YOU READY TO TRAVEL???

2006-06-07T11:50:00.000-04:00

Hi from Athens,

You will be here very soon. I hope you are ready. Get that bag packed. Bring a camera, film, batteries, memory cards/sticks and extra film, memory, and batteries.

Some last minute advice.

1. Bring your passport!!!!! You can't travel with out it!!!!
2. Bring any medicine you might need!
3. Bring some cash and a ATM card, it works over here. Be sure you know you password, if you remember it as a word be sure you know the numbers because sometimes the letters are not on foriegn machines.
4. Pack light, it is not a fashion show.
5. Bring a little liquid soap to wash things out
6. Drink plenty of water on the flight and during the trip
7. Get some sleep tonight and on the flight
8. Remember our motto for the trip: Plan ahead but be flexible!! We have worked very hard to put together a great trip but some things might happen along the way, so we will have to all adapt.
9. Remember we are a team lets work together and watch out for each other as we travel.
10. Enjoy your trip, it really is a once in a lifetime trip.

Here is our schedule for Friday. I have been working to make our stay here in Athens the best we can make it

This is my best guess at the times:

Friday the plane is scheduled to arrive at 10:10 AM.
I will try to come to meet you at the airport.

At the airport you should change some dollars to euros, or withdraw some money from an ATM, for pocket money for snacks and water.

We should arrive at the hotel about noon.

12-1pm Get checked in and freshen up, get your cameras out etc.

1pm go to the Theater of Dionysus, 1:30-2:00
Climb to the acropolis, visit the acropolis musuem 2-3:30
Mars Hill enroute to the Agora
Agora and museum 3:45-5:30 or so.
Leave for the hotel about 6 or 6:30pm,

Have dinner at 7 or 7:30pm at the hotel.
Rest up for our flight to Istanbul.

I will see you in Athens on Friday.

John Wineland, Athens Greece

Preparing for the Trip

2006-06-06T11:31:00.000-04:00

Aerial View of the Acropolis

Hello Everyone,

It was a little warmer in Athens today. I spent the day walking all over the Agora and Areopagus and theater of Dionysus. I hope you are excited. You should be it will be a great trip. We will be busy when on Friday when you arrive. So you should wear clothes and pack in your carry on things you will need when you land. We have a busy day Friday when you land. So you should be ready to tour when you land in Athens. Your plane arrives on Friday about 10:10 I plan on being at the airport if at all possible to meet you. Then we will go directly to the Theater of Dionysus and the Acropolis. After that we will walk through the Agora and then eat a little something. Then we will go to the National museum and final the hotel.

This means you have to have your camera and film, batteries, etc ready to you arrive. So pack them in your carry on lugguage. Also you should wear some good walking shoes, and pack a hat in your carryon. On Saturday you will be able to have a little more rest when we get into Istanbul. So plan ahead and try to sleep on the plane.

Ok I will see you on Friday!!. Remember your passports!!! Pack light !!! Be prepared to tour when you land!!

John Wineland
Athens, Greece

Coin From Athens

2006-06-04T15:04:00.000-04:00

This coin has an owl the symbol of Athena

Hello from Athens

2006-06-04T14:34:00.000-04:00

Greetings Everyone

I am in Athens now. We arrived this evening. I hope you are getting excited!!! The weather has been great it has been warm but not too hot.

You can read about what I have been in Greece at http://mellon2006.blogspot.com Just click that and you can read all about it.

Here is just a few things to remember as you make finally preparations for the trip.

1. Bring only 1 bag to check and that bag should have rolling wheels if possible. Then you can bring a carry-on bag too. Be sure your carry-on or some bag you bring is handy to carry on the bus and also as we walk around. You will always want to carry wate, notebook, pen, sunscreen, camera, batteries etc. with you. You will not have access to your big bag as we travel and stop. You can bring a water bottle or buy a bottle of water and resuse it when you get here. You should carry water with you each day. Also bring and use sunscreen and also a hat that will shade your face and neck.

The bottom line is you should not bring more than you can personally carry through the airports and also to the hotel. There might be times that you will need to carry all of your luggage personally to and from the hotel; and to and from the bus and through the airports and on the boats. For example today everyone in our group had to move all of our possessions about 4 or blocks from where the bus had to drop us off and the hotel. Remember to bring some liquid soap so you can wash out clothes.

Pack your bags early and then go back the next day and take out about half. You don't need as many clothes as you might think. Also pack enough stuff in your carrying on that you could survive with out your main bag for a few days just in case your bag is lost or delayed. For example my bag was misplaced and I had to live without my bag for 6 days. That is an extreme case but it could happen. If you can you might pack with a friend and each carry half of the others clothes just in case one bag is lost you will still have enough to get along.

Bring good walking shoes. We will be doing a lot of walking.

2. Bring shorts for Greece but also long pants for Turkey, when we are going to enter a mosque or a church everyone will need long pants and shirts that cover shoulders .

3. You can buy international calling card in Greece for about 5 euros and talk for more than an hour. This is a good deal. Turkey I think has similar cards too.

4. Bring lots of film and a camera or if a digital bring memory cards and batteries for your camera. Do not forget a battery charger that can handle 240volts most will say power 240 to 110 accepted. You will need an adapter for for the outlets, it is 2 prong in Greece and I think the same in Turkey you can bring a universal plug adapter at WalMart or Radio Shack and elsewhere. Remember a plug adapter does NOT change the volts for that you will need a transformer.

5. You can get access to internet cafes but sometimes they are slow and expensive. But still to check you email they work well in most places. Be sure you are using some web-based email and that you have email address entered in the web mail or with you (also any important phone numbers)

Greetings from Delphi

2006-06-02T11:29:00.000-04:00

Hello

I hope you are getting excited about the trip which leaves in a week. Be sure to only bring one bag with you and a carry on bag. Remember we will have to haul all of our stuff around with us everywhere we go. You should remember any medicines, sunblock, and a hat. You should have a small bag that you can carry with you for your camera, film, batteries, water etc.

Bring some modest shorts with you for Greece and swimsuit. The weather here is very nice sunny and warm. So far not too hot but it could get quite warmer by the time you arrive.

I have already visited Corinth and Mycenae a few days ago get myself ready for our trip. Today I visited the Delphi museum and saw the Gallio inscription. If you don't know what that is read Acts 18 and you see the name Gallio. This inscription is dated and it helps us date Paul's journey to Corinth. We can look at it when you get here.

See you soon.

John Wineland, Delphi Greece

Registration, Updated Syllabus, & Worksheet Information

2006-06-01T12:46:00.000-04:00

GreekTemple at Assos, Turkey

Hello everyone!

I hope things are going well with you and your trip planning is progressing fine. I am now home from the England/Scotland trip and can be reached at (423) 339-3209 or at dlh39@aol.com or dhoffman@leeuniversity.edu if you have any questions.

Attached are updated course syllabi for all the trip courses and the worksheets (kind of like take home tests) that you should print out and take with you on the trip. Let me know if you have any questions.

Please remember to be at the Lee University Humanities Center parking lot ready to go NO LATER THAN 5:45 AM on Thursday, June 8 for our departure to Atlanta! See you soon!

Daniel Hoffman

PS. As far as I know, only Nicole Cain will be meeting the group in Atlanta at the American Airline departure gate for the flight to New York. If anyone else does NOT plan to go with the group from Cleveland to Atlanta, I need to know this ASAP! Thanks.

PSS. Luanna Reed and Jason Sharkey have not "finalized" course registration for the trip classes. Please do this ASAP. Contact Kate Price, 614-8104, if you have questions about what to do to complete your registration.

Greetings from Greece

2006-05-30T20:47:00.000-04:00

Ancient Corinth, Greece

Hello Everyone

I am in Greece right now. Dr. Hoffman is back home for now in Cleveland. I am here on a grant with the ACA. You can read more if you like on another blog I set up at http://mellon2006.blogspot.com

The weather is great here in Greece, it is warm and sunny. Do not forget your sunscreen and a hat. Also I think you should bring modest shorts for Greece. Only in churches will they not be excepted but on the archaeology sites they will be fine. But be sure to pack some long pants for Turkey esp for the Mosques and churches we will visit.

I hope you are getting packed and ready to go. Email me or Dr Hoffman with any questions.

I would also advise that you pack your toothbrush etc and some clothes in your carry on bag. You might even want to divide your clothes and pack with a friend. In case you bag is lost or delayed you will still have somethings to wear. Remember do not put valuables in your checked bag things like camera and money. Also remember limit yourself to 1 bag and1 carry on. Remember it is NOT a fashion.

I don't want to scare people but my bag is currently lost and I have been without it since I arrived, three days now but who is counting. I am making due.

Ok see you soon in sunny and warm Greece.

John Wineland

A Few More Important Travel Reminders

2006-05-26T12:05:00.000-04:00

A view of the Acropolis, Athens Greece

Hello from Grayson,

There are a few more things to remember.

We should have a great trip this year.

1. Showers: Dr. Daniel Hoffman sent me an email and wanted to know if my reminder not to open your mouth in the shower meant no singing in the shower. Well depending on your level of talent that might be good advice!!

2. Snacks: Most if not all of our hotel rooms will have a refrigerator. It will be filled with drinks and snacks. You might be tempted to eat and drink these snacks. Remember that if you do eat these snacks it will be added to your room bill. THESE SNACKS ARE NOT COVERED BY THE COST OF OUR TRIP. YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO PAY FOR ANY OF THESE ITEMS. The cost of these items is usually very expensive. The hotel staff will enter our rooms and count the items and you will be required to pay for these items before we leave the hotel. So please keep this in mind.

I suggest taking some of your favorite snacks with you on the trip and to supplement lunches etc. You will want snacks that travel well. Remember it will be hot where we are traveling so things like chocolate does not travel well. It gets melted and messy. Also remember your bags will be stacked on the buses and in the airplane so fragile items like chips and cookies will be crushed easily. Hard candy like mints and candy like tootsie rolls pack well as does most trail mixes. Chewing gum also packs well.

3. Packing: When you pack be sure that you put anything that might leak into plastic zip lock bags. Zip lock bags come in quite handy to put small items in as we travel. You also might want a small pack of items to make quick repairs, like duct tape, safety pins, nylon cord, thread and needles. You can be quite creative with these items if necessary to help you make it through the trip and back home.

4. Medicine: I failed to mention that you might want to bring along some cold medicine, cough drops, and tissues too. Usually this is not a problem but some people get a bit congested after flying long distances or when they get hot and sleep under an air conditioner or fan.

5. Be sure to bring a notebook with you, something small and handy to keep as a journal and to take notes as we travel, also remember to bring the 4 books we have mentioned before

1. A Traveller's History of Turkey by Richard Stoneman. ISBN 1-56656-620-7 (4th Edition) $14.95.

2. A Traveller's History of Greece by T. Boatswain & C. Nicolson ISBN 1-56656-522-7 (5th edition) $14.95Both of these are very good books which will give you a brief overview of the history of these areas. You can order these books from Interlink Books, http://www.interlinkbooks.com/ and also you can find them at you local bookstore and at Amazon.com

3. Greece, Athens and Mainland. DK Eyewitness Travel Guide, by Dorling Kindersley, ISBN 9780789494269 $25.00 available at local bookstores, Amazon.com, and from www.dk.com

4. Turkey, DK Eyewitness Travel Guide, by Dorling Kindersley, ISBN 9780789483294 $25.00 available at local bookstores, Amazon.com and from http://www.dk.com/These are colorful and helpful guides to history and culture of the Greece and Turkey.

Of course above all else be sure that you that you bring
1. YOUR TICKETS
2. YOUR PASSPORT

See you soon in Athens!

John Wineland, Grayson, Kentucky

Important Books You Should Read and Bring With You

2006-05-26T11:23:00.000-04:00

Hello

Are you excited yet? You should be, this will be a trip you will always remember. We will see some amazing and beautiful things on our journey. We will travel by plane, bus, boat and maybe donkey!!! So you can get the most out of our trip you should buy as soon as possible 4 books and begin reading them and looking them over.

I have already told you about 2 of these books.

1. A Traveller's History of Turkey by Richard Stoneman. ISBN 1-56656-620-7 (4th Edition) $14.95.

2. A Traveller's History of Greece by T. Boatswain & C. Nicolson ISBN 1-56656-522-7 (5th edition) $14.95

Both of these are very good books which will give you a brief overview of the history of these areas. You can order these books from Interlink Books, http://www.interlinkbooks.com/ and also you can find them at you local bookstore and at Amazon.com

Here are 2 more books you should get.

1. Greece, Athens and Mainland. DK Eyewitness Travel Guide, by Dorling Kindersley, ISBN 9780789494269 $25.00 available at local bookstores, Amazon.com, and from www.dk.com

2. Turkey, DK Eyewitness Travel Guide, by Dorling Kindersley, ISBN 9780789483294 $25.00 available at local bookstores, Amazon.com and from www.dk.com

These are colorful and helpful guides to history and culture of the Greece and Turkey.

Happy Reading,

John Wineland, Grayson, Kentucky

Hotel Websites

2006-05-24T12:35:00.000-04:00

This is our hotel in Kusadasi, Turkey

Greetings Everyone,

Below please find a list of our hotels for the trip.

1. Websites for the Hotels in Turkey:

HOTEL CARTOON. http://www.cartoonhotel.com/
HOTEL EDEN GARDENS. http://www.assosdengroup.com/
HOTEL FESTIVA. http://www.clubfestivalkusadasi.com/
HOTEL RESORT DEDNAN. http://www.dedman.com/

2. Websites for the Hotels in Greece
HOTEL MARIN. http://www.marinhotel.gr/.
HOTEL BLUE SUITE. http://www.santoriniapartments.com/
HOTEL DELPHI ART. http://www.delphiarthotel.gr/.

Keep watching for more information

John Wineland, Grayson

Important Travel Tips Important Please Read This

2006-05-18T18:13:00.000-04:00

The Large Roman Theater at Pergamum, Turkey

Hello Everyone

We are now just 3 weeks away from departure on a once in lifetime experience. I hope you are getting excited and also beginning to get ready.

I found out today that finally everyone has received their passports. This is good news. It may seem strange to you that I am so concerned about your passports but this is the most important document for your trip.

PLEASE REMEMBER TO BRING YOUR PASSPORT WITH YOU TO THE AIRPORT, you will not be allowed to board the plane with out your passport. You should probably also bring along your drivers license or another picture id just in case.

Some important reminders:

1. Pack lightly; Bring only one suitcase to check in and only one carry-on bag. You can also carry on a camera bag or purse. Remember this trip is not a fashion show, bring clothes that are comfortable, cool, and easy to wash out. Remember we have to carry all of own luggage through airports and often times to and from the bus to our rooms. SO PACK LIGHTLY!!! Plan on wearing the same clothes several times on the trip. Leave room in your bags for items you buy to bring home.

2. Washing clothes: You will want to pack a few plastic hangers, a nylon line and clothes pins. Plan on washing out your shirts, socks, and underwear each evening and hang them to dry over night in your room. You will especially want to wash on days we are staying more than one night in a hotel. You should bring a small bottle of liquid soap for your clothes. Remember use very little soap in the sink because the soap is very concentrated and will be hard to rinse out if you use too much. Laundry service in the hotels will be very expensive and often times we will not be staying long enough to get your clothes returned to you. You can count on NOT FINDING any Laundromats in Greece and Turkey. So I suggest bring light clothes, cotton pants and shirts that dry quickly. Jeans take a long time to dry and seldom will dry overnight. You will also want to bring a plastic bag to put dirty clothes in.

3. Shoes: I recommend comfortable and sturdy shoes. Remember we will be doing a great deal of walking on this trip. I hope you have been preparing by getting some exercise, if you have not start now! You will want shoes with solid soles and good support for rocky paths and climbing hills. Bring a few band-aids, anti-biotic cream and moleskin in case you get a blister which can be quite painful. You will want to bring about 2 or 3 pairs of shoes. One pair for walking and a pair of sandals or flip-flops for the evening. It is good to be able to changes shoes in the evening.

4. Attire: You should err on the side of modesty. Remember when we are in Turkey we will be in a country that is primarily Muslim. While Turkey is not as strict about dress as many Muslim countries you will want to wear modest clothing so we do not offend anyone. So I will would recommend that you do not wear shorts while we touring in Turkey. You might bring a pair along for the hotel. Be sure to pack swimming clothes for the hotel pools. You should also avoid tank tops. Capri pants or any pants that go below the knee are fine. When we enter mosques you must have your shoulders covered and if you do not you will be asked to wear a shawl which the mosque provide. You might want to bring one set of nice clothes for special occasions in the evening. Please DO NOT bring clothing that has English words, logos or symbols, such as college names and sports teams, or any clothes which had US flags or logos with the words USA or America. We should as much as possible attempt to NOT draw attention to ourselves nor obviously identify ourselves as Americans. You should bring at least one long sleeve shirt or light jacket for evenings, air conditioning, or if you get sun burnt to protect you.

5. Medicine & shots: There are no special shots required to visit Greece and Turkey. But you should be sure as always that your normal shots are up to date especially Tetanus. If you have special health concerns please consult your physician.

You should bring enough medication with you for the trip. Do not count on finding it in Greece and Turkey. If you bring any medication with you must leave it the original container so it can be identified and verified as a legal drug.

6. Insurance:
Remember that this includes 2 types of insurance

A. Health insurance.

I believe Lee U has required you to purchase trip health insurance. If you have other health insurance coverage it might work overseas. You should check with your insurance agent or work place about your health insurance. Many plans do not cover foreign travel and locations.

B. Trip Insurance:
This covers you if your travel is interrupted for any reason

I do not endorse any particular travel insurance but some students on past trips have used.
http://www.statravel.com/cps/rde/xchg/us_division_web_live/hs.xsl/travelinsurance.htm

Others have used
http://www.travelguard.com/

I have never purchased trip insurance but the above might be options you could consider.

7. Telephones: Your home cell phone will not work in Greece and Turkey so there is no use bringing it. Phone calls from overseas to home from the hotels are very expensive and they will be added to your bill and you will be expected to pay them before we check out. Any calls you make are your responsibility. I would recommend that if you do call home, call and give them your phone number and room number and let them call you back. The cost will be much cheaper overall for this type of service. You can also purchase a calling card in Greece and Turkey. Your home calling cards will probably not work in Turkey.

8. Internet Cafes: Turkey has some internet cafes but the connections can be slow and unreliable. We will try to find internet access when possible but do not count on good internet access.

9. Sun protection: You should bring plenty of sunscreen with you. I also recommend a good hat and sunglasses. We will be out in the sun for several hours each day.

10. Temperatures: You can expect sunny and warm to hot weather with the temperatures reaching 85-95 degrees in the daytime. In the evening temperatures usually cool down to the 70's. We should not encounter much rain on our trip.

11. Electrical Concerns: If you bring electrical devices such as battery chargers, blow driers, etc. You should make sure your device is capable of 220 volts if not you will need a voltage converter. You can find these at Wal-Mart and Radio Shack. You must check the voltage load of these devices to be sure they can handle high demand items like blow-dryers and curling irons. Many electronic devices are now equipped with a switch for 110 to 220 volts and many will automatically change for the other voltage. You will need also a plug adapter to switch from our US style plugs to the Greek and Turkish style plugs. These are also available where they sell the voltage converters often in a set of plugs. They use a 2 pin plug much like most of Europe in Turkey.

12. Money: You need to remember that we have tried to include as many fees as possible in the trip price. However you will be responsible for your lunches and your drinks throughout the trip. Of course you will want to buy a few items to take home with you. Turkey is not an expensive country however Greece is more expensive and remember we will be gone for 2 weeks. If you eat local food (that is not McDonalds and other American food) it should not be expensive to eat lunch. You should count on about $10-15/day for drinks and lunch which would be about $160-$240 for the trip. Also money for gifts and some money for some entrances and events that we did not budget into the trip. So I think about $500 should be enough to bring depending on what you plan to buy.

Remember to bring this money in US bills, I recommend that you DO NOT bring it in TRAVELERS Checks. Travelers checks are usually difficult to cash and normally have a poor exchange rate and extra fees are attached for cashing them. I would bring no bill over $50 and probably us should bring mostly $20's and smaller. We will try to find an exchange place soon after we arrive. Remember there are some ATM's in Greece and Turkey and you can get cash advances on credit cards at local banks. You can also use credit cards to pay for items at hotels and many gift shops.

Dealing with the foreign money can be confusing so be careful. In Greece they are now on the Euro. Today 1 Euro is equal to about $1.29, so if something costs 10 Euro that is about $12.85. So you will need to keep that in mind as you buy and pay for things your US dollars might not go as far as you think

In Turkey they have recently revised their money and now have the Turkish New Lira so as of today 1 Turkish New Lira = 67 cents so 10 Turkish New Lira = $6.65

Do not put all of your money in one spot and only pull out one or 2 bills at a time or you might lose some of your money.

You should plan to carry on you at all times your money and your passport everyday all day. You should plan someway to make it difficult for anyone to pickpocket you or steal your money or passport. You do not want to leave these things in your room on the bus. You can buy special pouches or belts or other means to secure your money, credit cards and passport.

13. Film & Photography: You should plan to bring a camera with you. If you bring a regular camera be sure to bring plenty of film with you because buying film in Greece and Turkey can expensive and some types of film are not easy to find. So estimate how much film you will use and then bring extra film with you. Plan on hand caring your film with you. Be sure to check your camera's battery and bring an extra battery with you just in case.

Digital Photographers should plan on bringing extra batteries and a 220 adaptable battery charger with a plug converter. You also should remember that you will need to store all of your pictures someway. So bring extra memory sticks. You could bring your computer but remember it will difficult to carry it with you and keep it secure. So I do not recommend bringing your laptops with you.

Also remember many museums do not allow flash photography and some charge extra fees for a photo pass. Some places do not allow video recorders.

13. Water: You should plan on drinking a great deal of water. Dehydration is the main reason trip participants get sick on our tours. Drink more water than you ever have before. You can not drink too much water. If you wait until you are thirsty to drink you have waited too long. We will buy bottle water in Greece and Turkey from local stores when possible. To keep your self healthy drink plenty of water and avoid tap water, when brushing your teeth and for drinking. Be sure to keep your mouth closed in the shower. You should also be careful to avoid vegetables that have been washed in local water. Some people are more sensitive than others to the local water.

14. Medicine: You should bring with you some anti-diarrhea medicine like Imodium, also some type of pain reliever and sun burn medicine, also a supply of band-aids, and anti-biotic ointment. Of course bring any special medicine that you might need as your physician requires.

15. Study Materials: Remember this is a Study Tour, You are required to keep a Daily journal which records your experiences each day.

Also bring with you books we have required for the trip.

Be sure to read these books BEFORE we arrive in Greece and Turkey so you will be prepared to make the most of this experience.

We will be having lectures along the way. So you should bring a notebook to write notes and for your journal and also some type of folder to keep your handouts in.

I will post more information on our Blog along the way. I hope to make daily postings to the log so tell your friends and relatives to check it once our trip begins.

Remember that address is:
http://2006leeu.blogspot.com

If you have other questions or if I need to cover some other issues please let me know.

I will send more later but I am sure this is enough for now.

John Wineland

Important Information Needed Please Help!!

2006-05-11T14:45:00.000-04:00

The Oracle of Delphi, Ancient Greece

If you don't tell your home city and state I will have to ask her!!

Greetings Everyone

I hope you are all doing well. Look for more information coming soon but for now I have one urgent request. The airline has requested that I submit a list to them of everyones' City and State, that is the City and State where you live. I do not need your address just your home City and State
Please send this to me as soon as possible to wineland@kcu.edu
Thanks
John Wineland

The Importance of Passports

2006-05-04T17:45:00.000-04:00

(On the right is a picture of the bronze statue of Poseidon, we will see this in the Archaeological museum of Athens)

Greetings,

I hope you are getting excited, in about 6 weeks we will in Greece and Turkey on a trip of a lifetime.

I am writing to remind you of the importance of your passport. You must keep it with you at all times. You will not be allowed to board the airplane to depart on our trip if you do not have your passport. So remember to always know where it is and to keep it handy always. Periodically on the trip we will be asking for you to hold your passport up in the air (usually in the mornings when we get on the bus) This may seem silly but it we know from experience that people sometimes think they know where their passport is but sometimes it is not there. Better to spend a minute finding it and holding it up than hours trying to get from a hotel hundreds of miles away.

I have passport information for almost all of you. I still need information from 3 people:

Kyle Lymberopoulous
Jeremy DeBord
Jerrigayle Benson

Can you three please email me and let me know the status of your passport process?

Also as soon as you get your passports please email with the information. Thanks

John Wineland
wineland@kcu.edu

Reminders about the bus etc.

2006-04-25T12:51:00.000-04:00

(The picture to the right is the temple of Apollo at Delphi, Greece home of the famous oracle)

Hello,

Thanks everyone for coming to the meeting. I am sorry it was cut a little short and I did not let you ask as many questions as some would have liked. Please email, or call, or come by my office if you want to talk some more or get some answers!

For those who did NOT attend, Kyle and Jason especially, please see me to get the information unless you can get it from another trip member -- Shemaiah in the case of Jason perhaps (and Jolyne could you see that Dina gets the info.?).

I have spoken with the coach company and they assure me that if we LEAVE at 6 AM on June 8, we will get to the airport by 9:15 AM at the latest. Since our flight does not depart until 11:10 AM, this should be fine and still allow some small cushion.

However, you should arrive, ready to go, at 5:45 AM at the parking lot of the Humanities Center on June 8 so that we can load up and depart no later than 6 AM!

I will have the airline tickets with me and so all you need to bring is your luggage, your passport, and yourself! If you are planning to meet the group in Atlanta, I will need to get your airline tickets to you somehow before we depart. Please contact me so that we can work out these arrangements. Thanks!!

Daniel Hoffman

Revised Itinerary

2006-04-18T15:55:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone,

After my trip to Washington, DC we were able to get the air tickets arranged and also because of the flight schedule we had to make slight revisions to the itinerary. I hope are excited this will be a trip of a lifetime.

John Wineland

Day 01
Depart Atlanta AA 1277 Atlanta to LGA 11:15-13:30
NY Depart JFK OA 412 to Athens 17:40-10:10

Day 02
Arrive Athens OA 412 10:10, Meet and assist and transfer from Airport to hotel for check in F/D tour to the Panoramic City of Athens / Visit the Acropolis / Ancient Agora / Theater of Dionysus / Mars Hill / National Archaeological Museum / Dinner and overnight Athens.

Day 03
Transfer from Hotel in Athens to airport for departure to Istanbul on OA 321 8:05-9:20, to check in where Turkish guide meet and assist and transfer to hotel. Short City Panoramic Tour on Bus

Day 04
F/D tour Istanbul to visit Hagia Sophia / Blue Mosque / Byzantine Cistern ( Yerebatan Muzesi )/
National Archaeological museum / Return to Hotel for dinner and overnight

Day 05
F/D Istanbul to visit Topkapi Palace / Chora Church / Boat ride on the Bosphorus by Regular boat / Return to hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 06
Leave Istanbul for Behramkale, Visit Truva ( Troy ) And Assos./ Dinner and overnight at
Behramkale

Day 07
Leave Behramkale to Kusadasi / Visit Bergama ( ( Pergamum ) Both the Acropolis and
Asclepion / Dinner and overnight at Kusadasi

Day 08
F/D. Tour to the Roman City of Efes ( Ephesus ) Church of St John / Temple of Artemis /
Archaeological Museum of Ephesus / Terrace House Exhibit Dinner and overnight at Kusadasi

Day 09
Leave Kusadasi for Bodrum / Visit to Aphrodisias / Dididm / ( Didyma ) and Bodrum ( Halicarnassus ) Dinner and overnight Bodrum.

Day 10
Transfer to the port of Bodrum at 09.00 AM for departure with Ferry Boat to Kos in Greece
To fly from Kos to Rhodes OA 35 17:10:-17:48, connecting to OA 878 Rhodes/ Heraklion (Crete) 20:50-21:45 Dinner and overnight at Heraklion .

Day 11
Departure for a full day tour to to visit the Palace of Knossos / Archaeological museum in
Heraklion / Dinner and overnight in Heraklion

Day 12
Transfer to the port of Heraklion at 09.15 AM. for departure with flying Cat 4 ( Speed Boat ) to
Santorini to arrive at 11.00 AM. Tour the Island / Visit the Akrotiri/ Pre-historic Museum in Fira
Dinner and overnight in Santorini

Day 13
Transfer to the port of Athinios to board the Ferry to Piraeus where you will be met by your
guide in Athens to transfer to your hotel in Athens for dinner and overnight

Day 14
Depart for a full day to Argolis / Visit ancient Corinth ( Akrokorinth ) Mycenae Site / Tholos/ Museum / Back to Athens for dinner and overnight.

Day 15
Depart for a full day excursion to Delphi / Visit the Archaeological site and Museum / Return
to Athens for dinner and overnight.

Day 16
Transfer from Hotel in Athens to Airport to Board your flight Back to Atlanta/
Athens/NY OA 111 12:25-16:05; NY/Atlanta AA 1297 LGA 19:05-21:30

FINAL TRIP MEETING

2006-04-18T15:47:00.000-04:00

Hello everyone! We need to have ONE FINAL trip meeting and it is IMPORTANT that you attend. Sorry for all the caps to get your attention, but please do attend if at all possible and, if not, see me as soon as possible after the meeting!

The meeting will be at 5:15 PM on Monday, April 24, in HC 205. I am in this room teaching until 5:15 and so the meeting will begin just as soon as class lets out. The meeting will cover the course syllabi, final itinerary, and final registration or other questions that you may have.

In the meanwhile, there are several very, very, essential things that you all need to get done (if you have not already):

(1) Make sure that you are completely “cleared for travel” with the Lee Health Clinic. You need to fill out the pre-physical information, get a physical, get a tetanus/diphtheria and Hepatitus A shot, etc. Please check with them if you have questions or are uncertain about whether you are “cleared”. According to my most recent list of a few minutes ago, the following are NOT completely cleared for various reasons: Karen Ayala, Rebecca Collins, Jeremy DeBord, Jolyne Jurado, Ryan Leonard, Kyle Lymberopoulos, Regina Manes, Carrie McCumber, Trey Ramsey, Dina Rivera, and Myles Schoonover. The Lee Health Clinic has greatly reduced hours for the summer, and so you should clear with them before the end of the semester if at all possible (but must be completely cleared by the day of the trip or you can not go even if everything else is done).

(2) Make sure that you fill out, get notarized, and return to me all the forms I gave you at the last meeting to me by the end of the semester. If you did not get your forms filled out and notarized on the previous day that the Lee notary was available, there is a brief make up time (also for free). Wilmari, the Lee business staff person who is a notary, has scheduled on her calendar a two-hour block for this Thursday, April 20, from 3:00 – 4:45 p.m. in the Office of First-Year Programs (they will not be accepting students after 4:45; it takes a while to complete the process). In the event that a student is unable to take advantage of this second opportunity, we have been told to direct you to the Bradley County Courthouse where notary services are available for a small fee.

(3) Make sure that you make arrangements with the business office to pay any remaining costs of your trip and courses (i.e. the Turkey /Greece study tour) before we leave on June 8.

(4) Make sure that you register for the courses properly before we leave. Everyone must enroll in “SSPMED-MED” as a “course” that is really a “tracking code” for the computer which carries no hours and does not change the cost or anything else for you for the trip. If you need information for enrolling in the regular courses, or anything else about the courses, come to the trip meeting or email me!

(5) We have official names for everyone now – or the full names you gave us on some form or another – and the airline tickets have been purchased. However, we still need passport information from some of you – passport number, your date of birth, the date of issue of the passport, the date of expiration, and the place of issue of the passport (e.g. New Orleans). I know that some of you are still waiting for your passports to arrive – even expedited, they can take several weeks – but as soon as you get your passport, please send this information to Dr. Wineland : wineland@kcu.edu

There may be other things that I am forgetting about now. If you think of something, email or call me, or ask in the trip meeting. Thanks for your patience and diligence in getting all of these trip detail done!
Daniel Hoffman

Passports and Tickets

2006-04-10T14:26:00.000-04:00

Ancient Theater and Harbor Road at Ephesus

Hello Everyone,

I hope you are enjoying Spring. I am sitting on my back porch in Eastern Kentucky and it is about 65 F with green grass, blue skies, flowers blooming and birds singing. I like being on my back porch but today I am dreaming about Greece, Turkey, the blue Aegean and ancient ruins. We will be there before you know it!!

Thursday April 13th, I am planning to drive to Washington, DC to make sure our tickets are in order for the trip. I have received emails from most you and I have your passport numbers and full legal names. I do not have passport information from 8 of you. I know some are still waiting for your passports to arrive. Please try to get this done as soon as possible and send the information to be via email as soon as you get it. wineland@kcu.edu

Here are the eight people that still need to send me passport information:
1. Kyle Lymberopoulous
2. Jeremy DeBord
3. Trey Ramsey
4. Ryan Leonard
5. Regina Manes
6. Jerrigayle Benson
7. Joshua Benson
8. Hannah Kimbal

For security purposes the airlines no longer will issue a block of tickets without names, so this is why I need to make sure the name on your airline ticketing information matches what is on your passport.

Thanks for your cooperation.

John Wineland
Grayson, Kentucky

TRIP MEETING MARCH 22 5:30PM; 2nd Floor Humanities Center

2006-03-12T19:49:00.000-05:00

A Message from Dr. Hoffman
IMPORTANT !!!!!!! MEETING MARCH 22, 5:30PM, 2nd Floor Humanities Center

I hope that you are getting excited about our trip coming in June! It will be wonderful I think. However, there are lots of things that we still need to do to get ready. One of the most essential will be a trip meeting that we have scheduled for Wednesday, March 22 at 5:30 PM in the Humanities Center. The exact room location of the meeting will be announced as soon as we find out what will be open but it will be in one of the 2nd floor classrooms. In the meanwhile, please clear your schedules so that you can attend this meeting. It will take about 1 hour to 1 1/2 hour max.

HEALTH FORMS and INFO
At the meeting a representative of the Lee health clinic will tells what you all need to do to get cleared for travel to Turkey and Greece. Among other things, a current physical is required and a current Tetanus and Diphtheria immunization. The Lee health clinic representative will have a folder for each one of you with whatever information is on file there about you already. There will be a day scheduled later in the semester for you to get a relatively inexpensive physical done by Lee if you do not have a current one. That date and other details will be explained at the meeting. You can also get a physical done by your own physician.

MORE FORMS AND WAIVERS
Next, there are several forms and waivers required by Lee for everyone going on overseas trips. I'll have copies of these waivers and other forms and you will need to get them signed and notarized -- and, for some of you, you will need to get your parents to sign. There will be a day later in the semester where a "notary" will be available on campus to help you in process of completing these forms -- all this will be covered in the meeting as well.

SYLLABI
I will also have preliminary course syllabi to hand out at the meeting and this will help you in knowing what books to buy and what the requirements will be for the courses.

QUESTIONS?
Of course, I will also answer as best I can any questions that you may have!

TRIP BLOG
In the meanwhile, keep checking the trip web site: http://www.leeu2006.blogspot.com/ for more information about the trip from Dr. Wineland.

PASSPORT INFO
Finally, it is absolutely essential that you get a passport as quickly as possible and then send the information from the passport picture page to Dr. Wineland including your name exactly as it appears on the passport, your date of birth, the day and year of issue of the passport, the day and year of the passport expiration, the place of issue of the passport (e.g. New Orleans, New York City, or whatever it says on your passport). Dr. Wineland's email is wineland@kcu.edu .

Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks again and I'm looking forward to a great trip with you all to Turkey and Greece!
Daniel Hoffman

Some Spring Reading to get you ready

2006-03-06T11:04:00.000-05:00

I hope all of you are getting excited about the trip. I am very excited about it. This trip will give us the opportuity to see where history took place. The events of Homer's Illiad will come to life as well as several important places in New Testament history. We will also be able to see important places for Greco-Roman history and Byzantine and Ottoman history too. Do not forget all of the water we will see too.

I want to recommend the books pictured above.
1. A Traveller's History of Turkey by Richard Stoneman. ISBN 1-56656-620-7 (4th Edition) $14.95

2. A Traveller's History of Greece by T. Boatswain & C. Nicolson ISBN 1-56656-522-7 (5th edition) $14.95

Both of these are very good books which will give you a brief overview of the history of these areas.

You can order these books from Interlink Books, http://www.interlinkbooks.com/

Also you can find at Amazon.com

Travel Tip Number 2

2006-02-27T10:00:00.000-05:00

Kusadasi, Turkey; We will be staying on the sea while we are here.

PACK LIGHT
As you begin to prepare please remember to bring only 1 suitcase to check and 1 carry-on bag.

We will be on the move during our trip and having extra bags will just slow us down.

Remember our trip is not a fashion show!! (And if we are in a fashion show DR HOFFMAN will be our model this year!!!!)

Also pack a spare bag for your purchases along the way.

I hope you are getting excited about the trip.

Travel Tip Number One URGENT PLEASE READ

2006-02-15T09:55:00.000-05:00

Istanbul, Turkey

Greetings

I will be posting "travel tips" as our plans move forward. I have traveled several times overseas and picked up a few handy and important things that should make our trip go smoother.

Here is travel tip Number One.

1. Everyone should check their passports this week.

2. If you do not have a passport you should go to the post office now and apply immediately. You will need 2 passport pictures a birth certificate and drivers license. PLEASE DO THIS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

3. If you already have a Passport LOCATE IT NOW, Actually find it and look at it. This will do two things, it will make sure you can find your passport and you can also check the date on your passport. Make sure your passport is valid until at least August of 2006.

4. When you find your passport please send an email to me with your Name as it appears on your passport, The place it was issued (e.g. Washington, DC) and your passport number. Please email this information to me and Dr. Hoffman as soon as possible. We need this information to begin reserving our tickets.

THANKS FOR YOUR HELP IN THIS MATTER IT IS CRUCIAL.

John Wineland

Ephesus: Home of one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world

2006-02-10T14:36:00.000-05:00

Library of Celsus, Ephesus Turkey

The site of Ephesus is an amazing place. It has wonderful ruins, architecture, art, a large theater, the Apostle Paul lived here for over a year, a great museum, and the remains of one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world, the Temple to Artemis.

This is just one of the great places we are going this summer.

Have a great weekend

John Wineland

Passports

2006-02-10T14:15:00.000-05:00

Someone asked a question today about Passports:

Let me encourage you to get your passports as soon as possible. We will need this information soon to obtain visa and confirm tickets etc.

Do I need a passport and/or visas?
Yes, you need a passport valid through at least August of 2006. You can get a passport by filling out an application (including providing two pictures of your self) at a US post office. You also need a drivers license and (I think) a birth certificate. The fee is about $90 and the pictures cost an extra $10 or so. The passport is good for 10 years. You should apply RIGHT AWAY if you are planning on going on this trip as the wait is several months once you have filled out the application. You do not need to get individual visas. We will get group visas for you (included in the trip price) where ever they are needed.

Check this website for more information: http://travel.state.gov/passport/passport_1738.html

Trip Meeting

2006-02-10T08:15:00.000-05:00

The beach on Crete

Medusa, Temple to Apollo, Didyma, Turkey

Hello,

It was great to meet several of you yesterday at the trip meeting (and a couple of you before the meeting). I will be on campus today teaching Dr. Hoffman's class at noon. So if you are around stop by.

Please remember to get your deposits in as soon as possible if you have not done that yet. We are going to have a great trip so I hope you will be there when we stare down Medusa!!

If you have friends, or relatives (yes even parents!) that might like to go on the trip tell them to contact Dr. Hoffman or me as soon as possible. We could use a few more people on our trip.

Keep logging in to this Blog from time to time to check for new information. If you have any questions email me or Dr. Hoffman. Also look for "Travel Tips" and "Answers to Good Questions" that we willl post here as time goes on.

Have a great weekend and if you start to feel cold today think of next summer and image yourself sailing across the Aegean to Santorini or climbing the Acropolis in Athens. That should warm you up!

John Wineland

Frequently Asked Questions About the Trip

2006-02-08T22:42:00.000-05:00

Istanbul, Turkey Blue Mosque

Frequently asked questions and answers for the Turkey/Greece (i.e. Mediterranean) Study Tour:

When is it?
Tentatively set for June for 16 days. The travel agent is still securing the best routes/times and the arrival and departure days could change slightly but the trip will certainly be within summer school session II, 2006.

Where will we go?
Turkey and Greece. Key cities and sites include Istanbul (ancient Constantinople), Troy, Ephesus, Pergamum, the island of Crete in the Mediterranian, Santorini (the island that some think was ancient Atlantis), Athens, Mycenae, Corinth, Delphi, etc.

What is the cost?
The package cost is $4350 – this includes all fees/tuition for 7 credit hours of Lee course work, all transportation, all lodging, all breakfasts, most or all dinners (this is still being negotiated at a couple of hotels), and a couple of lunches, all guides, all site admissions, the fee for student trip/travel insurance provided by Lee through a 3rd party, all taxes and fees related to the above and a few other things. It excludes the cost of your own passport any medical preparation (shots, etc.) if desired. Of course, souvenirs and gifts you might want to buy as well as any expenses not part of the group package or group itinerary are your own responsibility.

What courses are offered?
You need to register for 7 credit hours for courses in summer II just as you would register for regular classes. The courses you need to select are: GST 251 (1 credit hour) – this is the required core “cross-cultural experience” You must take GST 200 before going on the trip and before you take the GST 251 cross culture experience course as part of the trip.

HUM 201 or HIS 480 (3 credit hours) – although these are not exactly the same course, they are similar enough that you may take only one or the other. The HUM 201 course is the required core course “Foundations of Western Culture.” If you have taken it already, or prefer to get HIS credit for whatever reason, you need to take HIS 480 “History and Archaeology of the Greco-Roman World”.

ANT 493/HIS 493 (3 credit hours) – The Islamic World. You can take this course for either history credit or Anthropology credit (or perhaps ISP credit – if you prefer – please see us if you desire ISP credit). You can go on the trip without taking any courses, but the price is the same. If you take courses, you must sign up for 7 hours selected from the course above. You can take GST 251 more than once, so even if you already have credit for it from another trip or experience locally, you can take it again for credit on this trip. The other two course can not be repeats. In other words, if you have had HUM 201, then you would need to sign up for HIS 480.

Who will teach the courses and what are the requirements?
Dr. Hoffman will be the listed teacher for the HUM 201/HIS 480 course and for GST 251. The Islamic World course will be taught by Dr. John Wineland, a professor of history and religion at Kentucky Christian College, who will be going on the trip with us. He is and expert in archaeology, history, and religion and has been to nearly ever site that we will be visiting. We will also have local guides to explain sites and help in any way necessary. You will be required to keep a daily journal – this is the main requirement of the GST course which is graded on a pass/fail basis – and the same journal will part of the requirements for the other courses. Whichever other courses you select will also require text reading and answering a detailed worksheet related to sites we visit and some things from the text, and a research paper due about a month after we return. Attendance at some trip meetings prior to leaving (2 or 3) is also expected.

Will financial aid be available to help with the cost of the trip?
Although you should check with the Lee University business and financial aid office directly, aid has been available in the past for trips like this one. In essence, in the past, whatever aid you might be able to get for 7 hours of course credits in summer school taken at the Lee campus will be available for you for the trip. There are also some trip scholarships available through Dr. Jerome Hammond’s office and/or the office of Dr. Suzanne Hamid.

How many students can go and how are they selected?
We will take 20-30 students and they will be selected on a “first come, first accepted” basis. Any major and any classification (sophomore, junior, etc.) can go. Be sure to talk with Dr. Hoffman to get answers to any other questions before you actually put down your deposit (see below).

Is a deposit required?
Yes, a $500 NON-REFUNDABLE deposit is required to secure your place on the trip. The business office will take deposits until the trip is filled. Just give them your name and check. We hope to have the group set by mid-February at the lastest, but if you want to go and can’t deposit $500 right away contact Dr. Hoffman (my email and phone no. are below).

Why is the deposit non-refundable?
The reason that the deposit is non-refundable after the trip is filled is that a deposit will be sent as soon as the group is finalized to hold the seats on the airlines and the rooms in the hotels. Thus, Lee will not be able to refund the money after the deposit is sent off since it will not be “on hand”. In addition, by making a deposit, you make a commitment to go on the trip and to pay the whole remaining amount from the $4350 later. Thus, if you need to cancel after making the deposit, you must inform Dr. Hoffman and the business office right away and technically you could be liable for the whole $4350 even if you drop – if we have already sent out all the payments and can not get some one to take your spot. So, unless we hear otherwise, after getting the deposit, we will assume that you are intending to go on the trip, and the business office will expect you to make arrangements to pay the remaining portion of the trip cost before we leave.

When are future payments after the deposit due?
We suggest that regular payments be made but it is up to you and the business office to arrange for the payment prior to departure just as you would pay for tuition for normal classes.

Do I need a passport and/or visas?
Yes, you need a passport valid through at least August of 2006. You can get a passport by filling out an application (including providing two pictures of your self) at a US post office. You also need a drivers license and (I think) a birth certificate. The fee is about $90 and the pictures cost an extra $10 or so. The passport is good for 10 years. You should apply RIGHT AWAY if you are planning on going on this trip as the wait is several months once you have filled out the application. You do not need to get individual visas. We will get group visas for you (included in the trip price) where ever they are needed.

Contact information
You are welcome to see me, HC 307E (the new Humanities building, third floor), or call me, ext. 8351 (423-614-8351), or email me at dhoffman@leeuniversity.edu , if you have any questions. Thanks for your interest in the trip. It will be a great one I think and I hope you can go!
Dr. Daniel Hoffman

Trip Itinerary

2006-02-08T22:12:00.000-05:00

Santorini (Ancient Thera)

DAY 1:
Depart Atlanta fly to Istanbul

DAY 2:
Arrive Istanbul / Transfer from Airport to Hotel / Short City tour / Return to Hotel for Dinner and overnight.

DAY 3:
F/D Tour to Hagia Sophia / Blue Mosque / Byzantine Cistern ( Yerebatan Muzesi )
Back to Hotel for dinner and overnight.

DAY 4 :
F/D tour including a visit to Topkapi Palace / Chora Church / Boat ride on the Bosphous / Return to Hotel for Dinner and overnight.

Day 5:
Leave Istanbul for Behramkale / Visit to Truva ( Troy ) and Assos / Dinner and
Overnight at Behramkale

DAY 6:
Leave Behramkale for Kusadasi / Visit Bergama / ( Pergamum ) Both the Acropolis
and Asclepion. / Dinner and overnight at Kusadasi.

DAY 7:
F/D Tour to the Roman City of Efes ( Ephesus ) Church of St John / Temple of Artemis / Archaeological Museum of Ephesus / Dinner and overnigh Kusadasi

DAY 8:
Leave Kusadasi for Bodrum / Visit to Aphrodisis / Didim ( Didyma ) and Bodrum /
( Halicarnassus ) Dinner and overnight Bodrum.

DAY 9:
Transfer to the port of Bodrum for departure by Ferry to Koss./ And from Koss to Heraklion by plane / Meet and assist and transfer to Hotel for dinner and overnight in Heraklion.

DAY 10:
Heraklion / Knossos / Visit the Museum / The Palace of Knossos and Archaeological Museum / in Heraklion / Dinner and overnight in Heraklion .

DAY 11:
Heraklion / Santorini Island Tour / Transfer to the port of Heraklion for a fast boat ride / Meet and assist upon arrival / A short Island tour / Visit Akrotiri and the pre historic Museum in Fira / Dinner and overnight in Santorini .

DAY 12:
Santorini Peraeus - Athens / Transfer to the port of Athinios then to Piraeus. / Meet and assist and transfer to Athens / Dinner and overnight Athens.

DAY 13:
Athens City Tour / Panoramic City tour / Visit the Acroolis / Ancient Agora / Theater of Dionyssos / Mars Hill / National Archaeological Museum / Dinner and
Overnight Athens.

DAY 14:
Athens / F/D Argolis / Visit Argolis Excavation / Ancient Corinth / Akrkorinth and Mycenea / Sight and museum . Dinner and overnight Athens.

DAY 15:
Athen / F/D. Excursion to Delphi includin a visit of The Archaeological Museum /
Dinner and overnight Athens.

DAY 16:
Transfer from Hotel in Athens to Airport for departure back to Atlanta.

Welcome

2006-02-08T21:38:00.000-05:00

Parthenon, Athens Greece

Greetings,

I am creating this blog so we can communicate information about our trip. This will be designed for trip participants and family and friends.

I am excited about the trip I hope you are too.

This is will be a trip of a lifetime.

John Wineland
Professor of History and Archaeology
wineland@kcu.edu