Our journey begins in Israel, visiting all the major biblical sites including the flowered hills of Galilee, the majestic vistas of the desert, and the haunting beauty of Jerusalem. Participants visit fascinating places most commercial tours never dream of. The CTU trip also includes a few days in Jordan, a land of extraordinary beauty and warm hospitality–exploring important sites such as Mount Nebo, Madabah and, of course, Petra, one of the true wonders of the world. Particularly in Israel Sr. Barbara has the privilege of introducing friends of CTU to the biblical sites and the other remarkable traces of history that are there, offering background on the biblical and archaeological significance of each place.

As the Acts of the Apostles testifies, Paul himself blazed a trail through some of the most fascinating parts of the ancient Mediterranean world, planting Christian communities wherever he went. No other area in the world can match the natural beauty and spectacular archaeological and historical sites connected with the first traces of the early Church as it moved out beyond the boundaries of Israel into the wider Gentile world.  Here one finds the historical foundations not only of the New Testament itself, but also the development of the earliest Apostolic Church as it began to take root in the Greco-Roman world. Our trip begins in Thessaloniki and continues south through the Greek countryside Berea, Vergina, Meteora, and to the wonders of Athens and Corinth.  From there we fly to Ephesus, and the natural wonders of Turkey including Cappadocia, and of course, Istanbul.

The history and archaeology of Egypt is nothing less than awe-inspiring and our trip takes it all in.  We begin in Cairo, with the classical guided tours of the Cairo Museum, the pyramids and sphinx of Giza, the ancient capital of Memphis, and all of the fascinating wonders of this world city and its environs.  From there we fly to Luxor in upper Egypt, the site of the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens with their spectacular royal tombs, along with the magnificent Temple of Karnak and the Luxor Temple. Our visit to Luxor is never complete without a boat ride on a Faluka, the ancient type of sailing ship that still rides the Nile River. After our stay in Luxor, we return to Cairo for further visits to the sites of that great city and for a tour of some of the ancient Coptic monasteries in Wadi Natrun, a half-day drive north of Cairo, which claims to be the birthplace of Christian monasticism.