Pre-Pilgrimage Letter #1 of 2
St. Paul Cruise, November 3, 2010
 Greetings!

Steve and Janet Ray here--Greetings in the Name of Our Lord Jesus! We are writing this first of two letters while on the road! Everything is prepared and ready for our trip-and it is getting close.

We have had the itinerary adjusted a bit. We will now see all that was previously planned, and more -- with a partial day at Sea -- where I will kick off the cruise with my St. Paul talk to set the stage for the exciting week!  Thank you in advance for your flexibility as we work to make sure this is a memorable and wonderful Footprints of Paul Cruise.

We will now be sailing on a sister ship to the Cristal, called the Orient Queen. The Orient Queen was recently refurbished (in 2005) and our chartering agent tells us that with her modern, classy public rooms, smooth sailing and excellent service, the passenger feedback is very positive. The ship is slightly smaller and will be carrying only pilgrims, so there will be none of the normal hedonistic distractions found on the major cruise lines.

Everyone is full of anticipation, and together with Corporate Travel we have put together a wonderful pilgrimage. Janet and I consider these pilgrimages profound and enjoyable. It is a joy to share our favorite places in the world with you.

Just wait until you walk with St. Paul along the streets of ancient Ephesus, and see the Island of Patmos where St. John received his apocalyptic vision of Revelation written during his exile.  I can't wait to lead you through the city of Athens to the top of Mars Hill where Paul preached and to Antioch where we were first called Christians.

We have carefully planned this trip to enhance your faith and knowledge and love for St. Paul, Our Lord Jesus, and his Church. It will make the Bible and the liturgy come alive.

Thank you for choosing the Footprints of God to see the lands of Paul! We look forward to greeting you in Athens!

Steve & Janet Ray

For details on the Orient Queen, click here and here. For the updated itinerary, click here.

corpCorporate Travel
We are very fortunate to work with Corporate Travel. When Janet and I decided to lead pilgrimages through biblical lands, we looked for the best Catholic travel agent to partner with. John Hale of Corporate Travel is authentically Catholic and loves to serve God's people. He is excellent at what he does and with Corporate Travel's involvement we will have a smooth trip with a minimum of problems. You have already experienced the care and professionalism of Jeanine Bliss. The entire team works together to make these trips successful. 

Feel free to contact Jeanine at jbliss@ctscentral.net or Sue Bosak at sbosak@ctscentral.net or by phone (800) 727-1999 x116 and x158 respectively. They can help any time you have questions or need assistance with your travel arrangements, travel insurance or other needs.
 
PassportPassports
If you haven't done so already please look at your passport to verify:
1) Check to see if your passport is signed.
2) Make sure your passport will not expire within six months of your return. If the date
     is close to six months of expiration, call Corporate Travel IMMEDIATELY.
3) A Travel Visa is not required for U.S. passport holders others should contact
    Corporate to verify if a visa will be required.
ReceiveWhat You Should Expect to Receive in the Mail
Soon you should receive your traveling packet from Corporate Travel. If you do not receive this packet by Friday Oct. 22, please email Jeanine at Corporate Travel jbliss@ctscentral.net. Enclosed in your packet you will find your Name Tag and other important travel documents.

Your name tags are your TICKET to meals, entrance to Holy Sites, and the way you are recognized as part of our group. Wear them always! It also helps those of us who have problems remembering names. We do not suggest keeping valuables inside the velcro pocket, rather keep these items in a more secure spot on your person.

If we see that you have forgotten your important name tag we will help by reminding you.
WeatherWeather
Most of the questions I receive are about weather and clothes. I have provided a chart of Athens' weather which will be a good guideline for the whole Mediterranean area. Rome is nearly identical in the high temperatures, and Istanbul Turkey tends to be about 5 degrees cooler on average. You can check out the interactive graphs available from weather.com here.  In the summer it can be nearly 100 degrees but in November it tends to be more comfortable but can be cool in mornings and evening. 

Plan for warm and cooler weather because we need to be flexible during November. We suggest bringing layers of clothes so you can be prepared for cooler mornings and evenings. This way you can shed layers as the afternoons get warmer. Be prepared for rain which may visit us along the way. We suggest a rain jacket, compact umbrella and a hat.
LuggageLuggage
Checked baggage is limited to one bag per person. There can be no exceptions, sorry.  We will have limited storage on the motor coaches. Your one checked bag is limited to 50 pounds and 62 inches (length + width + height) or excess charges will be collected by the airline at the airport. 

You may also bring a small carry-on bag that will fit under an airline seat and on the small parcel racks of the motor coach, which average about 8 inches high by 18 inches deep.  It is best if your carry-on bag is soft sided as the parcel racks on the motorcoaches are small.  Do not lock baggage you intend to check in at the airport.

More detailed information on what types of items and liquids are restricted can be found on Corporate Travel's important information sheet here.

It is not uncommon for the airlines to lose a suitcase or two. They are usually delivered to our hotel/ship in short order.

However, please bring all crucial items in your carry on. One time a lady packed her medicine in her suitcase which was then lost. It created an emergency. So, PLEASE PACK YOUR CRUCIAL ITEMS IN YOUR CARRY ON.
ClothingClothing
The best plan is to bring layers of clothes -- a rain jacket to over a sweater to put over a shirt to put over a t-shirt. We will have a few early mornings which may be cooler and later you can shed the outer layers and leave them on the bus during the excursions.

We would suggest that you bring comfortable walking shoes. Do NOT bring new shoes. Make sure you break them in first. We will not do a huge amount of walking, but we could cover one to three miles throughout some days with lots of ups and downs, uneven ground and steps. Good comfortable shoes are important.

Janet and I pack light with fast-drying travel clothes, socks and underwear that can be washed in the sink at night. They are usually dry by morning. Our hotels and ship also have laundry services that are usually returned to you in 24 hours for an extra charge.

Since we are limited to one suitcase per pilgrim, packing light is necessary. I have a suggested packing list provided on my website. If you haven't looked out our suggested packing list, it would be a good idea to do that now. You can find it by clicking here.

A good hat is also suggested to protect you from the sun and rain and to shade your eyes. As you know from my pictures, I wear Tilley hats. Sunglasses are also a good idea. Gloves might be nice if it gets cold, especially in the mornings and if you hands tend to get cold. A small compact travel umbrella is smart to have in case of rain.
Modest dress is required for entrance to holy sites, which means no shorts, no short skirts, no halter tops or bare shoulders.

Dress is casual throughout most of the pilgrimage--only one or two dinners on board the ship will be dressier. Janet and I usually wear jeans and casual shoes or sandals and comfortable travel clothes throughout the trip. We want our pilgrims to be casual and comfortable and not have to pack too many clothes since we are limited to one checked suitcase and one carry-on.

Priests can wear what they wish. Some wear their collars, some full cassocks and other dress casual. It is up to you. For priests' info: with clerical dress you will be treated with great respect by the locals.

On board the ship most of the evenings are "country club casual". The shipboard daily program will inform you of any special evening dress code on board--like Greek night, where people wear blue and white which are the colors of the Greek flag.
Electric5Electrical
If you plan to use electric appliances in your room that use 110 volt, please remember to bring a converter/adapter that will drop the voltage from 220 in Israel, to the 110 used by American appliances and allow you to plug into the European-style outlets.

Some of your travel appliances may already accommodate voltages of 100-240 so be sure to take note of yours.
Alarm9Alarm Clock
We automatically arrange a "blanket" wake-up call for each morning. BUT, there are times when a room is missed by accident. PLEASE bring a portable alarm clock, or watch with an alarm that you are familiar with, as a back up. This is very important - since we are very prompt in the mornings and want to make sure you don't miss anything.
Money10Money and Credit Cards
The current exchange rate in 
Greece & Rome is One Euro = $1.40 US
and Turkey is One Turkish Lira = $0.72

It is smart to keep a handful of small bills in your pocket for lunches, drinks, souvenirs, etc. It is good to have exact change during lunch to speed up the process. Also you will need a few coins in your pocket for restrooms, but other than that you can use credit cards just about everywhere. There are also ATM machines scattered about and the ship should be easily able to convert currency for you.

Be aware that there are areas prone to having pickpockets. We have never had anyone pickpocketed before because we will warn you about places where the risk is highest. Some vendors and little children can get very pushy and come very close. We do very good at protecting you from these situations, and we will talk more about it later.

We suggest having a secure place to keep valuables and money other than in the pocket of the name tags you will receive. We will talk more about this later.
Flexibility5Flexibility with Schedule and Itinerary
We have had a few last minute changes and have done our best to provide you with an itinerary that will be as close to reality as possible. However, we will have other tour groups to contend with and we need to be flexible to work around them.

Thanks in advance for being flexible and allowing us to adjust the schedule as we go. We will maneuver the events to help you see as much as possible in the most relaxed manner possible.  We will share and changes to the schedule with you as soon as we are able to if they occur.

Janet and I are in the middle east right now. If you have any questions please contact Jeanine at Corporate Travel Service (800) 727-1999 x116 or jbliss@CTScentral.net.

You can expect to receive the second and final Pre-Pilgrimage letter from us in the next couple of days. It will cover some introductions to people you will meet and what to expect when you arrive.

We are excited to meet you in Athens.

Peace,
Steve & Janet Ray

PS: Here are some interesting and helpful websites you may be interested in:
www.Weather.com for weather forecasts in Athens, Istanbul, Rome & everywhere else.
www.Wunderground.com also is a great weather site.
www.Magellans.com for helpful info and travel supplies
www.TravelSmith.com for helpful info and travel supplies
www.BiblePlaces.com pictures and info for hundreds of sites in the biblical world