Our adventure started on April 19, 2025 in Istanbul, the ancient city that sits at the crossroads of two continents. We toured the Topkapi Museum, the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, the Rüstem Pasha Mosque, and the bazaar.

From Istanbul we sailed down the east coast of Turkey to ancient Troy and Ephesus and visited the ruins of each. We saw where the Apostle Paul preached the gospel to the people of Ephesus.

We sailed from the Turkish coast to the islands of Rhodes and Crete and then on to Athens, our final port of call. These cities have all played major roles in the history of the western world.

We flew from Athens to Rome where we spent three days touring the Capital of the World. We enjoyed the Vatican Museums, a special mass at St. Peter's Basilica, the ancient Roman Forum and much more.

We travelled by high-speed train from Rome through Tuscany to Florence (Firenze), the Most Beautiful City on Earth. After our days there and a quick trip to nearby Pisa, we can attest that there is beauty everywhere you look.

We left Florence and travelled by train to spend the last three days of our adventure in Venice (Venezia) the City of Canals. Its colorful history is revealed in the mixed architectural styles developed under its 1000 years of independence.

The beautiful Viking Saturn was our home for the first nine days of the trip.