niehaubs
Level 2 Member
This is early planning but I know the start of what I want to do, so why not plan early.
November of 2016 I will be going to Athens to run the "Original" Marathon to Athens full Marathon, which will be my last full marathon (I hope) and part of my 40th birthday vacation. It is run on a Sunday and I am coming from Ohio, eastern time zone. So the part of the plan that will not change, is I will arrive in Athens ideally Thursday, but possibly Friday, giving me 2 or 3 days to adjust to the time and to see the sites or do a day trip somewhere. I have been told many times that 3 or 4 days is too many for Athens, so on Monday after the race, I will depart. When I say "I", I mean me, plus at least 2 others, probably 4 or 5 others. I will be ok to walk through cities but not ready to be hiking after a full marathon.
Here lies the question, where to go? I can spend 10-12 more days, or less in that part of the world if I choose. I will have 2 weeks worth of luggage and it will be November, so I have ruled out trips that start in that decent climate and go so far north or into the mountains that I need winter gear (While I would love to visit Copenhagen, that's not going to be an option on this trip ). That is too much to pack. Cool weather is ok and to be expected.
1.) Stay in the very immediate area, Greek island tour, end up in Turkey. I want to see Rhodes, Troy, and Istanbul. Other islands will also be cool, other parts of Turkey will be cool. But those are the 3 I know I want to see. Lots of cruises go to Rhodes and other islands and end in Istanbul. Getting to Troy looks like a day trip from there. It does look like not a lot of tour options are available in November though.
2.) Classical history tour. Go from Athens to Cairo and the Pyramids, and then over to Rome to cover Greek, Egyptian, and Roman history. This is pretty self explanatory and would require flights between cities. Aegean seems to have good coverage and ties for this.
3.) Balkan travel. Fly up to Budapest then train or bus around the sights in Serbia, Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia, not in that order. This was my original plan but with a group of people it seems like a huge hassle getting to places, unloading for a day or so then repacking up for more travel. This seems more like a "do this alone or with 1 other person in a warmer season" kind of trip.
So what would you do? I am leaning towards #2 right now, but a I have friends who are suggesting Budapest and Istanbul, so I guess #4 could be fly to Budapest and train across to Istanbul which could be fun. Or a Viking River cruise to the Black Sea (assuming they run in November)...I realize I will see advice for basically every single thing I mentioned so even simple advice like "you only need 2 days in city X" is ok advice by me. Thanks.
November of 2016 I will be going to Athens to run the "Original" Marathon to Athens full Marathon, which will be my last full marathon (I hope) and part of my 40th birthday vacation. It is run on a Sunday and I am coming from Ohio, eastern time zone. So the part of the plan that will not change, is I will arrive in Athens ideally Thursday, but possibly Friday, giving me 2 or 3 days to adjust to the time and to see the sites or do a day trip somewhere. I have been told many times that 3 or 4 days is too many for Athens, so on Monday after the race, I will depart. When I say "I", I mean me, plus at least 2 others, probably 4 or 5 others. I will be ok to walk through cities but not ready to be hiking after a full marathon.
Here lies the question, where to go? I can spend 10-12 more days, or less in that part of the world if I choose. I will have 2 weeks worth of luggage and it will be November, so I have ruled out trips that start in that decent climate and go so far north or into the mountains that I need winter gear (While I would love to visit Copenhagen, that's not going to be an option on this trip ). That is too much to pack. Cool weather is ok and to be expected.
1.) Stay in the very immediate area, Greek island tour, end up in Turkey. I want to see Rhodes, Troy, and Istanbul. Other islands will also be cool, other parts of Turkey will be cool. But those are the 3 I know I want to see. Lots of cruises go to Rhodes and other islands and end in Istanbul. Getting to Troy looks like a day trip from there. It does look like not a lot of tour options are available in November though.
2.) Classical history tour. Go from Athens to Cairo and the Pyramids, and then over to Rome to cover Greek, Egyptian, and Roman history. This is pretty self explanatory and would require flights between cities. Aegean seems to have good coverage and ties for this.
3.) Balkan travel. Fly up to Budapest then train or bus around the sights in Serbia, Hungary, Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia, not in that order. This was my original plan but with a group of people it seems like a huge hassle getting to places, unloading for a day or so then repacking up for more travel. This seems more like a "do this alone or with 1 other person in a warmer season" kind of trip.
So what would you do? I am leaning towards #2 right now, but a I have friends who are suggesting Budapest and Istanbul, so I guess #4 could be fly to Budapest and train across to Istanbul which could be fun. Or a Viking River cruise to the Black Sea (assuming they run in November)...I realize I will see advice for basically every single thing I mentioned so even simple advice like "you only need 2 days in city X" is ok advice by me. Thanks.