Travel arrangements:Ron to Istanbul: Thursday 9 September 1999: Charlottesville to Washington Dulles airport via Greyhound Bus, leaving Charlottesville at 12:45 pm, arriving Dulles at 3:05; Dulles to Munich via Lufthansa 6631, leaving Dulles at 5:45 pm, arriving Munich Friday 10 September at 7:55 am; Munich to Istanbul via Lufthansa 3532, leaving Munich at 11:05 am, arriving Istanbul at 2:35 pm.
Ron returning: Monday 6 December 1999: Istanbul to Munich via Lufthansa 3413, leaving Istanbul at 8:25 am, arriving Munich at 10:00 am; Munich to Dulles via Lufthansa 3360, leaving Munich at 11:45, arriving Dulles at 3:05 pm; Greyhound bus from Dulles to Charlottesville, leaving Dulles at 7:05 pm, arriving Charlottesville at 9:30 pm.
Ellen to Istanbul: Thursday 14 October 1999: Charlottesville to Washington Dulles airport via Greyhound Bus, leaving Charlottesville at 12:45 pm, arriving Dulles at 3:05; Dulles to Frankfurt via United/Lufthansa 3502, leaving Dulles at 5:45 pm, arriving Frankfurt Friday 15 October at 7:25 am; Frankfurt to Istanbul via Lufthansa 3460, leaving Frankfurt at 8:50 am, arriving Istanbul at 12:35 pm.
Ellen returning: Thursday 11 November 1999: Istanbul to Munich via Lufthansa 3413, leaving Istanbul at 8:10 am, arriving Munich at 9:50 am; Munich to Dulles via United/Lufthansa 963, leaving Munich at 11:45 am, arriving Dulles at 3:05 pm; Greyhound bus from Dulles to Charlottesville, leaving Dulles at 7:05 pm, arriving Charlottesville at 9:30 pm.
During the several times when one or both of us are in Istanbul, we'll be staying at The Orient Hostel, Yeni Akbiyik Cad. No:13, Sultanahmet/ISTANBUL, Turkiye 34400, phone +90 212 518-0789, fax +90 212 518 3894.
The trip outline:
Ron leaves for Istanbul on September 9, and returns on December 6, just in time for the birth of our first grandchild. He plans to spend 3 days in Istanbul, then take a bus to Bucharest, Romania. From there he will take a train or boat (on the Danube) to either Braila or Galati, where he will start biking. He'll first explore the Danube Delta, then bike down the Black Sea coast of Romania and Bulgaria to the end of the coast road. He'll then backtrack to catch a bus to Malko Turnovo, Bulgaria and then back to Istanbul.
Here's a map of the area in Romania and Bulgaria.
And here's a link to maps of Romania, including a detailed one of the Black Sea coastal area.
UPDATE: Change of Ron's travel plans on 30 September -- Bulgaria will have to wait for another trip. Ron will be taking the train from Constanta to Suceava in northeastern Romania. From there, he'll bike west to Gura Humorului where he'll will stay at a monastery and explore the area. Then a train to Pascani and transfer to a train for Targu-Neamt. From Targu-Neamt, bike to Poianiteiului than take a bus to Bicaz. Then from Bicaz there are two possible plans. Plan 1: Bike on to Cheorghene, take a train to Brasov, then bike south to explore some beautiful parts before catching a train back to Constanta. Plan 2: If time gets short (Ron has to be back in Istanbul to meet Ellen when she arrives on October 15), go to Piatra-Neant to take a train to Bacau then transfer to a train to Constanta. These plans also are subject to change!
Here's a map of the area in northeast Romania.
When Ellen arrives on October 15, we will spend 3 days in Istanbul, then take the ferry to Bandirma and the train to Izmir on the west coast (not to be confused with Izmit in the quake area). We'll travel along the western and southern coast by bike and bus to Selcuk/Ephesus, to the southern end of Bafa [lake] Golu and Latmos, and then to Bodrum. After Bodrum, we have a several possibilities: take a ferry (if running in Oct) to Kormen, bike along the peninsula to Marmaris and from Marmaris go by bus to Denizli and Pamukkale, and from there take the bus back to Istanbul, spending the last 3-4 days in Istanbul before Ellen leaves on November 11. An alternative post-Bodrum plan would be to go directly back to Istanbul and spend the extra few days there exploring the Bosphorus and the adjacent Black Sea area.
Here's a map of the area in Turkey we'll cover.
Ron hasn't decided what he will do after Ellen returns in mid November. Perhaps he'll stay around Istanbul for a few weeks, or explore the northern coast, or return to a place he found that he liked the best.
Modified: 2002-05-23
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