[sanmero]

Hello everybody!

I'll tell you my plans for the next month, in which I'll be travelling to Kusadasi again... I'll be looking forward your opinions...

I'll get one friend of mine and my car, then we will drive from Valencia to Ancona, in Italy (1,600 km). There is a ferry that goes to Çesme, and then (44 hours later) drive to Kusadasi...

The only problem is that I finish working one Friday at 15,00 hrs, and the ferry departs from Ancona the next Saturday at 22'00, so we will have to do some kind of rally throughout France... If we arrived late, there is yet another ferry departing from Brindisi to Çesme on Wednesday (about 600 km south of Ancona)...

I think it's a tired but funny travel, and very very much cheaper than plane (in August).

Anybody knows these ferries? Any other ferry line? Suggestions?

No, by now, we won't cross Spain, France, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Turkey by car... Ummm... Maybe next year!! Unless... we arrived late to the ferry!!!

[**claire**]

Wow what a trip!!

I feel exhausted thinking about it!

sounds like good fun tho, and with Kusadasi at the end of it ...well worth the effort!!!

[Mella]

Yeah it really does sound like a proper little adventure. I'd love to do something like that, I mean I get all excited when we have to drive from England through France and Belgium to Holland Lol, so your trip sounds GREAT to me.

Hope you have a brilliant time and take lots of pictures for us all to see, darling!

Mella x

[marko]

Originally Posted by sanmero

No, by now, we won't cross Spain, France, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Turkey by car... Ummm... Maybe next year!! Unless... we arrived late to the ferry!!!

But if you do so, you won't need 44 hours, I think at least...

[sanmero]

Originally Posted by marko

But if you do so, you won't need 44 hours, I think at least...

If we went by car+ferry:
Valencia - Ancona: 1,600 km, about 16 hours driving. But if we stop for 1 hour each, say, 4 hours: +4 hours, and we sleep for 8 hours in the night (the Formula 1 hotels in France are terribly cheap). If it's approximately 2 hours driving from Çesme to Kusadasi:
16 + 4 + 8 + 44 +2 = 74 h.

If we went just by car:
Valencia - Kusadasi: 3,700 km, about 37 hours driving. If we stop each 4 hours: +9 hours. Also, we should sleep two nights: +16 hours.
37 + 9 + 16 = 62 h.

So you win about 12 hours, but arrive there absolutely tired and with your back full of pain... There won't be massagists enough in Turkey to fix my poor back...

Some day I will do, though, but not for arriving in 62 hours, but spending more days in the trip and seeing everything I can...

I don't know how the ferry Ancona-Çesme would be, I just took once the ferry from Valencia to Mallorca and it was cool: bar, disco, pool...

[Umit]

we won't cross Spain, France, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria and Turkey by car

i dont know anything about the ferry but i know coming via those countries. it is a big hassle.

but i still dont know why you don choose airway. why dont u?

[sanmero]

Originally Posted by Umit

i dont know anything about the ferry but i know coming via those countries. it is a big hassle.

but i still dont know why you don choose airway. why dont u?

Mainly because in August it's too expensive. In Spain there are not low-price airlines flying to Turkey, as in England or Ireland. Flying in August from Valencia or Madrid to Izmir, via Munich or Vienna, costs between 1,000 and 1,500 €. Another option would be to fly from Valencia to Dublin or London, and then get a cheaper flight there... But anyway the sum of both passages would cost about 600-700 €.

Besides, if you go by plane you have to rent a car there... And if it sums 35 € a day, more or less, for 15 days, it's also more than 500 €...

And last, I won't go alone, but 4 or 5 people (my parents, one friend, and perhaps my brother)... So multiplying the plane costs gives terrific figures...

The ferry option is not so hard, Spanish and French highways are very good (Italians... er...) We may spend one night somewhere in La Provence, and I guess the ferry travel will be funny... So, why don't just try it?? If everything is a mess, then we won't do it again, and that's all...

[Umit]

sounds like ferry is very nice choice then... at least, as you said, there are great opportunities in todays ferries

[Susanc]

Alex Fair Play To Ya It Wouldnt Be Me I Find It Hard Enough To Sit On A Plane From Dublin To Izmir For 4 And A Half Hours Let Alone 16 On A Ferry I'd Be Gone La La By Then. Have A Fab Time Alex And Make Sure You Bring A Pillow For Your Bum!!!!!


Sue

[sanmero]

Anyway... If I can find airplane tickets at reasonable prices... My fabulous ferry will wait... Losing 8 days of holiday going and going back is beginning to seem too much...

In www.mymerhaba.com I found this comment:

"Rapid developments have changed the characteristics of sea voyage and this mode of transportation has now become a leisure event. The ferryboat voyage from Izmir to Venice (Italy) {that's mine!!} is considered an unforgettable vacation besides connecting Anatolia to Europe. There are also ferryboat voyages from Brindisi (Italy) to Çeşme which are used mostly by Turkish people living abroad."

Duda, intriga, dolor de barriga...