Last Friday, just a hours after finishing my application to the EPA, Flame and I bought tickets to Turkey for winter break! Flight Finder found the deal for one date, and Flame found it for the perfect span: we’re leaving on Christmas from Boston (we’re we’ll be with my parents), and returning a few days before classes to New York. Minus a day of travel, we get 20 days to explore the middle east– or at least, those parts of it that Flame, with her Israel-stamped passport, can enter.

Our plan is to spend a couple days in Istanbul, go down the coast (Troy and Ephesus are both there), and take a ferry to eat in Cyprus for a couple days. We want to spend time in Egypt, but there aren’t ferries, so we need to go by way of Israel (which, conveniently, hops us over Syria, which Flame can’t enter). After a few days in Jerusalem, we explore Cairo and Alexandria for up to a week. Then it’s a flight to Athens for a spree, and a bus back to Istanbul. If we have extra time, we can take a side trip to Cappadocia.

Other ideas? We definitely are interested in recommendations within those cities; with this itinerary, we don’t have much time to squeeze in other cities, but the itinerary is anything but set. In particular, if you know another way to get to Egypt cheaply or interestingly, tell us!