Hello organizers, thanks for taking the lead in this :-)
I have a request related to environmental impact for the hackathon.
When preparing travel tips for the hackathon, would it be possible to research and recommend ways to reach Athens by train (and other non-flying transport) from Europe? If I would attend the hackathon, I'd prefer coming by train (from the Netherlands, where I live), even if it's a multi-day trip, to avoid the carbon emissions attached to flying. I have already researched this a bit myself, but my regular international train planners don't provide me with any suggestions to reach Athens... I'm sure it's possible, but it'll need research, and I think it would be great if the organizing team can help us with that. I can imagine things like:
- Which international train lines go into Athens on a daily / regular basis?
- From which European cities is it most convenient to take trains to Athens?
- How frequently do these trains go?
- Where should one book tickets for international train trips like this (including the last leg inside Greece, to Athens)?
- Are there environmentally acceptable alternatives to train for Europeans, e.g. bus lines, even ships? If so, which ones?
In addition: I think such options will generally be more time-consuming and more expensive than flying, but I think it would be great if e.g. scholarships would be 'forgiving' re: this extra cost, and even encourage non-flight options despite the extra price.
Thanks for considering this!