So a friend is graduating with his MS at the end of this term (December 15th ish) and I've got nearly all of January before class starts up again with very little to do. He's never toured before, or really biked more than 20 minutes but is extremely fit (runner, long distance hiker and weight lifter) so the transition shouldn't be too slow. I did a self supported x-country tour last summer so I feel pretty ready.

Anyhow, we're looking for ideas for a self supported tour this January. Right now Venice to Athens is plan A but I'm worried about the weather, sounds cold and rainy which doesn't make for good tours.

Does anyone have any ideas? We're willing to spend under $1000 on airfare round trip and about 4 weeks of time.