We have just left Istanbul on the high speed train and are on our way to Ankara. This is where the real fun starts, the train journey!

There have been a lot of discussions back and forth between us regarding this train route and I have prepared for the worst. Missed trains, denied luggage, late arrivals, hard-to-find stations and worst of all, maybe an incredibly angry Leo. But actually, so far it has been nothing but a smooth ride (probably too early to say but let’s jinx it).

The hotel we stayed at in Istanbul arranged for a cab to pick us up at 7.30 in the morning, and this driver had more sense of driving than the man at the airport so we arrived safe and sound at the station Sögütlucesme (spelling and pronunciation unknown). We found our way smoothly to the entrance where a kind stranger stepped in as translator between us and the station personnel and explained how to go about with our overweight luggage. Then I went just outside the station to get us som delicious breakfast: Turkish coffee, freshly baked pretzels and a cheese baguette with vegetables. A couple of minutes waiting and then we got to step up on the platform. We showed our tickets, paid 10 lira (around 16 SEK) for overweight and then got sent off with a “have a good day” and a smile.

Even Leo admitted that it went surprisingly smooth. Sometimes I wonder if he just want this to go wrong so that I will stop arguing for taking the train through Russia home. We’ll just have to see about that.