It took some recovery time to write this one. That was a long 24 hours. The train ride was amazing and the scenery breathtaking. It really felt like a James Bond movie, Octopussy, From Russia with Love, so good. The bed was comfy too actually along with the frequent changes. However there is no escaping it (I mean you are literally locked in most of the way!) it is a long way from Bucharest to Istanbul. We are finally here though and what a melting pot Istanbul is. I am writing from the hotel we were recommended which has an onsite Turkish baths/spa which we are booked in for tomorrow. I am digesting an amazing kebab and we are recuperating after 17000 steps today looking around the historic old city. It is a feast for all senses (too snug on the tram for comfort) but everything is within tram, walking or metro distance so we had a great time. I will leave you with some pictures of the train here and the cats we bump into, so many cats here! Tomorrow we head to Sofia before the following day making an almost impossible set of connections back through to Bucharest and then Budapest. Stay tuned for the escapades we will surely find ourselves in on that monumental 24 hours!
