{"id":808,"date":"2026-09-19T14:00:23","date_gmt":"2026-09-19T13:00:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/?p=808"},"modified":"2026-09-19T14:00:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-19T13:00:23","slug":"bucharest-to-istanbul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/?p=808","title":{"rendered":"Bucharest to Istanbul"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">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!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1448\" height=\"1086\" src=\"https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/F577B275-A0E0-45F2-87FE-E1B820885118.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-807\" srcset=\"https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/F577B275-A0E0-45F2-87FE-E1B820885118.png 1448w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/F577B275-A0E0-45F2-87FE-E1B820885118-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/F577B275-A0E0-45F2-87FE-E1B820885118-1024x768.png 1024w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/F577B275-A0E0-45F2-87FE-E1B820885118-768x576.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" src=\"https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4004-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-806\" srcset=\"https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4004-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4004-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4004-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4004-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4004-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4004-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2278\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4002-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-805\" srcset=\"https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4002-scaled.jpeg 2278w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4002-267x300.jpeg 267w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4002-911x1024.jpeg 911w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4002-768x863.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4002-1367x1536.jpeg 1367w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4002-1823x2048.jpeg 1823w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4013-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-804\" srcset=\"https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4013-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4013-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4013-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4013-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4013-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1440\" src=\"https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4018-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-803\" srcset=\"https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4018-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4018-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4018-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4018-768x432.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4018-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4018-2048x1152.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"2560\" src=\"https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4022-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-802\" srcset=\"https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4022-scaled.jpeg 1920w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4022-225x300.jpeg 225w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4022-768x1024.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4022-1152x1536.jpeg 1152w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4022-1536x2048.jpeg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" src=\"https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4027-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-801\" srcset=\"https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4027-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4027-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4027-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4027-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4027-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4027-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1920\" src=\"https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4032-scaled.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4032-scaled.jpeg 2560w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4032-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4032-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4032-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4032-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_4032-2048x1536.jpeg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 89vw, (max-width: 1000px) 54vw, (max-width: 1071px) 543px, 580px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>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 &hellip; <\/p>\n<p class=\"link-more\"><a href=\"https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/?p=808\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\"> &#8220;Bucharest to Istanbul&#8221;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/808","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=808"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/808\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":809,"href":"https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/808\/revisions\/809"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=808"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=808"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/braveorfoolhardy.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=808"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}