#azadirail — Public Fediverse posts

Final destination for my #AzadiRail trip : after 17 days of travels, a grimy old :db: class 628 brought me back to 🇫🇷 #Lauterbourg where I was greeted by #UneBaleineUneBaleine and a cute Régiolis transfrontalier 🇪🇺.

17 days of amazing trains, relaxed travels, beautiful impressions and many kind people.

From 🇫🇷 France to :flag_krd: #Kurdistan by public transport and back again.

Thanks a lot for reading 🥰 !

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Last miles : from 🇩🇪 #Frankfurt a grimy :db: :de_ice: Velaro D brought me to 🇩🇪 #Karlsruhe - with an exceptional change in 🇩🇪 #Darmstadt where they changed the vehicle.

From 🇩🇪 #Karlsruhe on, homeward by my casual :db: Bombardier TALENT DMU with a last change in 🇩🇪 #Wörth before crossing the border back to 🇫🇷 Alsace. #AzadiRail

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From 🇩🇪 #Nürnberg / #Nuremberg, a :db: :de_ice: Velaro D brings me further to 🇩🇪 #Frankfurt. Time for a final #AzadiRail @diningcar visit : tasty Vegan Curry Sausage along with some lemonade 😋.

German police should pay for the delay compensation of every train they delay by illegal border checks. #AzadiRail #Schengen

🇩🇪 #Passau. Train arrives on time and bam, 10 minutes delay. Heck, how does Germany reach at delaying any train crossing its border 🤯 ? #AzadiRail

Checking some #AzadiRail stats :

- 8375 km by train
- 9 countries :
- 🇫🇷 France
- 🇩🇪 Germany
- 🇦🇹 Austria
- 🇭🇺 Hungary
- 🇷🇴 Romania
- 🇧🇬 Bulgaria
- 🇹🇷 Turkey
- :flag_krd: #Kurdistan
- 🇹🇷 Turkish Kurdistan
- 🇮🇶 Iraqi Kurdistan
- 🇸🇾 #Rojava
- 6 night trains
- :trans_mav: :hu_en: #KalmanImre
- :cfr: IRN #Muntenia
- :tcdd: #IstanbulSofiaEkspresi 2x
- :tcdd: #GüneyEkspresi
- :cfr: IRN #Dacia
- 6 #AzadiBus trips
- 🇹🇷 Malatya - :flag_krd: Amed / 🇹🇷 Diyarbakır night bus
- :flag_krd: Amed / 🇹🇷 Diyarbakır - :flag_krd: Hewlêr / 🇮🇶 Erbil day bus
- :flag_krd: Hewlêr / 🇮🇶 Erbil - :flag_krd: Zaxo / 🇮🇶 Zakho day bus
- :flag_krd: Zaxo / 🇮🇶 Erbil - :flag_krd: Êlih / 🇹🇷 Batman night bus
- 🇹🇷 Istanbul - 🇹🇷 Kapikule night bus
- 🇧🇬 Русе / Ruse - 🇷🇴 Bucuresti / Bucharest day bus
- 17 travel days in total
- 8 days outbound travels
- 10 different trains
- 7 days homebound travels
- 12 different trains

I hope you enjoyed reading my travel reports and maybe found it inspiring ! Your feedback and likes kept pushing me to go further even during the most miserable travel days 🥰 !

#JinJîyanAzadî - keep fighting for a free, open and democratic Kurdistan ✊ !

I absolutely love ICE T trains : 200 kph feels like floating above the tracks. You feel absolutely no vibration 🥰. #AzadiRail

My train for the next few hours : a comfortable and amazingly designed :db: :de_ice: ICE T :ice_t: bringing my to 🇩🇪 #Nürnberg / #Nuremberg 🥰 ! #AzadiRail

Good morning 🇦🇹 #Wien / #Vienna 🤩 !

The night train trip in the :cfr: :kb_bett: IRN #Dacia wagon-lits was excellent. We arrived just on time. After a quick shower, I sadly didn't have enough time left for breakfast in the #SleeperAndEater @diningcar - btw. one of the few night trains with different dining cars on different sections of the journey : a :cfr: CFR bistro carriage between 🇷🇴 #București / #Bucharest and 🇷🇴 #Arad and a :mav: MÁV @diningcar between 🇭🇺 #Budapest and 🇦🇹 #Wien / #Vienna.

Now time to grab some snacks in Vienna main station before boarding my :db: :de_ice: bringing me to my first destination for today : 🇩🇪 #Nürnberg / #Nuremberg .

#AzadiRail day 17, homebound day 7 has begun. Sadly already the last day of my amazing trip.

OH(ÖBB) : You look like you just arrived by night train.
OH(me) : Indeed, I did. From Bucharest.
OH(ÖBB) : Oh, I hope it was comfortable.
OH(me) : Yes, it was excellent.
OH(ÖBB) : Really, I can't believe people actually enjoy night trains.

... ? #AzadiRail

Everything so awful 🥰🥰🥰 ! #AzadiRail

So far, #AzadiRail day & night #16, homebound day & night #6 : From 🇧🇬 #Русе / #Ruse to 🇷🇴 #București / #Bucharest by 🚌 mini bus #AzadiBus, afterwards a relaxed day in Bucuresti and now by :cfr: :kb_liege: #Dacia night train via 🇭🇺 #Budapest to 🇦🇹 #Wien / #Vienna 😴.

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Night train arrived, I got a comfortable private compartment with a toilet and shower facilities. That's gonna be useful during the 18 hours of travel time. Once again, :cfr: know how to design comfortable night train carriages ; both their wagon-lits and their couchette carriages are amongst the best in Europe IMHO. #AzadiRail #TeamNightTrain #SleeperAndEater

After a relaxed day in 🇷🇴 #Bucuresti, time to head over to the amazing Gara de Nord. Still enough time to watch all the amazing trains here before the arrival of my :hu_ec: #Dacia on my way to 🇦🇹 #Wien / #Vienna. #AzadiRail

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Nomms ! #AzadiRail

🇷🇴 #București. Time for lunch 😋 ! #AzadiRail

Good morning 🇷🇴 #București ! #AzadiRail

After some waiting time due to construction work on the 🇧🇬🇷🇴 Friendship Bridge, my #AzadiBus reached 🇷🇴 #Giurgiu. The railway tracks on the bridge still look as misplaced as always, considering how there's only one #CrossBorderRail train pair per day, the probably even *are* misplaced. #AzadiRail

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#AzadiRail day #16, homebound day #6 : From 🇧🇬 #Русе / #Ruse, a small mini bus 🚌 will bring me to 🇷🇴 #Bucuresti. The bus is packed but the #AzadiBus trip will only take 2 hours.

After two more hours in the amazing :bdz: ER25, I reached today's #AzadiRail destination : 🇧🇬 #Русе / #Ruse, right at the 🇷🇴 Romanian border.

So far, #AzadiRail day 15. Now time for a long sleep after the short night 😴.

From 🇧🇬 #ГорнаОряховица / #GornaOryahovitsa, an amazing old Soviet ER25 EMU serving as :bdz: class 32 will bring me further to 🇧🇬 #Русе / #Ruse, right at the 🇷🇴 Romanian border.

Amazing vehicles 🤩🤩🤩 ! #AzadiRail #TeamOpenWindows

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This is a Bulgarian Landscape Appreciation account 🤩 ! #AzadiRail

After a quick ride by the :bdz: suburban replacement train in a familiar Siemens Desiro Classic, I reached 🇧🇬 #Софія Севея / Sofia North where I caught my comfortable Intercity Fast train #RealInterCity consisting of beautifully repainted :db: :kb_ic: ex-DB InterCity carriages taking me to my first destination today : 🇧🇬 #ГорнаОряховица / #GornaOryahovitsa.

#AzadiRail day 15, homebound day 5 has begun.

Good morning 🇧🇬 #Софія / #Sofia 🌇 ! #AzadiRail

Welcome to 🇧🇬 Bulgaria ! #AzadiRail

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2.45 a.m. : my Istanbul-Sofia-Ekspesi arrived.

My reserved cabin has already been occupied by someone else so I decided to just grab one of the numerous empty compartments in the other carriage.

#AzadiRail good night. Alarm clock set to 🇧🇬 #Софія / #Sofia 😴. #TeamNightTrain

What an eventful day 🙄.

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In other words : time for some last good night #Çay 🥰 ! #AzadiRail

#AzadiRail night 14, homebound night #4 : 🇹🇷 #Kapikule.

The border officers were highly surprised by someone arriving by foot, were checking my ticket and seemed quite amused when they learned I also intended to take the train from 🇹🇷 #Istanbul on but missed it and arrived by bus 🫣.

Anyways, my Istanbul-Sofia-Express has not arrived yet. Instead, the opposite direction from 🇧🇬 #Софія / #Sofia is still waiting here.

After a quick but careful luggage and passport check I was told my train is delayed by about an hour ; nothing unusual here. So one more hour of waiting before getting my deserved bed.

So far, #AzadiRail day #14, homebound day & night #4 :

- :tcdd: night train to 🇹🇷 #Ankara 2 hours late, I missed my :tcdd: YHT to 🇹🇷 #Istanbul
- next YHT not willing to take me with them, knowing that this let me miss ly connecting train
- finally caught an YHT, but that one had 1 hour delay
- I missed my alternative connecting bus to 🇹🇷 #Kapikule
- finally found a later bus still eventually making the transfer
- I'll hopefully catch my connecting train from 🇹🇷 #Kapikule to 🇧🇬 #Софія / #Sofia at 2.30 a.m.

What a bad luck. What a mess. What a chaos. What a stress.

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Here we are : #AzadiBus to 🇹🇷 #Kapikule ready for departure. #AzadiRail