#azadirail — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #azadirail, aggregated by home.social.
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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 trainsI 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 ✊ !
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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.
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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 😴.
🚂:flag_krd:🇮🇶🇹🇷🇧🇬🇷🇴🇭🇺🇦🇹
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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
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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
🚂:flag_krd:🇮🇶🇹🇷🇧🇬🇷🇴🇭🇺🇦🇹
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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
🚂:flag_krd:🇮🇶🇹🇷🇧🇬🇷🇴
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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.
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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
🚂:flag_krd:🇮🇶🇹🇷🇧🇬🇷🇴
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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.
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In other words : time for some last good night #Çay 🥰 ! #AzadiRail
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#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.
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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.
🚂:flag_krd:🇮🇶🇹🇷🇧🇬
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Here we are : #AzadiBus to 🇹🇷 #Kapikule ready for departure. #AzadiRail
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After that the :tcdd: YHT arrived one hour delayed in 🇹🇷 #Istanbul, I missed my booked bus as well. A quick rebooking and after tasty Pide for dinner, here I am, waiting for my #AzadiBus to 🇹🇷 #Kapikule to leave. So far, everything that could go wrong today went wrong. #AzadiRail
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Next train for my #AzadiRail trip : the comfortable :tcdd: class HT80000 Velaro from 🇹🇷 #Ankara to 🇹🇷 #Istanbul.
I got the last available seat in the train, a luxury first class compartment seat, similar to the business class in first generation :railjet: trains.
This YHT comes from 🇹🇷 #Sivas, where I've been at around 2 a.m. in my #GüneyEkspresi . For the ne?t four hours, this means some relaxing time before boarding my #AzadiBus to 🇹🇷 #Kapikule tonight.
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#AzadiRail day #14, homebound day #4 begins with tasty breakfast in the :tcdd: @diningcar of the :tcdd: #GüneyEkspresi #SleeperAndEater . The vegan options are highly limited but I reached at explaining I only want #Çay , bread and jam.
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So far, #AzadiRail day #13, homebound day and night #3 : comfortable :tcdd: #GüneyEkspresi #SleeperAndEater from :flag_krd: #Êlih / 🇹🇷 Batman to 🇹🇷 #Ankara 🍽️😴.
🚂:flag_krd:🇮🇶🇹🇷
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Enjoying lunch in a :tcdd: @diningcar during my #AzadiRail journey from :flag_krd: Iraqi #Kurdistan to France, today on the famous :tcdd: #GüneyEkspresi / Southern Express #SleeperAndEater on my 25 hours trip from :flag_krd: #Êlih / 🇹🇷 Batman to 🇹🇷 #Ankara 😋 !
Since the vegan choice is sadly highly limited, I decided for a plate of rice with some side salad, some fruit juice and of course a glass of #Çay 🍵!
Save travels everyone and enjoy your meal 🍽️ !
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Shortly after the arrival of the local train from :flag_krd: #Amed / 🇹🇷 #Diyarbakır, my :tcdd: #SleeperAndEater #GüneyEkspresi arrived. It features most comfortable and spacious wagon-lits compartments with a desk, two proper beds, a sink and even a mini-bar - a comfortable hotel room for the next 25 hours.
The steward was already waiting for me and didn't even wanna see my ticket since I was the only passenger boarding the wagon-lits carriage.
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Finally back on track ! After a week of bus travels, my first #AzadiRail train back home : I'm in :flag_krd: #Êlih / 🇹🇷 Batman waiting for the famous :tcdd: #GüneyEkspresi / Southern Express #SleeperAndEater bringing my to 🇹🇷 #Ankara for the next 25 hours.
Êlih is a cute station, a couple of cargo carriages in the cargo terminal, a cute maintenance vehicle for display, three tracks but sadly no catenary.
The station has three train pairs per day : twice the regional link to the Kurdish capital :flag_krd: #Amed / 🇹🇷 #Diyarbakır and six days per week a pair of my Güney Ekspresi linking :flag_krd: #Misircê / 🇹🇷 #Kurtalan, Êlih, Amed and 🇹🇷 #Malatya with #Ankara over night.
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After a long sleep, tasty afternoon #baklava with #Çay in :flag_krd: #Êlih / 🇹🇷 Batman. #AzadiRail
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4.45 a.m., :flag_krd: #Êlih / 🇹🇷 Batman. My #AzadiBus destination for today. Delay of 6 hours. #AzadiRail
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#AzadiBus 3.30 a.m., :flag_krd: Midyad / 🇹🇷 Midyat. Next stop : :flag_krd: #Êlih / 🇹🇷 Batman. I'm tired. #AzadiRail
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1 a.m., first #AzadiBus rest at a highway rest area. I'm cold. #AzadiRail
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After one more hours, I was now taken to *another* #AzadiBus. They say my bus won't stop in :flag_krd: #Êlih / 🇹🇷 Batman today so I should take that other one. It's not getting better, is it ?
Anyways, I'm now sitting in a bus and we're about to depart. ETA : 4 a.m. - heck, I'm tired. #AzadiRail
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After one hour, we reached the :flag_krd: #IbrahimKhalil / 🇹🇷 #Habur border crossing. Yet another hour later waiting in front of the border crossing, we could enter it - once again featuring funny let's-walk-over-the-highway boarding. One hour later, we could get to the passport check. Yet another hour later, the :flag_krd: Iraqi Kurdistan administration was ready checking our #AzadiBus for smuggling goods (haha, good joke) and let us leave #Kurdistan. #AzadiRail
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Anyways, now that I have internet, some pictures from the #AzadiBus trip :
The International Terminal of :flag_krd: #Dihok / #Duhok is a bit of a joke : there's a giant terminal with gates to the bus platforms but since going there would mean a détour, the busses in fact stop on the sideway of the highway close by.
Some minutes prior to departure, a taxi drives over and picks up all passengers (at the end we were 3) and drives them for the 2 km to the bus's actual stop.
With 3½ h delay, our bus arrived. It's a comfortable mainline bus and the landscape of mesopotamia was yet beautiful.
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In 40 minutes, I'm supposed to arrive at my destination. In fact, my #AzadiBus has not even crossed the border into Turkey. So far 4 hours of border controls. #AzadiRail
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#AzadiRail, 4 p.m. Still 0 other passengers at the terminal. Still supposedly 1 hour until the departure of my #AzadiBus.
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#AzadiRail day 11 : Sadly vacation is ending soon so slowly time to get back to France. Homebound day 1 : My #AzadiBus from :flag_krd: #Dihok / #Duhok sadly was canceled. After asking each and every ticket counter in the International Bus Terminal, the conclusion seemed to be : not just my bus was canceled, but pretty every bus. Seemingly in at 5 p.m. there will be the next bus bringing me to :flag_krd: #Êlih / 🇹🇷 Batman. That means yet another boring day doing nothing and waiting at the bus terminal since that so far is the most comfortable spot I found in this weird city.
🚂🇫🇷🇩🇪🇦🇹🇭🇺🇷🇴🇧🇬🇦🇩🇹🇷:flag_krd:🇮🇶🇸🇾
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#AzadiRail day 11 was a boring day : I stumbled into the city of :flag_krd: #Dihok / #Duhok, capital of a local province. The city does not convince me at all : the much :flag_krd: #Zaxo / #Zakho was a positive and outstanding surprise, the sad and boring Dihok feels to me. There are no sights, no historic building, no modern city center, no parks. Not even a good bazar, nor cafés.
Anyways, this is sadly already my last night in :flag_krd: #Kurdistan. Tomorrow I'll start my trip back home 😥.
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After the frustrating outcome of this morning, I decided to stay in :flag_krd: #Zaxo / #Zakho for one more day.
I took the time to visit the citadel, an ancient fortress from Roman and Byzantine times. It was beautifully renovated in past years and a pleasure to visit. The rest of the day, I was walking around on the bazar, enjoying snacks and Çay 🥰.
So far, #AzadiRail day 10 : to the border of 🇸🇾 Syria / :flag_krd: #Rojava but sadly back to 🇮🇶 Iraqi :flag_krd: #Kurdistan from there on. Next attempt tomorrow morning.
🚂🇫🇷🇩🇪🇦🇹🇭🇺🇷🇴🇧🇬🇦🇩🇹🇷:flag_krd:🇮🇶🇸🇾
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#AzadiRail day 10 : first failed attempt at the #Semalki border crossing in :flag_krd: #Pêşabûr / #FayshKhabur. The 🇮🇶 Iraqi :flag_krd: Kurdish officer at the border told me the border was closed on Saturdays, so here I am, back in :flag_krd: #Zaxo / #Zakho spending another day on the bazar waiting for the border to open tomorrow morning.
But so far, this is already some progress : I now know In fact I can cross the border to 🇸🇾 #Syria / :flag_krd: #Rojava by foot.
🚂🇫🇷🇩🇪🇦🇹🇭🇺🇷🇴🇧🇬🇦🇩🇹🇷🇮🇶:flag_krd:🇸🇾
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#AzadiRail day 10 : first failed attempt at the #Semalki border crossing in :flag_krd: #Pêşabûr / #FayshKhabur. The 🇮🇶 Iraqi :flag_krd: Kurdish officer at the border told me the border was closed on Saturdays, so here I am, back in :flag_krd: #Zaxo / #Zakho spending another day on the bazar waiting for the border to open tomorrow morning.
But so far, this is already some progress : I now know In fact I can cross the border to 🇸🇾 #Syria / :flag_krd: #Rojava by foot.
🚂🇫🇷🇩🇪🇦🇹🇭🇺🇷🇴🇧🇬🇦🇩🇹🇷🇮🇶:flag_krd:🇸🇾
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#AzadiRail day 10 : first failed attempt at the #Semalki border crossing in :flag_krd: #Pêşabûr / #FayshKhabur. The 🇮🇶 Iraqi :flag_krd: Kurdish officer at the border told me the border was closed on Saturdays, so here I am, back in :flag_krd: #Zaxo / #Zakho spending another day on the bazar waiting for the border to open tomorrow morning.
But so far, this is already some progress : I now know In fact I can cross the border to 🇸🇾 #Syria / :flag_krd: #Rojava by foot.
🚂🇫🇷🇩🇪🇦🇹🇭🇺🇷🇴🇧🇬🇦🇩🇹🇷🇮🇶:flag_krd:🇸🇾
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#AzadiRail day 10 : first failed attempt at the #Semalki border crossing in :flag_krd: #Pêşabûr / #FayshKhabur. The 🇮🇶 Iraqi :flag_krd: Kurdish officer at the border told me the border was closed on Saturdays, so here I am, back in :flag_krd: #Zaxo / #Zakho spending another day on the bazar waiting for the border to open tomorrow morning.
But so far, this is already some progress : I now know In fact I can cross the border to 🇸🇾 #Syria / :flag_krd: #Rojava by foot.
🚂🇫🇷🇩🇪🇦🇹🇭🇺🇷🇴🇧🇬🇦🇩🇹🇷🇮🇶:flag_krd:🇸🇾
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#AzadiRail day 10 : first failed attempt at the #Semalki border crossing in :flag_krd: #Pêşabûr / #FayshKhabur. The 🇮🇶 Iraqi :flag_krd: Kurdish officer at the border told me the border was closed on Saturdays, so here I am, back in :flag_krd: #Zaxo / #Zakho spending another day on the bazar waiting for the border to open tomorrow morning.
But so far, this is already some progress : I now know In fact I can cross the border to 🇸🇾 #Syria / :flag_krd: #Rojava by foot.
🚂🇫🇷🇩🇪🇦🇹🇭🇺🇷🇴🇧🇬🇦🇩🇹🇷🇮🇶:flag_krd:🇸🇾
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This said : everything prepared for trying to cross the #Pêşabûr / #FayshKhabur border crossing from 🇮🇶 Iraq / :flag_krd: #Kurdistan to 🇸🇾 Syria :flag_krd: #Rojava. #AzadiRail
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After 3 hours, I arrived in #Zaxo / #Zakho, right at the border to 🇹🇷 Habur and 20 km from the border of 🇸🇾 Feyesh Khabur.
Zaxo is a fascinating city : it had around 30.000 inhabitants 50 years ago. With the de-facto autonomy of :flag_krd: #Kurdistan in the Seventies, it suddenly attracted Kurds from all over the region and grew to the 200.000 inhabitants. Nowadays it's an economically important hub for trade between :flag_krd: Kurdistan, 🇮🇶 Iraq, the 🇸🇾 Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria / :flag_krd: #Rojava and 🇹🇷 Turkey.
I was highly surprised, I expected an ugly, transportation and cargo industry hub but what I got was a beautiful, clean, green and prosperous city which rather looks like in wealthy parts of Spain or Italy.
Despite its economic importance, from an international tourism perspective, Zaxo is pretty irrelevant. From a local tourism perspective, Zaxo in opposite is a major cultural attraction for Kurds from the region. Right now, Zaxo prepares for the Seluserik Festival next week. The only internationally known tourist attraction seems to be the #DelalBridge - now with a brand new, beautiful museum next to it. #AzadiRail
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After I learned my #AzadiBus is 5 hours late, I decided to look for another carrier. A friendly Turkish-Iraqi guy helped me figuring out the operator leaving next, so here I am with a new ticket to :flag_krd: #Zaxo / #Zakho for 25.000 IQD. #AzadiRail
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#AzadiRail day 9 : I've had a relaxed morning in the downtown wasting time and money at the bazar of :flag_krd: #Hewlêr / #Erbil. Now enjoying some tasty Çay in the sadly-not @diningcar at the international bus terminal waiting for my bus to :flag_krd: #Zaxo / #Zakho at the Syrian border to arrive.
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#AzadiRail day 8 was : enjoying the flaire of :flag_krd: #Hewlêr / #Erbil and recovering from an exhausting travel day - served with vegan food in the bazar and a cursed #GadgetBahn .
🚂🇫🇷🇩🇪🇦🇹🇭🇺🇷🇴🇧🇬🇦🇩🇹🇷:flag_krd:
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One day in :flag_krd: #Hewlêr / #Erbil : I spent most of the day walking around the cozy bazar. Later, I ensured to have #AzadiRail #GadgetBahn content served from 🇮🇶 Iraqi #Kurdistan : the Hewlêr cable car - sadly out if order.
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#AzadiRail impressions from #Hewlêr / #Erbil : an amazing city, in some regard even more modern than eastern Turkey. Challenge : finding vegan food. The cantina in the Bazar was highly confused when I tried to explain them I wished salad only 😉.
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#AzadiRail day 7 was : 🇹🇷 #Diyarbakır - :flag_krd: #Hewlêr / #Erbil - 12h45 by bus.
🚂🇫🇷🇩🇪🇦🇹🇭🇺🇷🇴🇧🇬🇦🇩🇹🇷:flag_krd:
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Our #AzadiBus arrived with 4 hours delay in :flag_krd: #Hewlêr / #أربيل / #Erbil. The trip took 12:45 h in total. I'm just exhausted and flopping into my bed. #AzadiRail
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Our #AzadiBus has about 2 h delay so far. #AzadiRail