Lmst

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 🥰 !

🚂:flag_krd:🇮🇶🇹🇷🇧🇬🇷🇴🇭🇺🇦🇹🇩🇪🇫🇷

Two coupled baleine bleue arriving at Lauterbourg station.

A grimy class 628 arriving in a small French station.

Interior of a class 628 with purple and blue as main colors.

A class 628 arriving in a small, modern station.

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

🚂:flag_krd:🇮🇶🇹🇷🇧🇬🇷🇴🇭🇺🇦🇹🇩🇪🇫🇷

A Bombarder TALENT DMU entering Karlsruhe Hbf.

A shiny Stadler SMILE high speed train entering Karlsruhe on the opposite track.

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 😋.

A plate with curry sausage, fries and a bottle of lemonade on the table of a Velaro seat.

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 ✊ !

A mainline bus on a huge parking orange sunset light.

A Kurdistan flag waving above the roof of a fortress.

A huge fortress wall with a park on the inside and houses on the outside. Some people are promenading on the wall.

The city park of Hewlêr photographed from the citadel. People are relaxing next to fountains, the streets are vivid and on the right side, there's the bazar.

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

Interior of a comfortable first class salon with semi-compartments, single seats and a timeless wood and blank metal design.

An ICE train with beautiful shadow and light projection on its outside in Vienna Hbf.

A Bordrestaurant carriage in an ICE T from outside. Some people are boarding the carriage after.

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.

A table with tea, coffee and Almdudler in the ÖBB Lounge Vienna.

A MÁV restaurant carriage coupled to CFR carriages in Vienna.

A CFR wagon-lits carriage with people leaving the train in Vienna.

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

I'm sitting in a bed of a night train compartment. There's a laptop on my lap and summer landscape outside of the window.

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:🇮🇶🇹🇷🇧🇬🇷🇴🇭🇺🇦🇹

A beautiful road in Bucuresti old town with cafés and plants. The road is covered with a sun roof.

Picture of a mini bus windows with the sight of the Danube Friendship Bridge.

A small bus terminal with a couple of mini busses and one mainline bus.

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

A toilet and shower combination in a CFR night train.

A comfortable two bed compartment in a Romanian night train with very broad beds for a night train.

My night train is being shunted into the railway station.

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:🇮🇶🇹🇷🇧🇬🇷🇴🇭🇺🇦🇹

A cute small, red DMU in Bucuresti Nord.

Tracks of Bucuresti Nord. There's an electric locomotive, a TALENT, a Desiro and an IC MG.

A huge, blue diesel locomotive at Bucuresti Nord.

Nomms ! #AzadiRail

A glass with smoothie and a cup of tea in a café.

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

A plate with a burger, potato wedges and some dip along with a glass with a red drink.

Good morning 🇷🇴 #București ! #AzadiRail

A huge set of fontaines on a square in Bucuresti.

A white mini bus on a parking in Bucuresti.

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:🇮🇶🇹🇷🇧🇬🇷🇴

Sight on the Danube from the window of a mini bus.

A sole track next to the road over the bridge.

Traffic jam in front of the Friendship Bridge.

#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.