Braid in trains 
- solidarity with 
booked the #AzadiRail - or rather #AzadiBus - ticket to 🇮🇶 Erbil in two days 🚍 !After one more ride in the cute #BlueBus, I'm back at the station waiting for my 
train to arrive.
The busses are that much overcrowded, it's impossible to access the payment terminal to buy a ticket. Following the behavior of the locals, the solution was to simple hand the credit cards from the back of the bus to the front where the passenger next to the terminal did the contactless payment. Weird but works.
🇹🇷 #Sivas as a city did not really convince me although the station is really beautiful. The friendly officer in the ticket booth noted me my local train will be departing from platform 2, so now waiting for its arrival.
After a short waiting time, my MT30000 DMU arrived at the station. I've never been on this train class before but so far it looks really fine : comfortable, adjustable seats, toilets and definitely enough capacity to carry out the local train service to 🇹🇷 #Malatya.
Sadly in this will be my last #AzadiRail train on my inbound journey. From tonight on I will only take #AzadiBus busses up to my final destination.
Travel recommendation : the 42044 from 🇹🇷 #Sivas to 🇹🇷 #Malatya is an absolute must-travel route in central Anatolia 🥰 !
The train travels the same route as the Ankara-Diyarbakır Touristic Express others pay USD 500 for - but as a local train it's cheap as USD 5 or even included in InterRail.
From wide grass lands, little hills up to snowy mountains everything covered 🏔️.
The train is by far one of the most comfortable regional trainsets I have seen so far. Little occupancy.
Some irony in this : from my entire trip so far, this is the first route and first train that was new to me. Both are an absolute highlight of my trip and my railway experience in general. Sadly after 5 days of travels, this is also the last train I'll be taking for the rest of my inbound journey.
So far, #AzadiRail day 5 absolutely appreciated 🥰 !
🚡 Gadget bahn, gadget bahn !
Your goal was to use serious public transport only
Poll ended at .
I can't believe I crossed the 🇹🇷 Turkish border just yesterday - nor that I was in 🇷🇴 Romania two days ago. On the other hand, I can't believe I've already been traveling for 4 full days and night - while on the other hand seemingly moving incredibly slow. #AzadiRail
The train has stopped 30 km to my destination for 10 minutes with no information and I have a short transfer. *Stressed braid noises ...* #AzadiRail
You will arrive on time
You will make a short transfer
You will miss your bus to Diyarbakır
Poll ended at .
Well, the reason for our waiting time arrived in the neighboring track : the delayed Güney Ekspresi on its way to Ankara blocked the single-track section ahead. Now back on track towards 🇹🇷 Malatya - already visible at the dark horizon. #AzadiRail
Güney Ekspresi on its way to Ankara blocked the single-track section ahead. Now back on track towards 🇹🇷 Malatya - already visible at the dark horizon. #AzadiRailAt the end, we arrived with 25 minutes delay on the last #AzadiRail train. Still enough time to make the transfer to the bus stop for my #AzadiBus.
The bus stop looks way more modern and likely also hase dozens of times more passengers than the station - and also more #CatContent !
List of #AzadiRail decisions I will regret : #1 night bus with arrival at 2 a.m. 🇹🇷 #Malatya - 🇹🇷 #Diyarbakır. Anyways, #AzadiBus number one of many 🚍 !
The bus is clean, spacious and has good sleeping seats at least. Four hours of travel time ahead 🤐.
#AzadiBus stop #1 : Yeniköy - highway rest area. #AzadiRail
#AzadiBus stop #2 : Elazığ bus terminal 🚍.
Half journey done. Bus still comfortable and I'm surprisingly relaxed. There's good supply of drinks and snacks, the air is fresh and cool.
#AzadiBus stop #3 : #Diyarbakır bus terminal - my destination, arrived 35 minutes late.
The bus terminal was surprisingly calm with low traffic considering the proximity to the 🇮🇶 Iraqi border. Anyways, I'm tired and immediately headed over to the hotel.
My room presents luxury and comfortable, sadly with street noise. Time to sleep ; work is waiting tomorrow morning.
#AzadiRail day & night 5 were :
- 🇹🇷 Sivas - 🇹🇷 Malatya by regional train with amazing sight
- 🇹🇷 Malatya - 🇹🇷 Diyarbakır by comfortable night bus
🚂🇫🇷🇩🇪🇦🇹🇭🇺🇷🇴🇧🇬🇹🇷
#AzadiRail day 6 : let's have fun with with #Diyarbakır public transport 🚍🚌🚍🚌 !
Anyway, vegan restaurant discovered in an absurde location in a completely broken street in #Diyarbakır 😋. #AzadiRail
#AzadiRail day 6 was a relaxed day in the downtown of #Diyarbakır. Now preparing to leave early for tomorrow's #AzadiBus to 🇮🇶 #Erbil 🚍.
#AzadiRail day 7 begins with a Dolmus to the #AzadiBus bus station with 30 people squashed in. Always a pleasure of an experience 🤓 !
From 🇹🇷 #Diyarbakır bus terminal, my #AzadiBus will bring me to 🇮🇶 #Erbil / #Arbil / #Hewlêr in Iraqi #Kurdistan region. #AzadiRail country 8 of 9 in sigh 🎉 !
The bus is comfortable and modern though not as fancy as the bus I had on my way to Diyarbakır. To my surprise, the steward spoke decent English. This will simplify the communication at #IbrahimKhalil border crossing.
🚂🇫🇷🇩🇪🇦🇹🇭🇺🇷🇴🇧🇬🇹🇷🇮🇶
Wow, the bus has working 220 V AC power outlets 🤯 ! #AzadiBus #AzadiRail
Some more #AzadiRail content : next to our highway, there's the railway line from 🇹🇷 Diyarbakır to Batman. A cute small single-track line, sadly unelectrified and with just one train pair per day. In round about one week, I'll be traveling here on the #GüneyEkspresi westbound 🚂 !
is present here. 
#AzadiBus departure in 🇹🇷 #Batman - ¼ of the travel time passed ✅. Inside temperature of the non-A/C bus : 35 ° C #AzadiRail
Miracles happen : after 2 h in my #AzadiBus, the A/C suddenly started working 🥵. #AzadiRail
#AzadiBus half time. 4 hours left. #AzadiRail
#AzadiBus stop #3 : 🇹🇷 Cizre, right at the border of 🇸🇾 Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria. 30 km to the 🇮🇶 #IbrahimKhalil corder crossing. #AzadiRail
#AzadiBus stop #4 : Nerdiş - highway rest area. 3 hours travel time left. #AzadiRail
#AzadiBus #CrossBorderBus stop #5 : the 🇹🇷 #Habur / 🇮🇶 #IbrahimKhalil corder crossing. #AzadiRail
After 7 travel days, finally crossing the border to 🇮🇶 Iraq 🚍 !
🚂🇫🇷🇩🇪🇦🇹🇭🇺🇷🇴🇧🇬🇹🇷🇮🇶
Our #AzadiBus has about 2 h delay so far. #AzadiRail
Our #AzadiBus arrived with 4 hours delay in 
#Hewlêr / #أربيل / #Erbil. The trip took 12:45 h in total. I'm just exhausted and flopping into my bed. #AzadiRail
#Hewlêr / #أربيل / #Erbil. The trip took 12:45 h in total. I'm just exhausted and flopping into my bed. #AzadiRail
#AzadiRail day 7 was : 🇹🇷 #Diyarbakır - #Hewlêr / #Erbil - 12h45 by bus.
🚂🇫🇷🇩🇪🇦🇹🇭🇺🇷🇴🇧🇬🇦🇩🇹🇷
One day in #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.
#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.
#AzadiRail day 8 was : enjoying the flaire of #Hewlêr / #Erbil and recovering from an exhausting travel day - served with vegan food in the bazar and a cursed #GadgetBahn .
🚂🇫🇷🇩🇪🇦🇹🇭🇺🇷🇴🇧🇬🇦🇩🇹🇷
It still feels somehow strange to sit in northern 🇮🇶 #Iraq in #Kurdistan region knowing I came here by public transport only. #AzadiRail
#Kurdistan region knowing I came here by public transport only. #AzadiRail#AzadiRail day 9 : I've had a relaxed morning in the downtown wasting time and money at the bazar of #Hewlêr / #Erbil. Now enjoying some tasty Çay in the sadly-not @diningcar at the international bus terminal waiting for my bus to #Zaxo / #Zakho at the Syrian border to arrive.
#Hewlêr / #Erbil. Now enjoying some tasty Çay in the sadly-not @diningcar at the international bus terminal waiting for my bus to #Zaxo / #Zakho at the Syrian border to arrive.
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 #Zaxo / #Zakho for 25.000 IQD. #AzadiRail
#Zaxo / #Zakho for 25.000 IQD. #AzadiRail
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 #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 Kurdistan, 🇮🇶 Iraq, the 🇸🇾 Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria / #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
This said : everything prepared for trying to cross the #Pêşabûr / #FayshKhabur border crossing from 🇮🇶 Iraq / #Kurdistan to 🇸🇾 Syria #Rojava. #AzadiRail
#Kurdistan to 🇸🇾 Syria #Rojava. #AzadiRailYou will be able to enter Syria / Rojava
Kurdistan will let you leave but can't enter Syria
The border will be closed
You will strand in Faysh Khabur
Poll ended at .
Organized some more cash ✅. Heck, it's hard to find ATMs accepting international bank cards in #Kurdistan 🏧. Anyways, after a short evening walk, got enough cash to pay my remaining days of vacation. #AzadiRail
#AzadiRail day 9 was : #AzadiBus with flaws from #Hewlêr / #Erbil to #Zaxo / #Zakho, a relaxed afternoon and travel preparations for tomorrow.
🚂🇫🇷🇩🇪🇦🇹🇭🇺🇷🇴🇧🇬🇦🇩🇹🇷
#AzadiRail day 10 : first failed attempt at the #Semalki border crossing in #Pêşabûr / #FayshKhabur. The 🇮🇶 Iraqi Kurdish officer at the border told me the border was closed on Saturdays, so here I am, back in #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 / #Rojava by foot.
🚂🇫🇷🇩🇪🇦🇹🇭🇺🇷🇴🇧🇬🇦🇩🇹🇷🇮🇶🇸🇾
After the frustrating outcome of this morning, I decided to stay in #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 / #Rojava but sadly back to 🇮🇶 Iraqi #Kurdistan from there on. Next attempt tomorrow morning.
🚂🇫🇷🇩🇪🇦🇹🇭🇺🇷🇴🇧🇬🇦🇩🇹🇷🇮🇶🇸🇾
#AzadiRail day 11 was a boring day : I stumbled into the city of #Dihok / #Duhok, capital of a local province. The city does not convince me at all : the much #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 #Kurdistan. Tomorrow I'll start my trip back home 😥.
#AzadiRail day 11 : Sadly vacation is ending soon so slowly time to get back to France. Homebound day 1 : My #AzadiBus from #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 #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.
🚂🇫🇷🇩🇪🇦🇹🇭🇺🇷🇴🇧🇬🇦🇩🇹🇷🇮🇶🇸🇾
Since 12 p.m. I've been the only passenger in the bus terminal. In opposite, there are about 30 staff members here : about 10 different ticket offices, one for each operator, a supermarket, a car rental stand, a restaurant, a café, security ... 30 people here to operate a bus terminal. But simply no bus nor passengers to operate. #AzadiRail
#AzadiRail, 4 p.m. Still 0 other passengers at the terminal. Still supposedly 1 hour until the departure of my #AzadiBus.
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
Anyways, now that I have internet, some pictures from the #AzadiBus trip :
The International Terminal of #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.
After one hour, we reached the #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 Iraqi Kurdistan administration was ready checking our #AzadiBus for smuggling goods (haha, good joke) and let us leave #Kurdistan. #AzadiRail
#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 Iraqi Kurdistan administration was ready checking our #AzadiBus for smuggling goods (haha, good joke) and let us leave #Kurdistan. #AzadiRail
Almost 12 a.m. border crossed. Welcome back to Turkish Kurdistan ✊ !
#AzadiRail homeward day & night #1 :
🚂🇮🇶🇹🇷
After one more hours, I was now taken to *another* #AzadiBus. They say my bus won't stop in #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
Finally, on our way to #Êlih !
#Êlih !Things I won't miss in Europe : People smoking in every bus I take 🙄. #AzadiRail
1 a.m., first #AzadiBus rest at a highway rest area. I'm cold. #AzadiRail
Basₜᵣₒ@lewd
Folowing your adventure with a lot of interest. They say that The journey is more important than the destination. Keep that in your mind. You will arrive at your destination ⏰ at the end....
Folowing your adventure with a lot of interest. They say that The journey is more important than the destination. Keep that in your mind. You will arrive at your destination ⏰ at the end....
@bastro Sure, otherwise I'd just fly from Hewlêr to Strasbourg rather than traveling 8 days by train 😉.
I btw. didn't consider my vacation as adventure but just as a relaxing trip 😇.
Norra kommissionen@lewd What happened to crossing into Syria?
@nordkommission Things I won't mention in public 😉.
@lewd As long as you don't get arrested 🫣
@nordkommission If you're curious, read @braid 😉. But no, I didn't run into legal issues.