Following on from my late running journey to Thessaloniki I was left with just 3 hours until my next train left for Istanbul at 19:00. I was due to travel on the “Filia-Dostluk Express” to Istanbul, the name meaning Friendship in both Greek and Turkish languages. Whilst I hoped the name indicated a friendly onboard service I wondered if it had a more political meaning considering the past tensions between the countries.

So with 3 hours in Thessaloniki the order of the day was a shower, change of clothes and so food as well as collecting my tickets. Luckily all were easy to come by as I had reserved a day room in a hotel on Egnatias Street a short walk from the station and where I had also arranged for my onward tickets to be delivered (as Greek railway tickets can only be brought in Greece itself), after a brief freshen up it was time to find a quick bite to eat.

After walking for a short stroll I found myself in the old Jewish area of Thessaloniki called Ladadika, teeming with restaurants and bars that spill out onto the cobbled streets and alleys.
As time was of the essence I sat down at the first restaurant I liked the look of and was rewarded with a swiftly delivered glass of (cold) red wine much needed on another balmy evening. This was closely followed by a plate of grilled halloumi and another of succulent chicken souvlaki topped with slice of fresh lemon (the like of which I have not tasted in many a year!) simple and very satisfying. With departure time approaching it was time to head back and pick up my gear and head to the station, after a brief stopover to buy a pen after having been caught short when needing to fill in visa cards during the previous day’s border crossings.

The Friendship Express train was a sleeper car only affair made up of just two carriages; it departs Thessaloniki at 19:00 and arrives in Istanbul some 13 hours later at around 8:20 the following morning. On boarding I was again luckily enough to find that I would have the double sleeper berth to myself. The cabin had a short front facing sofa, a hand basin, a small mirrored cupboard and two overhead beds in the roof of the carriage (this is what’s known as a French T2 style of berth I have been reliably informed by a Railbookers’ source.) With no dining or any sort of catering offerings onboard, apart from the guard selling bottled water, it was time for sleep and dreams of Istanbul.

That was until 1am and I was woken with a knock on the door and the announcement that we had a arrived in Pythio the last Greek town before the border, passports were checked onboard and then off we rolled through an area of what seemed to be a swamp no man’s land with its numerous bridges, and both ends with heavily armoured military outposts patrolled with equally heavily armed soldiers.

After travelling through this dark area for 10 minutes we then arrived at Uzunköprü a Turkish frontier town, where we were bordered by some remarkably happy (considering the hour) Turkish customs, border patrol, and white masked health department officials (we must have been carrying some sort of animal flu onboard) plus a few of the ubiquitous stray dogs that roam Turkish streets. We were required to leave the train and enter a small immigration office at the station hand over a €20 visa fee, and after a brief chat about place of birth and country of citizenship its back on board to continue the journey.

I was able to drift off eventually for a few more hours, and then to awaken to a bright sunny morning and as the train chugged slowly along the edge of the Sea of Marmara. Slowly the landscape turned more urban as the train passed the ever creeping high rise residential building of the outskirts of Istanbul, passed Ataturk Airport and then started on what must be one of the most impressive final stretches of rail in the world, as you round the Golden Horn and Istanbul in all its glory comes in to view. On the approach to Sirkeci station you can see all the way up to the Bosphorus Bridge and on the right across the in Intercontinental divide that is the Bosphorus strait, to Asia on the eastern shore.

From the window on the left hand side of the train you get fleeting glimpses of the Hagia Sophia, Blue Mosque and the Topkapi palace. After such an exciting entrance it was hard to believe that is was still only 8:20 in the morning, too early to check into my room (an early check-in charge or pre-booking the night prior would be recommended for a comfortable start to your stay in Istanbul.)

But I was able to leave my bags at reception and wander up to the top of the Sultanahmet district, passing all its renowned historic sites (due to the hour and Ramadan the streets were remarkably empty), to end up at the doors of the Çemberlitaş hammam built in 1584. Where I enjoyed a post journey steam, scrub and massage under its ancient dome free of the tourist hordes that arrive by the bus load later in the day, the perfect way to end the my Trans-Balkan journey.

Read about Mark’s previous journey from Belgrade to Thessaloniki by Train

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Posted in: Greece, Istanbul, Thessaloniki, Turkey | Author: Mark