International Railroad Discussion > Steam in Turkey....scenes from the chase

1.  Our first night out of the capital of Ankara was in Cankiri.  The room was $3/night including breakfast.  The guide book said it was the best hotel in that town.  That said,  the bog was so bad we peed out the window rather than venture in there.  It was freezing so no need to shower.  We took a walk around town and discovered a sale of mutton taking place.  The guy in the truck had an axe and chopped off parts to order.  (photo one below).  We looked at each other thinking what have we gotten ourselves into.  But,  that was the  only hotel like that.  Everywhere else, the hotels might be basic,  but were beyond spotless,  had a good restaurant and nice people.  Every evening we'd end up visiting with locals who came over for dinner or other guests, invariably Turkish and usually on business,  mostly with local farms.  And the usual Turkish breakfast of dark bread, hot coffee or tea and olives kept us going quite nicely.  Every hotel stay was a experience,  from the Bulgarian entertainer in Bolu to the doctors dinner where one offered to take us to the local brothel (we passed on that one).  Here are a few photos of the sights:

1.  Street market in Cankiri  12/17/84

2.  Didn't stay here but loved the name  Biucuk  12/31/84

3.  Local transport in Afyon   Christmas Day 1984

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4.   Christmas Day at the Hotel Afyon.  Just another day in Turkey but the hotel staff made a cake for us.  Here I am with the staff.  We experienced such kindness wherever we ventured.  

5.   In Istanbul, the city is divided by the Bosporus,  which deliniates Europe from Asia.  In 1984 most travel across was by water.  Here is the TCDD car ferry leaving Istanbul for Haydarpasa on the Asian side and where TCDD has a large station and yards.

6.   Passenger ferries in Istanbul.  I'd guess these are long gone as the new bridges have made crossing a quick trip.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/03/20 12:39 by masterphots.

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Alan

That certainly beats the Motel Pussy near Valparaiso 

jmt Wrote:
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> Alan
>
> That certainly beats the Motel Pussy near
> Valparaiso 

Actually that one is in Vallenar.

Thanks for these photos, fascinating!

My first trip to Turkey was in 2009 (by train, from Munich to Istanbul via Bucharest and return via Belgrade), followed by returns in 2011 (again by train from Munich via Belgrade, this time to Kars near the Armenian frontier) and 2013. Some of your slice-of-life photos reminded me a great deal of eastern Turkey on my 2011 trip, although obviously without the steam locomotives.

The Marmaray rail tunnel under the Bosporus opened in late 2013, but the ferry fleet is still going strong, as the ships serve terminals poorly served by the tunnel -- albeit with a somewhat diminished role. The particular model you photographed isn't in service anymore (AFAIK) but there's still plenty of waterbourne activity.

masterphots Wrote:
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> 5.   In Istanbul, the city is divided by the
> Bosporus,  which deliniates Europe from Asia. 
> In 1984 most travel across was by water.  Here is
> the TCDD car ferry leaving Istanbul for Haydarpasa
> on the Asian side and where TCDD has a large
> station and yards.
>
> 6.   Passenger ferries in Istanbul.  I'd guess
> these are long gone as the new bridges have made
> crossing a quick trip.