Strasbourg to İstanbul

We are writing from İstanbul (on a Turkish keyboard, hence the recurring problem findıng the 'i'... ) anyway, all is very well so far. We are sad to leave İstanbul today, it is an amazing city and amazing to see what all the guide books describe as the real fusion between east and west... hard to describe in better words than that, but actually so much more when you're here. We'll be back one day...

The 4 day trip on the train from Strasbourg to İstanbul went well despite some short nights interupted by passport controls, bumps, bangs and swayiıng furniture. We saw Europe unfold through our cabin window: slept through most of Austria, saw Hungary, Rumania, Bulgaria and finally Turkey.

Pic: Sylvia starts nesting at last.... in our very cosy cabin for two...

Budapest was a welcome break and merıts so much more than a greay day in January, but we made it to the baths for a wash and a dip outdoors (-3 C!) with the Budapest-ois.

Pic: This is a picture from Romania...as seen from the train as we left Bucharest...

İn İstanbul we received the most warm and generous welcome from Filiz and her husband Giorgio, contacts of Harriet's dad's, who took us all over İstanbul and to the best restaurants in the capital. Wonderful people, wonderful food, expandıng waistlines and new fettish foods - Mmmm!

Off to İndia this afternoon - strange to leave our warm clothes in a pile here and to get on a plane for the next step - train travel has been a great way to start the trip.
We'll post pictures from İndia.... a bientot!

Skiing in Alsace

And yesterday we went skiing in the Vosges. -13 deg C at night, but lovely snow ;-)

First stop Lille

-4oC at Lille; Very lovely to spend the evening with Annick and Virginie.

The big day !

That's it we're off!!!!

Still nearly there....

I had hoped Sylv's travel jinx might not be valid for longer trips.... not so!

Sylv's luck with Eurostar continues and we arrived at St Pancras an hour after our (re-scheduled due to fire!) train had left - luckily the nice women in suits took pity on the weedy girls with BIG rucksacks and gave us 3 hours in the business lounge with some tea and cakes - joy :o)

Fingers crossed for our arrival in Instanbul BEFORE the plan leaves for India, please....

Leaving do party

Thanks to everyone who came last night to our leaving do. It was fantastic! So many people!!! A room full of lovely people, what a treat. I think we realised then that we were going and it was so sad to say goodbye :-( I am also frustrated that I forgot to take pictures, silly me, I wanted to have photos of all my friends to take with me... too busy chating away.

Thanks to everyone, it was super great and we are already looking foward to our coming back party :-)

Nearly there...

That's it, feels like we're getting there now. Today I finally managed to get my Cholera vaccine (there were out of stock everywhere!) and we got $ and travellers cheques. Final jabs were injected yesterday and we got our Indian visa!
It's all getting very real now.

It's been a lot to do and prepare in the last couple of months I have to say, much more than I expected: booking ALL the train tickets, giving up work, renting the flat, moving out, opening new bank accounts, applying for visas, getting all the jabs in order, getting anti-malaria tablets, gathering all the equipments and packing, etc, etc. But it's all there now, our life in a backpack ;-)

Thursday we're having a little bye-bye do in a pub in London, I think quite a lot of our friends will be there. Looking forward to it whilst at the same time not wanting it to happen as it will mean saying bye-bye to our friends for a long time :-(