Well I got my flight into Edinburgh and home from Istanbul so all I need to do now is book the train tickets. Looks like it will run around $650.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

OT....I once considered taking the trans siberian railway to the pacific and back. I decided that it probably was not a good idea to try. (back in the cold war era).

When we were in Morrocco in '73 we saw the Marracech express!

Trains have always fascinated me, but when it comes down to it I always choose driving.

Tom W

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Delete......The Q... did not pertain to you ..........oh my;

__________________
Matt (SD,CA)

1984 300SD.. White/Chrome Bunts..Green

1997 2500 Dodge Ram 5.9 Cummins 12 Valve 36 PSI of Boost = 400+hp & 800+tQ .. ..Greenspeed

2004 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 Quad Cab Cummins 5.9 H.O "596hp/1225tq" 6 spd. Man. Leather Heated seats/Loaded..Flame Red....GREENSPEED

Global warming...Doing my part, Smokin da hippies..

Fight the good fight!......

I got my info on the train trip from the website below. It appears to be THE definitive website on worldwide train travel. It includes information on the TransSiberian railway.

http://www.seat61.com/Turkey.htm

I agree on the driving but in this case I'm by myself and have to eat up 5 days in Europe so it seems like the best choice. And as it turns out, there do not appear to be cheap airline tickets from London to Istanbul.
On the other hand, there are some journeys for which the train simply has no equal such as the Denver-San Francisco trip.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

Traveling by yourself makes the equation moneywise different.

I would like some of those train rides if economics made it make sense.

Tom W

__________________
[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Just an update. Got my tickets the other day. Pricier than I initially thought, but I'm travelling first class the whole way in a single sleeper apart from the leg from Edinburgh to London where I'll be traveling in a double sleeper. Total cost around $1700. I had to buy the tickets from an English company which tacked on about $200 in fees because I had trouble finding a specialist agent who could book the whole trip and spoke English at the German booking company that does not charge fees.

Edinburgh to London--overnight
London to Brussels
Brussels to Cologne--one day
Cologne to Vienna--overnight
Vienna to Budapest--one morning
Stay in Budapest 2 nights.
Budapest to Bucharest--overnight
Bucharest to Istanbul--overnight

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13

That sounds like it'll be a great experience, Kerry. Post a few pictures for us when you're there.

__________________
" We have nothing to fear but the main stream media itself . . . ."- Adapted from Franklin D Roosevelt for the 21st century

OBK #55

1998 Lincoln Continental - Sold
Max 1984 300TD 285,000 miles - Sold
The Dee8gonator 1987 560SEC 196,000 miles - Sold
Orgasmatron - 2006 CLS500 90,000 miles
2002 C320 Wagon 122,000 miles
2016 AMG GTS 12,000 miles

When I hear of "The Orient Express" this is what I all ways thought was being referred to

http://www.orient-express.com/web/vsoe/vsoe_a2a_home.jsp

Istanbul to Paris $8300.00 PP OW.

__________________
Sent from an agnostic abacus

2014 C250 21,XXX my new DD ** 2013 GLK 350 18,000 Wife's new DD**

- With out god, life is everything.
- God is an ever receding pocket of scientific ignorance that's getting smaller and smaller as time moves on..." Neil DeGrasse Tyson
- You can pray for me, I'll think for you.
- When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.

Just passing this on--Be careful in Turkey, Kerry. My brother in law's sister is a former State Dept. and UN employee, who now is contracted through A.I.D. Aerospace to monitor political situations in various strange countries. Her cousins just moved to Istanbul (to teach University) from New Zealand, and she was up in arms about it, as she was there for Jan and Feb 2008 and given Turkey a very low score on the American safety factor for 2008.

Yeah, that's what I was mentioning earlier. But hey, the WCG saved the OE from extinction, so that's worth something....

The security issue is somewhat of a concern to me. I was quite explicit about my own personal religious (irreligious?) views when initially discussing my participation with the sponsoring Muslim group. They seemed to have no problem.
I'll be travelling with a group of about 15, mostly Americans. I don't know if that makes us safer or a more obvious target. Since we will be staying in Turkish homes for at least a few nights, the dialogue will be intimate and I hope quite interesting.

__________________
1977 300d 70k--sold 08
1985 300TD 185k+
1984 307d 126k--sold 8/03
1985 409d 65k--sold 06
1984 300SD 315k--daughter's car
1979 300SD 122k--sold 2/11
1999 Fuso FG Expedition Camper
1993 GMC Sierra 6.5 TD 4x4
1982 Bluebird Wanderlodge CAT 3208--Sold 2/13