Going under water

That's under water, not underwater.  The Istanbul metro system recently opened up the first ever train to go under the mighty Boshporus.  Considering around 20 million people live in Istanbul, on both sides of the Boshporus, this seems a long time coming.  But it's finally here and has been met with happiness, skepticism, and anti-government feelings.  Some friends warned me of there being no electricity at times and that the tunnel is leaking.  From what people say, the first week had multiple problems and people had to finish their journey by walking through the tunnel several times when the trains failed.

It might be leaking now, but that still didn't stop a full train from going from Asia to Europe.  Super fast!  What normally is a 20 minute ferry ride (with great views, seagulls following the ships) turned into less than 4 minutes of a journey in which it goes super deep and yet doesn't feel that deep.  Felt just like a normal ride in any metro system in the world: fast, bouncy and dark.  But this seems a bit different with all the hype about it and people having more worried faces on than normal.

I could call it an adventure, I could call it a means of transportation.  Whatever I feel like qualifying this trip as, it was on the list of things to do in Istanbul before I left, and that is now crossed off the list.  The list is about done as I leave tomorrow for more good times in Europe.  Flying to Sarajevo and then will start my journey slowly westward to Portugal, visiting friends along the way, and finally meeting my family in Lisbon for Christmas.  December is looking mighty fun and full of adventures.  Bring it on!!

The train pulling in

Wow!  Brand new and looks just like any other train.  Why did I take a picture?

Follow the journey under water!