The escalators into the bowels of Sofia rail station haven't worked for years. You can tell by the thick rust build up on them. Dimly lit, cold and dirty...and scary, that's Sofia's rail station. Ellen and I looked at one another, both wanting to say "Let's get the hell out of here." But there was no point in saying it. Leaving wasn't an option. The northbound train headed towards Budapest that we had gotten off left ten minutes earlier and wa...

Spy movie theme music began to play in my head as I boarded the train at Sirkeci station in Istanbul. My sleeper compartment was just like the one James Bond had in the movie "From Russia with Love". Distinctive red and cream coloured arborite paneling on the compartment walls gave it that swank 60's look. Black and white checkerboard vinyl floor tiles accentuated the atmosphere. And I was on the exact same route; Istanbul to Zagreb. Perhaps the best fight sc...