If you really love train travel (and can handle excessively smoky cafe cars), then this part of the trip was not bad. A lot of the group hung out in the cafe car, played cards, and chit chatted until bedtime. I could not handle the thick curtain of smoke, so I decided to hang out in our sleeper for the entire 14 hours of our journey.
A word of warning, sometimes Turkish Trains leave *Early*, as much as half an hour! We got there with plenty of time, and we did end up leaving about 15 till the hour. The overnight train is definitely not an express train. It makes lots of stops along the way, so it is quite difficult to sleep with all the jossling about. Also, the cars are not properly aired. When we got on our car, it was approximately 97 dF! After about an hour of travelling with the window open, it cooled down to 80 (which was still hot for me). So, if you travel by train in Turkey, bring a tank top and shorts!
Finally, after a torchurous ride (with only 3 hours of sleep) I got off the train. We boarded a ferry and road it across to the western part of Istanbul. Alas, the weather was crummy again. I suddenly wished I was back in Ayvalik, down by the water in a warmer climate.
