Sharjah24 – AFP: Festive garlands, white tablecloths and enticing bottles appear the moment passengers board the Eastern Express for an epic journey across Turkey's snow-capped Euphrates plateaus.
Named the Turistik Dogu Ekspresi locally, the train offers one of the expansive country's most coveted new experiences.
Its nine carriages wind their way around mountain bends on a 32-hour, 1,300-kilometre (800-mile) voyage from the capital Ankara to Kars, an ancient city near Turkey's rugged border with Armenia and Georgia.
The service was suspended less than a year after starting because of the coronavirus pandemic. But with restrictions easing, the sleeper is back. Tickets, though relatively pricey, are snapped up in minutes.
"The Ankara-Kars line is considered by travel writers to be one of the four most beautiful train lines in the world," Turkish State Railways director Hasan Pezuk said.
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