Though I take Anton to Istanbul's station on the Asian side, Haydarpaşa Garı, quite often, I hadn't taken him to Sirkeci Garı on the European side until today. I should have taken him long ago in celebration of his existence, because it was in the toilets at this train station, giddy with the possibility that I was pregnant, that I took my first pregnancy test. The test was negative. It is always better to be able to read the language the instructions are written in! I remember pacing around the station after the false negative result, overwhelmed by the realization that I had taken the lid off my long repressed desire for a second child (Anton was born when Ruskin was nearly 13), and it would be a very hard job to get it back on. So it was wonderful to take Anton on a train from Sirkeci just for the heck of it today.

This is definitely one of those perfect plans for transport mad kids, especially if you come from Taksim so you can take a funicular and a tram before you even get there. The station is pink and pretty and it is lovely to imagine the people that once arrived there on the Orient Express. I did hope to take some pictures of the building, but Anton was so excited about boarding the train we just got straight on. The suburban line to Halkalı costs 3 Turkish Lira and takes about 40 minutes, making it a perfect cheap rainy day activity. The start of the journey is really atmospheric, passing Topkapı Palace and the city walls. When we arrived at Halkalı we just crossed over the platform for the return journey. By then, the excitement had got to Anton and by the second station he had started nodding off precariously. A lovely lady sat herself next to him and held him secure (not even shifting when she gave herself an insulin injection) while I fed Neve and stared at my longed for child's sleep-pouty mouth.