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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Travel
Ben Aitken

In the tracks of the Orient Express: my train ride from London to Istanbul

Keleti station in Budapest, one of eastern Europe’s main railway junctions.
Keleti station in Budapest, one of eastern Europe’s main railway junctions. Photograph: Geza Kurka/Alamy

One of the fruits of getting on a train is that it makes me want to chat. So instead of gazing at Kent as we proceed to Paris from London, I talk to my neighbour. Martha grew up in San Francisco, studied in Oregon, and puts syrup on everything. When we part ways on the concourse of Gare du Nord – she to lunch with a friend from Wisconsin, me to amble around before continuing towards Turkey – she says the best things about the US are Taylor Swift and meatloaf. It’s good to talk.

London-Istanbul map
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