The Mythic Orient Express, A Peak From The Past

There was a time when traveling could be as delightful and enjoyable, and something that you looked forward to, as much as your destination. The mythic Orient Express rail service provided such a glorious experience traveling to exotic faraway places in luxurious comfort and elegance, never before possible.

Can you imagine non stop rail service between Paris and Baghdad, with connections to Teheran and even south to Jerusalem, then on to Cairo?  The Orient Express took voyagers to places and through countries never before opened to tourism, that currently are not on the tourist trail due to wars, conflicts and terrorism.

It has been immortalized in books and films, such as Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express and the James Bond film, From Russia with Love.  Kings, queens, diplomats and the rich and famous all loved traveling on it, knowing that they would have the utmost lavishness in the sumptuous surroundings and the renown cuisine.

Elegant dress was de rigueur for dinner, where champagne and cognac flowed freely on tables graced with special china and silver carafes.  Piano music could be heard from the bar car, while savouring multi course gourmet dishes prepared by a real chef, amongst the splendour of Lalique crystal figurines and lights.

It was a time from the past when traveling correlated with splendour and refinement.  There was time to take in not only the beautiful countryside passing by, but being loss in the moment or being romantically immersed in whomever accompanied you.

Passion and romance certainly filled her rooms and corridors, as many chose the Orient Express for their honeymoon, such as Agatha Christie for her second marriage to an archeologist doing digs in Iraq.

The Orient Express is credited with creating the first window of globalization  between Europe and the Middle East, where ideas, science, and industrialization could be exchanged.

Last week I visited an exhibit of this magnificent train at the Musée des Mondes Arabe that was put on in collaboration with the French rail service SNCF. It was even more meaningful for me, as I recently returned from Istanbul, where I photographed the terminal Orient Express restaurant at Sirkeci station that remains open.

It all started with a banker’s son, Georges Nagelmacker, who was born in Liege, Belgium in 1845.  Because of a thwarted romance, his family encouraged him to vacation in America in 1867 in hopes he could forget his heartbreak.

It was there that George became impressed with Pullman rail cars and he began to envision creating a luxurious rail service in Europe.  Upon his return  , he established the Compagnie International des Wagons-Lits.

His first train left Paris Gare de L’Est station on June 5, 1883 to Vienna. By 1889 the Orient Express offered non stop rail service to Istanbul.

It left Paris at 6:25 pm on Sundays and Wednesdays and only two nights later arrived at the Sirkeci Terminal in Constantinople(now Istanbul) at 4 pm.  This became their established northern route that stopped in Strasbourg, Munich, Vienna, Budapest, Bucharest, and Constantinople.

When the Simplon tunnel was completed through the alps connecting Switzerland to Italy, they inaugurated a southern route, known as the Simplon Orient Express that left Paris Gare de Lyon, heading towards Lausanne, Milan, Vienna, Belgrade, Sophia, and Constantinople.

By 1930, the third divisional route, called the Arlberg Orient Express running through Zürich and Innsbruck to Budapest allowed passengers to continue southwards towards Greece, stopping in Thessalonike and terminating in Athens.

During each World War I and World War II, rail service was interrupted for a few years. By 1962 the original Orient Express cars stopped running except for the Simplon Orient Express.

It eventually morphed into a more plebeian service between Paris and Istanbul till 1977.  A train running under the same name of the Orient Express continued between Paris and Budapest  till 2001 and then was shortened to Strasbourg-Vienna until 2009.

Probably both low cost airfare and the fast TGV trains caused the demise of the Orient Express, which is a shame, because there aren’t any direct trains from Paris to Istanbul, Vienna, Budapest, nor Athens.

The only version available today is the privately owned Venice Simplon Orient Express that has astrospheric prices.  Though they use restored old carriages from 1920-30, replete with all their splendour, the toilets are stilled shared and there aren’t any showers.

All rooms have those lovely and unique folding metal sinks with cold and hot water and can have communicating compartments for families.  All the seats, dining chairs and sleeping berths looked very plush and comfortable for those who today can adapt to sponge baths and toilets down the hall.

Sleeping on trains can be comfortable, but isn’t for  light sleepers, who can’t sleep through train stops and whistles.   Best enjoyed by nostalgic romantics in search of passionate thrills on the rails, which is certainly unique.

The closest I have come to being on the Orient Express was taking the train, still of that name in 1985 from Budapest back to Paris with my children.  I have fond memories of eating a wonderfully prepared chicken paprikas in the dining car with real linen, flowers, glassware and good Egri Bikavar wine.

Today I continue to prefer trains, where I can see all the rolling countryside right into the center of town. With high speed trains that France and most other European countries offers, it is a quick and stress free way to travel, though not the least expensive.

Being the romantic soul that I am, I would have loved to have taken the original Orient Express back in that glamorous time when savouring and lingering in the moment was more important than just getting there.  How about you?