A Timeless Overnight Journey On Venice-Simplon-Orient Express.

"The impossible cannot happen have happened. Therefore, the impossible must be possible inspite of appearances" by Agatha Christie, Murder On the Orient Express.

Blog number 14. 19.12.2020.  nguptatravelscrapbook.blogspot.com

A timeless overnight journey on Venice Simplenon-Orient Express

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The train at Venice station

Steeped in sophistication with radiating opulence, a ride on the Venice Simplon Orient Express (VSOE) takes you back in time to the most enticing era of European rail travel in the 1920S and 30S. Royalties, aristocrats, presidents, tsars, spies, film stars, and famous writers have all made this journey in sheer elegance and indulgence. This elite and high-class mode of transport is considered being the utmost in luxury train travel. 

The enchanting history of the origins of Venice Simplon-Orient-Express.

In the late nineteenth-century, Americans were already travelling in world-class luxurious trains designed by a famous American engineer named George Pullman. European counterparts still travelled in dark and sooty trains that often stopped at multiple Inter-European borders and took much longer to cover the small distances. There was no element of luxury in those train cars in Europe. Whereas American train cars even had beds!

It took a Belgium entrepreneur named Georges Nagelmackers to start luxury train services in Europe. Georges Nagelmackers had significant investments in European railroads. He travelled to America to learn the trade game from George Pullman and accosted Pullman with a proposal to become his partner and start his rail cars through Europe. When Pullman rejected him, Nagelmackers returned to Europe with a plan to copy Pullman and turn the train travels into much more luxurious options.

He wanted to create a luxury rail travel experience in Paris to Istanbul (then Constantinople) with no stops at international European borders. He approached The King Leopold II of Belgium, a powerful ally of European Monarchs. The king was a railway enthusiast himself, with family ties to Europe's most powerful monarchs, helping Nagelmackers run his trains across international European borders without interference.

On October 4, 1883, the original Orient-Express got launched for a journey from Paris to Giurgiu, Romania, across Europe from west to eastwards. This train became a regular destination service covering many countries in Europe in the following times.

Simplon Tunnel got completed in 1906, connecting Switzerland to Italy under the Alps, reducing the time travel between Paris and Venice. In the 1920s the Venice-Simplon-Orient Express name became synonyms with luxury travel starting its journey from Paris to Istanbul (Constantinople), the two endpoints of this service, showcasing the utmost luxury and comfort when routine travelling was still rough and dangerous. Classic routes on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express took in legendary European cities such as London, Paris, Berlin, Prague, Innsbruck, Vienna, Budapest and Venice. The Orient express had expensive wooden and crystal marquetry with etched in Lalique appliques, polished brass, carpeted floors, luxuriant sofas and the famous Victorian style table lamps. The train had culinary and dining skills extended to serving delicate vines in French crystals, extravagant food spreads in royal china with silver cutlery and lavish cabins or suites for overnight journeys with their stewards.

Cabin images

The film world has produced many films in whole or in part with a background theme of The Orient Express. A few of these films are: From Russia With Love (Sean Connery 1963), Murder on the Orient Express (1974 and 2017) featuring Hercule Poirot, the famous Belgium detective, and The Spy Who Loved Me (Roger Moore1977). With its polished wood, rich upholstery and antique fittings, the train epitomised the luxury and elegance of the Golden Age of travel. It offered an experience that promised to take the traveller not just across Europe but to transport to another world entirely. 

Unfortunately, the famous train ceased its services in 1977 as the cheaper and faster air travel gradually took over the travel industry.

The English contribution to the ongoing history of the orient express.

James B Sherwood, a British rail enthusiast and millionaire, searched for railway artefacts and disused wagons in private gardens, museums and railway stations when bought two disused Orient Express wagons in an auction in 1977 in Monte Carlo, later on adding another 35 wagons to his fleet. He employed experienced artisans and technicians, re-creating the detailed art, restoring the wagons to their former glory of the 1920s.

After nearly five years of meticulous revival, the iconic midnight blue wagons were finally operational in 1982, ready to welcome their travellers in incomparable luxury on a journey between Venice and London. The Venice Simplon Orient Express, a private venture by Belmond using original carriages from the 1920s and 1930s, continues to run from Paris to Venice and other destinations in Europe, including the original route to Istanbul. Simultaneously with the Eurotunnel's opening, The VSOE got linked to British Pullman service (London), via a coach transfer across Eurotunnel.  

I wondered why the train became so famous, and its journey so nostalgic concealed in a who dunno it mystery.

Frankly, the train is most famous for the film, Murder on the Orient Express (1974), Agatha Christie's classic murder mystery based on her famous novel (1934). It is all about solving a murder crime on board The Orient Express. Christie even travelled to Istanbul while writing the book. As we boarded the train in Venice at Midday, all the fellow passengers whispered The word, Murder! Much of the glamour and mystique of Agatha Christie still lingers on in the premises of the train including the bar with piano, the dining-car, the time-capsuled cabins along with a white-gloved service as faultless as one would expect.

Our experience on The Orient Express as we travelled from Venice to London in summer of 2005.

Venice station scenes

As we reached the Venice Railway Station, we caught our first glimpse of the iconic midnight blue carriages and the immaculately dressed stewards in their blue uniforms and donning white gloves. We walked along with the platform to our carriage amidst the chattering of passengers, all in awe of this legendry locomotive, flashing pictures in between gawking at the elegance of it.

Our excellent steward, Ian, greeted us and showed us to our twin cabin 3B. 

The cabins: 

There's much to marvel at in the cabin's creative style. Shining brownish-red wood with fine marquetry and burnished brass, incorporating French crystal designs grip your attention. Each wagon has a cabin steward to attend to your needs during travel. It provides the cabin with fresh linens and fluffy white towels, bathrobe and slippers. A washbasin hides in a handsome wood cabinet. The steward transformed the luxurious daytime sofa into a comfortable upper and lower berth beds with crisp sheets while you dine in the evening. The beds are converted to daytime seating after you have had breakfast in the cabin. This super courteous service is all part of the experience.

As the train slid through the swiss countryside and noble mountains, we marvelled at every service offered from luggage holdings, information about the cabin, to the High afternoon Teas, encouraging us to enjoy every moment. Being peak summer, we left our cabin door ajar, like other fellow travellers, to talk and share our experiences. Most of the travellers had something special to celebrate to mark the occasion.  

Despite being known for its fine food, ball gowns, tuxedos and cocktails, the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is remarkably a relaxing experience. The evening dressing up for dinner is absolutely a part of this experience.

The predinner scenes inc the piano bar and high tea in cabin.

As the evening sets in, the glittering art deco champagne bar comes alive. Guests in beautiful evening attire turn up in the bar for aperitifs. The recently renovated bar car is the only 'reception area' on this luxury train. Therefore, it is always busy; a perfect spot for people to watch and enjoy the drinks and piano notes. After having drinks in the bar area, we proceeded for our dinner at 7.30 PM in the first sitting. They served us a four-course gourmet dinner wrapped in pure leisure and hospitality, along with exquisite wines. 

One of the most singular moments on my journey was returning down the carriages at bedtime to discover that steward had turned my cabin into two bunk beds, complete with crisp white sheets, pillows and cosy blankets. With the train's gentle jolting, I was soon fast asleep as the train chugged through France, to wake up the following morning near Paris. 

Breakfast in the cabin

They put the central heating on in the cabins thru a coal fed burner located in the corridors of each wagon with the dawn's break. We were served the breakfast in the cabin, including tea, coffee, juice, fresh fruits and pastries, with monogrammed napkins, silver utensils and stewards in white jackets. 

Breakfast in the cabin

After breakfast, most of the passengers ended their train journey in Paris. We continued through France to arrive in Calais to cover our remaining journey via Eurotunnel to Folkestone in the UK. We then continued via British Pullman train to London's Victoria station to conclude the journey's last section.

What happened to Train station for The Orient Express in Istanbul?

Orient Express Istanbul Station

I visited the famous Istanbul orient express train station named Sirkeci Terminal, during one of my visits to Turkey at Xmas  2014. Built-in 1890 by the Orient Railway as the east endpoint of Orient Express's journey, it has remained the symbol of Istanbul. At the time of my visit, the station was inactive, as rail lines are now linked to a newly built terminus in Istanbul. The main station building now runs a restaurant with the name of Orient express. 

I have posted a few pics of our stay in Venice prior to embarking on the train journey, which was a totally enchanting experience, including a stay in Danieli. 

Venice images

For enthusiasts to select the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express way, with its glinting ornate cabins, elegant common seating areas and like-minded fellow passengers: this is an encounter you will never forget, for all the wise intentions. I have included a picture of pages of my memoirs, along with further VSOE images.

I thank you all for reading my travel blogs. I intend to write about my travel experiences of a city- break to Iceland's capital, Reykjavik, in the forthcoming blog.