The Orient Express Part One
The Orient Express is a wonderful dream that runs on rails. Time and space fold over to deliver travellers into a past of gentle shunts, piercing whistles and breathtaking scenery that unfolds outside the window like frames of a classic film. Each passenger boards with his or her individual expectations and reason for arrival: decade birthdays, wedding anniversaries, honeymoons or an onboard proposal - we did indeed have one, in the bar car at midnight and all clapped and cheered and felt fit to burst. Bonhomie is the surprise guest that united us all, dismantling boundaries, introducing strangers and igniting warm friendships which were all the more memorable for their intimate brevity.
The loo is along at the end of carriage - oh the fun in the middle of the night, trotting down in pj's, bed hair and fluffy socks.
Our cabin, if you can splurge for a double - do it! One small bag per person is allowed in the cabin, suitcases are whisked away until the destination - no drawers, no wardrobes, so you need to pack light but remember there's a Black Tie dinner ahead. I picked up Town & Country US for the first time ever, oh it's wonderful, what a lifestyle lies within.
Aargh, the moment when we boarded and I sat and thought, "Stop the train I need to get off, I will go tonto living in this small space." That ladies and gentlemen is your lebensraum for two people who have to wash, sleep, sit during the day, change and 'do hair ', which as we all know takes a lot of circular arm movements. Thankfully I am married to a very placid man who can cope with my spinning Tasmanian devil moments.
It didn't take long for me, however, to get used to the saddle on my back and within a few hours this was the only way I wanted to travel ever again in my life. I had the best sleep of my life, a lullaby on rails, it was like being rocked in my Silver Cross pram.
The scene of many a whore's bath; travel on the Orient Express is exactly as it was in the 1930's when baths were reserved for Sunday evenings at home. Below are a few details which delighted me.
The stove, yes stove on a wooden train, it is one person's job to keep it stoked throughout the night, verboten here in Britain but France just shrug, if it burns it burns.
Post prandial bed chamber.
More to follow... If anyone wants more info about the train/journey etc, here's the link, they have a wonderful video too: The Orient Express.
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More to follow... If anyone wants more info about the train/journey etc, here's the link, they have a wonderful video too: The Orient Express.
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