Praveen Jadhav, an advertising professional, took a train journey last year. But it wasn’t just any other train that he hopped on to. Jadhav boarded the Venice-Simplon Orient Express that recreates the iconic Paris-Istanbul journey of the original Orient Express once every year. He says the trip – traversing through France, Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey – was just as exotic as he had imagined and worth every penny of the steep price.
“In my childhood, I had devoured Agatha Christie’s novels, and ‘Murder on the Orient Express’ was one of my favourites. The charm of travelling in the original carriages from the 1920s made me imagine I was a character in a mystery pot-boiler and part of the days when the iconic train used to be a symbol of intrigue and romance,” he says.
Jadhav is not alone. Retracing the paths of famous explorers – and travelling on legendary routes – is a high that a few are determined to experience, whatever that takes. Former army Major HPS Ahluwalia climbed Everest as part of the first Indian expedition to the mountain in 1965. He saw central Asia from the summit of the world’s highest peak and instantly fell in love with it. “I vowed that one day I will explore this region,” he says. However, Ahluwalia was able to make the journey on the Silk Route only 30 years later. By that time he was on a wheelchair as a result of a bullet injury sustained during the 1965 Indo-Pak war. There were a lot of other bottlenecks as well, like organizing funds for the expedition and getting clearances. “It took me seven years just to get the required permissions from the Chinese government,” he recalls.
LONDON–It’s not often you take a train, look out the window all during the journey, and see people standing alongside the tracks with cameras at the ready so they can take pictures of the carriages going by.
The British Pullman, one of the Venice-Simplon Orient Express lines offering day trips in England, steams into Victoria Station, in London. (Credit: Orient Express) Read more: https://www.cnet.com/culture/luxury-aboard-the-orient-express-british-pullman/#ixzz1RjuO6V4h
The British Pullman, one of the Venice-Simplon Orient Express lines offering day trips in England, steams into Victoria Station, in London.
(Credit: Orient Express)
Not often, that is, unless you’re prone to taking Venice-Simplon Orient Express trains. If you are, be prepared for an almost uncountable number of train spotters looking for a rare glimpse of one of the most luxurious and storied conveyances in modern history.
I got a chance to take one of the Venice-Simplon Orient Express journeys recently as part of Road Trip 2011, a daylong meander from London to Bristol, England, and back aboard what’s known as the British Pullman. Many people may think that the Venice-Simplon Orient Express is only a train that goes from London to Venice, or Istanbul, but in fact, these days the famous moniker belongs to a company that offers train rides, cruises, hotel stays, and other high end experiences all throughout the world, each of which has its own distinctive name.
The original Orient Express, operated by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits, stopped running in 2009, but the Venice-Simplon Orient Express employs original, ’20s- and ’30s-era cars, and encompasses the original Paris-to-Istanbul route.
I had originally hoped to take the five-day trip from London to Venice and back, part of the Venice-Simplon route that also reaches cities like Bucharest, Rome, Krakow, and others, but that wasn’t possible. Yet, there’s no doubt that if, like me, you find yourself aboard a train like the British Pullman, you’ll spend nearly 12 hours in a state of luxury that’s well worth your time, and money.
My voyage began at London’s Victoria Station, and almost immediately I had in front of me a Bellini and a plate of delicious scrambled eggs with chives and Inverawe smoked salmon (served on a warm potato-and-herb rosti). This was just to set the stage for a day of leisure, lovely views, a lot of champagne, and much more.
Drinking a Bellini at about nine in the morning may seem a bit decadent, but as my escort for the day put it, “It doesn’t matter what time it is when you’re on the Orient Express.”
The British Pullman runs regular routes throughout England from Victoria Station. Each features the same “rake,” or set of 11 classic carriages. “The carriages appear in such good condition you would be forgiven for thinking they had lain under dust sheets for most of their life,” a British Pullman brochure boasts. “But nothing could be further from the truth. Before forming the magnificent British Pullman train, its cars were part of the most famous services in Britain–the Bournemouth Belle, the Brighton Belle, the Queen of Scots, and the Golden Arrow.”
It turns out, however, that the cars were mostly withdrawn from service in the 1960s and 1970s, and gradually were neglected. Some were purchased by enthusiasts, but most spent their days ignored on railway sidings or worse, were consigned to the scrap heap. But in 1977, at a Sotheby’s auction in Monte Carlo, James Sherwood, a man who had long hoped to someday bring back the original Orient Express, began the process of purchasing 35 historic Pullmans, restaurant cars, and sleepers. Many had to be restored, and before they could be put in service, they were totally stripped, and other changes were made to make the carriages ready for a modern clientele.
Perhaps the most important task was that of creating what’s known as the marquetry, the beautiful art deco designs that highlight each car. “Restoring the marquetry was a very skilled job–luckily, there was Bob Dunn to assist,” the brochure reads. “His grandfather, Albert, started the family marquetry business in 1895…. The family had made the original panels in the Pullman carriages Minerva, Ibis, and Audrey. Other prestigious commissions included the Titanic, Queen Mary, Queen Elizabeth, and even Buckingham Palace.”
The British Pullman today consists of 11 cars: Audrey, Cygnus, Gwen, Ibis, Ione, Lucille, Minerva, Perseus, Vera, Zena, and Phoenix. My comfortable chair was in the Phoenix, a carriage that was built in 1927 but which burned in a fire in 1936. Its chassis was saved, however, and in 1952, it was rebuilt and, having risen from its ashes, returned to service with the Golden Arrow. The Phoenix features marquetry of flowers on American cherry wood. And it was a favorite of Britain’s beloved Queen Mother, and over the years carried dignitaries like French General Charles de Gaulle.
The steam engine
My choice of a date for my British Pullman journey turned out to be lucky: it was one of the few each year on which a steam Clanline engine is used. Most trips use diesel engines. And the steam engine meant that once during each leg of the journey, the train had to stop so the engine could be refilled with water.
This turned out to be one of the biggest parties of the whole day. We stopped for about 20 minutes for the refilling, and there were quite a number of people waiting for the chance to see the train up close. And as 6,000 gallons of water was pumped in from a fire truck that pulled up in order to do the job, several volunteers stood atop the engine, shoveling in coal. Nearly every passenger got off and everywhere you looked people were posing for pictures, talking, and enjoying what might otherwise have been an annoying delay.
As we waited, steam rose from little valves underneath the engine and around the wheels, and of course, off the top. Suddenly, an ear-splitting steam sound startled everyone and major jets of steam shot from the top of the train.
Weddings, proposals, anniversaries, and more
Being for most people a once-in-a-lifetime experience, it’s no wonder the British Pullman and other Orient Express trains are a natural for all kinds of essential celebrations–marriage proposals, wedding receptions, anniversaries, birthday parties, and pretty much every other similar event you can think of.
And why not? If you have the means, you can reserve most or all of a carriage and bring along a bunch of friends. And spend the day toasting each other in style as the lovely British countryside and classic English towns like Bath roll by outside.
And even though it’s 2011 on the other side of the window, inside you’re deep in the 1920s and 1930s, hopefully not clinging to your mobile phone, and enjoying the sommelier’s choice of wine to go along with the seared Kentish guinea fowl entree that’s part of your five-course dinner. And of course, lots more champagne. When the day was over, just about all the people who disembarked did so with big grin on their faces, and a bit of a wobble as they moved on down the Victoria Station platform toward the exits.
Before I got off, I had a few minutes to talk with Jeff Monk, the British Pullman train manager. He’s worked for the Orient Express for decades, and has countless stories of life on the famous trains.
Though his favorite stories tended to be from other Orient Express trains, they nonetheless are representative of what can happen aboard such a famous line. For example, Monk recalled having Paul Newman on one of the overnight trains, and the famous actor waking up at 5:30 in the morning and just talking with him like a regular guy for more than an hour. Or when George Lucas reserved a whole carriage and his young daughter asked to have each of the beds set for her Care Bears. Keith Richards was also a passenger, Monk recalled, and he, too, woke up early, not being able to sleep. At 6:30 in the morning, the Rolling Stone pulled out his guitar and started singing “Johnny B Good.” The other passengers couldn’t help but open their doors and enjoy the show.
But while Monk has fun stories of someone asking the chef to prepare a Christmas dinner in August, and of a gentle but soused Bjork riding along, his best story might be about the English ’80s band The Cure riding one of the overnight trains and partying in their black hair and makeup. An American passenger, unaware of his famous carriage-mates came up to Monk and quietly said, “Jeff, there’s beatniks on board. Make sure my cabin’s locked.”
1977: Gary Buchanan describes a strange auction in Monte Carlo that led to the rebirth of the legendary Orient Express
Gary Buchanan was inspired by the iconic train, The Orient Express
On May 19, 1977, the world’s media descended on the Gare de Lyon in Paris. Camera crews and paparazzi jostled for the best vantage point from which to film the last departure of the dilapidated Direct-Orient Express. At 23.56 the most famous train in railway history pulled out of the station, bound for Istanbul, and consigned to history a tradition of regular trans-European travel that began in 1883.
Three years earlier the lavish film of Agatha Christie’s whodunit Murder on the Orient Express had been released, with a stellar cast headed by Albert Finney in the role of Hercule Poirot. The legendary train had also been the central character in The Lady Vanishes; From Russia with Love; and Agatha. Little wonder there was global interest in the passing of such a railway icon.
Five months later, on October 8, 1977, the world’s media, myself included, assembled again – this time for an auction in Monte Carlo. The lots included five carriages which had once run on Europe’s grandest trains, including the Orient Express. The bidding frenzy began. A Pullman car and a sleeping car were sold to King Hassan II of Morocco. Albert Glatt, a Swiss railway enthusiast, bought a dining car. While James Sherwood, president of Sea Containers Ltd, secured two 1929 vintage sleeping cars for £65,000. I was captivated.
The hype that followed the Monte Carlo sale convinced Sherwood that the name Orient Express had tremendous power. In the next five years, Sherwood and his wife Shirley scoured Europe for carriages to be restored to their former glory.
Around this time I read newspaper snippets about a recreated Orient Express train. When it was announced the train would begin regular service between London and Venice in 1982, I was determined to be aboard the inaugural journey and started saving in earnest.
On May 25 that year, I watched as Sherwood stood in front of the lavishly restored Pullman carriages at Victoria in London and proudly announced: “The Venice Simplon-Orient Express is resumed.”
I had discovered a love for railway travel. From that day forward my interest in this celebrated locomotive knew no bounds and it inspired my career as a travel writer. Now, 29 years later, I’ve journeyed on the Orient Express 63 times – more than anyone else in the world – and have written many thousands of words extolling its sense of romance and nostalgia. That oddball auction in 1977 not only changed my life, but it was also a vintage moment for this most special of vintage trains.
VINTAGE MOMENTS WITH THE GLENROTHES VINTAGE SINGLE MALT WHISKY
Every vintage moment is a matter of excellent timing. We all have them: a perfect convergence of time, people, place and occasion that stays in the memory forever.
And just as everyone has their own perfect moments, so it is with The Glenrothes Speyside Single Malt Whisky. Unlike other malts, it’s not bottled at a pre-determined age, only when it’s at the peak of perfection.
This is the job of our Malt Master: to decide when the taste and character of our whisky is at its utmost. Only then is he ready to bottle and sign it as a Vintage.
But there’s a good reason for that. Because maturity matters, not age.
The exotic Midnight Express now reaches Islamabad. The Turkish-Pakistan links have gone beyond emotional vision and tall statements of brotherly relations. The Pakistan-Turkey Goods Train is now being optimized. Hard facts and regional realties have now forced the neighbors of Pakistan into ocoperating in trade and military ventures. There is much discussion of the route layout, the concept of cargo train, and the focus on special reduced rates by Pakistan Railways.
Ankara and Islamabad have agreed to increase trade with the neighbors. Turkey has done with very successfully and become the 17th largest economy of the world. With regard to the Islamabad-Istanbul Goods train, named “Gul Train” the Pakistani Ministry of Railways will be formally announcing concrete marketing plan in consultation and coordination with the trade bodies of the Iran and Turkey. The concept is a symbol of the ECO integration.
The ECO is the successor organization called the RCD (Regional Cooperation for Development). The RCD was created in the sixties to bring Iran and Turkey closer to Pakistan. At the time all were US allies. After the demise of the Shah, One of the first acts of the revolution in Iran was to demolish the RCD—however on Pakistan’s insistence the RCD was expanded to include all the Eastern former Muslim members states of the former USSR. Today the ECO is taking small but potent steps to increase the trade among the member states.
The progress of the Gul project was reviewed by the highest governemnt officials in Islamabad.The Goods Train has highlighted the existing transport agreements of Pakistan with Iran and Turkey under ECO and under bilateral arrangements (Transit Transport Framework Agreement,TTFA) with the regional countries.
The TTFA was originally developed by ECO with the assistance of United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The regional TTFA was signed by all ECO member countries except Uzbekistan in 1998. Pakistan and Iran also want to enhance the Road Transportation of Goods and Passengers between Pakistan and Iran using the agreement signed between them in 1987. That agreement facilitates the transportation of goods between the two countries.
The agreement for Transportation and Good was signed between Iran and Pakistan during the concluding session of Pak-Iran Joint Economic Commission on June 29,2008 at Tehran. Turkey and Pakistan are eager to enhance trade relations. To this end the two countries approved a Road Transport Agreement on June 15,2003 at Islamabad.
The Pakistan-Turkey Goods train started its regular monthly service from Turkey and Pakistan simultaneously during August, 2010. There were only six regular services from Pakistan and two from Turkey. Pakistan has now created a monitoring mechanism to improve the Islamabad to Istanbul service.
via The Midnight Express now reaches Islamabad | Pakistan Patriot.
The Orient Express experience has always been something more than a mere train journey. Ever since 1883, when the Orient Express made its first journey from Paris to Istanbul, it has captured the imagination of the world.
Throughout, the train has been the temporary home of aristocrats, royalty, spies, film stars and writers – as well as, of course a certain fictional Belgian detective.
There is no more special sight than seeing the train for the first time, whether you are boarding the umber and cream carriages of the British Pullman at London’s Victoria station or the blue and gold Continental Wagons-Lits in Venice, Calais or another of it’s European destinations. This memory will last a lifetime.
Step aboard the Orient Express and you step back into a more gracious and elegant age. Today, the glamour and romance lives on, and, in an age that too often reduces travel to speed and convenience, the experience is more alluring than ever.
The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express is distinctive down to the smallest detail. The train is composed of original 1920s and 30s European carriages, painstakingly and lovingly restored to their original elegance and grandeur. They boast exquisite marquetry panels and designs by artists of the art deco movement, including René Laliqué.
The service is perfectly in keeping with the setting. Once your journey starts, settle into your private cabin and watch Europe’s finest scenery gliding by. Whilst on board, you will have a personal steward, who will provide attentive, yet discreet service. Your steward will show you to your compartment of polished brass, gleaming inlaid wood, crisp linen and soft towels. Your comfortable compartment provides a restful oasis, offering panoramic views of the ever changing landscape.
Your meals on board will be unforgettable. Set the tone with a visit to the Bar Car, famous for its delicious cocktails and welcoming atmosphere it is the heart of the train. It is truly a unique, intimate and stylish experience that resounds to the voices of royalty, heads of state and celebrities such as Gregory Peck, Alan Whicker and Cher. Dressing for the occasion is all part of the experience. Our guide is that you can never be overdressed aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express.
Then on to one of our three dining cars, softly muted lighting enhances the mood while fine linen, French silverware and heavy crystal invite you to prepare for a meal to remember.
In the dining cars, the attention to detail is breathtaking: the linen, the silverware and the crystal glassware are all alluring parts of the experience. The overall result is a beguiling evocation of the golden age of travel. Yet, like all true classics, it transcends its historical origins and feels utterly fresh and contemporary. At this level, luxury is timeless.
Meals on board are an unforgettable delight. All dishes are freshly prepared onboard by French chefs, with the finest supplies taken onboard during the train’s journey.
Brunch, lunch and dinner are served in one of the three individually designed Restaurant Cars: the Lalique, Etoile du Nord or the Chinoise with service provided by attentive Italian waiters. Breakfast and afternoon tea are served in passengers’ compartments.
Travelling in private compartments, passengers are attended by Cabin Stewards throughout the journey, and are assured of attentive yet discreet service. Each compartment has its own original washbasin cabinet with hot and cold water, and at night-time becomes a comfortable bedroom, complete with soft towels and crisp linen. Cabins convert in moments from daytime seating to a comfortable bedroom. For added comfort, cabin suites, made up of two interconnecting double cabins, are recommended.
The train now visits some of Europe’s most evocative destinations. The traditional route between London, Paris and Venice (or vice versa) is now complimented by departures from Venice to the exciting cities of Vienna, Prague, Budapest and Krakow. For the most discerning of travellers, the Orient-Express invites you to embark on its annual, very special departure to Istanbul, re-creating the original journey of 1883. The sheer romance of the on-board experience is entirely undiminished.
Enjoy the uncompromising luxury of the authentic period carriages, and the finest quality of service, amid some of the most beautiful scenery in Europe on board the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express.
A variety of journeys is available, which can be taken individually or as a centrepiece to a European holiday. Choose to travel on the train and make your own arrangements, or enjoy a holiday that incorporates visits to exciting cities, such as Venice, Vienna, Prague and Istanbul.
Whatever your destination, you can be sure of superb service, a veritable feast of sumptuous menus and perhaps, in the hectic world of the 21st century, a nostalgic reminder of a time when the journey was as important, if not more so, than the destination.
