Joel Welch
History is an interesting subject for study….by definition, it is an “after the fact” experience. You are imagining events as they happened in a previous time whilst trying to establish a context for that place in time to better understand the circumstances that created the history. So, clearly….It is an abstract thought. People take great pains to recreate it….from battle re-enactments to pageantry-laden remembrances of a bygone era.
However, what if I told you that you could step right back into history…into an age that for those that could, was as golden as golden can get. That step for me started outside the Grand Hotel Dei Dogi Venezia, my favorite hotel in Venice, and it was a step, literally. I gingerly pawed my shoe at the mahogany railing of my water taxi, trying to find solid footing….the crew loading bags for my canal journey to Stazione Santa Lucia. It is a very nice way to travel through Venice…scenic and efficient. A few minutes later, we tie up to a hotel that is new to me, the Hotel Heureka, and four very boisterous women of my age and as it turns out, my home state of Alabama, bound out, clearly bent on having a joyous time…we do the Alabama question and answer session…Bama or Auburn….we are all relieved that we are Bama fans and immediately, my party bonds with them and we are all off as if we have known each other forever. A nice leisurely cruise into the Grand Canal commences and finally we reach the dock that services the train station, we are off to meet our new home for the next few days.
I love train stations in Europe….full of opportunity and hopefulness on a normal day…but striding up to the polished trains of the Orient Express is a whole ‘nother matter. My companion and I are well dressed but clearly we did not get the memo…..there are people totally turned out and then, there are those couples who chose to get into character and showed up in their 19th century finery…I have to admit, they were probably right….because so were the staff….lined up in their classic uniforms along the trains waiting to meet their clients who they would cater to for the next few days. It is a level of service like no other and it starts before you even bound up the steps and into your posh car. Once started, the next stop is Vienna.
Posh car indeed. Polished brass and heavily lacquered marquetry softens the light and gives everything a warm, golden glow….these are the original cars brought back to life after WWII where they were employed in various utilitarian ways….some of the detailed and very fine marquetry work restored after the War by sons and daughters of the original artisans. August, our Cabin Steward, is there to show us to our cabin, which is actually an engineering marvel. He opens the door and there is a comfortable couch and well appointed surroundings….a vase of roses, dark chocolate and a bottle of champagne….always a good start. He points out an interesting thing about the Orient Express…at this level of service…and this is by no means “coach service”, there are no private in-suite lavatories….all of us in the car, and there are a half a dozen cabins, go to the end of the train to freshen up…..and, just to be clear, no showers. More on that later.
Once we started moving towards Vienna, we settled into a leisurely round of champagne drinking and watching the Italian countryside slid by…it is mesmerizing especially in those surroundings. We quickly got into the pace of the journey….drinks, August asking us for any wants or needs, a few more drinks and then time to get ready for dinner in the opulent dining car. The Orient Express observes, without apology, a strict dress code…..men in tuxedos and woman dressed in appropriate formal attire. Honestly, would you want it any other way? It is a pretty wonderful experience to stride into the dining car and see young and old alike, turned out in the best sort of way…and of course, it creates an expectation of manners and style…..food tastes better, wine is more complex and the service is at that same level, always. The cuisine is outstanding and the wine list is really “otherworldly”…those that manage the expectations of this experience do not miss their mark. After dinner and a respite back at the cabin, we reemerge in the “Cocktail Car” and a whole different atmosphere erupts….everyone is still dressed in their formal attire but now a piano player is creating a more lively, festive environment…people are talking…meeting people they would never have met in any other way and conversing as if they were old friends. Our four lady friends are no less joyous….in fact, we realize our earlier meeting was just a warm up. They are fun and we dive in. Under more staid company, this could be a stuffy event, but it is good that I have revelers to help liven this crowd and liven we do…there are not many things more dangerous than Southerners at a party. The piano player who is a dead ringer for Fabio, but with less personality, tries to play “Sweet Home Alabama” and we can almost hear it in there somewhere…still, he tries. I think this is a good point to make…..the Orient Express was, I suspect, always for the bon vivant crowd…our modern sensibilities make us less outgoing in a formal setting and attire but I think that is not paying history its due. I suspect that if these walls could talk,there would be many stories of revelry to tell.
We finally stumble back to our cabin…I mean stumble as this is a moving train and we do not have our “sea or cocktail legs”. But we make it back just fine and walk into our cabin to see that August has done his transformer-like duties and our couchette is now an almost elegant bunk bed….maybe not the most romantic arrangement but it will have to do.
Next morning we are awakened at a pre-arranged time for breakfast in our cabin…a really nicely done one…August is working his magic. As the beauty of Austria passes by our window, it drives home that the first part of our journey is almost complete. After a very civilized lunch, we pull into a city I have never been…the gleaming city of Vienna. This is an appropriate cherry on top of our Viennese Sachertorte…..a fitting ending to our first leg on our journey aboard perhaps the most iconic of travel modes. Two days in the Ritz Carlton Vienna, enjoying the showers not available to us on the Train (there is a another reason why this stop exists I am certain) and falling in love with the glorious sights of Vienna and then, off again to our destination…London via the Chunnel. I cannot think of a better way to travel. Next time though…and there will be a next time I assure you…I will take the most iconic route…the route that gave the Orient Express..the “Orient” moniker. Venice to Budapest to Istanbul with a stay at the world famous Pera Palace Hotel in Istanbul, the traditional terminus for this iconic train. Now, that will be an adventure to savor!