The London Lounge

Yesterday evening I had the chance to view a special on PBS hosted by David Suchet about the Orient Express.

The special was put online and I wanted to share it with all of you. Not only is the Orient Express in my opinion a form of pure elegance, but a form of self discipline along with manners and respect.

I hope to one day take this wonderful train and explore all it has to offer.

Enjoy the special. BTW, Mr. Suchet to me, bares a resemblance to our good founder of the LL Mr. Alden.

http://video.pbs.org/video/1538441785/

Best Regards,

Cufflink79

Mmn. Concur.

I have been on the Eastern & Orient (KL to Penang) and on the Indian Pacific and the Ghan in Australia and they are certainly outstanding experiences. I suppose I should add that I mean I travelled First Class; in case of any potential for misundertanding. Whilst the journey on the Indian Pacific is mostly in an utterly straight line and might be viewed by some as boring, the food, service and accommodations were completely stunning. One must have a basic respect for how carriages are constrained in size of course, and for the idea that interior decor and furniture tend towards the past vogues of travel fashionability. Personally, I find this absolutely satisfying.

Are people who love this kind of thing anachronisms? I don't think so. For example I will be awaiting the Boeing Dreamliner and I expect it to come up to similar very high standards frankly, in spite of media speculation in the typical nasty sideswiping tones they have. People who really love travel can see through the reasons for all the different modes - first class rail has a very special feel, a very special pace. It is one of the true peak experiences of the world - like owning a race horse you watch as it crosses the line first for you, like seeing the powder snow spin downwards softly in the night with an apfel schnapps in your hand, and chest deep in a hot outdoor spa.

Jack Albans

Jack, I am glad you enjoyed the service on the Indian Pacific and the 'Ghan. Australian service mentality has gone through a revolution in the past twenty years, it is generally cheerful and helpful now.

The landscape of the Australian Outback seems lunar on first observation, but once you live in it a while, the variety in ecosystems is dramatic, and the seasonal changes between extended dry periods, floods and post-flood wildflower explosions are nothing short of miraculous. Fewer than 10% of Australians and even fewer international visitors ever see this,...and even fewer see it in air-conditioned comfort, wearing a jacket with a glass of Australian sparkling Chardonnay in hand. You are truly privileged

Hello Simon. Nice to hear a reply like that. You do indeed explain the landscape and flora very well. Even though it is for such a short time, the wildflower season here, providing you are ushered into its wonders by someone with the eye to point out its microscopic details, is for some, one of the world's peak experiences really.

...Back to the Orient Express. I love to travel. And I am not picky about all those things one could easily be negative about and that you will find just about anywhere and everywhere you go in the world. There is still the odd oasis here and there that preserves the style and manners of, perhaps, a past that perhaps was only really a fantasy afterall - I am hoping the European Orient Express will be such an oasis. I can see the wonderful bits in the phantasm that now remains of these sorts of things. I appear hesitant of course because so much of actual life and living will let your expectations down if you approach it the wrong way. And some will just let you down!

If you understand romance you understand life. They say there is no real magic and that miraculous events are not possible - what do they know?! Did ever Sherlock Holmes or Poirot really exist? Well they do now. And they are 'just as alive today and real as you are, Virginia...' (From 'Yes Virginia there really is a Santa Claus.')

Jack Albans

I travelled on the Blue Train from Johannesburg to Cape Town a couple of times in the 70's, pre cheap flights this was no much of an extravagance. Going down the Blyde River Canyon having breakfast was truly memorable. It was more modern but no less luxurious than the Orient Express and having your own en-suite shower and bathroom in a train is quite rare.

I never have had the pleasure of riding on the Orient Express but I lived in Frankfurt Germany for a number of years and it would often make a stop at the Hauptbanhof (main station). When it would come in the German Train museum would sometimes attach an engine to it from their collection to bring it in and out of the station just for nostalgia's sake. The engines were spectacular really. You could see into the cars from the platform and it was a collection of the most spectacular wood finishes, it might as well have travelled in directly from the past - just magnificent.

They would put out a little red carpet and a velvet rope where you would board it and they had a little podium set up to "check in". It was very well done with everyone in sharp uniforms. A German friend and I talked to the chef through his open window one time and asked what was for dinner that night and he gave me a copy of the menu to keep, he just passed it out the window to me! I still have it and yes the night's meal sounded delicious and quite elaborate for train fare.

Yes. Elaborate. Good point. Maybe this is a detail that all first class trains make a point of... A real standout on the Australian First Class transnational train that I went on was the menu and indeed, it was more elaborate than I have found is generally common in Australian professional food virtually anywhere. I mean of course there are many exceptions but the elaborateness of the meals here was noticeable. There were freshly-made wildflower and berry-flavoured sauces with little sprays of wildflowers and just a lot of care and preparation in evidence. Yet at the same time the effect was not too finicky at all. Clearly, the kitchens on these trains are very special and the staff also clearly understand very well how to operate inside the space constraints.

I must tell you that for whatever reason and it wasn't particularly conscious, I decided to dress in keeping with a very old fashioned vision of first class train travel. Australia is of course hot most of the year and I chose a light grey suit of fabric by "Lanificio Mario Zegna" (I think it reads that anyway...) Super 100's from John Buzza in Western Australia matched with a thin striped lilac and white Abelard shirt and a Venetian Silver Silk tie and a real Panama Hat with a lilac band.

There was a small smoking saloon and I enjoyed a Maximus robusto with Mr. and Mrs John Sharples, from Brighton. Charming intelligent man actually and his wife was indeed very well-read and by no means averse to the cubans either.

...Soon, my lad. Soon. We must travel... ...again! J.A.