In 1935 a wealthy Romanian woman was robbed by her compartment companion and pushed through the open window of the Orient Express. German fold-out cross-section of an Orient Express dining car, 1896. (Photo: Arjan den Boer) Converted to today’s value, a ticket cost around 1,750 euros, a quarter of the annual income of the average Frenchman. The direct train between Constantinople and Paris was a fast alternative to boat travel - but only for those who could afford it. The opening of the new Constantinople station in 1890 marked the beginning of the Golden Age of the Orient Express. The first Orient Express featured in L’Illustration, 1884 (Photo: Arjan den Boer) Golden Age East and West finally were directly connected in 1888-traveling 3,000 kilometers in only 68 hours. The last leg to Constantinople had to be made by steamer across the Black Sea. Construction was delayed due to the political situation in the Balkans and the decline of the Ottoman empire. In a way, the Orient Express started running a few years too early, as the railway through Serbia and Bulgaria was not yet finished. “It must be said, during the entire trip from Paris to Bucharest the menus vie with each other in variety and sophistication-even if they are prepared in the microscopic galley at one end of the dining car,” he wrote.
De Blowitz not only reported on the interesting conversations he had with his travel companions, but also about the exquisite food aboard the Orient Express: His publications, in which he revealed conspiracies or war plans, influenced the course of European history several times. “The bright-white tablecloths and napkins, artistically and coquettishly folded by the sommeliers, the glittering glasses, the ruby red and topaz white wine, the crystal-clear water decanters and the silver capsules of the champagne bottles-they blind the eyes of the public both inside and outside,” wrote one of the guests, Henri Opper de Blowitz, about the inaugural dining car.īohemia-born De Blowitz was very well-traveled, spoke several languages and knew many prominent people. They provided the rails and locomotives, Wagons-Lits supplied the sleeping and dining cars.įirst Orient Express poster by Jules Chéret, 1888 (Photo: Arjan den Boer) After several experiments he reached an agreement with eight railway companies-from France to Romania-in 1883.
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