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It didn't matter where I was going. I was thoroughly enjoying the process of getting there—on the Venice-Simplon-Orient-Express.

From where I sat, in my private compartment on Sleeping Car 3425, the train appeared to live up to its reputation for luxury. Built in 1929, the car had been faithfully restored, from its polished wood paneling with Art Deco marquetry decoration to its gleaming brass fittings.

The original Orient-Express debuted in 1883, carrying 40 VIP passengers from Paris to Romania, where they connected by ferry and regular railway to Constantinople. The elegant train, furnished with rich tapestries, velvet curtains and sparkling crystal, quickly gained prestige with chic travelers.

By 1889, a new rail link made continuous service between Paris and Constantinople (a journey of 67 hours) possible. The 1906 opening of the Simplon Tunnel between Switzerland and Italy (the longest tunnel in the world at 20 kilometers) considerably shortened travel time between Paris and Venice, and when the Orient-Express adopted this route in 1919, it changed its name to the Simplon-Orient-Express.

After the First World War, a second route—the Arlberg-Orient-Express—was introduced, operating from Paris to Basle, Zurich and Vienna via the Arlberg Tunnel, a 10-kilometer tunnel in Austria.

The Second World War caused devastation of European railway track and stock. Several Orient-Express cars were pressed into service during the conflict, but others were fortunately stored. When fighting ceased, the train returned to operation but not to its former high standard of service. It was replaced by an ordinary train in 1962, and operation was discontinued in 1977.

Later that year, James B. Sherwood, now chairman of Orient-Express Hotels but then president of Sea Containers Ltd., bought two of the threadbare carriages at an auction, and the dream was reborn. At a cost of more than US$16 million, he sought out additional cars, purchased and authentically restored them, launching the new Venice-Simplon-Orient-Express (VSOE) in 1982.

Today, operating from March to November each year, the train travels various routes across the continent, calling at Paris, Venice, Florence, Rome, Monte Carlo, Prague, Budapest, Bucharest and Istanbul (formerly Constantinople).

As it happened, I had boarded the VSOE in Prague and was en route to Paris—two beautiful European capitals.

It had been my first visit to the Czech Republic, and I had explored Prague's oldest districts (Hradcany, Mala Strana, Stare Mesto and Josefov), wandering from one architectural treasure to the next. Having been spared serious damage in the two world wars, the city has many magnificent buildings of varying vintages.

Prague Castle, the largest ancient castle in the world, dates from the ninth century, with heads of state having made additions of different styles throughout the ages—even as late as the 1920s. The Old-New Synagogue, completed about 1270, is Europe's oldest active synagogue and one of Prague's earliest Gothic structures.

The Municipal House, built between 1906 and 1912, with embellishments by 30 leading artists of the day, is a paragon of Art Nouveau. The "House at the Black Madonna," built in 1912, is a rare example of Cubist architecture, a style that is unique to the Czech Republic.

I stopped at a cafe on the perimeter of the Old Town Square and sipped espresso as I watched tour groups move from the 14th century Romanesque "House at the Stone Bell" to the 18th century Baroque St. Nicholas Church. I joined them beside the Old Town Hall, dating from 1338, to see the mechanical figures on the Astronomical Clock mark the hour.

Now, as I enjoyed tea served in my compartment on the VSOE, I gazed at the rural Czech landscape drifting past my window and tried to decide which part of Paris to revisit when the train arrived there the next day.

Ile de la Cité, the little island in the Seine where the city began, won my internal debate. It would be a Sunday, so the popular flower and bird market, the oldest and most colorful in Paris, would be in full swing around Place Louis-Lepine. Sunday also seemed like an appropriate time to pay homage to Sainte Chapelle and Cathedrale Notre Dame.

The Gothic magnificence of Notre Dame, located on the east end of Ile de la Cité, is well known. Begun in 1163 and completed around 1345, the cathedral has shared notoriety with many important people and events in French history.

The small church of Sainte Chapelle is almost hidden within the walls of the Palais de Justice (law courts), which dominates the west end of the island. Consecrated in 1248, it contains a pretty upper chapel illuminated by an entire wall of 13th century stained glass, some of the oldest and finest in Paris.

Having made my decision, I dressed for dinner and joined friends in the bar car, where we chatted with other passengers while a pianist played background music on a baby grand. We then had dinner in the Côte d'Azur restaurant car, decorated with panels of Lalique glass - one of three restored restaurant cars on the train.

The train's physical attributes are only part of the VSOE experience; service—providing precisely the right amount of attention at exactly the right time—is another major component. The service in our dining car was as good as that of any high quality restaurant. So was the food.

When I returned to my compartment, the steward had converted it from a sitting to a sleeping configuration. I crawled beneath the covers and propped myself up, turned off the light and raised the window shade. I let the gentle motion of the VSOE lull me to sleep as the train passed through a fairytale landscape of European villages.

Contact

Venice-Simplon-Orient-Express
phone 1-800-524-2420

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