Thread by @bucharestlife

Paris Gare de l’Est. About to board a train to Istanbul. If you have no interest in crossing Europe by railway, you might want to mute this thread.

And this is the train.

Complementary bottle of Veuve in our compartment. You don’t get that on CFR.

Our compartment on the #orientexpress. No en-suite facilities, except for a sink. The train’s carriages are original, from the 1920s and 30s, so given that there were no en-suite showers then, there aren’t now. The only nods to modernity are air conditioning and plug sockets.

The best thing about a long-distance train journey is of course the @_DiningCar There are three on this train, this was where we ate lunch today.

Bar’s open.

It’s the question you all want answered: What are the bathrooms like on the Orient Express? Answer: Immaculate.

Crossed the French border, now a short stop at Basel to change locomotives.

Dinner tonight had a 1920s theme, so both Amelia and I made an effort with our clobber. Well, she did.

Dinner by the way began shortly after afternoon tea had ended, which itself began shortly after lunch had ended. If you ever take this train be prepared to eat - a lot.

While we were at dinner our compartment was transformed into our bedroom. Standard bunk layout, but the beds are not standard at all - they are extremely comfy. We’ve also crossed both the Swiss and Liechtenstein borders and are now in Austria.

Breakfast on the Orient Express is served in your compartment. You make your order the night before and it gets delivered at a time of your choosing. Gluten free pastries, jams, honey, coffee and juice for us.

Vienna Westbahnhof. As if meticulously planned, the train on the adjacent platform is another classic, the Trans Europ Express.