“Toni Dabhs .

Contributing Writer
‘IT didn’t matter where
I was going. Twas ther-.

oughly enjoying: the ~
process of getting there

on the Venice- -Simplon--

Orient-Express. .

“From. where I sat, in my
‘ privaté ‘compartment in,
Sleeping Car 3425, the train
“appeared to live up to its repur.
tation for luxury. The car’s:
faithfully restored interior fea:
tured polished wood panelling
‘with Art Deco leaf marquetry.-
decoration. Gleaming, brass fit-
tings included a period lug-
gage rack that could easily.
hold a large suitcase.

Built in.1929 by | i
Birmingham ‘Railway Carriage
and:Wagon Company in. =
Smethwick, England, the car:
had'served ‘the old Simplon-,. °
Orient-Express from 1931 to

933; the Arlberg: Orient-
‘Express from ‘1934 to, 1939, .
and the Simplo Orient-""
Express again from 1939 to.

che original Orien

‘Express debuted in’ 1883, car-
rying 40 VIP passengers from
Paris to Romania; where. they

connected by ferry-and regular:

to’'Cons' antinople: The

train, furnished with
ich’ tapestries, velvet curtains
d sparkli ng cryst quickly
h

ned Testige | with

Constantinople (a’ journey. “of,
67 hours) possible.‘The 1906

pening: of the. Simplon
en Swi Sane

he Arlberg. Tunnel, a: 10-kilo

tes

European’railway t

ock.'S Se Y

ere, fortunately, stored.. Wh
fighting ceased, the train :
feturned to operation but not

Later that year, James B.
_ Sherwood, now chairman of ©
“Orient- Express Hotels but
then president of Sea. :
Containers Ltd., bought two
‘of the threadbare carnages at

an auction, and the dream was
reborn. At a cost of more. than:

$16 million U.S., 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 cach year,”

‘the train travels various routes
“across the continent, calling at.

Paris, Venice, Florence; Rome,” ;

“Monte Carlo, Prague, so" -
- Budapest, Bucharest and :
~ Istanbul (lormerly :
» Constantinople).
As it happened, Thad

boarded the VSOE in Prague
- and was en route to Paris, two
~ beautiful European capitals:, a
‘ft had been my first Visit to: ,

“the Czech Republic, and I had «

“explored Prague’s oldest dis

“triets (Hradcany, Mala’ Strana, :

Stare Mesto and Josefov),
“wandéring from one architec- °
“tural treasure to the nest."

“Having been spared, serious

damage in the two. world wars.

“thé city has man magnificent

buildings of v rying vintages
Prague Castle; the largest
ancient castle in’ ‘the world, -:

me Shroughout th thea age
‘as late as, the’ 1920

ng, artists of thi

paragon of Art Notvea
“House'at the:Blac
Madonna,” built in: 1912; is @
rare example of Cubist ‘archi
ecture, 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”:

Romanesqu “House at the

Stone Bell” to the 18th centu- S

1338; to wth mechanical
a figures on the Astronomical :
” Clock: mark the hou

“Now, as I enjoy
served in my. private compat!
ment on the VSOE;.1 gazed a
the rural. Czech fandscape *
drifting past my window and
tried to decide which part of

Pari to revisit when the train,

there the next day.
ite, the little
island i in the Seine where the

"city began; won my internal

debate. It would be a Sunday,
so the popular flower and bird ,
market, the oldést and mos
colo ful i in Paris, would be in
full Swing around Place Loui
unday als seemed
like/an appropriate time. to pay
homage to Sainte Chapelle
and Cathédrale Notre Dan
Gothic magnificence

guards® during ‘th

goldsmiths, the cozy re
art

and, crafts

\.. Mercedes-Benz .C di Inc
375° Maring D 9 ‘