The legendary train composition „Orient Express“ arrived at 1:45 p.m. at the Central Railway Station of Ruse, Bulgaria. The train was a little behind schedule, but that didn’t bother its many visitors who had come to the platform to see it live and take pictures in front of the luxury carriages. Many parents had brought their children to experience the thrill of meeting the Orient Express.
In the composition, which consists of 15 carriages, were traveling 91 tourists, of which only 21 were from European Union countries. Among the passengers there were many Americans, Canadians, British people and even residents of New Zealand. The trip from Paris to Istanbul costs £19,000.
Amelia, New Zealand, shared that the trip was wonderful and that she and her boyfriend were happy to be on the Orient Express. They bought the tickets two years in advance and are going to see for the first time some of the countries they pass through. „It’s very exciting to travel with so many people from different countries, good food, good wine.“ she says.
Sheila from Great Britain and her husband David also say that the train is fantastic and are delighted to see so many wonderful and different countries. They are traveling on the Orient Express for the first time and explain that the food is great, served three times a day, there is free wine and champagne, and most importantly are meeting nice people. They even learned how to greet with „Hello“ in Bulgarian.
The journey is not only made by train. The passengers, in most cases, sleep in luxury hotels at night, which they like very much. Around 40 staff members provide for the overall comfort of the travelers. The food that is served to the passengers is mainly French and Italian cuisine, and the chefs try to present something from the country through which the train currently passes. When they are in France, for example, occasionally the delicacy “foie gras” is being served. The cuisine is Michelin-style, the food menu changes periodically, according to the season – there is one type of dishes in the summer and another one in the winter. At the moment of the interview, the lunch menu was tartare with guacamole, caprese, green salad with herbs. For a main course – lobster with special sauce and coral powder and the dessert was exotic baba (a type of cake – n.a.)
The Greek chef Fanos Orlov says that working at Orient Express is like a miracle. The biggest challenge, according to his words, is to respect people because there are many different personalities and cultures, all gathered in one place. Additionally, famous people travel often on this train, therefore their privacy must be protected and respected.
From Ruse, the train continued to Varna, where it will be greeted with bread and salt, and at (date) it will have arrived at its final destination, Istanbul.
