SEDUCED BY THE ORIENT-EXPRESS

Our own journey aboard the Orient-Express began at 11 A.M. at Venice’s Santa Lucia Station. The velvet rope was moved to one side and passengers headed for their compartments. Traveling that day were numerous couples celebrating anniversaries (gay men included), newlyweds, and long-time aficionados of the train. People of all ages and nationalities were represented, but the primary passengers were retired people and Europeans. The trip to Paris would take us through the Italian Dolomites and the Swiss Alps during the day, and we would spend the night on board as the train traveled through France before arriving in The City of Lights the next morning.

Etoile du Nord Dining Car

Feeling like excited, little kids, everyone was eager to get on the train. Once outside our cabin, however, the shock set in. The accommodations were barely big enough for two people to stand up in, let alone spend an entire night. The expressions on our fellow passengers’ faces were priceless: “Is this all there is?” they seemed to ask.

Once the initial disappointment wore off, we all laughed and decided to make the most of our tight living quarters. Yes, there were no private bathrooms in the cabins (or showers on the train), and we would be sleeping in single-size bunk beds, but this was the height of luxury in the 1920s. Stoically, we all seemed to agree: “If it was good enough for them, it’s good enough for us.”

Smart travelers, take note: many couples embarking on the Orient- Express book a suite (two connecting cabins) so that they can experience the authenticity of the train without feeling confined. It also provides more room when it comes time to dress for dinner, which proved quite funny in our regular cabin as we contorted ourselves into our eveningwear.

Meals onboard the Orient-Express are a fascinating experience. Soon after boarding, the Maitre d’ came to our cabin to take our lunch and dinner reservations. There are two seatings at each meal, so we decided a late lunch and dinner would be best. The only drawback to this, if you like to eat, is that afternoon tea seemed to start the moment we put down our lunch forks.

All dishes are freshly prepared by French chefs, with supplies taken onboard during the train’s journey. Lunch, dinner, and brunch are served by Italian waiters in one of three individually-styled restaurant cars: Lalique, Etoile du Nord, or Chinoise.

My favorite dining car on the Orient-Express, and the one where we had lunch as we traveled through the Swiss Alps, is the Lalique Pullman. Built in 1929 as a first class Pullman and decorated by René Lalique in the “Côte d’Azur” style, the faintly blue opaque glass shows various classical figures holding grapes, with a matching frieze of smaller panels.

Enjoying cocktails in our cabin that evening, the real mystery and magic of the Orient-Express began to reveal itself along with the orange-red glow of the setting sun. Donning white dinner jackets, we headed to the bar car for an aperitif. Along the way, we passed couples making their way to the dining cars for the first seating of the night. One woman was being pulled through the train cars on a specially-built wheelchair that fits in the narrow hallways. She was dressed in a 1930s “midnight” lace gown, and I imagined she had taken her first trip on the Orient-Express in the 1930s. Later that evening, I learned that she has been a passenger on the train 43 times. Each year, she and her husband would travel together and celebrate their anniversary. This year was her first trip alone, as her husband had passed away. Her determination to get on with her life and to celebrate the things she and her husband had shared was moving and inspirational.

Lalique Car

Martinis in hand (shaken, not stirred) we sat back in the plush velvet chairs and surveyed the bar car. A group of 70-somethings stood around the piano singing songs from what were possibly hit shows from London’s West End in the 1920s! If only the pianist would play a little Gershwin or Cole Porter, I thought to myself.

Having active imaginations, my partner and I tried to decide who was who in the room. The jewel thief? Definitely the man wearing the Ray Ban sunglasses with the lenses that go from dark brown at the top to light brown at the bottom. His companion (and our clue to his “avocation”) was a rather slender woman with ample cleavage who wore a single black pearl around her neck that was the size of an egg.

The spy? Possibly the young man wearing a tight-fitting tuxedo with thin lapels. He was drinking a Manhattan (avec cherry), devouring the salted nuts, and looking over his shoulder constantly. On the other hand, he may simply have been admiring the hot Italian bartender.

But enough of conjecture, it was time for dinner.

Heading for the Chinoise dining car and its Asian-inspired décor, we passed a gay couple in matching black tuxedos gazing into each other’s eyes while finishing off what looked like chocolate cake with raspberry sauce and crème fraîche. Across from them, a Japanese man was sharing a bottle of champagne with three women dressed as geishas. At the far end of the dining car, savoring a glass of port, was the woman in the midnight lace.

Once seated, we opted for another vodka martini and a chance to relax and enjoy this unique, and quite seductive, experience. The sound of the train on the tracks, the hushed conversations in the background, and the aromas coming from the kitchen were combining to make a potent aphrodisiac. Dinner that night just heightened our sensual yearnings: julienne vegetables and air-cured ham in a light pastry case and vintage vinegar dressing was followed by braised beef with rosemary white truffles and marsala wine jus.

Bar Steward

Afterwards, a choice of Italian cheeses was served and the finale of the meal was iced meringue studded with fine chocolate flakes. “My bunk or yours,” I whispered.

Surprisingly, or maybe not, we both slept very well that night. This was an experience we would never forget. It was only a short journey, but it combined all the elements of adventure and romance that we had come to expect since the time we were kids. Images filled our heads from all those movies where handsome men and beautiful women travel the world, fall in love, and are welcomed like family members wherever they go.

What made this journey especially memorable, however, was the fact we were a gay couple traveling together, and we were being treated that way as well.