Cynthia, over at MuseSwings , is inviting everyone today on a trip on the Orient Express!The original route of this luxury train began its first run on October 4, 1883, from Paris to Giurgiu in Romania via Munich and Vienna, then passengers were ferried across the Danube to continue their trip to Istanbul.
In 1885, another route began operations, this time reaching Istanbul via rail from Vienna to Belgrade and Niš, carriage to Plovdiv, and rail again to Istanbul. By 1962, the Orient Express had stopped running, and was replaced by a slower service called the Direct Orient Express, which ran daily cars from Paris to Belgrade, and twice weekly services from Paris to Istanbul and Athens.
The locomotive above didn't belong to the Orient Express, but to a retired steam engine train that now serves as a cafe in the town of Pančevo, 15 kilometers northeast of Belgrade. The windmill behind is a restaurant, where I photographed this soup last November 23rd.
