The Orient Express luxury train has made the stop in Sinaia mountain resort in Romania on Monday, according to the existing annual tradition on its famous route from Paris to Istanbul. Those 98 passengers have visited the Peles Castle in Sinaia, and after that the train hit the road again.
“It’s the 19th trip for us, going from Paris to Istanbul and back. It’s as charming as ever, the passengers are very happy to cross all countries. We are travelling from Paris and we are happy to be in Sinaia,” said senior train manager Bruno Janssens, who added that the stop in Sinaia is “historical”.
“We always stop in Sinaia, it’s a historical stop. King Carol stopped the train and went through his town. It’s an important stop for us, especially the visit to the Peles Castle,” Janssens added. He said the first stop was at Budapest on Saturday.
The senior train manager said a journey by the Orient Express is EUR 9,000 per person, with all included in this price, except for the alcohol.
“The passengers enjoy different things in life. Those people do look for special things in life,” Bruno Janssens said.
Orient Express has 15 carriages and 40 people are in the train staff.
The Orient Express embarked on its first journey in October 1883, when it had a steam locomotive. The train left from Paris, crossed the Alps, passed through Budapest and Bucharest and arrived in Constantinople. The train has carried all kind of characters aboard all these years, from celebrities to arguable people.
The 20s was the most popular time for the Orient Express. It was then that famous Agatha Christie wrote her novel “Murder on the Orient Express”.
Regarding the stop in Sinaia, people say that King Carol I, aboard the Express, asked for the train to stop in Sinaia, inviting all its passengers to the Peles Castle and the halt in this lovely mountain resort has been a tradition ever since.