A Very Memorable Wedding Anniversary on the Orient Express Train

A Very Memorable Wedding Anniversary on the Orient Express Train

by Geraldine Treacy

“Your husband sounds like a real keeper” I remarked to my co-worker friend. “How romantic of him to think of planning to celebrate your 25^th anniversary on the Orient Express!” Wow! Trudy’s face lit up “Yes, I never imagined that he would come up with something so special and so romantic!” 

I was almost as excited as she was when we embarked on a shopping trip to get her outfitted with a glamourous wardrobe including cocktail hats, velvet flower combs, and beaded purses. I reminded Trudy that “they say there is no such thing as being overdressed on the Orient Express.”  Jeans are not acceptable attire on the train. We lived in rural Bucks County, Pennsylvania where the dress was casual for almost any occasion so Trudy hesitated a bit when I presented her with evening dresses in the fitting room. 

Trudy had a petite figure and a lovely face that always seemed to have a smile. Everyone in the office loved her as I was sure her husband obviously did as well. She had it all—looks and personality. Her positive outlook and sincerity endeared her to everyone. We had a lot of fun that day playing “dress up.”

I was genuinely happy for her and since I worked as a travel agent, travel was in my blood. My friend would be the first I knew to travel on this opulent train, an experience I only could imagine for myself. The office threw Trudy a bon voyage party and she was delighted with the send-off gifts we gave her such as monogramed baggage tags, a journal to keep a diary of the trip, a silver compact and some high-end toiletries. 

The elegant adventure was to begin in London and culminate in Venice. The train passes the most beautiful scenery during the day. The part of the journey between Brennero and Innsbruck is stunning.

The food was always gourmet with breakfast consisting of an assortment of freshly baked breads, smoked salmon eggs, truffles, caviar, and lobster quiche.

An icon of the rails, the Venice-Simplon-Orient Express epitomizes the golden age of travel. Trudy’s husband Alan pulled out all the stops in reserving a grand suite for the trip where they would indulge themselves with a plush double bed fitted with silk sheets, a marble en-suite shower, private dining, and free-flowing champagne. 

Some of the famous passengers on the Orient Express included Tolstoy, Trotsky, Diaghilev, Marlene Dietrich, Lawrence of Arabia and the spy Mata Hari. It became famous for its fictional spies, too, like James Bond, who took the train in Ian Fleming's novel From Russia with Love. Today, the train is perhaps most famous as the setting for Agatha Christie's classic murder mystery, Murder on the Orient Express. But that was fiction. There has never been an actual murder on the train.

I could not wait until Trudy returned from the trip to hear all about her wonderful experience. When I called, I was surprised to detect that she sounded depressed. She said Alan was acting rather “distant” during the trip and did not seem to share her excitement. Turns out on the last day of the trip, Alan sheepishly told Trudy that the trip was her “goodbye gift” as he was leaving her to start a new life with his secretary. His revelation completely shocked her. In retrospect, she remembered it was she who initiated any romantic overtures. She managed a laugh when I said “A jury would probably not have convicted you for committing the first murder on the Orient Express!”

A few months after Trudy returned from the trip, she went to the wake of a departed friend. Among the crowd of people paying their last respects, Trudy was surprised to run into an old high school friend. Back in the day Trudy was a cheerleader and John was on the high school football team. They had gone to the senior prom together but then went their separate ways to attend different colleges. 

They were excited to see each other after many years and decided to go out for a drink to reminiscence. Much to Trudy’s surprise, the chemistry that she thought had faded after many years apart, was rekindled. The spark was unmistakable. They traded telephone numbers and started dating. Her old schoolmate John was a widower and like Trudy, his children were grown and on their own.  They discovered that they had a lot in common and enjoyed each other’s company. After awhile their friendship transcended to another level and after a couple years of dating they decided to marry. Trudy was glad to learn that John did not have a secretary and exclaimed to John, “I’ll plan the honeymoon!” She took all of her elegant wardrobe that she hadn’t worn since the Orient Express trip to a consignment shop.  They evoked hurtful memories.

For the honeymoon she packed jeans and sweaters for the trip to the southern part of Colorado on the Durango & Silverton narrow gauge railroad. The coal-fired, steam powered locomotive has been in operation since 1882 and travels on the same tracks miners, cowboys and settlers of the Old West took over a century ago. The Durango train winds through spectacular and breathtaking canyons in the remote wilderness of the two-million acre San Juan National in Colorado. Trudy and John enjoyed complimentary non-alcoholic beverages served in a souvenir mug and a stop along the way at a campsite to toast s’mores. Not the cuisine of the Orient Express, but Trudy enjoyed sitting on a log with Alan’s arm around her. And it was fun conversing with the fellow passengers, many of whom were from Europe and visiting what they termed “the Wild West” for the first time.

The experience was the antithesis of the Orient Express for Trudy—no luxury, just genuine fun with a loved one in the crisp mountain air. Best of all, there were no unexpected surprises at the end. Trudy says she identifies with the adage “When God closes a door, He opens a window.”

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