On October 4, 1883, approximately forty guests of the Compagnie des Wagons-Lits boarded the Orient-Express for its maiden run. Sumptuously furnished, teeming with mystery, suspense and the promise of exotic adventure, the luxury trans-European train journeyed from Paris to Constantinople, via Strasbourg, Munich, Vienna, Budapest, and Bucharest. Nearly 2,000 miles in less than 80 hours. Clearly, the making of legends. |