The Orient Express- A Golden Era of Travel (2025) Season 1 Episode 4

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The Orient Express- A Golden Era of Travel The Orient Express- A Golden Era of Travel (2025) S01E04 The Orient Express- A Golden Era of Travel (2025) Season 1 Episode 4

Transcript

00:00For over a hundred years, the Orient Express, the world's most iconic train, crossed Europe.

00:13If you would be traveling on the Orient Express in its golden age, this is the kind of carriage

00:18you would be traveling on. Until its withdrawal, the train tied Europe together. Prince Ferdinand

00:26was quoted in saying that the Orient Express is of vital interest to us.

00:31A service famed for its glamour and luxury.

00:35This space was for the creme de la creme, the best of the best.

00:39That became world famous.

00:42The Cold War made the Orient Express the hotbed of spice.

00:47And whose legacy is still felt.

00:50Let's say 150 years ago you came here with the Orient Express.

00:53You would have seen exactly the same mosque of today.

00:59In this series, we'll take a 2,000 mile journey across Europe.

01:05It's always a very exciting moment when we are doing a route for the first time.

01:11And follow a new luxury train as it retraces the fabled route.

01:16Exploring the history of a golden age of train travel along the way.

01:23In the golden age of rail, a single ticket on the Orient Express network took passengers

01:35from London all the way to Istanbul, the gateway to the east.

01:40In the 1920s, Waggonli, the company that ran the Orient Express,

01:46had a luxury train network that stretched across three continents.

01:50At the core of this network were there multiple Orient Express services.

01:57On this final leg of the route retracing the Orient Express,

02:01we head deep into the Balkan states through Belgrade and Sofia

02:06before arriving into Istanbul.

02:14Discovering a royal interloper.

02:16It's a fascinating thing that one of the kings of Europe

02:19was not only a passenger but also a pilot of the Orient Express.

02:23And a luxurious literary link.

02:26Some people believe that Agatha Christie wrote

02:28some part of the murder on the Orient Express in this room.

02:32Before a grand final arrival.

02:34Always a special moment when one arrives to Istanbul

02:37because Istanbul is such a unique place.

02:41After crossing the border into Bulgaria,

02:51the Orient Express slowly weaved its way through the Dragoman Pass.

02:56Named after the Arabic word for guide,

02:59this pass was one of the highlights of this part of the route.

03:05The same rails are still used by modern luxury trains today,

03:09retracing the journey of the Orient Express.

03:11Between Paris and Istanbul.

03:16Initially, Orient Express trains reached Istanbul through Romania

03:20with passengers taking a boat to their final destination.

03:25In 1889, railway connections through Serbia and Bulgaria

03:29were finally completed,

03:31allowing trains to run all the way to Istanbul.

03:37Transforming small villages like Dragoman with new stations,

03:40maintenance depots and jobs all associated with the Orient Express

03:45and its new route.

03:49But another 45 minutes on from Dragoman

03:52was where passengers on the Orient Express

03:55would have experienced something special,

03:57the Bulgarian capital of Sofia.

04:00In the shadow of the Vitosha mountain and over two and a half thousand years old,

04:07Sofia is built atop Roman remains.

04:13The city only became the capital of Bulgaria in 1879,

04:17when the region was liberated from the Ottoman Empire

04:20and Bulgaria established.

04:22The city of Sofia and Bulgaria established.

04:28Over the following decades,

04:31passengers would have experienced a booming city

04:33with lavish new buildings,

04:35public parks and an extensive tram network.

04:38A historic feature of these trams dating back to 1909

04:43is a post box by the front door,

04:47meaning you can post your letter into any tram

04:49and it will be collected by the post office.

04:54Today, amongst the city's grand architecture,

04:57are hundreds of brutalist buildings.

04:58a clue to a period of time

05:04when this city was firmly behind the Iron Curtain.

05:11We are now at the centre of the so-called The Zone,

05:17also known as the Zone B5.

05:21In 1944, a Soviet-backed coup

05:24overthrew the Bulgarian government.

05:28For the next 45 years, Bulgaria was a communist country

05:32and a key ally of the Soviet Union.

05:37Dimitar Uzunov is a local historian and guide

05:40born under communist rule.

05:43There were no things like human rights,

05:45especially if you are dissident,

05:46if you have anything against the communist regime.

05:50Some estimations, rough estimations,

05:52about the people who died oppressed during the regime

05:56is, goes up to 30,000 people.

06:01So tight were the controls on the population

06:03that a simple joke could have you arrested

06:06and sent to a forced labour camp.

06:12Communism transformed Sofia

06:14as the country rapidly industrialised.

06:17The city of Sofia had, at the end of the World War II,

06:21had about 400,000 people.

06:24Forty years later, it was at least three times more.

06:28And in order to accommodate all those people,

06:31there were such kind of complexes built.

06:33This is a residential complex,

06:37brutally stalled,

06:38and it was built in the early 80s.

06:41And compared to other complexes of such type,

06:45this is actually a very luxurious one.

06:48It is a very modern one.

06:50There were the artists, the intelligentsia in here.

06:53So it was actually quite a prestigious place

06:55to live during the communist period.

07:01Communism and the Cold War

07:02caused serious problems for the Orient Express.

07:05The Orient Express was everything

07:09that the communism was against.

07:12It was luxurious, it was for rich people,

07:14it was bourgeois.

07:15That's why it was really not welcomed

07:18in communist Bulgaria right after World War II.

07:21But when Orient Express reopened its service in the 1950s,

07:25it became actually quite a useful link

07:27between the East and West.

07:30And also it was probably the only way

07:33you could have a look at communist Bulgaria

07:35if you are, let's say, from Western Europe.

07:41When the Orient Express was allowed to run,

07:44it was very tightly controlled.

07:46As the train entered Bulgaria,

07:48it was searched from top to bottom,

07:50with even the light bulbs being unscrewed

07:52to check for secret messages.

07:53It meant the train was regularly delayed by hours.

08:00But the communist regime also saw the train

08:02as a propaganda opportunity.

08:05The stations were newly painted,

08:07everything was proper, nice,

08:09there were benches for people to sit on,

08:12there were water fountains,

08:14there were places for kids to play.

08:17Basically, it should give a window

08:22into this paradise communist country on earth.

08:28Despite the careful stage management,

08:31the world that wealthy Westerners glimpsed

08:33from the windows of the Orient Express

08:34was a very different one to what they were used to.

08:39One of the most common cars behind the Iron Curtain

08:42was the Trabant 601.

08:45The communist answer to the Volkswagen Beetle...

08:52..over two million of these cars were produced.

08:58But today, they're a rare sight on Sofia's roads.

09:12Cars aren't the only survivors

09:14from the communist era in Bulgaria.

09:19This is a monument of the people

09:22who resisted the Nazi regime during World War II.

09:26This monument was built in the 1950s

09:29and it had a very strong symbolical meaning

09:33for the communist party and the regime.

09:36I was born in 1978

09:38and I remember when I was 10 years old,

09:41we were gathered here

09:43and there was a ritual

09:46in which we became members

09:48of the communist youth movement,

09:51which was called Pioneers.

09:52It was really very ritualistic,

09:55you know, with all sorts of almost military movement.

09:58As you can see today,

10:00it is really taken as a symbol

10:04of the communist period

10:05and shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall,

10:07many monuments like this

10:09were vandalised, destroyed.

10:13This is actually one of the last monuments

10:15that still stands here in Sofia.

10:22The regular service behind the Iron Curtain

10:25attracted a new clientele to the Orient Express.

10:28It was probably the only link between West and East,

10:34but it was also a place

10:36where all sorts of spies would,

10:38in both directions, would go.

10:40This was the easiest way

10:42to get from one side of the Iron Curtain to the other.

10:47The Cold War made the Orient Express

10:50the hotbed of spies.

10:52There was Fish, a person, an American spy

10:56in Bucharest, in Romania,

10:59but at one point he was discovered by the Russians,

11:02and instead of going out through the regular way,

11:08he would take the Orient Express.

11:11On the 23rd of February, 1950,

11:15American captain Eugene Karp, nicknamed Fish,

11:19boarded Compartment 2 on the train,

11:21heading for Paris.

11:24In Switzerland,

11:26when the attendant knocked at his door

11:29of his cabin,

11:31there was no one inside,

11:33and they discovered his dismembered body

11:35not far from Salzburg in Austria.

11:38His body was so far from the train

11:39that they discovered that even if he wanted

11:42to commit suicide,

11:43he couldn't jump so far from the train.

11:45That's why today they take this

11:48as probably the first

11:50and the only documented murder

11:52on Orient Express.

11:56The Orient Express and espionage

11:59became so intertwined

12:00that it became known as the train of spies.

12:05It soon became the stomping ground

12:07for the world's most famous spy.

12:09The Orient Express was inspiration

12:14for Jan Fleming,

12:16the author of James Bond's book

12:18From Russia with Love,

12:20and one of the main scenes

12:21happened on the Orient Express.

12:24And this is actually where really the name,

12:27the train of spies,

12:29came from.

12:32The Orient Express stopped serving Sofia

12:35in 1977.

12:36But it wasn't until 1990

12:38that Bulgaria relinquished communism

12:41and held its first free democratic election.

12:43The Golden Eagle Danube Express

12:57The Golden Eagle Danube Express

12:59is a modern luxury train

13:01that is travelling across the same route

13:04as the Orient Express

13:05on its journey to Istanbul.

13:07With Paris almost two and a half thousand kilometres behind,

13:13our journey finds us in Bulgaria,

13:15on the outskirts of Sofia,

13:17heading towards the Turkish border.

13:19Hungry Orient Express passengers

13:26soon discovered that the train's dining car

13:28was as luxurious as its first-class carriages.

13:34Menus changed daily,

13:36were written out by hand,

13:37and the food was extravagant.

13:39A dinner consisted of seven courses,

13:43including soup,

13:44a fish dish,

13:45two meat dishes,

13:46and two desserts.

13:51It's a legacy that chefs

13:53on modern luxury trains

13:54seek to uphold today.

13:57Three times a day,

13:58this tiny kitchen springs to life,

14:01preparing restaurant-quality food

14:02for all the guests.

14:05We're usually working in this kitchen,

14:08and you can see

14:10we don't have too much space.

14:13Here's the oven.

14:15We have some fridge here

14:16and the other side as well.

14:18So we have a small space,

14:21but we're just working here.

14:25Head pastry chef Rebecca Krupa

14:27has been working

14:28on the Golden Eagle Danube Express

14:30for six years.

14:31It's her job

14:32to prepare decadent desserts.

14:36She has worked

14:37in some of Hungary's

14:38finest restaurants,

14:39but it's the train

14:40that is her first love.

14:42So I just enjoy it

14:43because I love being creative

14:46and I really love

14:49the special things,

14:50so it makes me happy.

14:55The chefs on the Orient Express

14:57were some of the finest in Europe.

14:59Waggonli,

15:00the company that ran the train,

15:02did all they could

15:02to hold on to the best of the best.

15:06Like Rebecca,

15:07they made everything fresh

15:08and from scratch.

15:10Usually when I'm making the desserts,

15:13I just...

15:14First, I just imagine it.

15:18I just think about it a lot,

15:20and after I just try it,

15:22and after I just make it,

15:25and it will be amazing.

15:26Every week,

15:30the Orient Express restaurant cars

15:32served 10 tons of meat,

15:3470 tons of vegetables,

15:36and over 5.5 tons of fruit.

15:42The chefs of the Orient Express

15:44were expected to produce custom food

15:46whenever requested.

15:50Luckily,

15:51the Golden Eagle guests

15:52aren't so demanding.

15:53But similarly to the standards

15:57set originally

15:58by the Orient Express,

16:00these chefs are producing

16:01an eight-course

16:02exclusive dinner menu.

16:09It's quite difficult

16:10because first,

16:11I have to start

16:12with the cream

16:13and with the ganache

16:14before one day

16:16I want to serve a tart.

16:18And there's no expense spared

16:23on that extra touch

16:24of luxury

16:25with Rebecca

16:26and her fellow chefs

16:27getting through

16:28£3,000 worth a month

16:30of edible gold.

16:35It's a pretty long time

16:37put together,

16:39for example,

16:39at this tart,

16:40but it's OK.

16:42With the finishing touches

16:44in place,

16:45the food heads

16:45to the dining car

16:46to be enjoyed

16:47by the passengers.

16:49We're all the time

16:50trying to fix everything

16:51because the first thing

16:54our guests

16:55must be happy.

16:59Continuing along

17:00the old route

17:01of the Orient Express

17:02through Bulgaria,

17:03we reach the village

17:04of Kaziceni.

17:07Now completely abandoned,

17:10it is difficult

17:10to tell from the ruins

17:11just how important

17:13this station once was.

17:16Opened in 1911,

17:17this was the private halt

17:19of the kings of Bulgaria.

17:23The station was built

17:24for Ferdinand I,

17:26a flamboyant ruler

17:27who soon became

17:28an overly passionate fan

17:30of the Orient Express.

17:33The king's guests

17:34would depart

17:35their private train

17:36and then catch

17:37a miniature railway

17:38to his grand Vrana Palace.

17:43Having been built

17:47as his private residence,

17:48it really gives

17:49a more intimate feeling.

17:51So it's not as grand

17:52as other European palaces,

17:54but it made up

17:55through its household service

17:57and the way it was managed.

18:00Georgi Bosidarov

18:01is a Bulgarian royal historian.

18:04Royal guests

18:05who were staying here

18:06would be treated

18:07in the best way possible.

18:08Their dishes

18:09were never cold,

18:10of course.

18:11The uniforms

18:12of the staff members

18:13were gilded.

18:14So were the menus,

18:15which were always cooked

18:16by a French cook

18:18who King Ferdinand

18:19brought to Bulgaria.

18:24The palace

18:25was full of luxury.

18:28Its central lobby

18:29leads to a grand

18:30marble staircase

18:31and an elaborate reception room.

18:36But it wasn't just

18:37the house

18:37that was impressive.

18:39From 1905 until 1924,

18:42visitors may have spotted

18:43something spectacular

18:44in the grounds.

18:47I mean,

18:48it's really weird

18:49to think about the fact

18:50that 100 years ago

18:51there were two elephants

18:52just falling in the park.

18:55Bought by Ferdinand

18:56for his children,

18:58the two elephants

18:59were named Narl

18:59and the Tamayenti,

19:01after ancient Indian heroes.

19:04You can imagine

19:05two animals.

19:06They need their

19:07physical activity.

19:08So the only way

19:09to provide that

19:09was really for them

19:10to be used as oxes.

19:12But, of course,

19:13although it may sound

19:14not traditional,

19:16and it's not traditional,

19:17they were still cared for.

19:18They had separate houses here.

19:23King Ferdinand I

19:25was a second cousin

19:26of Queen Victoria.

19:27In 1887,

19:30he became the second

19:31elected ruler of Bulgaria,

19:33nine years after it

19:34was liberated

19:35from the Ottoman Empire.

19:38He was a man

19:39who demanded

19:40respect for his,

19:42of course, authority,

19:43even though he ruled

19:44over a land

19:45which was pretty much

19:46unknown at the time.

19:47He himself

19:47had quite a prestigious heritage.

19:49He set about

19:52transforming Bulgaria

19:53and its new capital,

19:54Sofia,

19:55into a modern,

19:56European-style state.

19:59The railways

20:00were a key part

20:01of his plan.

20:03It was vital

20:04for Bulgaria

20:05to be connected

20:05to Europe,

20:06which at the time

20:07could only happen

20:08through the railway system.

20:09When he ascended

20:10the throne,

20:11he inherited,

20:12unfortunately,

20:12a railway system

20:13here in Bulgaria

20:14which was underdeveloped.

20:15was music

20:17to the ears

20:18of the Orient Express.

20:19Ferdinand's desire

20:20to build a line

20:20across Bulgaria

20:21was music

20:22to the ears

20:23of the Orient Express.

20:26Previously,

20:26Orient Express passengers

20:28would have had

20:28to have taken

20:29a stagecoach

20:29through Bulgaria,

20:30but the new line

20:32meant trains

20:32could run right through.

20:35On the occasion

20:36of the opening

20:37of the line,

20:38Prince Ferdinand

20:39was quoted

20:39in saying

20:40that the Orient Express

20:41is of vital interest

20:43to us.

20:45Ferdinand's belief

20:47that the Bulgarian railways

20:49belonged to him

20:50caused headaches

20:51for the Orient Express.

20:53His demands

20:54were often acquiesced

20:55so as not to lose

20:56a powerful ally.

20:58He would oftentimes

21:00take interest

21:01in going to the locomotive,

21:02having a chat

21:03with the pilots,

21:04even helping

21:05to operate it.

21:06Now, can you imagine

21:07other royals

21:08helping operate

21:09the train at the time?

21:12King Ferdinand's rule

21:14came to an abrupt end

21:15with Bulgaria's defeat

21:16in World War I.

21:18He was forced

21:19to resign.

21:21Therefore,

21:21on the 3rd of October

21:22of 1918,

21:24King Ferdinand

21:25gave his very last dinner

21:26here in the palace.

21:28He announced

21:29the accession

21:30of King Boris III

21:32and left Bulgaria.

21:35Unfortunately,

21:35he never came back.

21:36King Boris III's rule

21:43was much less flamboyant

21:45as Bulgaria

21:46dealt with hardships

21:47following the war.

21:51One thing

21:51he did inherit

21:52from his father

21:53was his passion

21:54for the railways

21:54and, similarly to his dad,

21:56he actually used

21:57to operate

21:58sometimes trains,

21:59although I'm not sure

22:00if he ever operated

22:01the Orient Express.

22:02as it steamed

22:09its way

22:10towards Istanbul,

22:11the Orient Express

22:12arrived into Plovdiv,

22:14the last major stop

22:15before the Turkish border.

22:19Built around six hills,

22:22Plovdiv is one

22:23of the oldest cities

22:24in Europe.

22:27Its narrow streets

22:28have changed little

22:29in the past 500 years.

22:34In the 1920s,

22:36any visitor

22:36coming to Plovdiv

22:37from the Orient Express

22:38would see this part

22:40of the city

22:40as still a residential area

22:42where the families

22:43of the merchants

22:44of the 19th century

22:45still lived.

22:47It was also

22:48in the 1920s

22:49that we slowly

22:50started discovering

22:51all of the ancient

22:52Roman heritage

22:53that lies

22:54underneath these houses.

22:57As Plovdiv developed,

22:59more and more

23:00Roman remains

23:01were discovered,

23:02sparking a fascination

23:03with the city

23:04across Europe.

23:07Orient Express passengers

23:08would have known

23:09this city

23:10for its ancient heritage.

23:14Ilya Ilyev

23:15is a registered tour guide

23:17with a deep love

23:18of Plovdiv's

23:19Roman past.

23:21This is the original

23:23entrance

23:23to the ancient

23:24Roman theater

23:25through which

23:26from the first century

23:28onwards local

23:29patricians

23:30and all of the

23:31ancient spectators

23:32would come

23:32to watch the events

23:34held on this venue

23:36which nowadays

23:37is one of the best

23:38preserved such

23:39in the entire world.

23:40The theater was built

23:46during the reign

23:47of Emperor Trajan

23:48when the Roman Empire

23:50was at its height.

23:52Twenty-eight

23:53concentric rows

23:54of seats

23:54were carved

23:55into the side

23:56of one of

23:56Plovdiv's hills.

23:58Back in the day,

23:59the theater

24:00used to be able

24:00to seat

24:01roughly 6,000 people

24:03which happens

24:03to be around

24:0410%

24:05of the ancient

24:06populations.

24:06Etched into

24:09some of the seats

24:10are clues

24:11as to what it

24:11would have been

24:12like to visit

24:12the theater.

24:14So it's very

24:15interesting

24:15that we actually

24:16know a lot

24:17of things

24:18about the theater

24:19from the different

24:20inscriptions

24:20that are found

24:21around here.

24:21For example,

24:22who sat where?

24:24The preserved

24:25ancient inscription

24:26on this side

24:27says

24:27F-I-L-O

24:30the ancient

24:31Greek word

24:31philo

24:32which means

24:33a neighborhood.

24:34And then the

24:34continuation

24:35part of which

24:36is lost

24:36in time

24:37would most

24:37likely say

24:38the name

24:38of the neighborhood

24:39from which

24:40people would

24:40be seated

24:41in this

24:41respective

24:42sector.

24:43Most likely

24:43it would be

24:44sat with

24:44all of your

24:44friends,

24:45with all

24:45of your

24:46neighbors

24:46and people

24:47that you

24:48know

24:48from your

24:48own

24:48community.

24:52During

24:52the time

24:53of the

24:53construction

24:53of the

24:54theater,

24:55Plovdiv,

24:55then known

24:56as

24:56Philippopolis,

24:57was the

24:57provincial

24:58capital

24:58of the

24:59Roman

24:59province

25:00of

25:00Thrace,

25:01which

25:01stretched

25:01across

25:02modern-day

25:02Turkey,

25:03Greece

25:04and Bulgaria.

25:05People

25:06came from

25:07across the

25:08area to

25:08witness the

25:09performances

25:09on this

25:10stage.

25:11Imagine being

25:12here surrounded

25:13by 6,000

25:14people worth

25:15of spectators,

25:16the theater

25:16going much

25:17higher,

25:18an ancient

25:19orator,

25:20an ancient

25:20artist speaking

25:21to the

25:22public,

25:22addressing

25:23the nation,

25:24or just being

25:24one of the

25:25local politicians

25:25of the

25:26provincial

25:27council.

25:29It wasn't

25:30just the

25:30performances

25:30that were

25:31designed

25:31to impress.

25:32these columns

25:34used to be

25:36much more

25:37colorful,

25:38not just

25:38the plain

25:39white marble

25:39and the

25:40statues in

25:40the distance

25:41we believe

25:41were made

25:42out of

25:42gold.

25:46In the

25:475th century,

25:48Plovdiv was

25:49attacked and

25:50the theater

25:50was damaged

25:51by Attila

25:51the Hun.

25:53It soon

25:53fell out

25:54of use

25:54and was

25:55forgotten.

25:55as many

25:57other

25:57ancient

25:57ruins

25:58in Plovdiv,

25:59the Roman

25:59theater

25:59was also

26:00found

26:00completely

26:01by

26:01accident.

26:02All

26:02these

26:03columns

26:03and

26:03everything

26:04in the

26:04backstage

26:05was found

26:06spilled,

26:07broken down

26:07all around

26:08the excavation

26:09site,

26:09so it

26:10was of

26:10course

26:10rebuilt

26:11using

26:11modern

26:11and

26:12ancient

26:12material

26:13together

26:14to

26:14form

26:14as

26:15best

26:16a

26:16reconstruction

26:17of the

26:17Roman

26:17theater

26:18as

26:18possible.

26:21Amazingly,

26:22almost 2,000

26:23years after

26:24it was built,

26:25the theater

26:25is still

26:26in use.

26:27We use

26:28the theater

26:28for various

26:29different events,

26:30mainly cultural.

26:31We have an

26:32annual opera

26:32festival where

26:33you can watch

26:34some of the

26:34biggest and

26:35most popular

26:36opera shows.

26:37It's incredible

26:37watching, for

26:38example, my own

26:39favorite opera

26:39performance,

26:40Orpheus and

26:41Eurydus,

26:42since they

26:43partially flood

26:43this stage

26:44so as to let

26:45a ship

26:46walk in,

26:47and then they

26:47partially set

26:48everything behind

26:49me on fire

26:50when Orpheus

26:51himself goes

26:51into the

26:52underworld.

26:54Klovdiv's

27:01Art Nouveau

27:02station remains

27:03much as it

27:04was when the

27:04Orient Express

27:05stopped here.

27:09Then, as

27:10now, when

27:11luxury trains

27:12departed,

27:13passengers would

27:13be full of

27:14anticipation and

27:15excitement for

27:16their final

27:16destination,

27:18Istanbul.

27:24Four days after

27:33leaving London,

27:34Orient Express

27:35passengers would

27:35find themselves

27:36travelling through

27:37rural Bulgaria.

27:40Soon after leaving

27:41Plovdiv, the

27:42Orient Express

27:43reached its final

27:44border crossing.

27:46Just 598 km

27:48remained to its

27:49final destination,

27:51Istanbul.

27:52For passengers

27:55like Bill

27:56Tenner, following

27:57in the footsteps

27:58on board a

27:58modern luxury

27:59train, the

28:01prospect of

28:02arriving in this

28:03legendary city is

28:04every bit as

28:05exciting today as

28:06it was a century

28:07ago.

28:09We've just gone

28:10through Europe.

28:12We've just gone

28:12through Christendom,

28:13if you would have

28:13now we're into

28:15the Muslim world.

28:16We're on the

28:17border between

28:17Europe and Asia.

28:19The history here

28:20is fascinating.

28:21So, yes, I'm

28:22looking forward to

28:22being here.

28:23One can travel the

28:24world in various

28:25ways, but in this

28:26way, you're fully

28:27immersed in

28:28wherever you go.

28:29You know, you're

28:30there.

28:30This is a sort

28:36of a very epic

28:37trip, Paris

28:39to Istanbul.

28:41Everybody

28:42dreams about

28:43this, but

28:44no, Istanbul

28:45should look

28:46great.

28:47I don't know.

28:47Seasoned

28:50traveller

28:51Helen is

28:52taking home

28:52more than

28:53just memories.

28:54This one, I

28:55leave.

28:56I have another

28:57bottle in there.

28:59I only take

29:00one bottle

29:00in a suitcase

29:02and God

29:02knows if it

29:03doesn't break.

29:10For almost

29:11a hundred

29:11years,

29:12Istanbul

29:12was the

29:13final destination

29:14for many

29:15Orient Express

29:15trains.

29:17The city

29:17held a

29:18fascination

29:18for Western

29:19tourists as

29:20somewhere exotic

29:21and Orient.

29:26Initially,

29:27the train

29:27arrived into

29:28a modest

29:28terminus,

29:29but as the

29:30service became

29:31more popular,

29:32it was decided

29:32that it needed

29:33something more

29:34grand.

29:38In 1890,

29:40Sirkachi Station

29:41was opened.

29:44Covering 12,000

29:45square meters,

29:46years, it

29:47was designed

29:47to induce

29:48awe in

29:49anyone who

29:49stepped inside.

29:51It's a blend

29:52of traditional

29:53Turkish design

29:54and exoticism,

29:56all reinforcing

29:57the idea

29:58that you just

29:58step foot

29:59into a very

30:00different world.

30:04That's not to say

30:05that the station

30:06didn't have

30:06all the mod cons.

30:07It had gas

30:08lighting and

30:09heating,

30:09and it was run

30:10just as smoothly

30:11as any station

30:12in Western

30:12Europe.

30:21To this day,

30:22it still welcomes

30:23international trains,

30:24retracing the route

30:25of the Orient Express.

30:30Six days after

30:31leaving Paris,

30:32the Golden Eagle

30:33Danube Express

30:34finally reaches

30:36the end

30:36of the line.

30:41Welcome to

30:42Istanbul.

30:43Hope you enjoyed

30:44the journey with us.

30:46I do,

30:46very much so.

30:47Thanks very much,

30:48Sam.

30:48You are very well.

30:49Thank you for your help.

30:50You are fantastic.

30:56With the passengers

30:58safely disembarked,

30:59Chief Cabin Attendant,

31:01Dori Keres can

31:02finally relax.

31:04It's always a

31:05special moment

31:06when one arrives

31:07to Istanbul,

31:08because Istanbul

31:09is such a unique

31:11place.

31:12It's really

31:12interesting to arrive

31:14in style,

31:15but it's sad

31:16at the same time

31:17because a journey

31:18that was spent

31:20in good company

31:21with lots of

31:22great memories

31:23is coming to an end.

31:25Dori and her team

31:26don't get long

31:27to rest.

31:28Tomorrow,

31:29the train welcomes

31:30its next set

31:30of passengers.

31:32It's a very busy

31:34time for the staff

31:35because we have

31:36to prepare

31:37the cabins again

31:38and welcome

31:39a new group

31:40tomorrow.

31:50Passengers

31:50disembarking

31:51the Orient Express

31:52didn't necessarily

31:53end their journey

31:54here in Istanbul.

31:57They could cross

31:58the Bosphorus

31:59by ferry

31:59and swap onto

32:00to another

32:01wagon-lit service

32:02on the Asian

32:03side of the strait.

32:06These services

32:07travelled as far

32:08as Cairo,

32:10Baghdad

32:10and Tehran.

32:14For those staying

32:16in Istanbul,

32:17just because they'd

32:18left the train

32:19didn't mean

32:19their adventure

32:20was over.

32:22The Orient Express

32:23had one final

32:24luxury surprise

32:26waiting.

32:26Welcome to

32:32Pera Palace Hotel,

32:32the first luxury hotel

32:34that is in Istanbul,

32:35Turkey,

32:36and the hotel

32:37that Orient Express

32:38passengers had stayed in

32:40when they reached the city.

32:44Since 1894,

32:46the Pera Palace Hotel

32:48has been the final word

32:50on luxury

32:50in Turkey.

32:51Ex-E-Pec has worked

32:55for the hotel

32:55for the past two years.

32:58The hotel

32:59best on a palace.

33:00It was built

33:01in the shady

33:03large park

33:04with windows

33:05opening up

33:06towards the Bosphorus

33:07to catch the breeze.

33:09It was cool

33:10and calm

33:11and horses

33:11away from the city.

33:12The first European-style

33:17hotel in Istanbul,

33:18it was owned

33:19by the same company

33:20which ran

33:20the Orient Express.

33:23It was designed

33:24to live up

33:24to the luxury

33:25and spectacle

33:26of the train.

33:28If you were here

33:30100 years ago

33:31as a passenger

33:32of beautiful

33:32Orient Express,

33:34you would recognize

33:34so many features

33:35that we have today.

33:37This room

33:38used to be

33:38a ballroom

33:39and the chandeliers

33:41there are

33:42in the room

33:42are 100 years old.

33:44The domes

33:45were used

33:46for air conditioning

33:47and lighting

33:48and the windows

33:49allowed people

33:50to look down

33:51on the balls

33:52that was hosted here.

33:54The hotel

33:55was not just

33:57a market

33:58for the luxury.

33:59It was

34:00ostentatious.

34:02The hotel

34:02meant to make you

34:03say wow

34:04even if you stayed

34:05in the best hotels

34:06in Berlin,

34:07Paris or London.

34:12The Pera Palace

34:12was probably

34:13the most famous

34:14of a whole chain

34:15of hotels

34:15owned by Vagonli

34:16built along

34:17the route

34:18of the train.

34:21The hotel

34:22was the first

34:23non-royal building

34:24in Turkey

34:24to have electricity

34:25and boasted

34:27running hot

34:27and cold water

34:28at a time

34:29when even Londoners

34:30didn't have access.

34:33But one of its

34:34greatest attractions

34:34was this.

34:46This is the first elevator,

34:49first electrical elevator

34:50in Turkey's

34:50and the second one

34:51in Europe.

34:55Incredibly,

34:56over 100 years later

34:57it's still

34:58in daily use.

35:02While our guests

35:03are coming to our hotel

35:05when they check in

35:06and we are leading

35:07them to the rooms

35:08with our historical elevator.

35:13Right from the start

35:14the Pera Palace

35:15became the haunt

35:16of the rich and famous.

35:18Zsa Zsa Gabor,

35:19Greta Garbo

35:20and Jacqueline Kennedy

35:21all stayed here.

35:27Suite 101

35:28became the home

35:29of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk,

35:31the revolutionary statesman

35:32who helped create

35:33the modern state

35:34of Turkey.

35:35It was his government

35:37that changed

35:37Istanbul's name

35:39from Constantinople

35:40in 1930

35:40to better reflect

35:42the city's heritage.

35:47The hotel was also

35:49the preferred home

35:50away from home

35:50of the woman

35:51who made

35:52the Orient Express

35:53infamous.

35:57This is the room

35:58where Agatha Christie

35:59had stayed

36:00in while she was

36:01visiting Istanbul.

36:04Room 411

36:05was Agatha Christie's room.

36:07Today,

36:08it stands in her honor.

36:10Some people believe

36:12that Agatha Christie

36:13wrote some part

36:14of the Murder

36:14on the Orient Express

36:15in this room.

36:18But that's not

36:19the only connection

36:19between this room

36:20and Agatha Christie.

36:23In the late 1970s,

36:25Warner Brothers

36:26wanted to make a movie

36:27about Agatha Christie's life,

36:29but there was a gap

36:30in her history.

36:32In 1926,

36:34she got lost

36:35for 11 days

36:35in England

36:36and they couldn't find

36:37anything about her.

36:39When she reappeared,

36:40she couldn't tell

36:40anything about it,

36:41so it's a bit mysterious.

36:45Bizarrely,

36:46Warner Brothers

36:46drafted in Hollywood

36:47psychic

36:48Tamara Rand

36:49to see if she could

36:50provide some details

36:51about what had happened.

36:52Tamara conducted

36:55a seance

36:56and reportedly spoke

36:58with Agatha Christie.

37:00During the seance,

37:01she asked Agatha Christie

37:03where was she

37:03during those 11 days

37:05and Agatha Christie

37:07pointed out

37:08to the 411 room

37:10in Peripolis Hotel

37:11in Istanbul, Turkey.

37:15Tamara instructed

37:16the hotel

37:17to look under

37:17the floorboards

37:18of room 411

37:19for a key

37:21that would unlock

37:22a box

37:22containing a journal

37:24explaining the missing days.

37:28And they found

37:29a key

37:30right where

37:31the psychic

37:31Tamara Rand

37:32pointed out.

37:34While the key

37:35was found,

37:36unfortunately,

37:37the box containing

37:38the journal

37:39never was.

37:40The mystery

37:41what happened

37:42to Agatha Christie

37:43about those 11 days

37:45still remains

37:46to this day.

37:47when Orient Express

38:05passengers

38:06stepped off the train

38:07in Istanbul,

38:08they were faced

38:09with a city

38:09totally different

38:10to any they had

38:11experienced

38:12on their trip.

38:15Istanbul

38:15was seen

38:16as a place

38:16of mystery

38:17and intrigue,

38:19a city

38:20on the edge

38:21of two worlds

38:22where anything

38:22could happen.

38:26For Western

38:27travellers,

38:27the city

38:28was the definition

38:28of the Orient,

38:31an idea

38:34that had taken

38:35hold across Europe

38:36after Islamic

38:37architecture

38:37was seen

38:38for the first time

38:39at the Paris

38:40World's Fair

38:40in 1867.

38:42It was an idea

38:45that the Orient Express

38:46leaned heavily into,

38:48playing up

38:48the romance

38:49of its final destination

38:50in its advertising

38:52and guidebooks.

38:55For passengers

38:56wanting a sense

38:57of the Orient,

38:58Istanbul's

38:593,000-plus mosques

39:00were a must-see.

39:03One of the most

39:04iconic of all

39:05is the Sultan Ahmed Mosque,

39:07or the Blue Mosque.

39:09Abdil Bicher

39:13is a local guide.

39:16This is one

39:17of the largest mosques

39:18in Istanbul today.

39:19It was built

39:20by Sultan Ahmed I

39:21in 1609,

39:23so basically

39:23about 400 years ago.

39:26The Blue Mosque

39:27has six minarets,

39:28which is more

39:29than any other mosque

39:30in the city,

39:31and with the number of six,

39:32it even rivalled

39:33the Grand Mosque

39:33of Mecca.

39:36The location of it

39:37is not randomly chosen.

39:40It's sitting

39:40on the ruins

39:41of the Roman royal palace

39:42and also standing

39:43next to one

39:44of the greatest churches

39:45ever built

39:45by human history,

39:47the Hagia Sophia.

39:51Sultan Ahmed I

39:53ruled over

39:53the Ottoman Empire

39:54that at its height

39:55stretched all the way

39:56from Vienna

39:57across the Middle East

39:58the Arabian Peninsula.

40:02His mosque

40:03was designed

40:04to show his power.

40:08Once you walk

40:09inside the inner courtyard,

40:10a beautiful pyramid

40:12of domes faces you here.

40:15With this structure,

40:16they actually spread

40:17the weight

40:18of the main dome

40:19to the sides.

40:21And in this inner courtyard,

40:22in busy days,

40:23people bring their mats

40:24and carpets,

40:25prayer carpets,

40:26and they put it

40:26on the floor

40:27and they pray.

40:28After removing

40:34their shoes,

40:35Orient Express passengers

40:36would have entered

40:37into the palatial prayer hall.

40:40Measuring 64 by 72 metres,

40:42it can accommodate

40:43upwards of 10,000 worshippers.

40:48When you look up here

40:50in the centre,

40:51you see this gigantic dome.

40:53This is 23.5 metres wide,

40:57big dome,

40:58surrounded by 28 windows.

41:01And with these lights

41:02coming from the outside,

41:05the dome looks actually

41:06as if it's floating.

41:08And the structure

41:08is sitting on

41:09four massive solid marble pillars

41:12as you see

41:12in every corner.

41:14We actually call them

41:15elephant legs

41:16in architecture.

41:17And these are some of the largest columns

41:19ever built.

41:21And one other very interesting detail

41:23here we see

41:24is these beautiful

41:26globe-looking pendants

41:28on the chandelier.

41:30In 1540s and 50s,

41:32the Ottoman Turks,

41:33they discovered

41:34one very important thing,

41:36that the ostrich egg

41:37has a special spell,

41:39works like a repellent.

41:41So they design

41:42their chandeliers

41:43with all these

41:44beautiful ostrich eggs

41:45and they don't get

41:46any spiders.

41:51The mosque is decorated

41:52with over 20,000

41:54hand-painted blue tiles

41:55from the Turkish town

41:57of Iznik.

42:00Sultan Ahmed I,

42:02who built this mosque,

42:03he loved the Iznik tiles

42:05so much

42:06and he banned

42:07the tile makers

42:09of Iznik

42:09to sell their tiles

42:10to anyone else.

42:12So for seven years' time,

42:13they produced their tiles

42:15only for the blue mosque.

42:18Their unique designs

42:19result from Islamic tradition.

42:22The depiction of humans

42:24or faces

42:25is not allowed

42:26in Islam religion.

42:27Therefore,

42:28we use floral designs,

42:29geometric patterns

42:30and these are all

42:31symbolising

42:32important characters

42:33of the religion.

42:34The most common

42:35floral design

42:36of the tile

42:36is the tulip flower

42:37and tulip is a symbol

42:39of God

42:40in Turkish Islamic culture.

42:44When especially

42:44French and Austrian

42:45travelers

42:45visited Istanbul

42:46back in time,

42:48they named here

42:49the blue mosque.

42:50In fact,

42:51they called

42:51the colour of the tile

42:53the turquoise,

42:54the colour of the Turks.

42:57Five times a day,

42:59hundreds of Muslims

43:00still come to the mosque

43:01to pray.

43:03When you walk

43:04inside the main gallery

43:05where the Muslims pray,

43:08on your left

43:09you see

43:10the niche

43:11called mihrab.

43:13So whenever you pray,

43:14you face mecha direction

43:15and that is the niche

43:16indicating the direction.

43:18And on the right-hand side

43:19of it,

43:19we see the preaching pulpit

43:21and we call it minbar.

43:23Every Friday,

43:24the imam,

43:25Muslim priest basically,

43:27he gets up there

43:28halfway

43:28and he preaches

43:30about 20 minutes

43:31during the sermon.

43:31Finally completed

43:34in 1616,

43:36the complex contained

43:37not just the mosque

43:38but a hospital,

43:40school,

43:41soup kitchen

43:41and shelter

43:42for the poor.

43:46After the collapse

43:47of the Ottoman Empire

43:48post-World War I,

43:50Western visitors

43:51flocked to it

43:52to see the achievements

43:53of a fallen empire.

43:55If I were a traveller

43:56coming with the Orient Express

43:57here,

43:58first time let's say,

43:59it would be amazing

44:01for me

44:02to see these

44:03gigantic mosques,

44:05these beautiful

44:06harmonical structures

44:07all around

44:07and what is more amazing,

44:09actually,

44:10let's say 150 years ago

44:11you came here

44:12with the Orient Express train,

44:13you would have seen

44:14exactly the same mosque

44:16of today.

44:18No difference almost.

44:24The golden era

44:28of the Orient Express

44:29only lasted

44:30for a few decades.

44:33Over time,

44:34competition

44:34from other luxury trains,

44:36political upheaval

44:37and the dawn

44:38of the jet age

44:39took much of the shine

44:40from the legendary service.

44:45By the second half

44:46of the 20th century,

44:48some Orient Express services

44:49were little more

44:50than carriages

44:51attached to other trains.

44:52much of the luxury

44:54was gone.

45:01In 1977,

45:03the train stopped

45:04serving Istanbul,

45:06terminating in Budapest

45:07and Bucharest.

45:10In 2001,

45:12trains were cut further,

45:13terminating in Vienna.

45:16With the Tejavert opening

45:18between Paris and Strasbourg

45:20in 2007,

45:21the Orient Express

45:23only ran

45:23between Strasbourg

45:24and Vienna.

45:28On the 12th of December 2009,

45:31the service

45:31was finally cancelled

45:33and the Orient Express

45:34disappeared

45:35from European timetables.

45:39Today,

45:40the train's legacy

45:41is continued

45:41by the modern luxury trains

45:43that still cross Europe,

45:45some incorporating

45:46original carriages

45:47from the Orient Express.

45:49For almost 100 years,

45:56the Orient Express

45:57was a constant,

45:59crossing a Europe

46:00that transformed

46:01beyond recognition.

46:04Its inability

46:05to keep up

46:06with this change

46:06is what led

46:07to its collapse.

46:10The service

46:11transformed travel forever.

46:14With the help of books,

46:15movies,

46:16and newspaper articles,

46:18it developed

46:19a legendary status.

46:22The Orient Express

46:24continues to be

46:25the world's most famous

46:26and infamous train.

46:28The Orient Express

46:35made possible

46:37to the Orient Express

46:37and the Orient Express

46:38and the Orient Express

46:39is a long-term

46:40holiday-by-year-old

46:40and the U.S.

46:41on the East

46:42and the East

46:43and of the West

46:43and the East

46:44and the East

46:45and then

46:48we have a

46:50new

46:50and

46:51our

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