A Night on the Orient Express (36 page)
If
A Night on the Orient Express
has inspired you to venture on this iconic journey of a lifetime, here is some sartorial advice.
You will need three outfits – something dressy and glam for the grand departure, an evening frock and something smart but more casual for the second day when you arrive in Venice.
The Venice Simplon Orient Express departure lounge at Victoria is always a fashion parade, as everyone gathers in their finery. My best tip would be to imagine you are dressing for a daytime wedding. Of course, it depends on the weather, but a gorgeous yet classic dress is the perfect option, or a chic tailored suit. Be inspired by Diane von Furstenberg and Chanel, although you don’t have to splash out on designer labels. There are plenty of high-street alternatives which look the part. High heels suit the occasion – now is not the time for comfy footwear. And a lovely coat if it’s chilly – don’t spoil the effect by donning your dog-walking jacket. If you are a hat person – or even if you aren’t! – then this is definitely the moment to bring out the millinery. A hat always adds a sense of occasion, from a discreet felt fedora to an elaborate cartwheel topped with an ostrich feather. For men, a smart suit or jacket and tie will suffice (isn’t it always so much easier for men?).
Dinner in the evening is the perfect opportunity for showy opulence. Silk, satin, velvet – whatever your preference, it should be luxe and glamour all the way. If you have heirloom jewellery, now is the time to get it out of the safe. If not, just bling it on with some good costume jewellery. An updo will also make you feel the part. For men, black tie is the easiest option, but they won’t be thrown off if they just go for a smart jacket.
The next day can be less dressy and more casual as the train travels down towards Venice, leaving you to curl up in your cabin with a good book or recline in the bar with a hot chocolate laced with brandy, followed by lunch. By now you will be feeling thoroughly relaxed, so maybe a slouchy jumper and trousers or a sweater dress would fit the bill. Remember, you will be making your way into Venice at the end of the day, so comfort is more of an issue. Jumping on a vaporetto in towering heels might not be such a good idea!
And please – don’t forget to pay attention to your accessories, especially your luggage. It doesn’t have to be vintage Louis Vuitton, but don’t go stuffing your overnight things into your gym bag.
All in all, remember – you can’t overdress on the Orient Express!
A train is the perfect setting for a writer, as your characters are captive and the sense of a journey is always inspirational.
The Little Engine that Could
by Watty Piper
A delightful childhood tale, which teaches you that if you don’t give up, you will succeed in the end.
The Railway Children
by E. Nesbit
When they have to move to the depths of the countryside, the lives of three children are changed irrevocably by the nearby railway line.
Murder on the Orient Express
by Agatha Christie
A classic – Hercule Poirot investigates when a man is found murdered in his cabin, and no one is beyond suspicion.
Anna Karenina
by Leo Tolstoy
Anna catches her first sight of her lover-to-be, Vronsky, on the train – with tragic consequences.
The Slow Train to Milan
by Lisa St Aubin de Terán
A bohemian journey through Italy is related by Lisa Veta and her eccentric older lover Caesar.
Venice is adored by film-makers, understandably, and here are five of the most successful that have exploited the gloriousness of the location. They might whet your appetite for a visit.
Death in Venice
A composer becomes obsessed by a beautiful young boy as Venice is gripped by a cholera epidemic. Famous for its use of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony.
Don’t Look Now
A creepy, atmospheric thriller based on the Daphne du Maurier short story, this is emotional, erotically charged and unsettling.
The Tourist
A ridiculously enjoyable spy caper in which Venice and Angelina Jolie vie to be the most beautiful during the breathtaking action sequences.
Summertime
Katharine Hepburn plays a feisty spinster who falls in love for the first time in Venice – touching and ultimately heartbreaking.
Everyone Says I Love You
Woody Allen falls in love with Julia Roberts in Venice and tries to convince her he is the man of her dreams – with surprising consequences.
Pisi e risi
is the archetypal Venetian recipe, served in countless restaurants throughout the city, but simple to recreate at home and the perfect supper dish – children love it.
500 g frozen peas (do use fresh if you have them, but blanch them first)
1½ litres warm chicken stock (you can use a stock cube but fresh is nicer)
2 tbsp butter
50 g
cubetti di pancetta
1 onion, finely chopped
225 g risotto rice
1 glass white wine
Handful of fresh Parmesan, finely grated
Handful of flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pan, then fry the diced onion and pancetta together until the onions begin to soften. Add the rice, and stir until all the grains are coated in the butter and the oil is released by the pancetta. Pour in the wine and simmer gently, stirring until the rice has absorbed the liquid. Continue doing this with ladles of stock – you need to pay attention and make sure the rice doesn’t stick to the pan. Once the rice is cooked through but still firm, add the peas and a final ladle of stock and cook through. The risotto should still be quite runny, not dry. Add salt and pepper to taste, then throw in the handfuls of Parmesan and parsley, and serve in bowls.
This cocktail is inspired by the painting Jack had commissioned of Adele, and by their final journey together taking in London, Paris and Venice.
25 ml lemon juice
50 ml London dry gin
25 ml Cointreau
Prosecco
Put the first three ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake with some ice cubes. Strain into a flute, and top up with chilled Prosecco.
To be drunk lolling on a velvet chaise longue in a silken chemise. The author takes no responsibility for what happens afterwards.
Veronica Henry worked as a scriptwriter for
The Archers
,
Heartbeat
and
Holby City
, amongst many others, before turning to fiction. She lives with her family on the coast in North Devon. Visit her website at
www.veronicahenry.co.uk
or follow her on Twitter
@veronica_henry
Wild Oats
An Eligible Bachelor
Love on the Rocks
Marriage and Other Games
The Beach Hut
The Birthday Party
The Long Weekend
A Night on the Orient Express
THE HONEYCOTE NOVELS
Honeycote
Making Hay
Just a Family Affair
An Orion ebook
First published in Great Britain in 2013 by Orion Books
Ebook first published in 2013 by Orion Books
© Veronica Henry 2013
The right of Veronica Henry to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor to be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
All the characters in this book are fictitious, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN
: 978-1-4091-3096-3
The Orion Publishing Group Ltd
Orion House
5 Upper Saint Martin’s Lane
London,
WC2H 9EA
An Hachette UK company
