What a wonderful evening I had last night. My gorgeous girlfriend Saboohi had arranged a Valentine's Night Dinner for us both onboard The Orient Express. We were picked up at home by Howard (a professional chauffeur) at 6.15 p.m. and dropped off at Victoria Train Station at 7.15 p.m. having managed to survive the busy Valentine's Night traffic. The train was waiting for us on Platform 2 with porters and waiters standing by to escort us to our seats in the Phoenix carriage (seats 21/22). The interiors were plush and beautiful having been fully restored to their original magnificence. The carriage we were in had originally been built in 1927 and served on the Golden Arrow line during the OEs heydays in the 20's and 30's. Saboohi and I were the only female couple onboard (as far as we could see!) which had its advantages as the evening was very much focused on the ladies, with red roses being presented by the staff, musicians providing entertainment at your table and a silhoutte artist came through the carriages cutting out silhoutte images of all the ladies on the train. The menu started with a glass of Kir Royale followed by a Salmon dish to start, then a strawberry and Champagne cold soup which was absolutely delicious. The main course was chicken, followed by cheese and biscuits and then an assortment of sweets. All this was accompanied by a bottle of Pinot Grigio wine, more champagne, port and coffee. Saboohi had also ordered an additional present for me, 2 x OE special engraved champagne glasses, which were brought to the table by our waiter. I felt so spoilt and loved! The train journey took 3.5 hours altogether and took us on a circular route via Guildford. It struck me how only the very priviledged would have travelled in such splendour at the beginning of the last century and how lucky I was to be enjoying such a wonderful experience now with such a wonderful girlfriend!
