All change on Orient Express
QUESTION Is the route of the Orient Express the same today as when it began?
WITH its London-Paris-istanbul route, the Orient Express became associated with luxury, adventure, glamour and style — more thanks to many novels and films, and today’s beautifully restored service, than the historical reality.
the truth was more complex. A web of routes shifted across Europe, sometimes stopped by wars, with many calling points and termini. trains divided and joined at various stations.
the original 1883 route was from Paris to Vienna. it soon extended to Constantinople (istanbul) in the east, although one service later divided off at Budapest for Athens. After the Simplon tunnel through the Alps, connecting Switzerland and italy, was opened in 1906, a more southerly route became possible: CalaisParis-Lausanne-Milan-Venice-BelgradeSofia-istanbul.
this is partly the route taken by the super-luxury vintage Venice Simplon-Orient-Express that runs today.
that was also the route i took on ordinary trains when i found, after some research in Slovenia in 2009, that i had ten days of my all-Europe rail pass left.
When i reached istanbul, i had a good weekend, returned to the station and said: ‘Single to Lisbon, please.’ the booking clerk didn’t bat an eyelid, as if it happens all the time, and booked various sleeper berths. i took the original Orient Express route back to Paris via Budapest. Splendid! Any sane person would take a plane, but i enjoy train travel and saw a dozen countries and capitals en route.
When i reached Vienna, i was directed to a sleeper train to Strasbourg. i was astonished to find it was the final week of running of the ‘real’ Orient Express, being gradually killed off by cheap airlines and high-speed trains. its last stand was on its original line.
Unlike today’s luxury version, it was unglamorous, with grey Formica and strip lighting. it didn’t bother going on to Paris as it made more sense to hop on a tGV, which would get there as fast as a Frenchman’s shrug.
Northern termini of the Orient Express included Ostend, Paris, Berlin and London (via a fast ferry to a different train to Victoria). None of it was super-luxury to start with; just sleeping cars and baggage wagons. Some of the original cars were turned into restaurants around Europe or put on display in museums.
the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express includes lovingly restored, beautiful cars, mainly from similar famous trains of the past. its five-star accommodation, finedining saloons and pianist, i am told, is a wonderful experience. But it is, to some extent, recreating a lovely legend rather than the historical reality. Benedict le Vay, author of Britain From The Rails: A Window-Gazer’s Guide,
Emsworth, Hants.
QUESTION Is there a British monastic order?
THE short answer is no, because all monasteries in England and Wales were closed and put beyond use by henry Viii during the Dissolution, 1536 to 1541.
Before that, there was a single entirely English religious order known as the Gilbertines, established in Lincolnshire by Gilbert of Sempringham in 1130.
he envisaged an unusual combined house of nuns and monks in the same monastery, but with strictly segregated accommodation and areas of worship.
he hoped to interest the Cistercian order in supplying a small number of monks who had been ordained as priests to take Mass, lead services and hear confessions. the Cistercians turned him down.
he turned to the Augustinian Canons Regular, who were priests living together in monastic communities, and they agreed to take part in the project. they wore black habits with white cloaks and followed the rule of St Augustine.
Alongside the nuns and canons there were lay sisters who did catering and cleaning, and lay brothers who were agricultural workers, providing much of the food.
Starting with only one small monastery, the Gilbertine order was not wealthy or successful. By the time of the Dissolution, there were only 26 monasteries. At that time, all incumbents were provided with pensions and told to seek alternative lives in the outside world.
David Rayner, Canterbury, Kent.
QUESTION Which counties are best and least represented in the football league?
TEN English counties have no representatives in the 72-team Football League: City of London, Cornwall, Co. Durham, herefordshire, isle of Wight, Northumberland, Rutland, Surrey, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.
Some have had representatives in the past, such as hereford United FC and Kidderminster harriers in Worcestershire.
Greater London is best represented with 13 teams: Arsenal, Chelsea, tottenham hotspur, West ham United, Crystal Palace, Watford, Brentford, Fulham, Queens Park Rangers, Charlton Athletic, Millwall, AFC Wimbledon and Leyton Orient. there are also many non-league teams across the capital.
Greater Manchester is second with seven: Manchester City, Manchester United, Wigan Athletic, Bolton Wanderers, Rochdale, Salford City and Stockport County. if we combine these with other teams from the historic county of Lancashire — Blackpool, Blackburn Rovers, Burnley, Fleetwood town, Morecambe and Preston North End — they would match London’s 13.
in Scotland, football is concentrated in the central belt between Edinburgh and Glasgow. there are 42 teams in the fourtier league. the historic county of Lanark, encompassing North and South Lanarkshire and the City of Glasgow, has nine teams: Rangers, Glasgow Celtic, Partick thistle, Queen’s Park (all city of Glasgow), hamilton Academical, Albion Rovers, Clyde FC, Motherwell and Airdrieonians.
Counties without a league team include the Scottish Borders, Argyll & Bute and the Outer hebrides.
Charles Gregg, Carlisle, Cumbria.
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