The Orient Express

The Orient Express is the luxurious European train everyone dreams of.

I took a day trip aboard this dream train.

You may be wondering how one could make a day trip all the way to Paris.

In fact, a restaurant adjoining the Lalique Museum Hakone displays a carriage that once ran in Europe.

Built in 1928, it is a genuine Orient Express carriage made by the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits, which remained in service until 2001.

After admiring René Lalique’s dazzling works that day, we enjoyed an elegant afternoon tea aboard the Orient Express.

René Lalique was, needless to say, a master of glass art.

He left behind many wonderful works, from perfume bottles to interior decorations.

One of the highlights of the exhibition, the Sylphide (spirit of the wind) brooch, is so captivating that one hardly wants to leave its side.

The museum also has a garden that appears to have been modeled on Monet’s Giverny; viewed through the glass while seated in a chair, it looks just like a Monet painting.

It was nearly time to depart, so we headed for the platform.

The moment I came face to face with the carriage, I was struck speechless by its beauty.

As you can see in the photographs, the Orient Express of bygone days is filled with elegance inside and out; stepping aboard, it feels as though it could begin moving at any moment.

Glasswork created by René Lalique especially for this train adorns every corner, creating the atmosphere of a social gathering place for ladies and gentlemen.

Once seated on straw-cushioned chairs, each individually assembled by craftsmen, the maître d’ announced the beginning of afternoon tea.

As we set off, special sweets prepared by the restaurant’s pastry chef and wine were served, and we embarked on an elegant journey beyond time and space, imagining the scenery passing beyond the windows.

That day’s sweet was a custard gratin made with generous amounts of fruit, including grapes, kiwi, and apples.

The dreamlike time spent with a glass of wine in hand, letting our thoughts wander, passed in the blink of an eye, and the chief conductor came around to announce that we had reached the final stop.

Reluctantly stepping down onto the platform, I promised to return to the train someday and began my journey home along the roads of Hakone.