Further Adventures On The Orient Express, Arrival in London 6/25/18

Sunday morning we awoke in our sleeping compartment on board the Orient Express as it made its way through the French counrtryside toward Paris. Our cabin steward re-configured the cabin from upper and lower sleeping berths to regular seating, then he served us a continental breakfast in the compartment. Around 9 AM we arrived in Paris, where some passengers left the train and it took on fresh supplies and was attended to. After about an hour the train departed for Calais. The culinary highlight of the day was the sumptuous brunch served at about 11:30 am. We had reservations in the third of three different beautifully appointed dining cars in the train consist. All of the dining on board the Orient Express is five star quality. While we were scheduled to arrive in Calais in the early afternoon, we were informed that a signal difficulty would delay the train for about an hour and therefore push back our Chunnel crossing, and arrival in London. When we finally did arrive in Calais, we were informed that the Chunnel was closed due to a power failure, and the crossing would be made by ferry, further delaying things. On the bright side the ferry crossing was pleasant enough with the Belmond Orient Express company providing complimentary drinks and snacks. We also got a glimpse of the famous White Cliffs of Dover as we arrived in England. The final leg of our Orient Express train trip to London was most enjoyable. Serenaded by a four member 20s music band, we boarded a special train at Folkstone, near Dover, that consisted of a rake of beautiful vintage British Pullman cars owned by Belmond that are every bit as beautiful as the Wagons Lits of the Orient Express. Since the twin delays would mean a late arrival in London, we were delighted that the scheduled afternoon tea turned out to be typically lavish and delicious, making a scramble for a late dinner unnecessary once we finally got to our hotel. After such a long an exciting travel day, it felt food to hit the soft pillows in our hotel room in London.