80 Days Around The Globe

Day 3 and 4 Travelling to Bucharest

7:00 PM

We took a hotel for the night.

"we will be comfortable her," Monsieur Fogg remarked. " But travelling will often be more efficient."

"So we must board the longest journeys available!"

"perhaps," he replied.

Still: the surrounds of the Hotel Ritz were most enjoyable.

We boarded the Orient Express at 18.25 from gare de paris est.

The train would be the first leg of a much longer journey, however, so there was little use in growing too comfortable. Indeed, it could only take us as far as Bucharest.

A last long whistle blew, and we began our journey east.

My master wished to be undisturbed so as we left paris, so i left him and went to explore the train. There was a delightful dining car, and an observation deck formed by the replacement of an entire compartment with an open glass cube. 

I stopped there, watching the scenery flash past, and as i stood, a portly gantleman with a quivering, luxuriant moustache struggled by carrying several trunks. 

I offered him my aid and he introduced himself after a shower of thanks. "Henri de Blowitz, foreign correspondent of The Times."

I introduced myself in return. " My name is Passepartout, and my master and I are going around the world!" 

"Then I wish you luck," he replied. He patted his breast pocket. "The stories that you hear - it sems everywhere is on the brink of one evolution or another. Everywhere there is progress, but who will count the cost?"

" That sounds most ominous," I told him.

"does it?" he replied with a beaming smile. "Well, i am a journalist.  It's my duty to make omens. Good day to you!" With that, he clapped me on the shoulder, and headed off into the direction of the dining car.

11:00 PM

I returned to monsieur Fogg, who, to my surprise, looked up from his paper at me.

"What did you learn?" he inquired.

"Nothing," I replied. He tutted. "Really Passepartout. You must do better than that. You are my valet.

You must discover the lay of the land."

"Yes, Monsieur."