Girija, you asked for this! So here it comes!!
We stayed in London at a Hotel the night before departure, since it was an early morning start. On the morning of departure, the taxi taking us to the rail station would not enter the station, and dumped us in traffic with 2 large suitcases. My wife had to leave me holding on to railings and she took the cases one by one to the station Orient Express office. After that, sheer luxury. THe Orient Express was all you imagine, waited on hand and foot. When they saw I had PD, they cut up my food every day. It took 2 days to get to Venice, and my wife had the top bunk in our cabin. When we got to Folkstone, the last UK station before going through the Channel Tunnel to France, a brass band was playing to welcome us.
Next drama was when we reached Venice. They don't have any cars, only boats!! We left the train, and were taken to a small boat with a single thin uphill plank to get on board!!! With no handrails, the boatman pulled and others pushed, but the boat was going up & down, and the jetty was swaying in the swell. I had just as much trouble getting off at the hotel.
The Hotel, The Londra Palace was great. We had the bedroom next to the one where Tchaikovsky wrote his symphony. The only drama there was the second night when at midnight we had to phone reception to say "Help, water is pouring through the ceiling!!" The room above had overflowed the bath. Our room had a balcony, overlooking the lagoon, (cost extra!!).
Venice was great, unlike any other place on earth, but the crowds were so thick you could hardly get through. We did not risk a gondola trip!!
The architecture is stunning, all the more so with water all around. An incredible sight was huge cruise liners making their way across the narrow lagoon, they almost touched both sides.
After 5 days we set off on the hazardous boat trip to the station in a tiny water taxi, packed with 8 of us and a mountain of luggage. The Orient Express trip back was excellent, and the scenery going through the mountains of Austria and Switzerland was fantastic. In the evening, I had to change into my dinner suit and black tie. Not easy on a swaying train.
Well, that is about it, a once in a lifetime trip. I won't be trying it again, that boat......
Ron