A closer look
The Simplon Orient Express wasn't just a glamorous backdrop for Agatha Christie murders; it was a giant, geopolitical middle finger. After World War I, the victorious Allies completely rerouted the famous luxury train through the Simplon Tunnel specifically to bypass Germany and Austria. The intricate choreography of border checks, changing dining cars, and swapping locomotives was designed to economically isolate the Central Powers. The epitome of cosmopolitan travel was actually a petty, punitive post-war sanction on tracks.
