Luxury train ride, breathtaking sceneries and bloody legends

Legends of the vampire continue as the train rolls across Romania's border into Bulgaria.

Peak attraction

Where a ball tells time

In Veliko Tarnovo, the medieval capital of Bulgaria - now a UNESCO World Heritage site - at the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul a team of archaeologists excavate the garden.

Our guide tells us that a "vampire grave" has been found in the church grounds.

Kazanlak, in the center of Bulgaria, has been the hub for Damascene rose oil production for more than 300 years. Chinese traders arrive every May as the roses bloom.

Howard and Margaret Trinder play a dual role as host and guest to the 42 passengers onboard.

Howard Trinder, the rail enthusiast, drives the vintage train from the Hungarian Railway Museum.

Launched in September 2008, the Danube Express is jointly operated by Trinder as a private investor and the Hungarian Railway Museum, bringing up to 50 travelers across Transylvania and Central Europe per journey.

Istanbul is the last leg of our Transylvanian East journey. Turkey is the only country that requires train passengers to disembark for passport checks.

We didn't manage to stay overnight in Istanbul. Hotels are fully booked, so we decide to return at night. Luckily, we have Eurail global passes that allow us to travel on the regular trains of 23 countries in Europe.

Our way back is a little rustic. We are transported by coach from Sirkeci Station and eventually board a night train to Sofia, Bulgaria.

 

From Sofia, we make our connection to Bucharest of Romania.

As the train rolls through miles of sunflower fields, Romania's beautiful images return to our view - red-roofed merchant houses, the Gothic Black Church of Brasov and the 14th century Clock Tower of the 780-meter-long defensive wall of Sighisoara.

Bulgaria is way behind us. Still, my senses are filled with the fragrance of the Valley of Roses.

China Daily