Tomorrow, July 1, marks the 125th birthday of mystery writer extraordinaire, Agatha Christie. This grande dame, though, wrote more than mere mysteries; she wrote of exotic lands and places that she herself had explored and consequently served to whet the appetite of her readers for travel.
In 1934, Ms. Christie traveled from Venice to Istanbul on the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express, penning one of her finest stories, Murder on the OrientExpress, at the end of her journey while at the Pera Palace Hotel in Istanbul (you knew there had to a hotel in here somewhere, right?).
To commemorate this grand journey, the chefs of the Belmond Hotel Cipriani (David Bisetto), the Pera Palace Hotel Jumeirah (Arif Kemal Dogan) and the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express (Christian Bodiguel) have come together to prepare a 1930s-themed feast on her big day.
The grand gastronomic gala feast will take place at the Belmond Hotel Ciprianis swimming pool, overlooking the Venice lagoon. Besides good eats, therell be champagne cocktails, vintage decorations and entertainment evoking the golden age of travel.
And regarding that mystery menu? We have a reliable source that says that there’ll be things on it like Sole with Raisins, Pine Nuts, and Sweet Onion in a White Wine Sauce, Beef Carpaccio with Beetroot, and for dessert? It’s a Christie’s Surprise.
The festivities start at 7:30 p.m. at the Belmond Cipriani, and it costs EUR 130 ($ 145) to eat, drink and be merry. If you’d like to play and then stay, the rooms are a pricey EUR 960 ($ 1073) at this late date.
[Photo: Belmond Hotel Cipriani]