Home»Italy > Greece > Paris - Day 21

As I write, we are once again on the Frecciarossa (Red Arrow) train zipping our way through the Tuscany countryside.  Disembarkation was a breeze – quick and efficient – so much so that we had to wait almost an hour until 9 for our pre-booked ride to the station in Rome.  We arrived there with time to spare and to buy sandwiches for lunch on the train.

Next stop, Milan, where we change stations (about ten minutes by Taxi?) for the train to Paris.

From Thea: There was a slight delay with the port clearing our ship this morning, but we still had plenty of time for our driver to take us to Termini railway station for our noon train to Milan. The Italian trains are very comfortable with reclining seats and it's like airlines were 15 years ago with free papers, drink and snack service being offered several times during the 3 hours. The journey took us through the rolling fields of Tuscany which we enjoyed seeing for the first time. We got to Milan on time, of course, to switch to our TGV train to Paris at 4.10 p.m. Again we left right on time. The train was a little older than the Italian Red Arrow, but still with comfortable seats and a lot cheaper. The countryside was outstanding and we gradually climbed passing through many tunnels to where we went around a large lake, past glaciers and mountain tops still with snow, and passed through pretty Alpine like villages. In fact we did travel through the western part of the French Alps. This was probably the best train ride we've ever been on.  One bit of excitement that happened soon after leaving Milan was an announcement that there was a possibility of pickpockets on the train.  Some time later, when we stopped at the next station, a policeman got on the train, cuffed a man and they both got off.

Again, we were fortunate with the weather, it was 25 in Rome and Milan and sunny all the way. Apparently, it had been raining in Paris, but this had stopped by the time we got there at 11.30 p.m. A short drive to our hotel and we were in our room by midnight. Another great day!

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