Off the boat and on to Paris

This blog is running seriously behind: we've on the run or off the air since disembarkation on the 22nd of June.

Getting of the boat was surprisingly easy. The rest – leading up to arrival in Paris was something of a drag. The fun began in Venice, with a 7-hour wait for the train. Did you know that Venice railway station is remarkably boring? Having seen Venice twice now, we decided against exploration (and getting lost) to camp in the foyer of the railway station, with each of us doing alternate loo and food runs so we would not lose our valuable metal seats - seriously, these seats are like the high ground to armies of antiquity.

Finally the time came and the PA called boarding for our train.

Now, some people believe that getting an overnight sleeper ride is a very romantic way to travel and see the countryside. We wish to meet these people and ask upon which planet they live.

Firstly, the trains were a bit shabby. Not shabby chic, but plain worn out. Second, they were cramped. By cramped we mean “unable to swing a kitten” cramped (a side note here: only travel in a sleeper cabin with someone you like; we shudder to think of the consequences otherwise). We will not bore you with the noise of metal-on-metal for 15 hours or our messed up middle ears which left us feeling as though we'd been on a deep sea trawler for a month. One should also note the shared loos emptying out onto the tracks, and the lack of shower facilities.

Finally the food. At some stage it must have been rejected by an airline and auctioned to the lowest bidder. However, it was food, and the coffee was surprisingly good. (The Top Gear enthusiasts may recall where May and Hammond created a train towed by a car. Our train had the same decor, but did not catch fire.)

As you may guess, it was not an experience we’ll cherish. On the other hand, we have tried it (and some of the landscape in north Italy and south of Paris was delightful). But do take our advice: catch a plane, bus or boat. If cannot get any of these, then stay in a hotel until one becomes available.

Here is Deb graciously modelling the cabin:

Note sure when the next posts will be done, suffice to say we've just had a couple of awesome days in the City of Lights.