Jun 02, 2018
In real time we are in France
Last Thursday, May 31st, we took the train from Rome to Milan where we had thirty minutes to transfer to our train to Nice, France. However the train kept being delayed and when we got to Milan we only had eight minutes left to transfer from platform to platform. The Milan station was crowded and it was a chore to dodge the throng of people. We made it with one minute to spare. Shortly after we departed I was feeling warm. Warmer than I had been in weeks. Turns out that there was no ventilation in our coach which happened to be one of the two first class coaches. I booked us in first as it was nice to have more leg room for the five hour journey and well worth the few extra euros. Eventually the lighting system failed and when we went through the tunnels it was pitch black inside. Between that and the increasing heat it was obvious that there was a problem.
Many attempts were made to restore the situation including a longer stop in a station. There were only eight seats left in the other first class coach so we snagged two seats there but we were not sitting together but we did have window seats. This was fortunate as the train hugged the coast for a good part of the journey. Loved seeing the villages, towns and the ocean. We passed through Genova, Savona, Alassio, San Remo and more. In Ventimiglia the Italian train engine was removed and replaced by a French engine due to electricity of the tracks. They also changed to French personnel on the train as the Italian crew was not allowed to work in France.
We eventually got to our Airbnb which can be found here. It is perfectly located here in Nice and just a few blocks from the beach. Lovely location. We love Nice and have walked all over the town which is much larger than either of us expected. We had lovely French crepes for lunch yesterday and an excellent dinner at a fabulous restaurant. Love being able to understand and converse in French. The wine is so very very good and inexpensive. We were told yesterday that Nice is the most expensive city in France but we are managing quite well to dine well within our budget.
Have to go as we are off on yet another adventure today.
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WHAT A TRAIN RIDE. NICE IS GORGEOUS AND AGAIN SO MUCH TO SEE. CERTAIN YOU WILL ENJOY THE FRENCH RIVIERA. DID YOU GO ON THE SHORT TRIP TO MONACO?? THANKS FOR SHARING WHEN YOU CAN.
Nice has always been on my list of places to visit 🙂 Glad you are enjoying France
What a steal on your apartment so close to centro in in Nice, plus pickup and plus breakfast! When I clicked through your blog, it gave a lot of information and with five star reviews. All your research paid off.