Friday, October 30, 2009

Veteran Train Travelers We Are Not



Trip to Italy - Journal Entry #12a - September 24, 2009 - 8:42 am

We have boarded our second train -- this one heading for Venice. What a project! We arrived early thinking that would allow us plenty of time to comfortably board and stow our bags. That thinking just shows how naive we are. We may are arrived early, but the train
had not. The train was coming from Rome and it did not arrive in the station until 10 minutes before our scheduled departure time. All passengers wait at a lighted tote board to see what platform will be posted. And as soon as a platform # appears on the board, hundreds of people start swarming towards the platform and jockeying for position in the general area where they think their coach will end up. [We were in coach #6.]

Getting on the trains is a pain in the neck -- given the luggage situation. The steps are tall and our bags were heavy. Chris was very helpful this time. We knew more what to expect this time. He got on first and found the luggage racks. Then he took our bags and stowed them for us. Then we proceeded to take our seats -- which took a while because everyone else was struggling with their own bags. It's really rather chaotic. Finally, we fell into our seats. This is another packed train, just like the one from Rome to Florence.
The trains are very comfortable. The seats are roomy -- much more so than on a plane, and there are fold-out tables between opposing facing seats. There are bathrooms in each coach and there is a car with refreshments in the center of the train. There are also overhead storage compartments -- like on a plane -- but these are open to the aisles. All in all, this is a really excellent way to travel several hundred miles very quickly and comfortably.

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