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Antoinette Hildebrandt's Travels
Today we were up early to catch our 6:27am train to Florence. We were surprised by the lack of staff and security, especially given the current climate. Lack of clear directions was a source of stress (the monitors just told you what hall the train left from but not what platform) and was amplified by the absence of anyone to ask. Nothing was open - not even the ticket booths. We got on the train we thought was right and found there wasn't a lot of room for our luggage (we were mindful of Bill Kitto's stolen bag) It was then an hour before anyone even came to check our tickets! He didn't even care to look at our Eurail passes just the tickets. I'm sure we are meant to do more I guess we'll find out. We have found the French to be both very laid back and also sticklers for the rules at the same time (they just don't tell you what those rules are) The views were amazing. There was snow on the alps and the few people who were on the train seem to be going skiing.
We changed trains at Torino, Italy. The atmosphere there was completely different. Signs made sense, directions were more accurate and the train.....10 times better than the TGV. There was more information on board, it was super fast (300kmh) and overall it was a much nicer train. There are only 2 others in our carriage. The stations are pretty much deserted. Not sure if that is because it is a Sunday or the time of year. After stressing about the tickets, the conductor barely glanced at them.
Our apartment in Florence is Bellissimo! The streets are narrow and cobbled with lots of little shops. We bought a pizza for dinner - just one and it was big enough for all of us! We've been up since 4am so we are pretty cactus, especially Lisette who bursts into tears every 5 minutes, doesn't want to share the sofa bed with Hannah and wants to sleep in a real bed.
We changed trains at Torino, Italy. The atmosphere there was completely different. Signs made sense, directions were more accurate and the train.....10 times better than the TGV. There was more information on board, it was super fast (300kmh) and overall it was a much nicer train. There are only 2 others in our carriage. The stations are pretty much deserted. Not sure if that is because it is a Sunday or the time of year. After stressing about the tickets, the conductor barely glanced at them.
Our apartment in Florence is Bellissimo! The streets are narrow and cobbled with lots of little shops. We bought a pizza for dinner - just one and it was big enough for all of us! We've been up since 4am so we are pretty cactus, especially Lisette who bursts into tears every 5 minutes, doesn't want to share the sofa bed with Hannah and wants to sleep in a real bed.
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Chris Hutton Loved the fast trains in Italy! Although we found they didn't always give you the platform number till 15 minutes before the train was due to depart. But have fun in Florence. It is fascinating!