Loved this post! I've just returned from Portugal and Spain and we had a few stressful moments, but nothing like yours. Well done for keeping it together (and staying married). You certainly deserved your dinner.
A delightful post that vicariously reminded me of how much I love Paris (especially the frites but the steak tartar not so much!). Your tale of running for trains and missed connections reminded me of a misadventure we had in Italy in late August 2001 just days before the the Sept. 11 attacks. It's a long story that I may save for a post sometime, but suffice it to say I ended up on one train heading for Milan (en route to a connecting train to Paris for a flight back to the U.S.) without a ticket or money while my husband and teenage son were on another--no cellphones. I imagined disappearing forever without a trace, but through several strokes of fortune we reconnected in Paris, having somehow ended up on the same overnight train in different compartments! I was going to write about this, but 9/11 happened and I never did. Train travel in Europe is a miracle compared to some parts of the U.S. (like Los Angeles!), but it can also lead to some pretty hair-raising and funny stories! Thanks for yours--and the cool pictures of your very cute family!
Ruth, I would LOVE to hear your story. It sounds so similar to mine! I sure loved riding around trains in Europe...they are SO MUCH BETTER than trains in America. I came home thinking, wow what an experience! I would do it again...but maybe next time, learn some French and German lol, so I don't get lost again.
Someday I’ll tell you the whole story or write it. It’s pretty crazy. I completely agree about the trains of Europe surpassing ours by far and about the benefit of learning some of the language of the place you’re visiting. I’m fairly proficient in French and can get by in Spanish, useful in visiting France and Spain, but, alas, of no use in Italy in 2001.
I look forward to hearing more about your adventures in Europe with your children.
My sister is currently in Europe and recently had a horror trip travelling from Lyon to Milan, which involved many cancelled trains (because of the floods). I won't bore you with it here, but suffice to say they ended up going via Switzerland :) It all makes for a good story and I look forward to hearing yours.
Loved this post! I've just returned from Portugal and Spain and we had a few stressful moments, but nothing like yours. Well done for keeping it together (and staying married). You certainly deserved your dinner.
Thank you Marg! Hope your trip was fun. Would like to hear more about it 😊
A delightful post that vicariously reminded me of how much I love Paris (especially the frites but the steak tartar not so much!). Your tale of running for trains and missed connections reminded me of a misadventure we had in Italy in late August 2001 just days before the the Sept. 11 attacks. It's a long story that I may save for a post sometime, but suffice it to say I ended up on one train heading for Milan (en route to a connecting train to Paris for a flight back to the U.S.) without a ticket or money while my husband and teenage son were on another--no cellphones. I imagined disappearing forever without a trace, but through several strokes of fortune we reconnected in Paris, having somehow ended up on the same overnight train in different compartments! I was going to write about this, but 9/11 happened and I never did. Train travel in Europe is a miracle compared to some parts of the U.S. (like Los Angeles!), but it can also lead to some pretty hair-raising and funny stories! Thanks for yours--and the cool pictures of your very cute family!
Ruth, I would LOVE to hear your story. It sounds so similar to mine! I sure loved riding around trains in Europe...they are SO MUCH BETTER than trains in America. I came home thinking, wow what an experience! I would do it again...but maybe next time, learn some French and German lol, so I don't get lost again.
Someday I’ll tell you the whole story or write it. It’s pretty crazy. I completely agree about the trains of Europe surpassing ours by far and about the benefit of learning some of the language of the place you’re visiting. I’m fairly proficient in French and can get by in Spanish, useful in visiting France and Spain, but, alas, of no use in Italy in 2001.
I look forward to hearing more about your adventures in Europe with your children.
My sister is currently in Europe and recently had a horror trip travelling from Lyon to Milan, which involved many cancelled trains (because of the floods). I won't bore you with it here, but suffice to say they ended up going via Switzerland :) It all makes for a good story and I look forward to hearing yours.
There should probably be a travel blog called “Missed Connections” with all these stories!😅
Such a good idea Ruth! I would do it but I only have this one story…or so that stuck out in my head, that is.