Overnight Train to Rome

Monday, December 23, 1991

After the big day in Paris, we spent the morning recovering and preparing for our trip to Italy that evening. We made our way into Paris and dropped our bags at Gare de Lyon. We didn’t do very much in comparison to the day before. We stayed near the Gare de Lyon and visited Place de la Bastille, Place Vosges, and the Marais.

But when we stopped for lunch at a local cafe, one of our classic incidents transpired. We were seated alongside a railing next to a staircase down to the basement. I can’t remember what we ate, though I think I may have tried a Croque Messieur. During our meal, I accidentally nudged my fork. In what seemed like an eternity, I watched as gravity pulled my cutlery into the abyss of the stairwell. As I cringed, my sister and father started chuckling as the fork proceeded to hit every stair on its way down to the basement. That’s one of our classic stories of the trip which they kid me about to this day.

That evening we returned to Gare de Lyon to embark on our trip and I was excited to share the fun of European train travel. It was an overnight trip that took us through the Alps during the night then along the west coast during the morning.

My father remembers: “…that great overnight train ride in the compartment by ourselves looking out at the moonlit snow covered mountains clickety, clackitying down the rails. That was one of my fondest memories of the trip.”

And my sister Nancy remembers: “I think it was an overnight train. As I remember waking up looking out at the snow. On the train itself we had our own cabin. It was a long ride and the only food we brought was a roll of salami. I remember playing cards and eating salami. Plus, because we were the only ones in the cabin we had room to spread out or lie down if we wanted. I also remember looking frantically out the window when we got to the town of Pisa to see if I could spot the tower (alas, no). Saw vineyards out the window and weird cemeteries.

It was a fantastic ride. As my father mentioned, the view of the moonlight illuminating the snow covered Alps was amazing. Then the next morning, the rocky shores of the Mediterranean were incredibly picturesque. I also remember as we passed through Pisa, looking out over the city hoping to catch a glimpse of the leaning tower. Later that morning we arrived in our first destination, Rome.