Not for the over 50 set – without strong biceps & legs – —- –

TRAVELING BY TRAIN FROM MARSEILLE TO ROME – 12 HOURS – 500+ POUNDS OF LUGGAGE – by your  NOT so  AVERAGE SENIORS

We do NOT recommend traveling this way if you are MOVING your life back to the U.S. ( we decided to travel this way as the airlines would have charged us many hundreds of euros for these extra and overweight bags.)

Nor do we recommend if you haven’t increased your bicep strength at a local gym for the last 2 years…..As one friend put it to us – – – “You are certifiably mad”      (yep)

HOWEVER,   If you are carrying only 2 bags this would be an excellent way to travel, to see the incredible Italian countryside, and rest and relax.  Which is what we were TRYING for, since we had a dinner party the night before and basically didn’t sleep AT ALL that night before we left.   That being said, I’m glad we did this travel and thankful that we did not put ourselves in traction with the bag lifting and pulling and carrying.

cassis station – 6:45am – 8th Novembre

A brief outline of how this travel unfolded:

7am- 8th Nov 2013 –

PROVENCE TRAIN –   CASSIS – TOULON

ITALIAN TRAIN -VENTIMIGLIA   – MILAN

TRENITALIA – (EUROSTAR – 300 Km an hour!  – to   ROME “THE ITALIAN EXPRESS”  -( TRENITALIA_ or Eurostar TRAIN FROM MILAN – ROME – —- – arrival:  6:45pm

TRAVELING AT 300 KM AN HOUR – the fastest we have been on land since we arrived 2 years ago.

7:00AM – CASSIS – TOULON  = 45 MINUTES = 2 FLIGHTS OF STEPS UP & DOWN  (our friend Christopher helps us a lot and declares us certified bonkers)

7:45AM – TOULON – NICE = 2 HOURS = 2 FLIGHTS OF STEPS  UP AND DOWN  (ALONE)

10:00AM – NICE – VENTIMIGLIA = 2 FLIGHTS  OF STEPS UP AND DOWN – (ALONE)

11:00  VENTIMIGLIA – MILAN – A PORTER – who gave us our first prejudiced comment in 2 years…” Oh, you should be in FIRST class on this train – not second….SECOND is full of ARABS, you don’t want to be with those Arabs.”  That was funny coming from him – a MOROCCAN!!! ha ha.   But, he did take us to First Class – put the extremely heavy bags UP and above our heads – I had no idea how he lifted them – and how was I going to get them DOWN!!!!!   Nice, as we got the ENTIRE cabin to stretch out.  We gave him 25, when he wanted 70!!!   No way.

14:55PM – MILAN – ROME –  ANOTHER PORTER ANGEL – I SAID ‘HOW MUCH?” HE SAID 10 EUROS – YEAH, NO PROB- AND HE RUSHED BAGS TO THE TRENITALIA – ( THE “FAST TGV FOR ITALY” _)  VERY END CAR – PUT BAGS IN –  We would have NEVER made this train if we had carted the bags by ourselves.  He was extremely fast.   DAVID TIPPED 15 EUROS   – WE TAKE VERY CUSHY SEATS AND THEN GO BACK TO GET COMPUTER BAG………..which was all alone back with other bags and not in my sight.   Not good.

18:45 – ROMA BABY!!!!  WE MADE IT!!!