I really liked Nice. To be near the sea and swim in the Mediterranean was a very special time. However, Venice was my real bucket list place to go, and I was super excited. One of my ancestors many generations ago made the move from Venice to New Zealand, so I was pretty keen to have a look for myself. To do that, we had a long train ride with three changes. It was going to be a big day! A bonus was our NZ neighbour was living and working on the border with France and Italy, and he would meet us while we waited for a connection.

The first leg of the trip was Nice to Ventimìglia, and it took about an hour. I was hoping for scenic views out of the window, but we were passing through steep country and got only occasional views as there were many tunnels. The train was not overly full, and we had a good trip.

At Ventimiglia we were met by our neighbour who had been to the morning market and bought us some cheeses! We went and had an espresso with him and then it was time to board train #2 – Ventimiglia to Milan – just under  four hours. This train started off with a comfortable number of traveller’s, but at each stop more and more boarded until the train was pretty packed. Unfortunately it was a very warm day and the air conditioning was not working. It became unbearablely stuffy and hot. To add to the adventure the train stopped due to works on the line and we sat for 20mins or so. It was pretty uncomfortable. I was so grateful for the fan I purchased in Nice – I think it saved me from melting!

We eventually arrived in Milan – late, and we’re a little concerned about our connecting train. Bonus – it was delayed by 20 minutes, so plenty of time. This is a good time to mention the public toilets in Europe. There are jot many of them and you need to search for them and you need to pay. Usually 50 € cents or 1€. The bonus is that there is always an attendant, and the toilets are spotlessly clean. I think it works very well. Our train from Milan to Venice was a treat after the previous train. Big windows and air conditioning! This was another two and a half hours, but it passed in comfort, and I alternated between window watching and snoozing!

Arrival and Venice is along a narrow causeway that has railway lines and a highway. It was pretty exciting to see the water on each side of us and the city of Venice fast approaching.

I was perked up by the time we arrived at Santa Maria train station. Venice – I made it!