We made the decision. It was the last "big" one to make. Do we take the train or plane from Rome to Munich? Our hearts and desires told us train. How beautiful it would be to see the countryside of Italy. How charming it would be to sit all day while traveling, not worrying about driving. And it would be an experience that we don't have in America.
But we could fly cheaper and wouldn't that be nice? We'd have an extra day in Rome! But we would have to find a place to store our luggage for the day due to the checkout time of our apartment rental. We would have to take a train to the smaller Roman airport and a train from the airport in Memmingmen to the main train station in Munich. That train would be about two hours long with a transfer, after arriving in Germany at 6:30 pm. We're supposed to pick up our rental vehicle by 8pm.
So as we weighed the good and the bad, we decided on rail. Yes we spend a whole day traveling, and yes it is more expensive than flying/ But it will be traveling by train, through the countryside of Italy. We only have to awaken in the morning in Rome, walk to the train station, board it, and sit till we arrive in Munich at supper time, just in time to enjoy a good German beer. And that is worth the expense.
I concur. Taking a train to Vienna from Venice was kind of a pain. We traveled at night, so there was no scenery. We traveled in a sleeper, which was crowded and hot. But we arrived in Vienna in the early morning, with some hours of sleep under our belts, and we were good to go!
ReplyDeleteMy first comment! Thanks Melody! And yes we thought about a sleeper car, but for many and various reasons we decided we weren't comfortable with that. Besides we have this silly idea that seeing the country side of Italy will be really nice, and so we hope the reality is near our imagination. I'll let you know!
ReplyDeleteBTW...Silly, but make sure you have assigned seats. We did not realize that we did not have them for our train ride from Milan to Venice. That's a long time to be sitting on the floor of the vestibule, I can tell you! It seems like a silly detail, but I have to admit I wasn't very well-versed in the fine art of public transportation when we went to Europe!
ReplyDeleteAnother BTW...Do you intend to cross the border to Salzburg? The Augustiner brewery in that city is lovely. Their beer is fresh and smooth, and the beer garden ist sehr gemuetlich! Our guide did warn us to drink slowly; that Augustiner goes down smooth and fast and then becomes brutal!
ReplyDeleteYes we are going to Salzburg. I'll write that brewery down inmynotebook as a place we need to try! Thanks for all the tips Melody!
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