Day 2: Paris to Bari

Our train from Paris to Milan didn’t leave till lunchtime, which allowed for a little sightseeing in the morning. We wandered out of our hotel and past the Pompidou centre before breakfasting at a typical Parisenne cafe.


















We crossed the Seine and despite not having booked tickets we joined a queue and were lucky to rapidly gain entry to the Sainte Chapelle, which Deborah first fell in love with 50 years ago on a school trip.

The Sainte Chapelle is  a Gothic royal chapel set within the Palais de la Cité , the residence of the Kings of France until the 14th century. It was commissioned by King Louis IX to house his passion relics, including Christ’s Crown of Thorns, and was consecrated in 1248. It has one of the most extensive 13th century stained glass collections anywhere in the world, and is truly breathtaking (the photos do not do it justice!



Leaving Gare de Lyon at lunchtime, our train to Milan sped through France and slowed as it reached the beautiful scenery of the Alps, eventually reaching Italy through a tunnel through the mountains.

Handy tip: When booking long distance train tickets, remember to consider the side of the train you need to sit on in order to get the views, and make sure there is an unobstructed window. The seat 61 blog is named after that seat in Eurostar.  

Arriving into Porto Garibaldi in Milan, we took the metro to Milan Centrale and were delighted by the noisy excited chattering of the passengers, so unlike the London Underground! After a slice of pizza and a beer at the station we boarded the sleeper to Bari.

Having believed the blurb on the TrenItalia line about the delicious continental breakfast we would receive on the sleeper, we were slightly disappointed when the train staff walked up and down the carriage as we left Milan handing us (one by one at 10 minute intervals) plastic-wrapped inedible looking items for consumption in the morning. The carriages were functional but somewhat tattered - Deborah compared them unfavourably to the Night Riviera from London to Penzance. Nevertheless we both managed a reasonable night’s sleep.


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