The Flyaway Weblog

Yesterday evening, we said goodbye to Paris and hopped an overnight Train to Florence. The photo below shows me at the train station, sitting next to a guy wearing a Red Sox hat. My husband thought that this was pretty funny. He was raised in Boston, and both of us lived there for nine years. Wherever we go, South America, Europe, etc., we see people who are part of the Red Sox Nation.

Now about those overnight trains: While it's debatable, overnight train travel is a form of budget travel. Arguably, you can find an airfare that's cheaper than the $300 some odd dollars we paid for a private sleeper car. However, if you fly, you have to pay to get to and from the airport, as well as for an overnight hotel. Besides, overnight train travel is fun, in a sick sort of way. My husband claimed the bottom bunk, so I had to deal with the excitement of wondering whether I was going to fall off the top. Obviously, I lived to tell the tale! If you don't mind the company of strangers, prices for a non-private compartment are a bit cheaper. For information, check out the Rail Europe website.

• Florence on a Budget? You're Kidding!
• Twenty Ways to Explore Paris Like a Local
• Paris Opera House: The Real Home of the Phantom
• Cheap Eats in Paris