The Blue-Eyed Conductor
“Switzerland is within easy reach from Italy. The EuroCity train line has numerous daily connections from Milan to major Swiss cities such as Basel, Berne, Geneva, Lausanne, Lucerne, Lugano and Zurich. Venice, Bologna and Genoa offer direct connections to Switzerland as well.”
Like just about everyone else, we postponed travel plans following the events of September 11, 2001. With the tragedy and upheaval of that awful year, we were wary of plane travel, particularly overseas. Gino and I scheduled a trip to Europe in 2002, but for our journey around the continent (Italy and France were on our itinerary), we looked for trains to get us from point A to point B.
That’s not hard to do in Europe because trains are plentiful and not too expensive, particularly in economy class. Rail networks crisscross Europe, so most routes can be planned from point to point. The smallest town in any part of the continent can be reached without too much hassle. Best of all, train stations are in the town center rather than at an airport, usually located 25 kilometers outside the city.
As I remember, we were invited to visit our dear friend Tina in Milan. After a few days in this northern go-getting Italian city, she drove us to her country house about an hour and a half from the city.
