Where to begin???
Well, to optimize our time, we decided to take an over-night train from Milan to Paris. We had been traveling first class the entire way, but due to a SNAFU, had to ride 2nd class in a 6 person couchette (pronounced coo - shay). Initially, we thought we would be in a 3 person couchette, and that would have been much preferable.
Sooooo, I had a feeling things would be FUBAR, and was dreading the experience. With no control over who we would be traveling with, and having already had plenty of experience with the hygiene habits of the European traveler - you can imagine my fears for the night. I made a decision before hand though, that no matter how bad it was, we would just chalk it up to another cultural experience, and we would just ride the wave where ever it took us.
It started out alright, we got to the train early - tried to switch to first class, but knew it was unlikely, so waited in a line for nothing. We found our car and made our way to our couchette. We were the first ones there, so we stowed our luggage and climbed onto our bunks. We had two bottoms and a top, so I let Izzy take the bottom with Chris and I climbed up to the top. No sooner had we settled ourselves, when a very tall and imposing man (Angolese) came into the cabin and proceeded to yell at Izzy. First in his native tongue and then in French (chances are that we would be more likely to speak French, but no). Izzy looked like a freaking deer caught in the headlights. Chris tried to explain to the very irate man, that we were all situated in the appropriate places, and she took him out into the hall to show him the corresponding numbers on the outside of the couchette, but still he persisted. Chris was also pretty tweaked about a man being in the cabin with us, because it was suppose to be a segregated car. Turns out he was getting his wife and family settled, also turns out that the wife had a baby with her and what he wanted was for them to be on the bottom. How were we to know??? There was a complete language barrier. In retrospect, Izzy would have been fine to change spots, but it was all very loud and confusing, and I was kind of out of the loop, because I was way up on top and there was no room to even scratch your ass - ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, everyone gets situated. Another woman and her son (maybe 12 yrs.) are in the middle bunks. Not sure why they didn't let her take one of those since they were all together - I think.
Husband comes back and proceeds to talk very loudly with wife. Mind you, our train left at 11:35 PM, so it is getting late, and the point of the couchette, is to get some sleep, but noooooo they rudely talk until 1:30, at which point Chris is past fed up, and gets up and turns out the light. HOLY HANNAH!!! you would have thought she was trying to steal the baby the way they reacted. "MADAME, MADAME, MADAME, blah blah blah blahddy blah blah, yadda, shmadda, jibberty, pliff." It was CRAZY!!!!! Mama got the baby and left. She came in and out several times, waking everyone each time - that is if you were sleeping - I was NOT. She eventually came back to sleep - no idea when that was. The kid below me was farting all night, and as you know, heat rises, so that was pleasant. His farts were so bad that a couple of times when I was actually dozing, it woke me. Add to that the fact that the non Americans all had the most horrific B. O. and all were wearing perfume or after shave - the cabin was a torture chamber of smells. Everyone that knows me, knows that smells really affect me and can often trigger migraines for me. I consider myself very lucky to have made it through the night without a headache. I did take a pill just to be on the safe side, so that probably saved me.
When the train started to slow as we approached Paris, I can tell you that I have never been so happy!!! Chris got off on the wrong foot with our traveling companions, and try as she might, she could not get into their good graces. Everything she did was offensive to them and they did not speak kindly to her or of her to each other. All of our travel experiences up to this point had been great, so it is a bummer that we had to have such a suckish experience, but like I said earlier, I was prepared for everything we experienced. It was everything I dreaded it would be and worse!!! And... it WAS a cultural experience!!!
