Ventimiglia, Italy is on the Medditeranean coast just east of the border with France. My 1977 trip to Europe was with my parents as my Dad had some overseas meetings to attend. After a week in London, we were off to Italy, and I convinced them that I wanted to ride the train while they flew ahead. This trip turned into a 36 hour oddessy as the SNCF went on strike, and my train out of Paris to Turin was cancelled.
This 19 year old (at that time) with no cell phone, no credit card and a few dollars in his pocket left Paris for Italy which was on an overnight train to Marseilles, and then traveled along the Mediterranean Coast, leaving me here where I purchased a ticket for Turin, arriving about 12' behind the advertised.
I just returned to Europe for only the second time and while I was in Paris SNCF did strike again, but fortunately did not affect my travel plans like they did in 1977.
