Editor's Note: Christie will be blogging about her travels through Italy over the next month. She will be passing on helpful advice and info about European traveling as she shares her experiences of her trip.

I just arrived in Paris and I'm passing time at a cafe before I take a night train to Florence. The keyboard is different then mine at home so I'm having a hard time writing. That's not really the most annoying thing; its that AIM Express is not very express at all. There is a horrible delay between my messages and my boyfriend. I'm getting frustrated since it already took half an hour for my cousin to haunt him down and tell him to come online so we could talk.

After my plane landed and got my baggage, I got a ticket for the RER, the French subway. It took a lot longer to arrive at Bercy station than I had expected. If you are ever in Paris and you are departing from one of the many train stations or airports, make sure to give yourself enough time. I'm fine, since I have seven hours before my train departs (which on the other hand is way too much time), but there was no way to avoid that since I'm taking a night train.

When you find yourself with time to kill in a city that you are not that familiar with; I would suggest staying near your final destination, i.e. train station, and finding an Internet cafe. I found a cafe called Peanuts only a block from Bercy where I can use their computer and Internet as long as I'd like, with the purchase of a 4 Euro drink. I got a glass of wine to relax myself and I went online to email my mom and boyfriend letting them know I arrived safely. Not a bad deal at all.

Next stop: Italy!