Rome or Paris, how to choose?

Did I tell you I had booked in for French lessons? Close to where we live is a French restaurant in the Mont de Lancy estate. Here was where the classes were being held. I signed up for the term, $150 which included supper. What a blast it was! My daughter and her friend attended, too, and we had a ball. My schooldays French was a bit rusty but I was one of the handful who actually had any knowledge of the language. The restaurant owner served us French bubbly and platters of French cheeses and crackers during the break and it made for some very friendly chitchat. I learned how to ask for provisions in a French shop, and to buy a meal in a restaurant. It was one of the best things I have done and I was so looking forward to travelling to Paris and practicing my newly-learned phrases...

It was not to be. C'est la vie. When I went over what we wanted to do and how much we would be able to afford I had to decide between France and Italy. My first choice was Paris of course, but my hubby's brother in England told us that he and his wife had always wanted to visit Rome and would be happy to go with us. So, rather begrudgingly, I opted for Italy. We decided on 5 days in Rome, rather than the 3 in Paris and 3 in Rome we had initially hoped for. Early research of costs was rather daunting as it became pretty obvious Rome was not cheap! I was looking at a minimum $200 a night for accommodation, no breaky included. But then, as always, Simple Savings came to my rescue.

I had been reading travel threads on the forum and one was begun for members travelling to Italy. One or two were recommending an eco-friendly backpacker place in the heart of Rome, called the Beehive. At first I was uninterested as backpacking accommodation conjures up ghastly images of shared dorms, snoring in chorus and the smell of sweaty feet. However, after reading on I was assured this was not the case in this instance. There were double rooms with shared facilities, the owners were English speaking, and the costs were unbelievably low for Rome. I went to the website to check it out and was impressed. Clean, bright, decently furnished rooms with lovely gardens, an in-house cafe and best of all, close to Termini, Rome's main railway station. The final clincher was the cost, 80 Euros a night, or around $125. The only downside was they don't accept bookings any earlier than 6 months ahead and book out very quickly. But I knew I would be on the ball for that when the time came. Italy, here we come!!!!