We are back in Vienna. It is great to have a home base. Ann is busy doing laundry and the kids are decompressing from the whirlwind tour. Our return from Bolzano Italy was scary smooth. We caught the bus with 10 minutes to spare from St. Christina. We descended the Alps marveling at the tight turns the significant numbers of switchbacks and the close proximity of other buses as they made their way up the hills. You could see if the person in the other bus had a runny nose they were so close! The 2 hr train ride from Bolzano was a snap. We waited 30 minutes on the platform and were pleasantly surprised to get nice comfy seats in a "real" air conditioned car. This was an open car not compartments like before but there were tables with electric. Out came the converters and in went laptop plugs and i-pod cords. We were staring down a 5 hour ride from Innsbruck, we didn't have a reservation on that train so fully charged laptops and I-pods are a huge win for team Glavin. Folks all around us were quite curious about the Americans. You can imagine that we aren't exactly the quietest group you'd ever meet. Add the fact that we had rolling suitcases with sneakers hanging off them and kids doing Math and reading with a "kindle" that looked like nothing an Italian had seen before and we were like the Jetson's of Bolzano. The train was a delight and the scenery like stuff jumping off the canvas of Thomas Kincaid or photos from Ansel Adams. We pulled into the station in Innsbruck grateful for a nice comfy beautiful ride and fearful that's we'd be standing in the train aisle for the 5 hour ride to Vienna. Ann rushed to the ticket counter, hoping for reservations and someone that spoke English. The train leaves in 1 hour so we want to get on even if we have to volunteer one of the kids to clean the trash cans! Eamon is lugging Ann's rolling suitcase so she can get to the counter unencumbered. As we walk by one of the platforms, Ann is at the top of the steps. Now I know my sense of direction is a huge joke on this trip but I know that the ticket counter is around the corner not up the escalator! A few brief seconds later and the loud squeal of the alarm for the escalator starts to blare. Turns out when Ann made the turn from our platform to get to the ticket counter a woman in her late 70's was falling down the escalator trapped by her bags and her feet were where head was supposed to be. Ann and another woman rushed to the rescue. A successful Good Samaritan effort in Austria. She can do it all!! We're thinking of getting her a cape soon.While Ann got tickets I went to the store for essential 5 hour travel food supplies, peanut butter rolls, cheeses, apples, chocolate, cookies and popcorn usually make the list. I see Ann emerging from the ticket office, a wry smile, and wonder to myself "hmmm what is she up too?" Turns out you can't get a reserved car unless you do so 24hrs in advance. Guess we'll be split up. Not so fast says Ann, I got 1st class tickets. Man I love how she thinks. We amble onto the train into a car marked "#1". Just love how that sounds. We're like the Beverly hillbilly's with our packed, filled to the brim with dirty laundry, rolling suitcases, our food bag, our crock shoes and our overflowing backpacks. Folks had that look, you know the one "Where ever they are sitting I need to find a different car!" So off to the other #1 cars went the dapper well dressed men and woman with gucci bags and D&B luggage and in went team Glavin to settle in for a nice 5 hour ride. They have electric in first class too, at each seat, way cool. Pearse even said "Can I take a picture of the seat?" Now that must be first class when the 8 year old thinks the seat is "picture worthy".
Carpe' Diem
No comments:
Post a Comment