Train Travel,
OK - well the good news is that we were NOT on the train that derailed but it did remind me of the time we were on one...It was me, kyle and david. Mom had given us a gift for Christmas of a train ride up in the mountains near Mount Shasta. The vintage train was called the McCloud Dinner Train and mom got two tickets. Kyle was, maybe twelve, and we decided to get a third ticket and take him along instead of trusting him at home until ten at night...good thing we did!
As we pulled away from the station - everybody was dressed for a big night out...you know those dinners that keep on coming. A group of Girl Scouts had not made the train on time so they raced to a place where the train could stop and let them on. The train master must have wanted to make up the lost time so he went a bit too fast around the corner right as we reached the turn around part. I have no idea what warned me but the glasses on the table started to shake and I grabbed all of them in my arms so we were the only group who had no broken glassware on our table.
The train shook and twisted and threw itself off of the tracks. Kyle was the only "kid" there (the girl scouts were an older bunch). The people had already fallen in love with him so the only deck of cards on board was given to us to play with. They served free drinks to all the adult passengers while we all waited for rescue.
Trains have a sort of track guide that allows the derailed train to be pushed back onto the track on a metal device that turns and eventually the train rolls into place. That was located in Weaverville - at least three hours away. The only other engine we could use to get moving was located in a small town I have never heard of in southern Oregon near Doris, CA. So, both were called and we were sort of waiting for whoever got there first. The Air Conditioner went out and it was a hot hot August day so we all went out into the rocks around the train.
The crew kept pooring soda and alcohol (ran out of water). They saved the last rootbeer for Kyle. Kyle had all of the staff wrapped around his finger, they let him help them serve people. He even had them sign the menu and give it to him to take home. Well, by the time we were rescued it was three in the morning. All the men on board had to help push us up the jack like metal thingy and back onto the tracks. I think Kyle got a real eye-full of behavior of drunk people. One woman was sitting under her table hanging on to the post and swinging and singing. It was pretty funny.
So, as we boarded the sleeper train in Florence, Italy I thought about that derailment and thought, "Please God, not now!" and we were lucky, we made it to Paris and out of Paris with little excitement. I would recommend that NOBODY take a train with huge luggage. I think I broke my big toe the fourth time the bag was roughly lifted and slammed down on it. Why always the left foot I wondered. The isles are too narrow to get through with a backpack on.
Then when we arrived in Paris we were at the wrong station and we had to hurry and pay a taxi. The next trip from Paris to La Rochelle started out rough...I forgot the train number and there were actually two trains going there. I have a lot of trouble with my memory with the meds I am on. I lost Mike and at one point I climbed on a pillar and just shouted for him. He finally found me and the trains were closing their doors. Mike had already checked in on the back train and was waiting for me. I had run the length of the two trains and was swallowed up in the crowd.
The nicest man sat with me on the wrong train and kept me from crying.
We talked about the trains this time of year. There are special cars for the kids who travel alone for their summer holidays...maybe to be with a grandparent while the parents work or maybe in case of divorce they go to live with one or the other parent for the summer. The trains run a few weeks of special cars only for unaccompanied kids. We happened to be near one and watched these kids go back and forth with sodas and food. They were lively and happy.
It was so sad to hear that one of these French trains derailed and killed so many innocent travelers. I would bet that the train was going a bit faster than normal or maybe a wheel was worn just too much. The small derailment I experienced was enough to keep me up in the air in a plane. I hope we can get refunds for the trains we are not taking that we paid for already - everything is a mess right now.
Today the traffic on this tiny island was horrible. Like rush hour in the city. Back to back cars all moving too slowly. Loaded busses stopping a bit longer then normal stopped traffic up. We want to go to dinner tomorrow night but I think we will need to eat early to even get a place.
Mike has been teaching me not to talk...major achievement that he is accomplishing it. We have found that if the French know we are American they jack us up. Two nights ago we ordered a pizza to go. I spoke so the pizza guy knew we were American. What we ordered was NOT the ANCHOVIES we were served. The pizza we saw local French kids getting was nothing like the one we got. I think they put a few pieces of cheese on ours and piles on theirs. So, today we stopped at a little garden to buy some fruit and veg's. I kept my mouth shut. Mike tried to order without saying much but after he paid he said thank you and all the locals were so excited to hear him speak. The didn't come to get me from the car but I heard them pulling at Mike, asking him to speak. They practically grabbed other locals to hear him talk. It was so cute. All these little ladies, all ages, impressed with Mike's English.
Anyway. I will include some pics tonight of a ruined monastery we walked through today, an abby built in the 1100's. It was fun to take our time and just enjoy everything we saw. We also walked the walls that so often were built to keep foot solders from attacking. One even had a small drawbridge.
good night to you all, it is 11:32 here and I need to try to sleep. Crosby, Stills, and Nash tonight.
Hugs
Sally
Well, I think that my camera lost juice at the monastary but this is the wall around the little town that shows how seriously they protected themselves. The wall is about five feet thick and drops off directly to the rocks hundred feet below.
The pic of the men playing "football" is an example of siesta time. The man in yellow was working with a yellow truck of some sort. He and his friends were taking their normal three hours off in the afternoon and picked up a scrimmage of "football".
The Tractor is interesting. That is a hundred feet or so from the sea wall where the high tide mark is. The farmers use boat launches to launch the backhoe because they need to keep the extra sand to a minimum. These were farms for clams we think.
The other pics are of the entrances to town in the old walls. Nothing "to write home about" really. But here things were redone in the 1900's after WWII. We have not really found out much history of the place, they talk about the one hundred year war...I think I learned about it in school but all that I really remember was it lasted a hundred years....long time.
Okay,
good night once more
hugs
Sally
OK - well the good news is that we were NOT on the train that derailed but it did remind me of the time we were on one...It was me, kyle and david. Mom had given us a gift for Christmas of a train ride up in the mountains near Mount Shasta. The vintage train was called the McCloud Dinner Train and mom got two tickets. Kyle was, maybe twelve, and we decided to get a third ticket and take him along instead of trusting him at home until ten at night...good thing we did!
As we pulled away from the station - everybody was dressed for a big night out...you know those dinners that keep on coming. A group of Girl Scouts had not made the train on time so they raced to a place where the train could stop and let them on. The train master must have wanted to make up the lost time so he went a bit too fast around the corner right as we reached the turn around part. I have no idea what warned me but the glasses on the table started to shake and I grabbed all of them in my arms so we were the only group who had no broken glassware on our table.
The train shook and twisted and threw itself off of the tracks. Kyle was the only "kid" there (the girl scouts were an older bunch). The people had already fallen in love with him so the only deck of cards on board was given to us to play with. They served free drinks to all the adult passengers while we all waited for rescue.
Trains have a sort of track guide that allows the derailed train to be pushed back onto the track on a metal device that turns and eventually the train rolls into place. That was located in Weaverville - at least three hours away. The only other engine we could use to get moving was located in a small town I have never heard of in southern Oregon near Doris, CA. So, both were called and we were sort of waiting for whoever got there first. The Air Conditioner went out and it was a hot hot August day so we all went out into the rocks around the train.
The crew kept pooring soda and alcohol (ran out of water). They saved the last rootbeer for Kyle. Kyle had all of the staff wrapped around his finger, they let him help them serve people. He even had them sign the menu and give it to him to take home. Well, by the time we were rescued it was three in the morning. All the men on board had to help push us up the jack like metal thingy and back onto the tracks. I think Kyle got a real eye-full of behavior of drunk people. One woman was sitting under her table hanging on to the post and swinging and singing. It was pretty funny.
So, as we boarded the sleeper train in Florence, Italy I thought about that derailment and thought, "Please God, not now!" and we were lucky, we made it to Paris and out of Paris with little excitement. I would recommend that NOBODY take a train with huge luggage. I think I broke my big toe the fourth time the bag was roughly lifted and slammed down on it. Why always the left foot I wondered. The isles are too narrow to get through with a backpack on.
Then when we arrived in Paris we were at the wrong station and we had to hurry and pay a taxi. The next trip from Paris to La Rochelle started out rough...I forgot the train number and there were actually two trains going there. I have a lot of trouble with my memory with the meds I am on. I lost Mike and at one point I climbed on a pillar and just shouted for him. He finally found me and the trains were closing their doors. Mike had already checked in on the back train and was waiting for me. I had run the length of the two trains and was swallowed up in the crowd.
The nicest man sat with me on the wrong train and kept me from crying.
We talked about the trains this time of year. There are special cars for the kids who travel alone for their summer holidays...maybe to be with a grandparent while the parents work or maybe in case of divorce they go to live with one or the other parent for the summer. The trains run a few weeks of special cars only for unaccompanied kids. We happened to be near one and watched these kids go back and forth with sodas and food. They were lively and happy.
It was so sad to hear that one of these French trains derailed and killed so many innocent travelers. I would bet that the train was going a bit faster than normal or maybe a wheel was worn just too much. The small derailment I experienced was enough to keep me up in the air in a plane. I hope we can get refunds for the trains we are not taking that we paid for already - everything is a mess right now.
Today the traffic on this tiny island was horrible. Like rush hour in the city. Back to back cars all moving too slowly. Loaded busses stopping a bit longer then normal stopped traffic up. We want to go to dinner tomorrow night but I think we will need to eat early to even get a place.
Mike has been teaching me not to talk...major achievement that he is accomplishing it. We have found that if the French know we are American they jack us up. Two nights ago we ordered a pizza to go. I spoke so the pizza guy knew we were American. What we ordered was NOT the ANCHOVIES we were served. The pizza we saw local French kids getting was nothing like the one we got. I think they put a few pieces of cheese on ours and piles on theirs. So, today we stopped at a little garden to buy some fruit and veg's. I kept my mouth shut. Mike tried to order without saying much but after he paid he said thank you and all the locals were so excited to hear him speak. The didn't come to get me from the car but I heard them pulling at Mike, asking him to speak. They practically grabbed other locals to hear him talk. It was so cute. All these little ladies, all ages, impressed with Mike's English.
Anyway. I will include some pics tonight of a ruined monastery we walked through today, an abby built in the 1100's. It was fun to take our time and just enjoy everything we saw. We also walked the walls that so often were built to keep foot solders from attacking. One even had a small drawbridge.
good night to you all, it is 11:32 here and I need to try to sleep. Crosby, Stills, and Nash tonight.
Hugs
Sally
The pic of the men playing "football" is an example of siesta time. The man in yellow was working with a yellow truck of some sort. He and his friends were taking their normal three hours off in the afternoon and picked up a scrimmage of "football".
The Tractor is interesting. That is a hundred feet or so from the sea wall where the high tide mark is. The farmers use boat launches to launch the backhoe because they need to keep the extra sand to a minimum. These were farms for clams we think.
The other pics are of the entrances to town in the old walls. Nothing "to write home about" really. But here things were redone in the 1900's after WWII. We have not really found out much history of the place, they talk about the one hundred year war...I think I learned about it in school but all that I really remember was it lasted a hundred years....long time.
Okay,
good night once more
hugs
Sally
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