It's been a while since I've actually taken time to blog on here, folks. I've been busy travelling, recovering from that travel, watching my favorite sports team (NHL Minnesota Wild) start to tank the 2019-20 season, and trying to enjoy a wet, soggy fall in Minnesota. Besides, I'm writing a book.
A book? Yes, about our recent Paris-to-Istanbul trip. Lots of things went right. Lots went wrong (Including me in a few instances). Lots just went. But I've managed a 60-page book without photos (so I'm looking at a 72-page book) which I should publish late this year or early next year (depending how fast I get around to it). Like the trip itself, it's dot every 'I', cross every 'T', you know the drill by now.
I guess intercontinental travel took more out of me than I realized. I still cannot bring myself to fly anywhere nearly two months after the start of that journey. There are places that I'd like to go to at this time of year; but the fact that fall is Minnesota's best season, in my opinion, and the local football teams are doing relatively well, means why would I want to leave? Besides, I've a book inside me. Really feel the need to get that out.
And, its somewhat trying to find the time to do that, amongst just living and doing the things you do every day. Although the fact I am retired leaves me my days basically free, I still have my chores to do, and trying to keep up gets hard when you can't move as well as you should. I had friends tell me I should have moved more before the Europe trip; of course, they were right. Did I listen to them? Not for a minute. I just thought there would be assistance everywhere, similar to what it is in the US and Canada. Not so in the European Union. It's 48 hours advance notice for any assistance, anywhere in the EU. Even the somewhat forgiving SNCF (French National Railways) requires 36 hours notice to get a wheelchair (I was that bad by the end of this trip).
Now, how bad did it get? I delayed not one but TWO trains trying to get assistance in Milan. I missed FOUR trains in 3 days in Paris by oversleeping. I came home exhausted, worn out, but with memories that will last a lifetime (or so). The average European is much healthier that the average American, I deduced after being amongst Europeans for three weeks. Most that I came across in my travels were nothing short of pleasant. A few (a certain SNCF employee in Boulogne comes to mind) were outstanding and unbelievably pleasant. (Bonjour, Nina.)
Of course, there was one exception to the rule, and we were more than happy to traverse this country and not look back at it: Europe's poor cousin. The last European country to get bombed.
Serbia. We had nothing but problems in the largest of the Balkan countries; but a lot of the problems stemmed for the fact that they are still trying to get over a disastrous war in the 1990's, while the former Yugoslavia was breaking up under Slobodan Milosevic. A hot inbound train to Belgrade, the most disjointed major terminal I've ever seen (my wife and nephew-in-law almost got lost going to buy tickets at Belgrade Centar, the new Belgrade terminal, opened in 2018); a three-car local train which turned into the Shopper's Special; and finally, a train which had to wait an hour for the diesel locomotive to show up...from where we were going to...and a leisurely 25MPH (40 KPH) speed to boot.
It's all in the book folks... stay tuned. But right now, it's my bedtime. Good night.
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
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