Bratislava to Vienna
As my trip from Kosice continued…and I changed trains in Bratislava, my worries were all taken care of as a friendly, nice drunken Slovak man befriended me, insisting that I let him carry my luggage. First down the stairs, and then also up to the next platform. He was motioning and saying “Slovak strong!” I thanked him with as many “Daquiem’s” as I could muster. He proceeded to tell the conductor to help me onto the train with my bags. Which he did too!
Then I sat in a cabin with a friendly, talkative French girl. She was just returning to France, from teaching three weeks of French to Slovak students, in a high school in Dolny Kubin, where Yanka was from.
I think it was even the same school where Yanka’s mom teaches French. Small world! Because she was telling me about the trip some students are going on to Paris. The same as Yanka and her mom are taking on June first!
As the train arrived in Wien, Fritz was right there to pick me at the platform! The weather was schöne in Wien. Much contrast to when I left Vienna three months ago and to when he picked me up at Wein Westbahnhof in the beginning of February.
Today was also their seventh wedding anniversary. Which I was here in Vienna on that day, seven years ago. I said to Fritz, “Seven years later, and toys are falling out of the trunk!”
The girls and Luise were glad to see me, as I was them! It’s also Luise’s birthday. Fritz must travel to Prague tomorrow so we were both packing our stuff Saturday night and Sunday morning.
Luise cooked fresh white Spring asparagus with Hollandaise sauce. We ate caviar (I don’t care for the fishy salty taste) from Russia and orange salmon roe. Vera liked the expensive caviar. I read the girls Bedtime stories in German and us “adults” watched a movie.
Sunday morning was very leisurely. I got to run all around the neighborhood ‘Heitzing’ one of the richest areas in Wien. It’s so pretty. The tree leaves are all full bushy leafy green. Songbirds are singing, besides Vera and Sophia.
We ate a quick lunch of spaghetti 🍝 with killer balsamic lettuce salad, which I haven’t had since I left San Diego. Then I left at 13:15 for the West Bahnhof. Shortly after, Fritz left for the Süd Bahnhof.
Astonished was I to find that the train I intended to take was full. That has never happened to me before! So I had to travel with the next, faster train which left an hour later, but put me in Munich only 20 minutes later. I phone Lulu and she called Michael to tell him.
Saturday 15 May, 1999
