Station to station

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In order to find out if two people are good partners, they should be forced to go from train station to train station at strange hours where no buses or English language or hotel rooms are available. We left London after a week of sleeping on Martin's floor (not too bad, really) and took the train to Dover, then the ferry to Calais, France. We were fortunate enough to be able to see the delicate light of the sunset reflect off the famous White Cliffs which jut right down into the sea.

When we arrived in Calais, however, we had missed the last bus to the train station. We asked a ticket agent what we should do and he generously offered use of the floor space until 5am. Since we were prepared with foam mats and sleeping bags, it was not too bad.


It almost got to be ridiculous when, arriving in Munich, we found that there were no rooms available in our price range even though Oktoberfest had just ended. Hmmmm, where to sleep? How about the train station "lounge" (floor), where we'll be woken periodically by police asking if we have a ticket. On the comfort scale, we were at about a negative 3 until dawn.


Then we finally got the train from Munich to Salzburg. Mike's ability to speak German certainly makes me feel like there's one less thing I should worry about. Heard some French on the train and something else - American English! Uh, oh, two girls, probably trying to beat us to a coveted available hostel room. The girls are small, we can beat them up if we have to... But wait, Mike knows his way around here and they just have a map.


After a short walk, we were at the hostel. Five minutes later, the American girls arrived to stand in the long waiting line with us. As soon as I saw Salzburg, though, I knew I'd stay even if it meant sleeping in another train station. Why? It's as pretty as a perfectly matched tea set. It's also warm and cozy on its insides. I feel like I'm experiencing all the best parts of a snow day without the inconvenience of the actual snow.


It's cool and lightly rainy outside but inside the hostel it's warm and wooden. A wide stairway sweeps up to the fourth floor where our dorm room is. "Girls" and "boys" even have separate showers. Wow, I'm back in a college dorm without the homework or part-time jobs. And a solid $9,000 at my disposal. For $11 a night, this'll work.

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Photos

At the Effra Pub, Brixton, London
Martin (far right) is our friendly host in London.

Trafalgar Square, London
We spent much of our time here. Museums, restaurants and the occasional pub, thank you very much...

Augustiner Brau, Salzburg, Austria
Beer hall from the 1400s where the monks still brew the beer.