So with a 6 hour train ride I had a lot of time to reflect on our travels and write some stuff about my thoughts on traveling in Europe so I came to two different conclusions on the train.
Number 1: Young American travels can be pretty rude (sad to say!) So this train had no seat reservations so we just picked a car and settled in. There were 2 other people and 2 empty seats. A young guy came in wanting to sit there but had a HUGE suitcase. The other lady had put a backpack up on the luggage rack and he wanted to put his bag there. (No way it would have fit because our little rolling ones just fit on there) so he demanded to know who’s bag it was and if they could move it so he could “throw his bag up there.” Now I have no problem with people using phrases like that but I felt like it was inappropriate in this situation. When you’re communicating with people who are not native English speakers I don’t think these kind of terms/phrases should be used and I also think that one should be extremely polite to those from the country you’re visiting (I sound old!). So needless to say he didn’t end up sitting there because the lady got kind of mad and he gave up (Not that I knew what she was saying but after he left she had some words to say to her husband and by the tone in her voice I don’t think it was good!). In some ways I felt bad for the kid but I also think he could have handled the situation differently (the wisdom that comes with aging hahahah!)
Number 2: Backpacking. Great way to see Europe but DOESN’T appeal to me AT ALL!!!! So 1/2 way through our trip we lost all our fellow passengers and had the car all to ourselves! Oh it was so nice and quiet and wonderful then 2 backpackers came and decided our car would be the perfect place to put themselves and all their stuff for the remainder of the trip. Now Joe had earlier told me when he went to the snack car that there were 2 cars that were not furnished and didn’t have AC. He said there were tons of people and dogs in those cars. He also told me one guy was sleeping on the floor and he (Joe) hardly had room to walk around him. Guess what!? That was the guy who came into our car. Now, I do think backpacking is a great way for people to explore Europe and get to see so many different places but there’s some traits of backpacking that make it pretty unpleasant like the fact that one doesn’t shower everyday and they and their things start to stink. It was pretty awful for a while and I was wondering how I was going to make it for 3 more hours but eventually it didn’t smell so much anymore. Now as I listened to these kids talk about where they had been and where they were going it sounded like they were having a lot of fun but the idea of sleeping in parks or huge hostels with lots of people and carrying around a supper heavy backpack just doesn’t appeal to me. Joe said when you travel Europe you usually have time OR money. When you’re a college student you have time so backpacking is the way to go. When you’re in Europe on work assignment you have money so you don’t see as much but it’s a much more comfortable experience! My conclusion about backpacking is if it floats your boat go for it, but at this point in my life it doesn’t appeal to me AT ALL! :) I much prefer the way we’ve been traveling Europe!
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