The Travellers in First Class

Yes, Tonia -- I am one of those who love train travel.

To get Wyona's and my tickets for the Britrail passes, there was only once choice, due to our advancing ages. We had to travel first class.  That was hard on two women who are always looking for sales.

Still, I am hooked on train travel.

That would make sense, considering the number of times I have stood at the side of the tracks and waved to those who are passing by. 

 2... our passes let us travel through England, Scotland and Wales ...

And I am missing my travel companion
Greg and I were lucky.

We had Wyona who would figure out the schedules, look for destinations that would work between stations, pack a lunch for us, make reservations for hotels if we had to stay over, and she would act as the alarm clock -- the one who got us out the door on time, for trains wait for no one. 

... the feast?  Wyona's box lunch for  us ...

When Greg retired he got a new life and I lost an old one -- the one where I did lots of train travel.

What would be good for me is if he would go and find some contract work.

Then Wyona would be mine again. l

I miss those picnic lunches on trains. 

Arta

BritRail - On the Train With Greg

Greg has had to listen to nightly summations from our train rides. There has never been a night when we haven't said, "Oh, I wouldn't have missed this day for anything." Or perhaps we have said, "The best day ever!"  Or alternately, "What were we thinking of the day we decided we should cancel our trip and get our money back?"

Once on the train that map I described, the one made of 8 sheets of paper and that is two feet high and one foot wide, the map that shows the places that the 20 different railroads travel -- that is the map that was spread out on the table. Time to show Greg where the day was going to take us, which was along the perimeter of the bottom coast of England, all the way to Penzance.

Wyona thought the sixteen day trip should end as it began, with home-made chicken salad sandwiches, pickles, cheese, grapes, oranges, apples -- all packed in her picnic box and ready for the day's adventure. What could be sweeter? A good lunch, wonderful scenery rolling by the windows, guidebooks in hand to tell us what we were seeing.

All of that fun and then Wyona and Greg had to throw in a little hand holding as well.

This was the day that we had 888 images on the camera, Wyona taking the major part of them so her hands could not always have been holding his.

Oh, when Greg fell asleep we did take some pictures of him on his holiday, each time with a scene that was passing by the window, something he was missing -- ie, the sheep, the bridges, the sea coast, the castle ruins. We got them all, with his face tucked into a pillow, lying against the window.

We only made one mistake with the camera. 

The window of the train was so dirty. We knew we were not getting really good pictures.

We grabbed the wipes that we use to clean up the tables so that we can eat on them, and ran out to give the window panes a good cleaning before the train left the station.

When I was out there, scrubbing alone, the conductor walked by and paused. He paused too long, watching me. I thought about union rules and wondered if I were taking away someone else's job. 

I turned to him and said, "I will bet you have never seen this before."

"No, I haven't," he agreed, and walked on.

Wyona joined me and we scrubbed the window together (there was a lot of dirt on it).

She said, "You know, I think it might not have been a good idea to have left the camera in the train with Greg while we are out cleaning the train windows."

"We are going to be O.K.", I replied. "He hasn't shown one bit of interest in the camera today."

Here I am, pausing for a minute along the sea side boardwalk in Penzance.

I have been trying to get to the bottom of the question, "Are you having as much fun as it seems you are?"

You be the judge.

Love,

Arta

Britrail - Greg Joins the Fun

On the telephone Glen asked us if we are really having as much fun as it appears we are having.  

I didn't know the answer to that question, so I went to look at some of the photographs and do a little research. 

Afterall, would a picture lie? 

Even a picture that was staged? 

Wyona had called Greg from Carlisle asking if he wanted to join us on our last day of the BritRail Pass. He signed on with us.

Here we are at 8 am, standing by the statue of Brunel the architect who designed Paddington Station. 

Actually we are here 40 minutes early for we don't want anything to go wrong.

Greg's ticket is "term certain" for want of a better phrase. 

He has to get on the 8 am train for Penzance. He has to be on the 5:20 pm train returning from Penzance. 

Wyona and I can catch earlier trains, catch later trains, miss trains, and change our itineraries at will. But it is worth having a plan and working the plan to have Greg along with us. 

I looked at the ceiling in Paddington Station that day and remembered that there is one train station we didn't leave from. I love the Paddington Roof. I will have to take a look at Charing Cross another day.
















All of the boards that post the platform information look essentially the same, yellow on black, and we are quick to read them and then dart for the right platform. 

But this day there was no need to run, for we now know how to book a seat reservation so that the thrill of the run was not part of our last day's exercise.

They sit on one side of the train and I sit on the other. At least that is how we start the journey. By the end of the day, the three of us were sitting on the two-seater side of the coach, squeezed together, looking at the picture Wyona had taken out of the train window. 

To prevent the reflection of the window glass on the images taken through the window, Wyona discovered she could go to the back of the coach, open the window to the door, and take picture that way. "The only downside is that you can't see what is coming up to photograph unless you hang your head out of the window, a sure formula for an ear ache if done long enough", she said.

When the train manager passed through an otherwise empty coach and saw three of us side by side on a two-seater bench he said, "Please don't let management see that you can put 3 passengers in the space for two, or they will start crowding these coaches 3 on a seat instead of 2."

Love,

Arta