I See The World
And Other Things
by
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It was quite chilly on the station in
When the train arrived, we boarded it and showed our tickets and compartment tabs to the steward who greeted us. He led us to the compartment we were to occupy. He was a large man, both in height and width, a stout sandy haired German.
Before dinner, my husband and I each had one drink for relaxation. Our door was open and when he came by to ask if we needed anything, we noticed he kept eyeing the bottle of Scotch whiskey, which my husband had taken out of the bag. My husband offered him a drink, which he enthusiastically accepted. In a few minutes, he came by again, and Les gave him another drink.
After the second drink, I took the bottle away, and put it back in the bag. He came by again, but there was no bottle. He stopped my husband in the passage way,
“Your Mrs., she take away the bottle,” in a tone of complaint.
Les came back into the compartment laughing, saying,
“You made our friend very unhappy by taking away the Scotch.”
“Oh well, I don’t want a drunken steward around.”
“By the way, did you notice the striking resemblance he has to the character Schultz, in the series Hogan’s Heroes? And, a conductor asked me for our tickets and passport again. I told him we had shown them already, but he insisted, so I’ll take them down to him. Be right back.” He left.
Shortly after, we went to the dining car for dinner, which was pleasant, and then returned to our compartment. I undressed and crawled into the lower bunk with my book. I enjoy reading in bed. Les sat nearby with his book. Although we had locked the door, we heard a sound and then the door was slid open. We were both shocked to see a conductor walk in. Taken by surprise, my husband was furious. He jumped up, faced close to the conductor, and said,
“By what right do you come into our compartment without knocking, and opening a locked door?”
“I want to see your tickets. And passport.”
“I don''t know or care what you want,” as the man began to speak, “just get out and you can talk to me outside. My wife is in bed, and you have no damn right in here.”
They went out and shut the door behind them. In a moment my husband came back and said,
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Book Details
About the Book
First, I recall cringing, but enjoyed how my husband dealt with conductors on a German train, who seemed determined to harass us.
Also, a delightful experience in a vineyard in
One on a
Then how a Danish woman accepted us in friendship and took us to her home, an old Danish farm.
How about an insight into a private home in
And so goes this book of essays, from around the world, with some photos.
About the Author
Florence Joseph Paul has lived in