A Die Bahn EC Arriving At The Station
I was about to take my first more "typical" European train thus far. The Euro Cities Express is still classified as "fast" when compared to travel in the States. The EC-197 (The Albert Einstein) is a commuter train that makes selected stops along the way. It does not stop at all stations; just those that have a business or commerce interest that will generate revenue by stopping. Still, this train hits speeds of 90mph between stations. Not quite as comfortable or smooth as the previous high-speed trains, it was still much more comfortable than the last commuter train I rode in the States. The trip to Kempten was about 3.5 hours and cut through a corner of Austria enroute, the only place since London was I ask to produce my Passport. Austrian border guards boarded the train at the last stop in Switzerland and departed at the only stop in Austria.
When I arrived in Kempten,
I was expecting a clean-cut, young man to meet the train. After walking almost the full length of
the train toward the exit, I was wondering where the phone was so I could call
my hosts for a ride, and hoped that someone on the other end could speak
English. I knew they were having
problems with their ISP and was now very afraid that they had not received my
latest e-mail with the new arrival day.
As I continued to walk, l
still found no one that looked even remotely familiar. (Remember, I had only seen this family
for about and hour or so in Orlando some 13 months earlier.) As I approached the exit stairs, the
only people left on the platform were a longhaired hippy-type, someone that
could be a younger brother and a mother. As
I got closer, the "hippy" parted his hair and I recognized a
long-sought-after "familiar face", the first one since leaving Little
Rock two weeks earlier.
I was greeted with long
hugs from all three. It was like an
old friend being welcomed home. The
welcome did not stop there. Once to
their house, I was taken to the 3rd floor where I found a very spacious bedroom,
bath with tub and shower, kitchen, TV room and balcony. All of this for my use while there.
The Blaschke home is three
stories, but somewhat compact as are most homes in Europe. The first floor, part of which is almost
underground, houses Thomas' very large bedroom. There is also a laundry-boiler room for hot
water and heat, a fitness center with stationary bicycles, weight bench, dry
sauna, shower. As well as a large storage room, which looks much like most of our own
garages.
The second, main, or ground floor (whichever you want to call it) has the main entryway, kitchen, living room, David's bedroom, the master bedroom, a bathroom and the dining room with sliding glass doors opening to a large patio with an electrically operated awning.
This area opens into a yard filled
with flowering plants and a secluded table with umbrella and chairs. I found the boys studying here, taking
in the warm sun.
On each floor is a
wood-burning stove surrounded by a ceramic tile heating surface. These are used for additional heat as well as the
circulating hot water radiator heating system.
The head of the household is Peter, a tax attorney. Christine is a former telephone company employee, now semi-retired, takes care of the home and the family.
Thomas, the older son turned 19 on August 17th, 2000. He attended Paris High School for the 1998/1999 school year as a Senior. During his time there, he played basketball for Coach George Wingo and the Paris Eagles.
David, the younger
son, turned 16 on June 8th, 2000. He has
played basketball for local clubs as they do not have organized school sports in
Europe. He also is an excellent
soccer player who hopes to use his skill at Russellville High School in the
2001/2002 season. Both boys are
champion swimmers and excellent students.
The Blaschke family is
very close-knit. I really had
concerns as to how I would "fit" in a foreign family situation for my
visit. But since they had invited
me, I felt the door was already pretty much open and it was up to me to live up
to their expectations. And, I guess I
did.
I felt that I was going to
be under a microscope as one, or both, of their sons would be coming to the
States. With Thomas living with me while he attended Arkansas Tech University in a year
or so. From all appearances, I
passed. My look into their family
life also surpassed anything I had expected to find.
I really didn't know what to expect, but I must say, it was a very
enjoyable and memorable experience for sure.
Christine thought that the
12-hour train ride from Kempten to Copenhagen was too much time to waste getting
to Copenhagen, so she checked on airline fares and
times. She found a flight from Müechen
(Münich, about 1.5 hours away) direct to Copenhagen for about $100 less than
the train and the
flight was only 2 hours. I thanked
her for the research, but told her that I could "fly" anytime, but
travel by rail, now that is an experience just not available in the States. Later, I would know that the long, quiet
ride was the best choice I could have made.
