You're My LOBSTAH!

October 3, 2015

After resting from our train ride extravaganza, Jason and I awoke ready to explore the beloved city of Salem. We began, as one always should, by eating breakfast. The B&B we are staying at is called the Salem Inn. It is partly like a hotel and a B&B. Tons of privacy but has the feel of the B&B and the free breakfast. We got ready for the day, walked down the long staircase, and out into the street. The hotel has a breakfast room just to the right of the hotel. Below is a picture. It's actually the basement of the hotel.

The room was packed. Apparently there was a wedding taking place. As luck would have it, there was just one table by the entrance still left. Jason and I grabbed our food and water and got comfy. Below is a picture of my food:

Jason with his:

Me with mine:

After the delicious breakfast--amazing corn cakes, by the way--we went back to the room to brush our teeth. We placed the sign on our doorknob as best we could--it was an old fashioned latch--to indicate we needed the room cleaned. We left with our jackets (it was roughly 50 degrees and very windy) and began walking on the brick and cobblestone sidewalks toward Essex street. Just around the corner of our hotel was an antique shop. We decided to pop in and take a look. Jason was looking to purchase an old safety razor from Salem--he collects them. We saw old furniture, scary Halloween decorations, a pile of mannequin legs, but no safety razor. There was a straight razor, however, which Jason is still debating.

After shopping, we continued down the path toward Essex street. Once there we saw the hustle and bustle of Salem on a Saturday morning. There were shop vendors selling canolis, fried dough, hot dogs, jewelry, hats, Halloween decorations, and so much more. Street performers lined the walkways--musicians, dancers, singers, and costumed Salemites, desperately longing to take pictures with you for tips. We walked up and down the market until lunch time.

We headed toward our favorite hot dog shop for lunch on Washington street. The Boston Hot Dog Co. It was delicious! We were happy to see the very same man from 5 years ago behind the counter, asking what we wanted on our hot dogs. It was like stepping back in time. Below are pictures:

My hot dog:

Our shared root beer:

The view from inside the hot dog shop:

We left the hot dog shop and headed toward the market once more. We came across this and thought it was pretty funny. In case you weren't aware, this trash can is not art:

This bee trash can, is art:

We've learned that Salem is very big into the arts--performance, paint, etc. There is a trash can near the Salem Inn with bees painted on it. That trash can, is art. We continued walking down Essex. My nose became cold and the feel left my ears from the icy wind. Although the hurricane will not be hitting us, it does create windier weather, not to mention that we are right on the bay. We spotted the Peabody Essex Museum as we walked. We immediately went in. This was something we wanted to do on our last trip; however, we were stereotypical broke newlyweds. We entered, paid, and began looking at the Native American exhibit. I was stopped by a security guard and informed I needed to check my bookbag (although it was really a purse). I left and immediately did so, not too upset to be carrying around less weight. We went back to the exhibit where the man thanked me for checking it in. Below are pictures of the museum:

All the pictures above were from the sailor portion of the museum. The wooden man standing on Jason's head was a previous ship's figurehead. We saw quite a few. There massive and beautiful. You can see these things all over Salem, since it is known for it's nautical history.

Below is a sculpture I thought very cool looking. It's either a sculpture or a very very large paperweight.

This teapot says "Stamp Act Repeal'd" and is from the late 1766 (the actual year that it was repealed).

The picture below is called  "Unemployed College Graduates." This hit home for Jason and I, as most of our generation has spent massive amounts of money for an education that cannot be utilized. We have been lucky, but most have not.

 Jason and I visited one particularly exhibit (Strandbeest) that was utterly amazing. It was the Theo Jansen exhibit. He creates what he calls "beests" and lets them lose on the beach. He is consistently working on them, and gives the fossils--beests he does not wish to help maintain anymore--to museums. He is constantly working on his process of "evolution" and is currently trying to create a beest which will survive on it's own, without being nursed by a human. Here are Pictures:

Below is a video of the beest operating. We were able to see a demonstration while at the museum:

After this exhibit, we went to the Chinese Exhibit. Jason and I bought an additional ticket to see the Chinese House. The "Yin Yu Tang" house. We met a museum working near the entrance and were handed two head sets. He then led us into a special area of the museum where the house is located. It is literally a house. We were unable to take pictures, for reasons known to the museum alone--my guess is money. It is a home that belonged to the Huang Family and was originally built around 1800 in Huang Cun Anhui Province in China. Roughly 20-30 people would stay in the home at one time. 8 Generations lived there over the 200 years. It was last inhabited in the 1980s and took 8 months to move it to Salem. They also used the same building methods that were used for when the home was originally built. It was a very beautiful home. There was a courtyard that you walk into, which held two Koi ponds in this courtyard which held decorative fish; however, if someone was getting married or a festival was going on, they would put other fresh fish in the pond which they would serve for the special occasion.

We saw each room, who it belonged to, and heard how each item in the room was used. Many of the items were original to the family/home. One of the rooms upstairs actually had a coffin in it. Jason was ahead of me on his audio. I looked at him and saw this horrified expression, but wasn't sure what it was about. He told me I'd find out. A few moments later, I heard. He laughed at me when he saw the same horrified expression.

Each room in the top and bottom of the house, overlooked the courtyard. The roof, also, was slanted so that rainwater could pour back into the koi pond. It was made so that the rooms and home was breezy. Another interesting thing the home had, were posters of Mao in each room, which was a requirement by the communist government. Also, there was a pink radio in one of the rooms that represented the loud speaker in town which could never be turned down or off. It would play music or political announcements and could be heard easily from the home. Another fun fact... they said that women who married, would move in with their spouse and his family in a home like this. The man would be a merchant usually and leave for years at a time to do trading in Shanghai. That's a rough first start of marriage... "Hey honey, here are your in-laws. Bye..." Pretty cool exhibit.

One interesting thing to note: why the museum has so many Chinese artifacts. The sailors from Salem would do most of their trade in Shanghai, which meant a lot of them brought back a great deal of Chinese artifacts. The people from Salem then started the museum and had a great deal of Chinese objects to displace. They have continued this tradition ever since.

After this exhibit, we went to American history section (particularly the nautical part). Here are pictures:

This picture above was off a huge boat. It looks small in the picture, but it took up most of the wall.

After the museum, Jason and I continued to walk around Salem. We revisited many of our favorite spots from our honeymoon and took similar photos as from on our honeymoon. Here are pictures, with their 5 year counterpart pictures:

Us at the Commons:

 2015

To the left: 2010 (Honeymoon)

To the right: 2015 (5 year anniversary)

To the left: 2010
To the right: 2015

We revisited the Old Burying Point Cemetery--the one we love most of all. Here is a picture of Jason exactly like the one from our honeymoon.

To the left: 2010
To the right: 2015

Below is another picture of the Cemetery. Love this place! It was way more packed with people than we previously remembered. Partly because we arrived in Salem on a Sunday instead of a Saturday last time. We also arrived after the 9th (our wedding day) and this time we arrived before the 9th. Nevertheless, I was able to get a picture with few people:

Below: me at the cemetery:

After reliving the past, we decided to enjoy the present with ice cream and cocoa. Aztec Cocoa from Maria's Sweet Something. Here are pictures:

My Apple Crisp ice cream (which I split with Jason):

Jason's Aztec Cocoa (Which he split with me):

We enjoyed our ice cream and then revisited the Town Hall of Salem. This is one of my favorite spots in Salem. Sadly, we are arriving in Salem a week earlier than the last time we visited, so the leaves aren't as yellow as they were five years ago. Still beautiful though. Here are pictures:

To the left: 2010
To the right: 2015

After visiting the town hall, we went back to the hotel and relaxed and blogged before dinner. We decided dinner should be lobster. I have never, not in my entire life, eaten lobster. Today was the day. Jason found the Lobster Shanty which is a staple for Salem. Fresh lobster right off the bay. We walked in and were told it would be a 15 minute wait. We sat down on a bench outside and got comfy. About a minute later, the waitress came back and said she forgot there was already a part of 6 waiting, so it could be a while. A long while. We decided we still wanted to eat there, so we just picked the table outside. It was a cold night, very windy, but we were bundled up and comfortable enough. Below are pictures:

I love how pretty it is here! Below is my lobster. Fyi, I'm now a murder and I loved it!

Jason and I voted not to wear the bibs, although this turned out to be a mistake later. Jason has had lobster earlier but never a whole one and never this fresh. Jason says it was very different and less salty--it was good. We read the instructions on how to eat dinner (never thought I'd say that before). I ribbed and cracked and pulled it apart. Suddenly, I saw slime and green gunk erupt from the lobster. I panicked thinking his brains were leaking and he was somehow a zombie lobster. Turns out that part is normal--I don't exactly agree with the "normal" part, but whatever. It was still amazing. I had no idea lobster was so good! That butter sauce! Yum!  Below is a picture of Jason at the table:

Me with my lobster:

After finishing as much lobster as we could, we asked for the check. Jason noticed the waiter's name on the check was Samuel L. Jackson. Who'd of thunk!?  Below is a picture of the Lobster Shanty:

On the way back, I took a picture of Maria's Sweet Something. So pretty at night here!

After lobster, Jason and I agreed we wanted something sweet. We were hopping for Dunkin Donuts, but ended up at the Salem Screamery beside the Boston Hot Dog Co. We came to this same ice cream parlor 5 years ago, but it was then called Ben and Jerry's. Turns out, Salem Screamery took over. We split a cup of ice cream. One scoop Maple Bourbon (ooooo so good!) and one scoop pumpkin (again, ooooo so good!)! It was packed. There was no seating left. We stood by the wall and enjoyed our ice cream together. Here is a picture of the outside of the shop (the shop on the bottom left of that building):

Jason with the ice cream.

After ice cream, we returned to the hotel. End of a beautiful day in Salem, MA.

Before I end this section, however, I should mention one final event that occurred on this night. We were just finishing to blog and getting ready for bed when Jason and I began hearing loud noises from a room nearby. It was the sound of a terrible argument between two guests (a man and a woman). We got nervous. Jason got up and checked that our door was locked. The arguing continued to get louder and louder. We heard doors slamming and someone yell "Unlock this door!" I asked if we should call the police but wasn't sure what to do--in order for the police to even get in the building, we'd have to go through the arguing to let them in (the owners leave and lock up for the day). We weren't sure what the safest option was. Luckily, another guest also heard the noise and was close to a door outside. Jason looked outside and said that someone was standing at the front door of the hotel. We assumed it was whoever was yelling and slamming the doors. We heard another hotel guest calling the police and giving our address. We watched the police drive up. We heard them talking to our neighbor and get the description of a car and license plate number. It didn't last long, but for a moment it was a little scary. Not another peep was heard all night and peace was restored thanks to the Salem Police. I should mentioned here that the police in Salem have very special uniforms--on each badge and on the side of each police car is a symbol of a witch on a broomstick. I love this town!

Just a Guy on a Train With No Answers

 October 2, 2015

 We awoke to the gentle swaying of the train car; the thermal blanket kept us warm as we peered out the window. Jason had climbed down to my bunk as daylight began to sneak in through the blinds. It was very small but comfortable enough to lay beside each other as we watched a small town roll by. I imagined what life was like for each person we saw as they walked down an unknown street beside our train. I wondered if they were looking in our windows and happened to be curious about the lives we lead as well. Jason and I talked until we began hearing other passengers as they made their way to breakfast. Soon we heard a knock on the door. It was Claude giving us our wake up call that we had requested the night before.

We quickly got ready and made our way to the dinning car. Jason and I weren't very hungry for breakfast and were not particularly in the mood for high calorie foods, so we made our way to the lounge car instead. Claude was there and asked if we would like for him to take down the beds for us while we relaxed. We agreed and thanked him. We waited for a while in the lounge car, watching the sun advance toward the sky from the window. We didn't stay very long. We were ready to return to our car. We walked down the small train halls to our room. Claude was still fixing it for us. We waited in the hall for a second, trying to figure out where to go. Luckily, Claude came around the corner and told us it was ready. We thanked him and went inside. Here are pictures of us after a night on a train:

Jason was very smart and had previously recommended we buy snacks for the train in case we became hungry. This came in handy shortly after returning to our rooms. We ate Bacon Jerky and Fiber One chocolate brownies. A most nutritious and American breakfast.

We sat and talked while watching the world fly by, our stress leaving with it. The scenery was very beautiful during our journey. At one point I looked outside and pointed to a field we were passing. It was filled with thousands of baby pumpkins! Jason reminded me that they may be ordinary pumpkins and they just appear smaller because we are far away. I wish I could have gotten a picture--I've seen pumpkin patches but never a massive pumpkin field like that!

While riding on the train, we heard and smelled many things that surprised us. The sounds from a train are ordinary noises we expected. I was exciting to hear the "Toot toot!" as we passed cars that were stopped at the train tracks. A few times, however, the train made a rather loud and ghastly noise. I turned to Jason and said, "Did our train just fart?" If that sound ever came from a real person--we'd be in a lot of trouble! Another funny moment was when the smell of strawberries reached our nose. It wasn't just strawberries--it was sweeter than that. Jason said it smelled exactly like strawberry shortcake, which I have to agree with! It was wonderful. We were confused by the smell because there was no strawberry shortcake on the train, nor were we appearing to pass a strawberry field either. Jason looked at me excitedly and said, "Do we get secret dessert!?" Haha! I wish! I wish I could have captured his face. It was hilarious!

Jason and I made the best of our time stuck in a small box. We laughed, talked, and gave each other foot rubs while moving from state to state. There were quite a few stops on the way; places like charlottesville, Virginia and Baltimore, Maryland. Below are pictures of some of the stops we took.

The picture below is of Jason in front of Track 3, location F at the Philadelphia stop. We were slightly excited about this location because it reminded us of an episode of It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia where they are at the Amtrak station, possibly this one.

Us in front of the station, although you can't see the station.

Around lunch time a woman began yelling "Lunch is ready in the Dinning Car." We quickly got up and were one of the first to be seated. The same waitress from the night before greeted us and took our order. Another couple sat in front of us and also gave their order. We learned that this couple is retired and going to New York and Boston to visit family. They take the train a lot apparently. They ordered the burger that Jason and I had been debating. We ended up ordering something else. Jason got the hotdog and chips and I the cheesy macaroni (I say cheesy for a reason--not sure that was real cheese). We quickly ate and immediately returned to our car. Before leaving, we asked the couple seated with us what to do about the receipt. He said unless you were in coach, you don't have to worry about it. He said we could take it or leave it. We left it.

Once back in our room, we picked up talking again. That's what we do. We talk. I love that. A lot of couples don't but we really genuinely enjoy discussing our views on everything--from religion to cheesy macaroni. At one point in the journey, the train went through a very very dark tunnel. Roughly every second, a bright light would pass quickly by the window as we went deeper and deeper into the tunnel. I began making scary faces at Jason. Each time the light would return, I would create a new scary face. Apparently I was not the only who thought of this. At the same time, Jason also was making scary faces at me.  Soon we began to inch closer and closer to each other with each passing light. It was right out of a horror movie. All that was missing was the music from Hitchcock's Psycho. It was hilarious! We laughed so hard after this. Another example of why we are perfect for each other.

Below is a picture of a building with a large eye on it as seen from the Baltimore stop. We liked this a lot because it looks just like the large eyes on Zelda. Crazy!

Our train was scheduled to enter New York at 1:40. We were also scheduled to connect to a train for Boston at 3:30. However, our train was very late. We did not arrive in New York until 4:55. The Amtrak app informed us that our train had been rescheduled to one at 5:00. We quickly got off the train at Penn Station and made our way to a large board that listed the train schedules. Turns out the connecting train to Boston was also delayed. It said "Stand by." So, we stood by. We, along with what felt like a zillion people stood in front of that sign for about 10 minutes. Suddenly, everyone bolted. We quickly looked up at the board and saw it had changed. Our connecting train was ready. We made our way to gate 8. A large and bossy woman began checking everyone's ticket. I looked at her as a young boy showed her his ticket. She said "Hell no!" She blocked him from going past her and called for a manager, stating she had an unaccompanied minor. The kid tried to go past her but she blocked him again. Jason and I followed behind him shortly. Jason showed her our ticket and she said "What is that?" We had the old ticket for a train that left at 3:30 but the Amtrak app said our train was moved to this one. We explained and she said "You better hope so. They'll kick you off." She let us pass.

We quickly followed the sea of angry New Yorkers toward the train. Jason and I panicked, uncertain where to go and limited in the time we had to figure it out. Finally an attendant came into view. We showed him our ticket and he directed us to a train. We got in and every seat was full. We walked up and down the train trying desperately to find seating, while also trying to pull our luggage with us. It was horrible and utterly chaotic. The train began to move and we still were without a seat. We reached the final car of the train where seats were open. No two seats were next to each other. Jason and I decided to pick two seats and then just put the luggage up. I sat next to a man near the back. Jason in front of a very nice woman who told me where I could store my luggage. As luck would have it, we were seated across from each other, so still very close. We kept checking our heart rates on the fitbits. My heart rate was sky high during this whole event.

The conductor soon came by and checked tickets. I was panicked. All I could think of was that woman, "You better hope so--they'll kick you off." He slowly inched toward us and my heart rate continued to rise. Finally he reached us. Jason showed him the tickets, he scanned them, and then he marked our seats as acceptable passengers. Immediately after this I was able to relax. At the next stop, the man beside me got off which allowed Jason to move beside me. I was thankful to be sitting with him. This train ride was 3 or 4 hours. It was getting late as well. At around 9 p.m. the train stopped. They announced that something was wrong with the engine. A man informed us that it wouldn't take very long; all they had to do was cut something from the engine. What the hell you can cut from an engine and it still run properly--I don't know! Must have worked though. We continued on our way without any further problems. Finally we were in Boston.

We rolled our luggage out of the station, uncertain where to go for a taxi. Many people were yelling "Taxi?!" as we walked past. Jason picked a random guy and said "Can you get us to Salem?" He led us to his taxi through the wind and cold. We piled our luggage in the trunk and slid into the leather seats, thankful to almost be done. He told us about a restaurant called "Legal Seafood," which just happened to be the same restaurant that our dinner companion suggested on the train. Finally we were at the hotel. We pulled out our luggage, paid him, and walked inside.

A small sign on the door read, "Sorry no vacancies." We were thankful we previously reserved and paid for a room already. We walked in as a young couple walked out. We looked at the front desk and found it empty. Not a soul in sight. We weren't sure what to do. A woman in the main room beside the check-in counter heard us. She said she thought they had gone home for the night. She told us they tend to leave at 10:00 p.m. each night. We panicked. Now we are stuck in Salem with all our luggage, no hotel, and completely out of energy. The woman asked where we were from. We said Atlanta and told her we took the train, which is why we were coming in so late. We also said we had called ahead to make sure a late check in would be okay, which they said it would be. She gave us a strange glance as we said the word "Train." I'm guessing no one else ever takes the train from Atlanta to Salem. She said she would call them for us since they said a late check in was fine and expected. Luckily, as she got up to call, the front desk person showed up. She said we were fine and that they now leave at 11 due to October being prime time for Salem tourism. Phew! Close one! We checked in, grabbed our luggage once more, and head to a room on the second story of the house. Here are pictures:

The two pictures above are of the fireplace in the main room of the hotel/B&B and the birdcage. They have roughly 6 birds that are very talkative.

 Jason in our room in the picture above. Two pictures of our room in the pictures below.

The bathroom:

The view from one of the windows in the room:

After putting our stuff down, Jason and I immediately left for dinner. We hadn't eaten anything except for lunch on the train and it was now 10:30. Jason knew of this place in Salem called Howling Wolf Taqueria, which was supposedly very good. It was within walking distance, which was great because we did not have a car. Upon arrival, we saw few tables available. We figured it must be good because it was packed. Fortunately, they had one table open for two people. We took it. We met our waiter and quickly ordered. Jason ordered the fried Avocado Tacos and I the pork and pineapple taco. They also gave us a side of chips and salsa. Below are pictures:

The food was amazing; however, Jason and I were extremely disoriented due to a lack of food and water. Both Jason and I kept saying we felt woozy. We attributed it to the lack of food and water, but even after eating and drinking we still felt woozy. Finally Jason had figured it out--we were no longer on a moving train. For 24 hours we had adjusted to a train moving back and forth and now we were standing still. No wonder we felt woozy! After eating we went back to the hotel and crashed. It was an exhausting, yet adventurous day!

Into The Shoebox Car

October 1, 2015

Today (although I am technically writing this two days later...) we begin our 5 year anniversary extravaganza! For our honeymoon we went to Salem, MA. While there, we made a pact to return after every 5 years of marriage to celebrate the city that we now love and the relationship that we hold so dear. We kept our word. We planned a return trip beginning on this date. However, we are going by train. The train was scheduled to leave at 8:15 p.m. on October 1st. Jason went ahead and took the entire day off. I, sadly, did not. Although I had to work, it didn't feel like working. Jason said he would drive down and have lunch with me, which made the day so much more exciting. At noon, he met me and we drove to Einstein Bros Bagels, which recently opened near my work. Here are pictures:

Jason with his Nova Lox (salmon, capers, and cream cheese). He also ordered a cup of iced coffee with a sprinkle of Cinnamon, vanilla, and cocoa.

Me with my Honey Whole Wheat bagel with added peanut butter spread. Delicious! Not certain why I look so scared there.

After lunch, Jason and I parted ways. He returned home to finish packing and I to work. Fortunately, I had only one hour left. I jumped in my car and fled as quickly as possible. I met Jason at home and we continued to pack. Our cats were very upset and knew something was going on all day. Jason said they were extremely cuddly with him that morning. We had a hard time packing, as the cats refused to let us use our luggage. Below is a picture:

After packing, we dressed for the train. Below is a picture of my train outfit--ignore the yoga pants. Jason said if he saw me on the street like this in New York, he would also expect to be asked for a dollar so I could have a bowl of soup. It might not match, but I was cozy. 

We finished packing just in time to go to Chick Fil A and target for dinner and some last minute items needed. Once back home, we ate very quickly and waited for my parents to pick us up. While waiting, we checked the weather. The night before we had been informed of hurricane Joaquin (no, not the actor). Apparently, Joaquin was a category 4 hurricane currently residing in the Bahamas. It was projected to hit Boston later this weekend. We chose to continue as planned, and leave if it appeared to be heading our way. In no time at all, my parents pulled up in our drive and we loaded the luggage. We said goodbye to the cats before leaving. Some of the many items purchased for our trip were cat toys/cat nip. We always try to give Peanuts and Fred some treat to distract them from the fact that we are leaving for so long. Peanuts hid under the bed and refused to come out. Fred willingly took the catnip and ran around the house. Here is a picture of us in the car, headed toward the train station:

In the picture above, I would like to note the amazing hat I'm wearing! We were shopping at Target for our trip when I stopped to look at Cloche hats--my favorite kind. Jason said I should buy it, but I was broke so I didn't. He very kindly paid for it with his own spending money so I could wear it on our trip! I have the most loving husband ever!!

We made a pit stop at the airport so that Mom could return a rental car that she and Dad had used to drive to California. Here is a picture of the train station from the car:

We parked and walked across a very busy Atlanta street to enter the station. Mom and Dad came in and sat with us for a bit. Below you can see them goofing off:

Below, Jason waiting for the train.

We waited and waited and waited. Not only did we arrive an hour early but the train was an hour and a half late. We were very thankful when the time came to board. Below are pictures of us in our roomette.

(above, the room across the hall--that's what it looks like with the bed made)

Once settled into the roomette, a man came by and asked for our names. We, of course, told him. He then said, "You have the right to remain silent." He let out a hardy laugh and told us his name was Claude, our room attendant. He was amazing. By the end of the trip, people were hugging him. He's a very nice guy. Claude showed us around our room (aka shoebox). He let us know dinner was ready once the train started and escorted us to the dinner car. He seated us with a 32 year old guy who was very friendly. We learned throughout dinner that he was born in New York and then moved to South Carolina to live on a farm with his grandparents. We also learned he has previously lived in Boston and now is in Atlanta. His mother is a reality tv show producer and he is in school at Le Cordon Bleu to become a chef. He took the train to Washing D.C. to meet some friends for a birthday celebration. He wasn't found of flying, so he went by train as well. Apparently this was the first time any of us had purchased a roommette. He said it was well worth it.

A waitress came and took our order. Jason and I forgot that they would be serving dinner, so we had already eaten. We ordered the Vegetarian Pasta (spinach), which was lighter. Our dinner companion ordered the steak, but said he regretted not getting the chicken after he had seen it pass him. We had a great time talking with this guy and were actually the last to leave the dinner car. We not only enjoyed the conversation but were uncertain how payment for dinner occurs. Finally a woman said "Good night..." to indicate they were closing. Apparently the meals are included with roomettes. We all laughed and headed to our rooms.

Our room attendant Claude was very funny. At one point we heard a loud noise coming from a car nearby--it was Claude. He had run into something that another employee said he always runs. He hobbled from around the corner, his leg appearing to be badly hurt. He held one leg and was careful not to step on it. Within seconds, however, he began laughing and returned to walking normal. Apparently he is a goofball. He also walked beside us at dinner while talking to someone on the phone. We heard "I can't hear you--are you going out? I can't hear you! Let me call you back on my phone." We looked up and noticed his hand was shaped like a phone and pressed to his ear. He looked at us and then let out a hearty laugh. He's a funny guy.

While at Dinner Claude set the beds up for us in our room. The two seats rolled down into one bed, as another was lowered from the ceiling. It was very cozy and also very neat. We stayed up for a short time to talk and watch the city lights pass by. Jason took the top bunk and I the bottom. We were gently rocked to sleep by the train. Wonderful first day of vacation!