Out of Danger
The train began to pull out of the station moments after they had found their seats. The train car was very quiet; an occasional whisper could be heard from the adults. The children starred out the windows. The only things they saw were the Salzach River on one side and large hills on the other.
Georg was concerned; he had an idea.
"Maria, why don't you go sit with the children and help them sing? Maybe that song about their favorite things will chase away any sadness."
"Good idea, Georg." She practically jumped from her seat. She needed to sing about her favorite things too.
"Children, children, your father wants to hear the favorite things song."
"Can we really sing?"
"You can. We have no other passengers in the car with us. Who remembers how I started?"
"I do Fräulein."
"Tell us Kurt."
"You told us that when you were sad you always thought of your favorite things. And then you told us what they were, green meadows, daffodils."
And Louisa added. "Skies full of stars."
"That's right and Marta what did you add?"
"Pussy Willows."
"And you Gretl?"
"Bunny rabbits."
"Gretl, I thought your favorite was kittens."
"They're my favorite too, Father. All of us have lots of favorites."
He smiled at his youngest from the edge of a bench where he now sat. They continued to add as many as they could remember. And they sang with Maria the words of the real song. They giggled and laughed. They truly didn't feel so bad.
It was Isabel who suggested. "Now you can sing that song you were dancing to on the veranda. You sang about a deer and tea with bread and jam."
They did sing the Do-Re-Me song and danced up and down the aisle as they did. When they finally sat, they realized the train had slowed down.
"Father, why are we stopping?"
"We're stopping at a train station, Louisa."
And Georg was praying there were no trouble makers here. He watched their car pass a group of people waiting to board. Their dress told him they were Tyrolean peasants; probably going to visit friends who now lived in Italy. Georg took a deep breath in relief.
In moments, the train came to a complete stop. All of the passengers boarded the adjoining car. And while the train was stopped, the pastries and the bottles of juice were distributed. Katia and Isabel heard many thank yous.
Once again the train picked up speed as it left the station. Georg was feeling better and better the further south they traveled.
Georg wasn't worried. He knew the city of Villach was only a few miles from the Italian border. There were only a few passengers waiting to board. All of them entered the adjoining car.
While the train was stopped, Georg spoke to everyone. "We're not far from the Austrian Italian border."
"Are we really, Father?"
"We are Brigitta. At the first stop in Italy we will get off the train. It goes further south before it turns west. We're going to take a bus west because it's a more direct to our destination in Switzerland."
"Why is that, Father?"
"Friedrich, it's because this area is extremely mountainous. The road the bus uses was created years ago when people traveled on donkeys or in carts pulled by horses. And since it doesn't go as fast as the train, you will be able to see the countryside."
Everyone saw the sign which signaled they were now in Italy. The next sign for the city limits of Pontebba meant nothing to anyone except, Georg, Sidney and Franz. This city was in the part that was once Austria. One of its borders was the Adriatic Sea; it's where the base for the Austrian Navy was. It still made Georg sad and now his sadness deepened at having to leave his beloved Austria. He tried not to let his sadness show.
He was helped by the fact they had arrived at the train station. Everyone was eager to get off. They were all anxious to complete the last part of their journey.
Georg spoke to the station attendant. "Can you tell us how to find the bus station?"
"It's not far. Once you exit the terminal, take a right. It's two blocks down the street."
"Thank you."
By now their luggage had been unloaded. Maria insisted on carrying hers so she could hold Georg's hand. Stefan carried her guitar.
These weren't long blocks; they were at the bus station in less than ten minutes. Georg went to the ticket window and purchased fourteen tickets to Chur Switzerland.
He announced to the group. "The bus is being filled with gasoline; it should be here in a few minutes."
When it arrived, Georg looked around and saw no one else waiting to board. The fact pleased him. He knew the children would be uneasy around other people. He hoped it would stay that way.
Soon everyone saw the bright yellow bus arrive. A hissing sound was heard as the driver opened the door.
"Are all of you waiting to board my bus?" The driver asked.
"Yes, we are. Here are fourteen tickets." Georg said as he presented the tickets to him.
"Very well, your bags can be loaded in the rear compartment."
Stefan and Phillip took charge to see that all their bags and Maria's guitar were properly stored. The others began to board the bus. This was a small bus; they took every seat. Georg gave out a sigh of relief.
The driver took his seat and that hissing sound was again heard as he secured the door. He pulled away from the bus station. Soon the road took them over a bridge traversing a small river. They left the city behind them and were on a road in the valley between the mountains. All of them were mesmerized by the mile after mile of vineyards.
The road was good; the driver could keep a constant speed of about forty miles per hour. They had traveled for about two hours when they entered a city where the driver stopped. He needed to fill the bus with gasoline. He invited everyone to get off and stretch their legs. This stop also had restrooms and vendors who were selling food.
They used the restroom and began to look at the items for sale. "Georg, look at the size of those grapes. I've never seen grapes that large."
The attendant spoke. "Everything here is perfect for them to grow. They get good sunshine, the soil is fertile and the area receives a good amount of rain. Two large baskets would fill up your group."
"I'll purchase two and a basket of toasted bread slices."
Once on the road again, Franz, Stefan and Phillip passed around the baskets. Several large juicy grapes and a piece or two of bread satisfied everyone. Now they were looking out the windows again.
The road had followed a swiftly flowing river. Soon the vineyards had been replaced by strange looking mountains.
"Father, these mountains are different. They look terribly rugged."
"Georg, I'll respond to Friedrich."
"Son, your Fräulein is going to tell you about them."
"You know about mountains."
"I do Friedrich. As a teacher you learn about geography so you can teach your students. These are very unusual mountains; they don't all look the same. Some have very jagged pointy tops and others have very flat tops.
"They're millions of years old. Over those years this land was under water. Earthquakes and volcanic explosions made them emerge. They stand tall in contrast to the green tree line of conifer trees on their lower part. In the winter the snow looks like powder on their craggy peaks."
"They're not very pretty."
"I suppose from your prospective, Louisa, that is true. As we travel west you will see more familiar looking mountains."
Over an hour had passed. "Now, these mountains are good to climb. And everyone, they look more like those you've seen before."
"Maria, have you climb mountains before?"
"I have, Katia. My friends and I have climbed mountains all over Austria."
"Did you use all that equipment, picks, hooks and ropes?"
"I did Friedrich. It was after I reached the plateau of one and looked out and saw all the beauty of the world that I decided I want to thank God by giving it all up for Him. I scared the Mother Abbess because I had all the equipment with me when I rang the bell at the Abbey gate.
"Now, I've come to realize that wasn't a wise decision. It wasn't the life I was suppose to live. My life is with your father and all of you."
Maria had confirmed to Georg all that the Reverend Mother had told him. Knowing that and her experience escaping that room in Vienna, Georg knew she was the partner in life he needed. He almost laughed out loud thinking that Elsa wouldn't have lasted two miles on this trip without complaining. He thanked God for learning the real Elsa.
They had been enjoying the scenery and talking, they didn't notice the driver had descended to a valley with a beautiful city. Georg asked the bus driver.
"Sir, where are we?"
"We're in the city of Merano. I need gasoline and I'm sure everyone would like to have a hot meal."
Everyone heard him. "Father, for once all of us are as hungry as Kurt." He heard from Louisa. The driver also heard her.
"A good restaurant is only a mile or so down this street. It serves both Italian and Austrian foods. The owners are Tyrolean peasants."
The bus driver let them off in front of what looked like a small structure. Once inside they realized the restaurant had been built deep below ground level. In some places grape vines grew through the walls. They were seated in a large room.
Everyone found something to their liking. All of them chose pasta squares filled with a variety of fillings, pork, chicken, vegetables or cheese. Some were served with a white sauce others had the tomato based sauce. All were served with big baskets of bread.
After a very filling main meal they had room for baked apples. Maria and Isabel were surprised they had different size apples. The small ones were perfect for Gretl and Marta. The five men filled themselves with a large one. The others all selected the medium size.
The bus driver had joined them. As soon as he consumed his meal, they were all ready for the last leg of their journey into Switzerland.
As soon as they were out of the city limits, everyone began to notice another different type of mountain.
"Fräulein Maria, these mountains are very tall. I see snow is still on their tops. It's still August."
"They are, Brigitta. Like the other rugged mountains these were probably created by an earthquake. They're also called Glacier Mountains."
"Is that why it feels so cold?"
"It is. I'm sure people who live around them probably get accustomed to the lower temperatures. You might need to wear your sweaters if we got off the bus here."
Everyone resumed looking out the windows. The route took them through the valleys between the mountains. Each small town was similar to the last one. Church spires stood tall. It wasn't long before the bus driver announced.
"This is Prato Allo. It's the last town in Italy. When you see the sign for the Swiss National Forest, you will know we have crossed the border."
Georg whispered in Maria's ear. "Once we find a place to stay in Chur. I want to find a place to get married."
"So do I. It doesn't need to be a church. We can have our marriage blessed later." Maria whispered in reply.
"I'm so glad you are as eager as I am." Georg reached his arm around Maria; he kissed her temple. Maria laid her head on his shoulder.
The bus passed through this untouched land. The road followed a river flowing through the park. Those tall glacier mountains stood on either side. A few trails on the lower part of them could be seen from the bus.
It didn't take long until they saw the sign, Welcome to the Village of Zernez. And the bus driver announced.
"We will be in Chur in less than an hour."
"Is that our destination, Father?"
"It is, Liesl."
Now everyone voiced their excitement. And everyone noticed the landscape didn't change. Soon they started their descent from the mountains; the panorama view was spectacular.
There were many tiny villages and church spires were more numerous. "Georg, there seem to be a lot of churches in Switzerland. I wonder why."
"I don't know. It's something we can ask about."
The city of Chur did not disappoint them. From their bus window Georg and Maria saw an inviting hotel. Its name meant nothing to them.
"Georg, look at that hotel. It's so charming. Do you see all the flower boxes? I wonder if it very expensive."
"I do. I'll ask the driver about it."
The bus driver heard their comments. As soon as he had brought the bus to a stop, he rose from his seat and addressed the group.
"Let me answer some of your questions. Chur is the oldest town in the country. And we're in the area called Old Town. Objects have been found here which date back 3000 years before Christ. Its development into a town began when it was taken by the Roman Empire. The area was subject to plagues, fires and invasions of other armies.
"The Catholic Church was the predominate Christian religion at the time of Roman rule. Even in the church's early years there was disagreement among its members. It was the cause of the first split in the Church. A group formed what is called the Orthodox Church.
"In the Sixteenth Century, a priest named Martin Luther began to study the early church. He felt the Catholic Church had strayed from its original principles. He established what became known as the Lutheran Church. Later, another theologian, John Calvin, founded another Christian Church. They were called Reformed Churches.
"All together they have built many places of worship. That's why you saw so many spires as we traveled here."
"Sir, thank you for the information. You ended our curiosity. Can you tell us about that hotel with all the flower boxes?"
"Of course I can. I'm asked about it all the time. Believe it or not, it's quite old. The couple who own it now take great pride in it. I'm sure you can find accommodations for your group there. They also have an excellent restaurant."
"Thank you, we will go inquire."
As the group departed the bus each one said thank you to the bus driver. All the men shook his hand. They retrieved their luggage and began their walk towards the hotel.
