Nothing says "spring break" like a snowstorm and train strike

Cupcake the traveling dog leaving for spring break.

We're back from our work-ation, having spent a delightful weekend in Munich with friends from Kyoto (who are there on a grant for a year and a half).  More pictures when they're downloaded!

We felt lucky to be back yesterday evening.  A conductor on the DB-OEBB train from Munich to Bozen informed us that our train would end at Innsbruck, just shy of the Italian border, due to an Italian train strike yesterday.  So we took a bus through a snowstorm over the Brenner Pass (which is scary in good weather), and ended up in Bozen.  We were on our own then, since the strike meant there was no information available at the Bozen station to get back to Meran.  Fortunately, the buses were still running, so we were able to take a crowded and uncomfortable bus to the Meran station to meet our usual bus up the hill to the Dorf.  All that, and we were only 30 minutes late getting back.  Incredibly, the students were all also able to get back by late last night and were in class this morning.

We had other odd things happen during our trip on the usually efficient Austrian trains.  Most interestingly, we were delayed over an hour on our train from Linz to Vienna by a WWII bomb found next to the track (probably uncovered in some construction).  And on our train from Salzburg to Munich, we found out (by listening to the German announcement three or four times--no English on that train) that our train, scheduled to end in the Munich central station, inexplicably would end several stops earlier and that we had to get off and take the underground train into central Munich.  Unfortunately, our friend in Munich heard this and went to the station where our train ended while we were making our way to the central station where we had originally planned to meet.  Oh well, we caught up with each other eventually!

"Eki-ben" on the Railjet, Vienna to Salzburg (Japanese train station lunch)

What?  A snowy bus ride in Italy after beautiful weather in Germany?

Through all these unusual and inconvenient events, the toddler was the least stressed. He likes to travel and took all the delays and changes in stride. The adults in our family complained much more than he did!  I'm betting a Eurail pass is in our future some summer 15-20 years from now.  I'll buy it and he can use it.  Though it was a great trip, I'm happy to be "home" in our castle after a week of riding the rails.  There's fresh snow on the Alps, and, after a cappuccino at the Sunshine Cafe this morning, I'm ready for the second half of our Italian adventure.