Andy and Bill (and Mom!) Visit Europe!

 Ok, my interlude.  What was I going to comment about? Oh right.  My turn to disappoint.  So, on the train ride there was ample discussion among the three of us, between bouts of Bill's coughing, of what our trip had entailed thus far.   One observation I had made, both to myself, and now out loud, was that I am kind of bummed that I brought the camera.  I'm sure many of you can relate to the following statements, but it took me going through most of the trip to realize it. I spent so much of my trip trying to get the best photos, and maximize my new camera.  I wanted to capture that perfect moment, that perfect perspective, that perfect view.  I wanted to showcase it back home.  I wanted the trip to be so amazing that I spent more time trying to make that happen than I did actually enjoying such an amazing trip. So, on the train ride, I decided that I was going to put aside the camera, and just enjoy.  I wanted to enjoy Italy....

Last night was not a great night.  Let's just be honest, and call a spade a spade.  Bill is sick.  Mom is sick and tired of traveling.  I slept like crap, between Bill's cough, and worrying about a repeat train ride.  Stressed is a major under statement. Now, the night before I had secretly gone out on one of my new scooters and stopped at the train station to ensure that we did, in fact, have tickets.  They printed them out, on paper, and gave them to me. So I was confident we were in the right spot.  We got to the station WAY early, because I wanted to make sure we had enough time to get to where we were going, mom included.  You'll note above, that Bill is wearing (kind of) a mask for our protection.  I think he was so stressed about coughing on the train that he opted to play it safe and wear the mask. Thankfully we got on board, and found our seats without too much ado.  There was a group of people sitting in our seats, but when we ...

 McDonald's for Christmas.  I know what you're thinking, and there's part of me that's thinking it too.  BUT, Mom was done for, as the Cruise, Friday's Train Ride, and the weird foods had just pushed her past her limit (I think), and Bill had Covid.  Comfort foods were the way to go. Prior to me getting back with McDonald's, Bill was complaining about his fever feelings.  I knew that mom traveled with a small pharmacy, so I mentioned in a group chat that she probably had tylenol, which we all know helps reduce a fever.  Mom brought him over a couple (20), and he had taken those before I got back. One of the things that I was excited about originally when coming to Innsbruck for Christmas, was that the hotel had mentioned to me that Christmas Eve is their "big" celebration, and most everything is closed, or closes early.  They told me that on Christmas Day, however, most everything is open.  Sadly, I learned that this is not true.  As you know...

 Christmas Morning is a magical morning!  Some people perform magic by wiggling their nose, or waving their hands, or speaking weird incantations.  Innsbruck has decided that its form of magic shall be cast through incessant coughing, heated bodies, and overall malaise.  At around 4 AM, Bill woke me up to let me know he was going to the Emergency Room, as his cough had become worse than the night before, and he was worried about bronchitis coupled with his previous pneumothorax.  You read that right, Innsbruck's present to us was a trip the ER.   We texted mom to let her know, and Bill went downstairs to summon a cab.  I finished getting dressed, grabbed our passports, wallets, and room key, and we were off in the taxi to the ER.  Upon arrival at the hospital, our cab driver pulled up next to another driver, and together they figured out that the entrance to the ER was a tiny little door that had almost no markings on it at all.   W...

 Waking up in Innsbruck for the first time was amazing!  We texted mom and made sure she was up, and met her downstairs for breakfast.  We opted to add on the morning breakfast at the hotel, which was a good idea since it was a full continental breakfast along with an option of eggs.  Bill and I ordered scrambled, Mom ordered over easy. As we all speak perfectly fluent German, or Deutsch, and the waitstaff spoke perfect English, we all got eggs over easy.  Yum.  Just what the doctor ordered.  Bill and I finished up our breakfast, and then confirmed with mom that she did not want to go out and see the town.  We grabbed our stuff, and set off for a good walk. Along the way, we found some good old fashioned American comfort.  Bill required a stop, so we stopped and partook in the comfort. At this point in our trip, Bill and I had essentially tried all of the local foods, and were focusing on keeping true to our stated desire: to eat just the...