Winter Wonderland Tour: Dreaming of a White Christmas
A poetic recounting of the European Winter Wonderland rail tour.
Stan is our shepherd we shall not want
He leads us through countries unknown
With his beanie and man bag and soft words of care -
Come hither, gather round and history lesson 101.
Our journey began in Paris
We gathered for the very first time.
The memory is starting to fade
But who, for the record,
did have the last crème brulee (Marilyn???)
We toured the sights with gusto
and joined the hordes for New Years
Our gusto was short lived at the metro
When someone asked “Where’s Joan?”
Onward to Interlaken - we joined their party with zest.
Fireworks, gluhwein and bratwurst; we scarcely had time to rest.
The next day the party continued,
The cow bell marchers and bands were a treat
But the trolls had come down from the hills
And Patti they wanted to keep.
Jungfrau and Grindelwald we saw
But we went fully around the country for more
The Glacier Express - well it was sweet
But for Marg it had an elusive tweet.
Whilst on the trains we headed for Venice,
Technology was the menace.
With new phones to master it could lead to disaster
If they don’t have the power to last (ask Leeta).
We had three nights in Venice
It was apparent the shop owners we did menace
New bags, clothes, boots or glass - Burano, Murano
But for Trish the best was the operatto.
But it was at Innsbrook that things got crook.
Jim and Janelle were the first that fell and missed their planned trip to Salzburg.
Some five popped up for skiing.
Neil led the charge as he put up his card
To finance the whole debacle.
Maxine, a first timer, spent the first afternoon learning,
Then the following days remembering - the muscles used for walking.
Of the four who did more with Tony,
Only one went on to the glory
Of the next graded slope - well done Naifv.
At Igls, the dinners were full of giggles.
Stan with his harem was grand.
There was only Tim who didn’t fit in
But the staff didn’t seem to notice.
The shopping continued with gusto - more clothes, sparkles and crystal
But one deserves a mention - shopping with such distinction.
For it was Serena who bought
the biggest possible port
To fill with all her possessions.
Finally to Prague - ah Prague!!
Such distinction - the fitting final destination.
The first day we had a walking tour
What cold we had to endure.
But what trouble it did make from that short coffee break
When Ruth learned a great wisdom, (for which we all may remember).
It is that gloves don’t work when placed inside your cap on your head.
So for the past few weeks we’ve adventured
we’ve had fun and good times
and during this time we have all been
Stan’s Clan.