How not to travel to Vienna (1.)

I was sitting at my desk at the home office and got up from my chair with a sigh of relief because I wanted to get a good stretch in. Suddenly, more oxygen got to my brain and I realized that the very next day, my husband, our dog and I would be preparing to leave for our dream winter vacation after 3 years in Vienna for Christmas shopping and walking around the famous markets.

 

I finished the last few tasks for work and closed the computer - the time off is about to begin!

On the day of departure, however, I had a few more duties to take care of, so we left with the peace of mind that I had finished the pre-Christmas cleaning and prepared us for our car adventure.

 

Of course, as it is a habit in our family, it can't be done without a few little escapades and travel fever.

Of course, that day everything went completely differently than we had planned, so nerves were working from the morning, and time played against us. Not only did I have to pack up everyone's things for a few days, but we also had to make one quick visit to Louny, where we were supposed to leave just after noon, calm and happy to finally get away from the hustle and bustle of the big city.

Which didn't happen of course.

 

Due to the bad weather - piles of snow everywhere and really cold weather - we planned to go with time to spare to avoid traffic jams on Friday afternoon when people return home from work or leave town for the weekend.

Can you imagine the chaos at home? Laundry unwashed, floors not mopped, dishes not in the dishwasher, half of the stuff forgotten in a drawer at home, and generally thrown away things, plus a nourishing argument with my husband and dog, who was perhaps doing me a prank.

 

When we almost killed each other and were finally tempted to leave, we grabbed all our luggage and the dog and left the apartment with a mess I wanted to forget about for a few days.

When we reached the parked car, which we had left standing there for some time, we still had to clean the windows and doors of the heavy snow accumulation, made more difficult by the light snowfall. Fortunately, the suitcase was only half full, as we had planned to buy new clothes in Parndorf, where we were heading for the first few days, which was probably the most positive thing about the whole holiday. But the next surprise didn't wait long. My husband discovered that there was no water in the windshield washer, so we had to stop at a gas station to fill it up. Fortunately, we left in daylight and it had stopped snowing, so we were a bit relieved. The dog was belted in the back seat and we got in the car and took a breath. At the same time, we buried the war ax and headed towards Louny, where the navigation said we would arrive a little late.

 

You know that feeling when you get lost in your thoughts for a while and wonder on the way if you have forgotten something? Of course, I was cursing in my mind, but I had to admit it to my husband after I cooled down. Even though he's a relatively calm type, he can get quite "furious" behind the wheel like most guys. I tried to keep my mouth shut the whole way for peace of mind so we could all make it through this in good health. I waited until after the descent to confess, knowing that we would have to turn back to Prague anyway.

 

The journey to Louny went surprisingly smoothly. Even though it had stopped snowing, it was drizzly and a bit freezing. We warmed up with hot tea during our visit and were rewarded with sweet treats, which we relaxed with the nice flickering flame of calming candles. Our mutual friend helped us to overcome the stress and tension that had been building for weeks before our holiday. Spending time together and talking about stories from our lives managed to bring us back to a balanced state, full of relief and smiles, where we even started to look forward to our time off in Vienna. After a mutually helpful discussion, we said our goodbyes, wished each other a peaceful Christmas and headed back home to pick up our forgotten things.

 

The moment came when we had to admit what we were missing what we had forgotten at home and what we needed to take with us. We couldn't argue anymore, so we started the car and headed back to Prague to get a few odds and ends from the drawer, which included our car documents and papers, our special toothbrushes and toothpaste, a small home first aid kit just in case, and a phone charger. Hooray! We are complete and can finally leave for Winter Fun!

But we could only dream of a quiet ride...