People?!

Obviously have zero train etiquitte and could care less how their rudeness effects others!

Incident #1:
Lauren and I are headed back to Innsbruck from Munich [I think] and are in one of the train cars that has small compartments. Lucky for us too, because at the other end of the car is a compartment with a mom, grandmother and 2 young girls [each younger than 5]. The girls basically yelled and ran up and down the aisle of the train until they reached their destination. Lauren was over it about 5 minutes into our journey because their voices were so shrill, but at least we could close our compartment door and keep some of the noise out.

Incident #2:
Lauren and I are headed back to Innsbruck from Budapest, via Vienna. When we boarded the train in Vienna, for our 5 hour ride to Innsbruck, we failed to realize a mother and 2 young boys [again, both younger than 6] were in our car. This would have been fine, but for some reason, the genius mother thought it would be a good idea for the boys to bring one of those toy xylophones. You remember the toy that all of us had when we were kids that our parents, who are smart, made us play several rooms down the hall from where they were because it was so shrill? The one with different colored keys that were different links to make the different tones.

Anyway, we had one and I don't recall it ever being allowed to be played in the den. Well, not only did the retarded mother allow them to bring the toy, but she also allowed them to play it for the better part of the 5 hour train ride from Vienna to Innsbruck. They did get off 1 or 2 stops before Innsbruck, but those last couple of stops are only about 30 minutes out. I have never wanted to strangle a child or mother so much in my life and I had my iPod on the whole time with it blaring so I could only hear part of the racket, Lauren wasn't so lucky!

Incident #3:
Monty and I are headed from Prague to Vienna, which is almost a 5 hour train ride. Keep in mind that this entire train requires reservations, so that each person is assigned a seat.

A family of 5, 3 girls and parents is sitting in our car. They are taking up 3 seats with their luggage alone. Right after we pull out of the station, they decide that they cannot sit in their assigned seats because they are facing backwards from the way the train is moving and they might get sick. Aren't we lucky that they decide to spread out near us! Woo hoo!

They at least keep a row of seats between us and them which I appreciate, until I hear a movie playing. That's right, the parents think it's ok for the 2 younger daughters to watch a movie on their laptop sans headphones. Apparently, the parents thought that the entire car wanted to hear the girls' movie, but they were wrong! Are you kidding me...who does that?

It gets better...the younger of the 2 girls spills something on what I hope is the laptop so I would no longer be accosted with the noise of the movie. Not so lucky. She did spill, but unfortunately missed the laptop. The dad jumps to the rescue to clean up the mess and rescue the laptop. Keep in mind, this man has gotten up at least once every 30 minutes that the train has been moving and has already fallen on me with his stellar ballancing skills as he walked past my seat so I'm not a fan at all. Those of you that know me, know I hate it when people I don't know and especially smelly Europeans on trains touch me.

Anyway, I think it couldn't get worse, but I'm wrong. The dad takes the laptop and sits in the row of seat right in front of us. Specifically, he sits in the one in front of me and puts a movie in for himself. Daddy, you would have loved the movie, Hitman. I've never heard of it, but it's ridiculously bloody and gory with a high body count. But...I digress.

So, he's sitting in the seat right in front of me and with no warning decides to jerk his chair backwards at mock speed into my knees. Seriously? At this point: 1) I've had to listen to his daughter's movie for more than 2 hours; 2) he's run into me at least 3 times while walking past my seat; and, 3) now he's sitting right in front of me and has rammed his seatback into my knees. To say I'm not a fan, is putting it lightly. Somehow I'm restraining myself from saying something, which should have been said hours ago, but then I realize he's French and he can't help but be an ass and rude!

Well, he watches his movie and then gets up and puts the laptop away. Now, any person with any sort of manners would have put the seat back to it's original position, but not him. In fact, he went to seat number 4, 5 or 6...who knows at this point because anything over 1 is ridiculous...and sits down. I waited until he could see me and with a lot of effort and noise put the seat in front of me back to it's original postion and then rubbed my knees and glared at him, but he wasn't phased. I'm guessing he does this wherever he goes. So much for assigned seating!