Monday, January 25, 2010
In Search of Snow
I am 38 (give or take a year) and have lived a great life but have never, ever seen snow. In answer the the obvious question, if I am going to spend money on a holiday I go where there is sun and sand and heat. I hate the cold.
Then I found myself in New York. In January. And it is COLD. So in for a penny in for a pound. Stef and I did a small amount of research and decided to go to Rhinebeck, New York in search of snow. We found our way to the station and jumped on the train to Rhinebeck.
The conductor clipped our tickets and I (making conversation) asked him if there was snow on the ground in Rhinebeck, he couldn't remember so he went off to ask his partner. Meanwhile Stef started to tell me a story about how on a trip she had to arm herself with a pair of scissors on a train for protection, she demonstrated how she could have used them and unfortunately made violent contact with the seat in front of us terrifying the life out of the poor lady in front (who I'm sure just heard the words stab and scissors).
The conductor came back with the dreaded words, no snow in Rhinebck and suggested we go a bit further to Albany. After he left a nice young gentleman with the prettiest pink, pearly lipstick and a full face of make-up suggested we get off in Hudson as there was snow there.
So out plans changed. We decided to go a bit further to Hudson. The train was traveling past the Hudson River and as we got further and further the river started to ice up and then there were huge chunks of ice and I went into great raptures, the conductor came back and we paid the extra money to change the tickets. The lady in front of us (who Stef had demonstrated the stabbing with the scissors on) turned around and said that she live just out of Hudson and, in fact, her son had just become a Chef at a restaurant up on a mountain and she would be very happy to call her son and find out if there was snow up there. I said that would be awesome and would be a great place to have lunch.
To cut a long story short she offered us a lift up the mountain to this place and within 2 hours found ourselves in the Catskill Mountains in a place straight out of the 80's having lunch overlooking 5 of the US states and surrounded by snow. I got to step in it, lie in it and fall on it, well actually I fell on the ice not the snow. I need to add here that Stef was unable to help me up as she was laughing so hard she was doubled over. I was not so amused.
We were picked up by the ladies son and driven back to the station, they would not hear of us catching a taxi as it would have cost us at least $60.
It was the most surreal and amazing adventure, Stef and I just kept laughing and wondering how the hell we ended up in the middle of the snow filled Catskills mountains in the most random little restaurant. Right place, right time and the ability to change our plans without stress.
Then I found myself in New York. In January. And it is COLD. So in for a penny in for a pound. Stef and I did a small amount of research and decided to go to Rhinebeck, New York in search of snow. We found our way to the station and jumped on the train to Rhinebeck.
The conductor clipped our tickets and I (making conversation) asked him if there was snow on the ground in Rhinebeck, he couldn't remember so he went off to ask his partner. Meanwhile Stef started to tell me a story about how on a trip she had to arm herself with a pair of scissors on a train for protection, she demonstrated how she could have used them and unfortunately made violent contact with the seat in front of us terrifying the life out of the poor lady in front (who I'm sure just heard the words stab and scissors).
The conductor came back with the dreaded words, no snow in Rhinebck and suggested we go a bit further to Albany. After he left a nice young gentleman with the prettiest pink, pearly lipstick and a full face of make-up suggested we get off in Hudson as there was snow there.
So out plans changed. We decided to go a bit further to Hudson. The train was traveling past the Hudson River and as we got further and further the river started to ice up and then there were huge chunks of ice and I went into great raptures, the conductor came back and we paid the extra money to change the tickets. The lady in front of us (who Stef had demonstrated the stabbing with the scissors on) turned around and said that she live just out of Hudson and, in fact, her son had just become a Chef at a restaurant up on a mountain and she would be very happy to call her son and find out if there was snow up there. I said that would be awesome and would be a great place to have lunch.
To cut a long story short she offered us a lift up the mountain to this place and within 2 hours found ourselves in the Catskill Mountains in a place straight out of the 80's having lunch overlooking 5 of the US states and surrounded by snow. I got to step in it, lie in it and fall on it, well actually I fell on the ice not the snow. I need to add here that Stef was unable to help me up as she was laughing so hard she was doubled over. I was not so amused.
We were picked up by the ladies son and driven back to the station, they would not hear of us catching a taxi as it would have cost us at least $60.
It was the most surreal and amazing adventure, Stef and I just kept laughing and wondering how the hell we ended up in the middle of the snow filled Catskills mountains in the most random little restaurant. Right place, right time and the ability to change our plans without stress.
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