Saving Sandy

Chapter 19 - Traveling to and Arriving in the Beautiful Swiss Alps

No, we didn't sleep together, although it was very tempting. Sandy knew that I wanted at least some sleep, so we parted rather reluctantly at around ten. I finally fell asleep around eleven after thinking about my new relationship with Sandy, and I was up by an alarm clock at 2:30. Eve nor Amelia stirred as I got ready to go and met Sandy and Geoffrey outside Margaret Hall a bit after three. Both guys looked as chipper as could be. Geoffrey didn't suspect a thing regarding Sandy's and my new relationship, mainly because, laughingly, both Sandy and I slept while on the moving trains to London, and then to Brighton. On the ferry ride across the English Channel, Sandy, Geoffrey and I found a group of men who were on their way to Andorra, Spain to climb the mountains there. We talked with them until we all parted in Le Havre, France, a coast town. They were intrigued with all of us and what we had done, but they were mainly interested in Sandy since he was going to Everest the following month.

The train ride from that coast town to Paris was filled with Geoffrey going on and on about that trip to Spitsbergen, and how different our trip to Murren would be to that. I was relieved to arrive in Paris, and Sandy was as well, since all we heard on the ride there was Geoffrey's voice, with Sandy inputting into the conversation now and then. I took in the scenery going by, as well as the towns we passed. It all resembled a painting.

"Oh my gosh, I'm in Paris!" I squealed as people bustled about on the platform of this busy train station in the middle of Paris, all of them obviously in 20s attire. It still felt like I was in a movie, or on a movie set. "We have to walk around the city. Is there time? Please, please say that there's time, Sandy."

He took out his pocket watch. "I am afraid not. We need to catch the next train in thirty minutes. This one will take us directly to Lauderbrunnen, and then we have to take a bus a few kilometers south to Murren."

My heart sunk, and I made a pouty face. "Dang it... I wanted to see the Eiffel Tower."

"I think we may see it from the train," Geoffrey said. "I myself would love to see it."

"As do I," said Sandy. "It should be spectacular."

Being in France in 1923 on the eve of Christmas Eve had incredible, amazing, and just about every other word meaning awesome and magical written all over it. There were even wreaths hung up in places on the platform. "Well, I guess we should catch that train and beat the lines."

"We shall."

There were so many people traveling through this train station, all of them speaking French, obviously, and all bundled up since it was pretty darn cold. We were told that a cold front came in, and Murren was dumped on by a lot of snow. Of course, this excited Sandy, since that meant more snow to ski on. Me? I just loved being in it. We both had snow in our blood.

We found the platform where we would catch our next train, which wasn't there yet. "I guess we wait," I said. "We're early, after all."

All three of us noticed a gaggle of five girls standing near us, all around our age. Of course, they were eyeing both Sandy and Geoffrey. Sandy let out a dismissive "Psht," and looked ahead, while Geoffrey put on his flirtatious grin and went up to them. I heard English in a heavy accent after Geoffrey greeted them.

"Well, that's no surprise, Geoffrey taking advantage of talking to a group of girls," I commented, then looked up at Sandy. "You totally ignored them."

"Do you blame me? You definitely know why I don't want to even look at another woman again."

My brows rose. That said so much since, according to his great-niece who wrote his biography, he loved women. That showed how much he cared about me. It made me smile, flattered.