The Luxembourg Rumpus

They made a frantic dash toward the station’s main hall as if they were fleeing from wild dogs. A 3-minute travel vignette

Luxembourg train courtesy of Expatica

The overnight northbound train from Salerno rattles into Luxembourg Central, trailing a white cloud of Italian dust behind it. Travel-weary women throw down the windows, lean their stiff bodies out into the cool morning air and fan themselves as if they have been dancing in the corridors all night. I am sitting on a station bench, waiting for the southbound.

The train has barely squealed to a halt for its brief stopover, when about fifteen determined southern Italian men elbow and push their way down the steps and make a frantic dash toward the station’s main hall as if they were fleeing from wild dogs. Where are they all going in such a hurry, I wonder?

The news vendor frowns as the raucous crowd of men pushes by him. I see a sign on the wall that offers a wholesome lunch of “Chicken Nuggys and Coke in a Walkie Cup”. Could they be running to pick up a lunch?

Suddenly, all is eerily silent. The platform is as deserted as a western ghost town. I expect to see tumbleweeds blowing through any minute. The women, still leaning out of the grimy windows, seem to hold their collective breath as they gaze silently in the direction of the exodus. They watch and wait, murmuring to each other, glancing anxiously at the clock overhead.

Five more minutes go by, still no men return. Three more minutes. The conductor paces up and down, about to signal the departure. Two more minutes … and ... here they come! Marching back en masse, as victorious soldiers return from battle with the spoils. In their arms are as many cartons of foreign cigarettes as they can carry. Jumping back on board, they are congratulated by their relieved women as the train lurches out of the station on its last leg to Liege.

Courtesy of iStock

You may wonder what that was all about? Don’t ask me — I’ve no idea! Not all of life’s mysteries are solved, and least of all those encountered on the road, but they are remembered.

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