Natural Disasters When You're Traveling

[Ed Wetschler]

I'm sitting here waiting for Irene to blow in full force, thinking back to times when I've been caught by storms etc. while traveling. What's the most memorable natural disaster you've experienced on the road? Did you write about it?

[Cara Bertoia]

Last year we went to Glasgow, Scotland to pack up my mother-in-laws house. She had died the year before. We got caught in a horrible snow storm while packing up the house. After we have settled the estate we went to St Andrews to deliver some china to the family there. As soon as we  got there we got caught in the worst blizzard in forty years. The Forth bridge that connects Edingbourgh to Glasgow closed and we were stranded in St. Andrews for days. When the trains don't move in Scotland you know you've hit some rough weather. And it was only November. We had thought we might move to Scotland one day, well that put an end to that.

Cara Bertoia

 

 

[Keith Kellett]

Unfortunately, I wasn't writing (well, not very well, anyway) when we got caught in a torrential downpour in the Swiss mountains. A fallen branch snagged under my car, and I stopped to pull it free. Then, about a hundred metres along, a boulder the size of a house came crashing down the hill, and across the road. And, I'm pretty sure that, if I hadn't stopped to free that branch, it would have been Goodnight, Vienna!

 

Naturally, I stopped at the next inn we came to, and put up for the night until it had all blown over.

[Brendan Harding]

The Icelandic volcano of 2010 was reportedly a disaster for many. However, as I was on a press trip to Portugal´s Alentejo region when it occured - in fact ours was the last flight to leave Dublin airport on the way out to the trip.

Well, at the end of the trip flights were still cancelled all over Europe and nobody was going home. Among the press group there was talk of boats and ferries, cars and taxis, and many other options were mooted... And the Alentejo tourist board stepped in. The director of the tourist board - as we were in his care - hired a spacious mini bus and with his colleague DROVE us the whole way from Southern Portugal to the French ferry port of Cherbourg, a three day drive.

Disaster averted, new friends made, lot of wine consumed, and the sure knowledge that the people and tourism board of Alentejo are some of the finest you could meet anywhere in the world.

PS I´m out on another press trip to the same region next wednesday.... Any signs of volcanoes I should know about?

By the way, here´s a small ramble about my last trip: http://brendanharding.yolasite.com/stranded-in-alentejo.php

[Ed Wetschler]

Brendan, we should all sign on to go wherever you're going. Here's wishing you another postponed departure from Portugal.