thedailychannel.com — adventure

Limerick train station

From the moment we rushed, then running from the onrushing black clouds when the drops began falling, we were on a train journey. The station was a welcome haven from the brief downpour. We found a quiet bench out of the wind which was blowing through the station, and sat down to wait for the ticket office to open. This saves a lot of time for the railway employees, not having to sell tickets all the time so presumably they can get something done in the meantime.

After all, it was only a two-track sattion, end of a line not too heavily travelled. When the ticket agents did arrive they cleared the line quickly and the woman who sold us our ticket gave us the least-expensive family travel pass, which we would not have known to ask for.

In the meantime, a shabby-looking fellow had sat down next to us and started the lengthy preparations associated with smoking a pipe. Sadly the no-smoking concept of the non-smoking car didn't appear to apply to the station itself. I sent Irene off to buy a smoke-impermeable satchel for her beautiful Irish woolen scarf.

After about an hour our moment arrived and we bought tickets and lined up for track two. Instructions appeared on the board, relating to a train change at Limerick Junction causing a moment of panic, but the conductor set our minds at ease when he punched our ticket.

We got on the first no-smoking car we could find and stowed our luggage for a comfy trip. Soon after the train pulled out of the station we smelled smoke, but a brief search for the offending party turned up only an open door to the smoking car adjacent. In fact all of the train's interior doors were open and the smoke just flowed on down to us at the no-smoking very end of the train.