Some travels to past destinations prove to be more memorable than others. The expedition to Austria in December of 2011 was definitely unforgettable. I call this an expedition since it boasts of events that happened for the first time. From Istanbul, my family decided to visit my brother and his wife who were stationed in Austria. The decision was challenging; yet exciting since we travelled by car. It has been three years since we last saw my brother and this was the first time we journeyed abroad accompanied by my father.
Missing a family member provided the impetus for the trip. At first, everyone, including my mother and one more sibling, were in high spirits and we sang, told jokes, reminisced about the times we were young and my brother, who was single then, was still living with us. We traversed smoothly through Bulgaria and Romania. I was the driver then. However, at some point in time, I got to be so sleepy while driving, especially when the rest of the group were all asleep.
I had to find a safe spot along the road to take a quick nap to regain and sharpen senses. When we were already in Hungary, my other sibling, who just learned how to drive, offered to take the wheels temporarily. Everyone hesitated, but I was already so exhausted. Weighing the pros and cons generated the most plausible course of action which turned out positively towards allowing my sibling to drive. The first 12 hours of driving turned out excellent. We all relaxed and felt confident about my sibling’s driving skills; until a heavy traffic was met in one of the thoroughfares in Vienna. A car that was driven by an irate and anxious driver tried to overtake our car in the midst of the traffic on a hot Monday morning. His car suddenly bumped the tail lights of our car and caused a commotion.
Traffic enforcers immediately got in the scene and filed the needed reports. The rubbernecking caused greater snarls in the jammed traffic. Luckily, no one was hurt or injured. After about an hour of delay, I took back the helm at driving and sped to my brother’s domicile. The jubilant reunion made us forget the traffic accident. Everyone vowed to travel by plane on the way home.
