That March Break thing.

Any minute now,  many folks that I know will be dragging themselves out of bed to head back to work after enjoying something we refer to north of the Mason Dixon line as "March Break".   In some parts I know it's called "Spring Break",  but using the term "spring" is a bit of a stretch in some areas around our Canadian home. 
This would be why Facebook has started to be flooded with pictures of beaches and peeling skin.  At least one person mixed it up a bit by coming over to Europe,  even though it was with about 40 high school kids.   Not really my idea of "getting away",  but hey,  it was fun to look over pictures of some of the places we've been.
 One of the odd little quirks of working as a normal grunt in a school was,  March Break was a bit of a non issue for me.   That was OK.  I just showed up at work as usual,  except there was nobody there.   Well,  except perhaps one other Caretaker.
Such bliss.
I recall one particular time having to pick someone up at Toronto airport at the end of March Break,  and I was once again reminded why taking my holidays whenever I pleased was not such a bad thing after all.  That is to say,   not during March Break.
The last week in June comes to mind as a good time,  which also happens to be the last week of school,  with usually some of the hottest days of the year.  Nobody really wants to be in a schoolhouse during that week. 
There are "play day" activities,  the school is hot and humid,  there's water everywhere from kids with drink bottles.   Gawd,  I have to stop thinking about it,  or I'll have bad dreams tonight.

There were also a couple times when a jaunt off to the sunny south some time in December was also welcome.  Didn't see any academic types at the airports.  I think they were doing report cards, or whatever it is they do.

 Around here in Wienerland,  last week was pretty much a normal week.  The kids get a week off in February,  but the country is basically divided up into three sections,  so that not the entire population is on the ski hills all at once. 

 As we all know, (we did,  right?) the 19th was the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day,  and although we avoid any demonstrations or parades like the plague,  we did see one example of somebody making some sort of statement.   There was also a considerable amount of giggling going on,  but that might have had something to do with the manner of their demonstration.  They were going with some sort of "two per shirt" program.  Possible some sort of cost savings measure.

We saw this bunch on Saturday on the way to the Naschmarkt.  I guess they were going to try to make their way through the crowds?  We had no desire to find out how that was going to work,  especially in light of the wooden spoon/saucepan noise making arrangement.
We stayed well away.


The only other significance that March Break had for us,  was that it was during March Break three years ago that Travelling Companion made her first visit to the UK and then on to the Netherlands.

Can't believe three years has gone by.

Funny thing too was,  the fellow who was her boss (in Canada) at the time suggested to her that she should go First Class,  and that they'd cover it.
Pretty hard to argue with that logic.
On an overseas flight,  being in First Class can make a world of difference.  As it just so happened, on the leg from Birmingham to Amsterdam,  where she was once again in First Class,  there were some associates who ended up on her flight,  but who were booked back in steerage. 


The fellow she was taking over for happened to be on that flight and said something to the effect that,  "We don't normally travel First Class".
And yes it's true,  normally they don't travel First Class,  since most flights within Europe are of a reasonable length,  such that sitting back in steerage isn't that much of a big deal.  


But what do you say to that?  "I feel your pain"?  "Well,  good for you"?  "Would you mind closing the curtain?".
What?

Actually,  "Bite me" comes to mind,  but that wouldn't be something Travelling Companion would ever say.  



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