So for the next nine days I’m on a two-city vacation. The first leg is to attend my cousin’s wedding in Philadelphia, PA, and the second is five days in historic Williamsburg, VA.

So far, things have been rather uneventful for me, mostly because I’m on a train. So the following story is not about me, but about my aunt, who is traveling along with me, my parents, and my grandfather.

So we get on the Amtrak train in New Haven, en route to Philly, but are forced to split up because it’s full. My parents and I head to the next car while my aunt and grandfather stay in the first car we entered. After we left, she found a seat next to a woman who was to be joined in Bridgeport, CT, by a friend. The woman wanted to hold the seat for the friend, but the conductor said she couldn’t do that because the train was full. So she gave it up.

At Bridgeport, the friend embarked, but because my aunt was occupying one seat of a mostly full train, there was no way for the two women to sit together…except for two seats at the front of the car which were apparently wet.

A little later, the friend came up to talk to the first woman. The friend was standing near the seat for long enough for my aunt to ask her to not stand over her anymore.

So the friend snottily remarked to my aunt, “So you took my seat, huh?” Despite my aunt trying to explain the situation of the full train, and being told to take one of the only open seats, the friend wasn’t having it.

Eventually, my aunt was informed she was the worst American they had encountered thus far (the two other women being from another country), despite the fact she had only sat in the only available seat.

So that was the only marr on the first day. Finally in Philly, we walked around a bit to get an idea of some of the attractions, and then attended the rehearsal dinner.

Tomorrow: wedding day, plus visiting the Reading Terminal Market.