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The CBB -> St Scholastika's House

#1: A trip to the Achensee Author: Secret Santa, Location: The North Pole

Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 7:26 pm
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Lucy and Lilian climbed out of the train that had brought her from Innsbruck and walked across Jenbach station to the little train that would take them up the mountain to the Achensee. It was just as they’d always pictured it; the funny little steam engine at the back of a row of wooden carriages, steam billowing from the funnel. Lucy closed her eyes for a moment in delight. This was really the only way to get to the lake, she thought. Just the same was as EBD had all those years ago, and the way the Chalet School pupils had travelled.
“We’ll miss the train if you stop there dreaming like that,” said Lilian.
Lucy opened her eyes, and realised that the train was indeed filling up quickly. The managed to find seats, and settled back for the ride. It was a steep climb, and both the travellers could appreciate why some of the girls had got so nervous. However, the rack and pinion track was very safe, and after stopping at the tiny station of Eban, and the larger one at Maurach, and running around the row of carriages to the front for the last stretch, it finally came to a stop at Seespitz. The lake steamer was at the quay waiting for them, and they hurried across the pontoon to climb on board.
As the little boat pulled away from the landing stage and headed out towards Pertisau, they had a wonderful view of the village, nestling in its triangle of green, They could also see the group of trees that they knew hid the Alpenhof Hotel - the site of the Chalet school. All around Pertisau rose the mountains, clad in the pine trees that gave the lake its own special shade of blue/green.
“Which way first?” asked Lilian as the filed off the boat.
“The Tourist Information place, so we can see the plaque,” said Lucy.
The road led past the mineral oil centre, that looked far too modern for the place that to them meant Briesau. The Tourist Information Centre was modern too, but they immediately sae the door into the book shop at the back, and there. on their right as they went in was the plaque. Of course, as it was in German, it wasn’t easy to read, but that didn’t matter, and they took a couple of pictures.
“Right, now for the Alpenhof,” said Lucy with a grin.
They walked back to the lake shore and past the row of wooden huts housing souvenir shops and a small café, and turned up the path that led to the group of tress that they had seen from the boat. There were notices in German on the trees, but they ignored them.
“It’s a bit misty on those trees,” said Lilian. “Odd isn’t it?”
Lucy nodded, but said nothing, pushing forward into the mist. She thought she could just see the derelict hotel through them, but as she moved forward it disappeared. The mist closed round them for a moment, and then cleared. The trees had gone, replaced by a wooden lathe fence on the other side of a ditch.
“What on earth?” asked Lilian.
Let’s walk round the fence and see where it leads. I have a funny feeling about this.”
They followed the fence until they reached a little bridge over the ditch, and a gate on the other side. Greatly daring they crossed it and looked over the gate. What they saw was certainly not the Alpenhof Hotel! There was a large traditional Tyrolean chalet facing them, with a niche over the door that held a statue, and flowers decorating the balconies that ran round the building. To one side was a smaller chalet, just as traditional. Behind these was another chalet, a bit more modern, and they could just make out that part of the roof was flat. Another small chalet was almost hidden but the rest. They could hear the chatter of young voices coming from the first building, and then round the side burst a group of girls, dressed in old-fashioned brown tunics, cream blouses, and a flame coloured tie. The girls scattered in all directions around the grounds of what was obviously a school.
“Tell me this isn’t the Chalet School,” said Lucy desperately.
“I don’t think I can,” said Lilian. “Because that’s what it looks like to me too.”

Last edited by Secret Santa on Tue Dec 18, 2007 9:37 pm; edited 1 time in total

#2: Author: Fiona Mc, Location: Bendigo, Australia

Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 7:39 pm
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That's certainly sight seeing with a vengance. Laughing

Thanks

#3: Author: PaulineS, Location: West Midlands

Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 9:33 pm
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Lucky Lucy. What an introduction to a visit.

#4: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 10:30 pm
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What a lovely start to a holiday!

#5: Author: Dawn, Location: Leeds, West Yorks

Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 10:34 pm
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Lucky Lucy (and Lilian)

#6: Author: Tara, Location: Malvern, Worcestershire

Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 11:14 pm
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Ooh, more, please!

#7: Author: Jennie, Location: Cambridgeshire

Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 2:30 pm
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This is looking good, more, please.

#8: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 2:44 pm
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This looks like it's going to be a fabulous holiday!

Thanks Santa.

#9: Author: leahbelle, Location: Kilmarnock

Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 5:09 pm
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what a great start to a holiday!

#10: Author: MaryR, Location: Cheshire

Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 7:32 pm
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Spooky start to a holiday!! Shocked

Thanks, Santa

#11: Author: Secret Santa, Location: The North Pole

Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 9:36 pm
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Just then they heard footsteps coming towards them along the path, and they darted off the bridge and moved up the road a little way. Looking back they saw a tall young woman coming towards them, wearing a pretty green summer dress and a wide brimmed hat. As she reached the bridge, she pulled the hat off to reveal black hair cut in a fringe, with whorls of plaits over her ears. She turned into the school grounds, and they heard the gate click shut behind her.
“That proves it! that was Joey!” said Lucy.
Lilian just nodded. The whole situation was impossible, and yet it was happening. They both couldn’t have gone mad, could they?
Presently the noise died away as the girls returned to their classes, and the two began to wonder what to do. If they stayed here, how were they to eat? They only had Euros, not the old Austrian currency, and Euros hadn’t been invented yet. On the other hand, could they get back, not only to their own time, but to the Real World too. They were discussing the dilemmas when they heard voices again. The gate opened and a file of girls marched out, carrying swimming things, and headed down to wards the lake. Lucy and Lilian followed cautiously, not sure that they could go all the way to the lake. Staying well back, they watched as the girls made their way to a large hut on the shore and vanished inside, only to reappear very shortly dressed in very old-fashioned swimming costumes, and pulling rubber caps over their heads. Seeing the way they just plunged into the cold water made Lucy gasp, but Lilian had a logical explanation of their stoicism.
“It’s all those cold baths they have, even in the winter. They must be used to cold water,” she said, with a shiver.
“I couldn’t go in like that!!” said Lucy.
They didn’t try to go nearer partly because they didn’t want to be seen to be watching, but also because they could see thin wisps of the mist they had passed through. This was reassuring, for it meant that they probably had a route back home, but they weren’t quite ready to go yet.
They had seen no cars at all since they had been there, only a horse-drawn cart in the distance, but one came along now. It was black, though the tyres had white walls. The bonnet was long and pointed, with huge headlights on a bar in front of the radiator grill. The spare tyre was fixed alongside the bonnet, which looked a bit odd, and there was a footplate running down the side of the car. It was a convertible, and as the weather was fine, the top was down. A man and a woman were sitting in the car, the man driving. He was fair haired and looked as if he was a few years older than the woman. She had dark, wavy hair, done in a bun at the nape of her neck. She was probably in her late twenties, but the hairstyle made her look older. the car stopped at the gate of the school, and the couple got out and went inside.
“Jem and Madge?” asked Lucy. “They’re the right colouring.”
“Must be. The man’s too old to be Jack Maynard, isn’t he? He looked a lot less stern than I’d imagined him. Quite pleasant in fact.”
“Well he must be nice for Madge to fall in love with him, mustn’t he? EBD wasn’t very good at men, was she?”
Nothing much happened after that, except for the girls coming back from their swim, and the afternoon was getting on.
“I think we ought to try to get back,” said Lilian. “We have a train to catch remember? And I don’t know about you, but I’m more than a little hungry.”
“OK, let’s try. I’m sure we can get back. Remember that mist was there?”
Feeling more than a little nervous they walked back round the fence, and turned down the path to the shore. The mist rose around them, and they could see trees looming out of it. Then they broke out of the mist and through the trees, and there was the lake. The real one, not the Tiernsee. They were back.

#12: Author: PaulineS, Location: West Midlands

Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 10:48 pm
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Thank you, glad they could come back.

#13: Author: Fatima, Location: Sunny Qatar

Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 5:16 am
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Wow! I'm glad they got back. And I'm really glad that Jem looked nice!

Thanks Santa.

#14: Author: Fiona Mc, Location: Bendigo, Australia

Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 11:51 am
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Glad they could come back, but it would have been fun to see

#15: Author: Alison H, Location: Manchester

Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 12:01 pm
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I love this idea - maybe it's like Narnia and we all just need to get to the right place and we can walk into the CS world!

#16: Author: keren, Location: Israel

Posted: Thu Dec 20, 2007 10:27 am
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But in Narnia sometimes you got stuck!

Maybe the other girls who went to austria also saw this, but thought no one would believe them,
on the other hand, on this board, I am sure someone would.

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