EAM#1 (Embarrassing American Moment)(bg)

Michelle and I were congratulating ourselves for being foresighted enough to get to the train from Lisbon to Santarem with time to spare. Bought our tickets and were strolling to the trains as I proudly remark “And with six minutes to spare “, only to watch the door close. We swing directly into panic mode - me standing with my arms out looking up at the front engine as if to say “What the hell are you doin’ - we got five minutes still!!!” Michelle meantime is - and I kid you not - running up to the engineer and I see her clasping her hands as if to be pleading for them to open the doors for us. Then I hear a voice behind me instructing “Button! Button!”, only to discover each and every door has a button on the outside next to the door - for passengers to open the door themselves. Cue the Price is Right failure sound effect as we walk onto the train to what I’m sure were several thought bubbles from fellow passengers saying “poor confused Americans”. Alls well however - we are on our way to Santarem where the true waking begins tomorrow.