May 2010

In 2010 we traveled to Ukraine again.  This time, after the adventure we had last time, we decided to get traveler’s insurance just in case…  This traveler’s insurance would cover interruptions in our travel and unexpected costs associated with changes in our itinerary besides medical benefits.  Little did we know how we would need it this time.

We made all our connections through Chicago (just barely) and on through to Ukraine this time.  When we checked in at Omaha, the gal at the counter had the wise foresight to schedule us on two flights out of Chicago just in case we would miss the first one.  Well, we did miss the first one and were so thankful for the second reservation.  We hadn’t looked at our tickets carefully enough though and when we went to board the plane, we found out our tickets were for Business Class!  WOW!  We didn’t expect that, but we enjoyed it.

After a good two weeks in Ukraine, we spent the weekend in Vienna.  Since it was a holiday weekend we decided to stay an extra day.  On that last day we were able to hear the Vienna Boys’ Choir – what a wonderful experience.  From there, we decided to buy tickets for the Hop-on/Hop-off bus that goes around the city.  Our first stop was Prater Amusement Park where we had hoped to ride the world’s largest ferris wheel.

Just as we stepped into the park, some guy on a bicycle came barreling through not looking where he was going and knocked me to the ground.  I hit my head on the pavement and was quite dazed.  He stopped to ask if I was all right but then raced off again.  I figured I was o.k. – I was conscious and aware of my surroundings, but my wrist hurt awfully bad.  My husband helped me up and we looked for the nearest bench for me to sit on.  The closest one was right in front of the bumper cars – oooh, ouch!  Every time those cars bumped, I felt it.

My husband went to look for help, but the young man working at the bumper cars realized I wasn’t feeling very well, so he offered my a glass of water.  I accepted thankfully.  When he found out what happened, he called the police and the ambulance for me.  So thankful, because my husband was not able to find any help.  So, as my husband was giving a statement to the police, I was ushered into the ambulance for a checking over.  During that time, it began to rain.  It poured and my poor husband got soaked, but I was at least nice and dry inside the ambulance.

Finally the paramedics decided to take me to the hospital for x-rays.  That was a new experience for me.  In the emergency room, first you sit on the blue chairs to wait to have the x-rays taken.  Then you sit on the red chairs to wait to talk to a doctor (found out my wrist was fractured and if it would have been any worse I would have needed surgery).  Then you go to the orange chairs to get a cast put on.  Then you go sit on the blue chairs to get another x-ray to make sure the cast was holding everything in place.  Then you go to the orange chairs again to get the readings from the x-rays. Finally we were dismissed and got a taxi to take us back to the hotel – I have no idea where in Vienna we were so I was thankful for taxis.

I thank God that we took out traveler’s insurance before we left on this trip.  The insurance paid for all the medical expenses that occurred on the trip.  After we got back to the States, I noticed that our traveler’s insurance company was running a contest for The Unluckiest Traveler story.  I thought about sending my story in, but then I had to stop to think.  God had His hand in this.  This could have happened on the first day of our trip instead of the last day.  It could have happened where we would not have gotten such good medical treatment – it was different but it was good.  It could have been my leg instead of my wrist (I couldn’t imagine trying to maneuver through the airports and flying all the way home with a broken leg).  There are so many things that could have happened that didn’t, I know God’s hand was on me the whole time.  I could not say I was the Unluckiest Traveler – I wasn’t even the Luckiest Traveler – I was the Most Blessed Traveler, because I was in God’s hands the whole time.

(For the first installment of the series Travel across Europe, see “The Happy Wanderer 2008” at https://marilynn-lester.com/2023/06/17/the-happy-wanderers-2008/}