War Palace and Knee Pillow, Austria’s Destiny

Hugo did not choose that kind of expensive private carriage to make a big mistake. The experience of rising from the bottom taught him to be prudent.

Hugo's plan was to take a public carriage from Venice to Vienna in fifteen days, but it was still necessary to take a gondola (a small boat) to visit the "water city" once in a while.

Then he discovered the Venice train station, with accessible locations and ticket prices written on it.

"You can actually reach Vienna directly!" Hugo couldn't help but exclaimed.

He thought it would be great if a railway could be built between Paris and Toulon, which would be much more convenient.

In fact, the French are indeed building this railway, but the progress is worrying because a lot of land belongs to farmers, and these people's reluctance greatly increases the cost input.

Therefore, the French built railways much slower than Austria, and the cost was even higher than those of mountain railways.

However, Hugo did not know these situations. He only felt that Austria's investment in railways was amazing. But soon Hugo discovered something that shocked him even more.

Vienna is actually not the final destination. The railway from Venice can actually reach Belgrade in the east, Saxony in the north, and Amsterdam (the capital of the Netherlands) in the west.

"What a barbaric country! His people must be living a life inferior to that of a horse! Just like the pyramids of Egypt and the Colosseum of ancient Rome, they are completely a reflection of the vanity of personal desires."

But since there is a railway, it is impossible for Hugo to choose to take a carriage.

Conductor: "Are you going to Vienna? How long will the train wait?"

Victor Hugo: "Are trains divided into different grades? What a system that tramples on human dignity."

Conductor: "Would you like to buy it?"

Hugo: "First class carriage, thank you!"

Conductor: “Any weapons and gunpowder must be stored in the back of the car, and you are not allowed to urinate or defecate in the car, so you must seize the time to stop at each stop.

Here is a friendly reminder not to drink too much water or eat foods that are prone to diarrhea before getting in the car. Do you understand?

Huh? gentlemen? "

At this time, Hugo had disappeared from the ticket counter and successfully entered the first-class compartment through the ticket gate. The flight attendant kindly helped him carry his luggage and patiently explained everything Hugo wanted to know.

The first thing is what is this iron box in front of me!

"Hello, Mr. Hugo. This is the carriage." The female flight attendant responsible for reception seemed to be used to these foreigners' questions.

Although it was a first-class carriage, there was usually no such meticulous service. His other identity played a role.

Also, let me mention here that the cost of a first-class carriage is about ten times that of a fourth-class carriage. The price of a second-class carriage is half that of a first-class carriage, and there are only one or two first-class carriages in the entire train.

"Why is Cococo wrapped in iron sheets?"

During this period, not only in France, but in fact in most countries in the world, the train carriages were open carriages.

That's right, it's really a 270-degree open air with no blind spots, surrounded only by a fence. You can perfectly feel the wind, frost, rain, and snow along the way until you become one with nature.

For example, trains on the American continent only have one sidecar, and if you want to communicate between carriages, you can only climb over them.

In addition, most countries at that time did not charge by station like the Austrian Empire, but by kilometers.

At this time, some book friends must want to ask, what should I do if I run out of money halfway through sitting? Or what should I do if I want to get off the bus halfway?

In fact, there is no need to worry, because in this era, the speed of trains was usually between 20-40 kilometers per hour, although the British had already developed high-speed trains with speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour.

But as mentioned in the previous article about this kind of thing, the technical conditions at this time are not yet mature. In addition to wasting fuel, the biggest problem is that it is unstable and is extremely easy to malfunction or even fall off the track.

You may not have much idea about 20-40 kilometers. To put it another way, it is like a train in India. As long as you are strong, you can hop on and off.

Because French train carriages still used an open-top design at this time, Hugo had such a big reaction to the train carriages.

But this is something that Austrian railway staff are used to, both in semi-enclosed carriages and in the fuss of foreigners.

"Just like a carriage, it can not only protect you from wind, frost, rain, and snow, but also protect your privacy. It also allows us to provide you with better services. At the same time, our trains are more convenient than carriages. Faster and safer.”

The flight attendant's answer was very professional, leaving Hugo unable to find anything wrong for the moment.

"Okay, but won't this jar suffocate someone to death?"

The flight attendant continued with a very professional smile.

"Please rest assured that each box has its own window. If you feel suffocated or uncomfortable, you can open it."

At this time the train whistle sounded.

Female flight attendant: "If you have any other questions, you can chat in the carriage. I'll be happy to help you answer them, but you have to get on the train now."

The male flight attendant on the side has long been impatient. He hates these foreigners asking questions all day long. If they were in the third or fourth class carriage, he would have told him to shut up.

But there is no way who can make the other party spend ten times the fare to sit in the first-class carriage? He was also a poet and playwright. The Royal Railway Company had regulations to give preferential treatment to scholars and artists, and he did not want to cause trouble for himself.

So he quickly boarded the train with his luggage, and the female steward behind him also made a gesture of invitation. Hugo was from a noble family and naturally he would not lower himself and roll around to continue questioning.

He took off his hat and saluted politely. When he came inside the carriage, Hugo found that he had been fooled. There were only seven people in the entire first-class carriage.

Moreover, everyone has an independent box, and the seven people are completely isolated without any communication.

This was completely different from what Hugo had expected. He had even prepared a plan in his mind before getting in the car. He had prepared many topics and was waiting to share them with others. He could not only learn about the local customs and customs, but also maybe gain friendship.

Although the service on the train was very good and the scenery outside the window was beautiful, he was never happy. Hugo used the bench in the compartment as a small bed and fell asleep in the rhythmic bumps of the train.

When Hugo woke up in a daze, he felt a burst of internal distress. It happened that the train was already stopping at a station.

After the happy release, the train whistle sounded again, and the sky was a little dark, so he casually touched a carriage.

But when Hugo opened the hatch, he was shocked! A dim oil lamp was lit in the fully enclosed carriage. People and animals stayed together, and pigs and cows moved around freely in the carriage.

The disgusting smell rushed towards him, and at this moment a lamb hit Hugo's abdomen, causing him to swallow back what he was about to say.

When Hugo woke up again, he was leaning against the door when a hen flew over Hugo's head, clucked twice and laid an egg.

"Oh my God! Where is this?"

"Fourth class carriage. Sir, you don't look like a farmer? Are you on the wrong track?"

"That's right! This is what I'm looking for. I want to record people's real lives!"

Hugo touched for a long time and found that the pen was gone.

"Sir, there are a lot of pickpockets here! Most of the things you are looking for are lost."

An old man reminded kindly.

Hugo was about to say something when he felt sick.

"Are you okay?" Everyone around him noticed that Hugo was out of place here. After all, people who were dressed so well would not usually go to the fourth class cabin to suffer.

"I'm fine, just a little nauseous..."

Then there was another violent jolt, and all kinds of livestock became active with this jolt. Hugo asked amid the din.

"Why is this car bumping so hard?"

"Oh, it's nothing. It's probably because the speed has increased. It's normal to have some bumps."

"Speed ​​up? How much?"

"Sixty kilometers."

"Oh my God!"

"What's wrong?"

"Hurry up and cover your mouth and nose! Otherwise our blood will fly out!"

"ah?!"

"Everyone, please do as I say! This is the research result of the French Academy of Sciences, and I will not lie to you!"

Hugo shouted loudly, and everyone around him looked confused, but they all followed suit and covered their mouths and noses.

It wasn't until the conductor entered the fourth-class carriage that he found twitching passengers all over the floor.

I originally wanted to continue the previous style, but the writing may not be in place.