Marta Mouse in Trouble!
The last time we heard from Marta, she was in Odessa with July, and among other things, visited the sculptures created by the artist Tanya Shtykalo.
Marta wanted to meet Tanya, but she had fled due to the war and now lives and works in Austria.
Through some acquaintances, Marta got in touch with Tanya, who also welcomed her visit. However, traveling alone from Odessa to Vienna is risky now, so in search of alternatives, Marta came across an opportunity – to travel by car!
Someone had arranged a road trip with a minibus all the way to Vienna. And Marta was going to hitch a ride.
It's not easy for people to embark on such a journey, and for a mouse even worse. Normally, such a road trip would take 3 days, but given the current situation, it was estimated to be at least 4 days! You can see the route on the map at the bottom of Marta's blog CLICK HERE.
Marta got a nice spot in the minibus, sitting at the back on top of all the other luggage. The vehicle was full of people who had been celebrating Christmas and New Year's visits.
The first day went well, even though the journey started before sunrise. There were a few stops, some roadblocks, and checkpoints out of the city, but otherwise, it went smoothly. Everyone in the car had packed a lunch for the first day, so there were almost no stops.
The goal for the day was to reach a city called Ternopil, usually a 9-hour trip. It was dark upon arrival at the booked accommodation, but Marta got to go inside with the driver and slept in the top drawer of the nightstand. As agreed, he took good care of Marta.
From this city to the border with Poland, it's only a 4-hour drive. However, they had to wake up early again on this day. Crossing the border takes time; it can take a long time, in fact. And that's exactly what happened.
There was heavy traffic, trucks, buses, and other vehicles, a queue several kilometers long. After several hours, the minibus reached the checkpoint.
Everyone and everything had to get out of the minibus for inspection. Everyone in the car had to explain why they were traveling, and passports and papers were checked. Most importantly, all luggage was piled up and checked. It was a terrible chaos; everyone was in a hurry, and the driver had to stay in the car and keep an eye on it. When all checks were done, everyone grabbed their luggage and jumped back into the minibus because it was late in the day, and it had to reach the booked accommodation in the evening.
But Marta was left sitting on the bench inside where all the suitcases were inspected.
All alone.
The driver responsible for her, didn't know that someone had taken her inside the house. And everyone else was so stressed that they didn't think about her, a little toy-mouse on a world tour.
In the evening when they arrived at the motel, the driver finally discovered what had happened. In the evening, he called back to the customs station and asked about Marta. He met a nice lady in the office who had allowed Marta to stay, thinking it was a toy for one of the children who would surely miss it, so Marta was allowed to stay in an office there.
The driver politely asked them to take good care of her, and he would arrange how she could be picked up.
It took a week, a whole week Marta spent at the customs office, because the driver had arranged for a lady on her way to Vienna to take her. And that's how Marta continued her journey to Vienna and is now set to visit Tanya for many days.
She will experience living in an artist collective, but first, her suitcase is packed for an journey that Tanya has promised.
Now Marta is excited, and all travel worries are behind her!
