Day 47
Off to Bratislava, Slovakia today!! I have no idea what's there. I'm stopping there more to tick off another country and plus it's on the way to Prague. Noticed that there was an inconsistency between the Eurail app and the book regarding the need for reservation, so decided to check that out in case I had to stand for hours again like my Stockholm to Copenhagen trip. Turns out you could just jump on. Done. No dramas on the train trip. Almost had a heart attack when the guard said I hadn't filled out the travel date on my pass (you get fined if you haven't). Turns out she was just blind and couldn't see the black pen. Afterwards she complemented me on just how perfectly filled out my pass was. Guess that was a plus.
Tuesday, 12 November 2013
Friday, 8 November 2013
From crawling in caves to relaxing in thermal baths...
Day 43
On my overnight train with two other people in my compartment. This time, I was on the bottom bunk. Annoying thing is that the bottom bunk is converted from the chairs, hence everyone sits on them until they want to sleep and that's when the chairs are flipped to become a bed. Thus you can't sleep until everyone else is ready to go to bed. Also it's a lot harder to sleep when the lights from outside are flashing in your face since the blinds don't go all the way down. Had a moment of panic halfway through the night when I woke up to see someone standing over me, but then realised it was just one of the guys in my room trying to unlock the compartment door to go to the bathroom. Another downside to being on the bottom bunk. Honestly I don't think there's any advantage to being on the bottom bunk. At least breakfast was provided which was a nice start to the day after such a restless night.
On my overnight train with two other people in my compartment. This time, I was on the bottom bunk. Annoying thing is that the bottom bunk is converted from the chairs, hence everyone sits on them until they want to sleep and that's when the chairs are flipped to become a bed. Thus you can't sleep until everyone else is ready to go to bed. Also it's a lot harder to sleep when the lights from outside are flashing in your face since the blinds don't go all the way down. Had a moment of panic halfway through the night when I woke up to see someone standing over me, but then realised it was just one of the guys in my room trying to unlock the compartment door to go to the bathroom. Another downside to being on the bottom bunk. Honestly I don't think there's any advantage to being on the bottom bunk. At least breakfast was provided which was a nice start to the day after such a restless night.
Monday, 4 November 2013
Berlin, I love the nightlife...
Day 37
As my final night in Copenhagen involved numerous drinks and drinking games, the morning of Day 37 was not fun. And to think, I had seven hours of travel ahead of me. The body just ain't as tolerant as it used to be. In the end, a healthy breakfast of Maccas seemed to do the trick and it kept the nausea at bay as I sat on the rocking trains. Halfway through the trip, it hit me that Denmark and Berlin are separated by a sea. How the hell does the train go over without a change? Soon enough I discovered how when an announcement came over the loud speaker telling everyone to get off the train as it was going into a ferry. Not one of those tiny harbour ferries. This was a huge ocean liner. It was actually quite cool to make this trip over the ocean, plus I could enjoy the cool sea breezes from the upper deck. As we reached Germany, I got back onboard the train and soon enough I was in Berlin.
As my final night in Copenhagen involved numerous drinks and drinking games, the morning of Day 37 was not fun. And to think, I had seven hours of travel ahead of me. The body just ain't as tolerant as it used to be. In the end, a healthy breakfast of Maccas seemed to do the trick and it kept the nausea at bay as I sat on the rocking trains. Halfway through the trip, it hit me that Denmark and Berlin are separated by a sea. How the hell does the train go over without a change? Soon enough I discovered how when an announcement came over the loud speaker telling everyone to get off the train as it was going into a ferry. Not one of those tiny harbour ferries. This was a huge ocean liner. It was actually quite cool to make this trip over the ocean, plus I could enjoy the cool sea breezes from the upper deck. As we reached Germany, I got back onboard the train and soon enough I was in Berlin.
Tuesday, 29 October 2013
Braving the elements in Copenhagen...
Day 33
Checked out of my hostel in Stockholm and headed to Copenhagen. As the long train journey began, I noticed that the usual panels above each seat indicating whether it was reserved or not were missing from this train. I then heard over the PA that it was a high speed service to Copenhagen. Shit. It was then that I realised that this train required a reservation. I checked my book and sure enough it said a reservation was required. However I then checked my app which I've been using quite religiously on this trip and it said a reservation wasn't required. Nevertheless, it was pretty obvious that one was required.
Checked out of my hostel in Stockholm and headed to Copenhagen. As the long train journey began, I noticed that the usual panels above each seat indicating whether it was reserved or not were missing from this train. I then heard over the PA that it was a high speed service to Copenhagen. Shit. It was then that I realised that this train required a reservation. I checked my book and sure enough it said a reservation was required. However I then checked my app which I've been using quite religiously on this trip and it said a reservation wasn't required. Nevertheless, it was pretty obvious that one was required.
Friday, 25 October 2013
Meatballs, ABBA and oh so many photos...
Day 29
Pretty much just a travel day. Didn't really do anything today. Checked out of Warsaw hostel, walked to the coach station, and caught a coach to the airport. Had a lot of time to kill since I'm very paranoid about missing flights so I usually get there way too early. Was felt up quite thoroughly by a big Polish security guard after going the metal detector. After that moment of intense physical contact/heat, it was just boring waiting at the gate for my Ryanair flight to Stockholm. Soon enough it came time to board (walking onto the tarmac as usual) and an hour and a half later, we were preparing to land in Stockholm. As I stared out the window, I had no idea how much further we had to go. It was only once we descended below the intense cloud cover that I realised that we were pretty much landing. Visibility was just that poor. Anyways, at least the pilots were able to do their stuff and get us down safely. Caught an airport shuttle into the city (took about 90 minutes...we were pretty far out from the city) and checked into my hostel. Despite having done nothing all day, I was exhausted. Early night.
Pretty much just a travel day. Didn't really do anything today. Checked out of Warsaw hostel, walked to the coach station, and caught a coach to the airport. Had a lot of time to kill since I'm very paranoid about missing flights so I usually get there way too early. Was felt up quite thoroughly by a big Polish security guard after going the metal detector. After that moment of intense physical contact/heat, it was just boring waiting at the gate for my Ryanair flight to Stockholm. Soon enough it came time to board (walking onto the tarmac as usual) and an hour and a half later, we were preparing to land in Stockholm. As I stared out the window, I had no idea how much further we had to go. It was only once we descended below the intense cloud cover that I realised that we were pretty much landing. Visibility was just that poor. Anyways, at least the pilots were able to do their stuff and get us down safely. Caught an airport shuttle into the city (took about 90 minutes...we were pretty far out from the city) and checked into my hostel. Despite having done nothing all day, I was exhausted. Early night.
Monday, 21 October 2013
Rendezvous in Krakow...
Day 24
So last time I posted, I was on an overnight train from Budapest to Krakow. I got into Krakow at about 8am and bade farewell to Tom and Kaisey, and then went to dump my luggage at the hostel. Luggage deposited, it was time to explore the Old Town. I need to kill about 6 hours before Tash and Aniqa arrived. Luckily, much like in most other cities, there was a free walking tour that took up three hours of my time. And this guide was great. She was really knowledgeable and being pretty also helped haha. But more than that, she was just really engaging, and I actually learnt (and retained) a lot as evidenced later when I took Aniqa and Tash on a tour.
So last time I posted, I was on an overnight train from Budapest to Krakow. I got into Krakow at about 8am and bade farewell to Tom and Kaisey, and then went to dump my luggage at the hostel. Luggage deposited, it was time to explore the Old Town. I need to kill about 6 hours before Tash and Aniqa arrived. Luckily, much like in most other cities, there was a free walking tour that took up three hours of my time. And this guide was great. She was really knowledgeable and being pretty also helped haha. But more than that, she was just really engaging, and I actually learnt (and retained) a lot as evidenced later when I took Aniqa and Tash on a tour.
Wednesday, 16 October 2013
Not the last time I'll see Budapest...
Day 21
Time to leave Croatia and head to Hungary. Got to the station and was so confused with the train. All the carriages were labelled differently indicating that somewhere down the track they would be splitting off and heading to different destinations. For anyone planning to travel Europe, make sure to check where your carriage is heading. Don't just assume that the by being on the right platform that you'll end up in the right destination. After finally finding the only carriage heading to Budapest, we were off.
Time to leave Croatia and head to Hungary. Got to the station and was so confused with the train. All the carriages were labelled differently indicating that somewhere down the track they would be splitting off and heading to different destinations. For anyone planning to travel Europe, make sure to check where your carriage is heading. Don't just assume that the by being on the right platform that you'll end up in the right destination. After finally finding the only carriage heading to Budapest, we were off.
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