Eastern Europe: Tripping on the Train

(Sorry, no photos. I'm way too preoccupied to stop & take pics on the train. There will be plenty for upcoming Passau, Regensburg, & Saltzburg.)

For the life of them none of our kids--and now that includes our daughters-in-law making 14--understands why we like to take trains when we go to Europe. The last swing from Hungary to Slovakia, through Austria to Bavaria, & finally to Munich was aboard the (in)famous  long distance trains. If J.J. & I did not have at least one major leg on our tour by train, we would feel like we had cheated, or something. How can we pretend to have European roots if we do not take the train? It’s the stuff that novels and spy movies are made of, even if, for us, there is no plot. All the same, a train passenger during that moment lives on a stage composed of train stations & big compartmentalized trains. The backdrops are constantly morphing into different countries with cities large and small. The characters, with languages and cultures matching their homelands, enter and exit leaving indelible impressions, never aware that they are being observed by outsiders from another world. 

Over the protestations of #3 who insists that trains are expensive, slow, and a big hassle, we are of a mindset that traveling is not always about getting from point A to point B. If that is all one wants then take Easy Jet. You’ll spend most of the time you save waiting in lines, listening for garbled announcements, & being delayed by endless stupidities--such as blowing up suspicious unattended suitcases. At boarding, one begins to feel sympathy for beasts being herded to the slaughterhouse. I ask you, how is the whole process of “security” check much different?  For commuter planes one must climb an outdoor flight of stairs -- resembling fire escapes!--only to push one’s way into a kind of wholesale, super-sized coffin for about 150+ people. The sight is comical to watch as most passengers have big bulging soft travel bags that they force into inadequate, overhead bins. Of course, passengers have the option of checking their large bags but would never do so for fear of never seeing them again. (Oh yes, on this I can sympathize!) I could go on with a litany of inconveniences and even grievances, but I’d much prefer to extol the virtues of rail.

Hence, we two seniors do our best to travel with bags that are a reasonably light tote because, for sure, we are in for a lot of toting. In fact, we are in for a lot more than that because the bags must be hoisted from the quay about two & a half feet high onto the train. Once on board we must hoist our bags onto luggage racks leaving all walkways absolutely clear. The good thing about trains is that there is generally a lot of room on the racks & generous seating. Since we don’t usually have to hurry to sit down and get buckled in, as in planes, we have all our time. Many times a young person -- male or female -- will offer help us with our bags. See? Young Europeans can be so polite! Actually, J.J. & I often get help when we are negotiating stairs & such in stations. From then on we just relax, take in the beautiful scenery, read a book, snack, or snooze. 

Okay, so boarding the train has its challenges, too. Lately (as I’ve mentioned before), there has been a trend in Europe to announce the train and quay only minutes before the train is scheduled to pull out. While Europeans who are used to this phenomenon & are unfazed by this last minute sort of thing, we outsiders  feel disadvantaged. Such was the case when we left in Presov, Slovakia at 9 a.m. Luckily Viktor was there to help us! We surely could not know anything trying to understand Slovak on the intercom. Asking someone is fine & we will always do it, as you will see, but people don’t like to be stopped for information when they are in a hurry to catch their own train, plus they must try to think in English. Who can blame them for being a bit brusk? 

Here I must digress a bit and tell you about trains in Hungary and Slovakia: they are still quite antiquated. As previously mentioned Hungarians have updated and modernized the Budapest station, but most stations are still lagging in this respect. The Bratislava station is so dated & impractical that those progressive Slovaks ought to refurbish it soonest, if for no other reason than making a good impression.  An old train might be roomy, but it is tired from long years of service and generally toilets function very poorly, if at all. It does not have air-conditioning unless you count open windows with whipping wind. June was fine for interior temperature and air circulation; but in the summer months one will really get to experience how it used to be without AC! So, for this last train trip we had rather inferior trains in Hungary, Slovakia, until Vienna where we changed to a cushy, modern, air-conditioned train with working toilets. It follows that older trains are definitely slower than the new ones. The new trains are like a fast flowing cloud.

Still, I must insist that for enjoying the sights, scenery and local folks that the train is the way to go. Most Europeans do not take the train for a long trip. Their limit is about 50 miles or two or three stations. Maybe their work is located a few stops away. Many times it is obvious that passengers are making a family visit. We've seen & spoken to grandparents who have just fetched their grandchildren for a summer visit. By going through the same regular things that most citizens do, we are getting a real taste of each country as we pass through. Go figure: flying is just a few hours in the "coffin," confined & all strapped down, only to arrive at another airport with nothing special to remember. Where are there any remnants of old world elegance or quaintness to compare with trains?

The second time we had to get instructions was in Vienna where, because of extensive renovation on the designated station, there was a complicated change to make. We actually had to leave the long distance passenger train just before Vienna, catch a suburban train to the main station, and then find the quay for our train to Passau. Fearless J.J. asked a burly, red-faced Austrian conductor to give us instructions to which he refused (in loud German), turning to the “audience” of passengers and commenting that he didn’t have time to fool with Americans. Well, we never give up because one conductor acts like a clod. The next conductor, a skinny, distinguished grey-haired sort told J.J. (in German) “Just wait. I have to check everyone’s ticket. I’ll take care of you after that.” If you’re wondering, yes we can understand the “gist” of these simple instructions & the unkind comments made by Conductor Clod. Mr. Nice Conductor gave altogether understandable instructions with names of places where we should get off & then take a subway to the station. From there on it was an adventure, but not one which was impossible. We knew we had very little time to make this connection, but we did! 

We settled into the beautiful, modern train. J.J. and I did not sit together. Many times we don’t, as he likes to do his thing & I like to do mine.  I talked with Lauren, an Austrian French teacher for most of the way. As we watched the two-story rectangular farms pass by on the bright green hills, she explained that these structures actually housed a family and the farm animals! We spoke of many common experiences, teaching French, our host sons, her vacation house where she would be staying for the next month. She would be taking her students on a summer outing for a month in July. She and I spoke French, as was her preference so she could get in some practice. Okay, figure this: me retired French teacher - native language English; she French teacher - native language German. Ah! The beauty of the French connection! 

By the time we got to the Passau station #2 was waiting for us. He was rather amazed that we had actually made our schedule. He knew all about the change in Vienna & feared that we would get laid over. The only really big ordeal yet to surmount would be a train ride to the Munich airport where we would fly back to Paris. I’ll spare you that. Suffices to say, that J.J. & I made all of our trains with complicated connections. We might not be winners of the ubiquitous “Amazing Race,” but considering our age, it’s worth a brag in my blog.