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For 23 days I traveled alone in Eastern Europe via train September 26-October 18, 1994 -- two overnight trains and 14 other trains in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania and passing through Hungary and Yugoslavia.
Adventures on 23 Trains in Eastern Europe 1994
Junemalina2004-01-21 10:33:07
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For 23 days I traveled alone in Eastern Europe via train September 26-October 18, 1994 -- two overnight trains and 14 other trains in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Romania and passing through Hungary and Yugoslavia. I know not one word of any language but English. Here's how it went...
Trains: Trains were on time, windows and toilets were dirty, trains were full of neat college kids in Slovakia
going back to school and then going home for the weekend. Sleeper from Sofia to Bucharest cost $15 (in addition to Bulgarian rail pass cost) In overnight trains, car official takes your passport and keeps it with him until you are ready to get off, then he returns it. Train views were fabulous especially in Slovakia where the mountains provided the most exquisite background for the setting sun. Saw farmers doing final harvesting -- backbreaking work done by hand.
Had two suitcases, both on wheels. Still not easy because in EE train stations don't have elevators,
escalators, or curb cuts. Example of a typical adventure in a train station: Walk up about 15 stairs to station. Try to determine "arrivals" and "departures" in another language. Look for your destination (many times it's not listed if it is an intermediary stop) figure out your track number, go down a flight of about 25 stairs, pass through a tunnel to your track number, go up 25 stairs to your platform.
When the train comes try to determine which car you are in. Although ticket is marked with car number many times the car itself is not numbered. Get on, hopefully the correct car, and find your seat number. Overnight trains have an inside compartment lock, but you must get up for border crossings -- both with border guards and customs folks -- and they don't come together. Count on two wakeups for each border crossed.
Many times women would
...
See photographs from:
Slovakia Gallery
,
Serbia Montenegro Gallery
,
Romania Gallery
,
Hungary Gallery
,
Czech Republic Gallery
,
Bulgaria Gallery
