I got lost in the Czech Republic.
Okay, in hindsight, maybe not lost. But lost enough that I was pretty nervous. (Feeling lost gets me very nervous, even if I know or have been told how to get to where I need to be. Don’t try to find logic in my anxiety. #kathyquirk). As mentioned in previous posts, I spent a little bit of time in Prague visiting my sister, Rosie, who was doing a short program there. To get from Vienna to Prague I took a train, as it’s only a 4-4.5 hour trip. However, my trip there ended up taking an extra hour and a half. Part of that was because lost, and part of that was because the Czech Republic doesn’t know how to have trains arrive on time. But maybe those were just the trains I found myself needing…
Stage 1: False Security
When purchasing train tickets, the booking site should tell you how many connections you will have on your trip, just like when you buy a plane ticket. Well, when I bought mine, I knew my outbound train looked like this*: 
And that my return train looked like this*: 
Note the numbers under “Changes” or connections.
*These images are only examples. No way did I pay 80€ for my ticket.
So with the knowledge that my outbound train was direct, I whisked myself to the train station feeling very excited for my trip.
There are 2 train stations in Vienna – Wien Hauptbahnhof and Wien Mitte. The former is the larger and newer station (still being finished and expected to be done this December) and the one I used on this trip. Wien Mitte is the central station that’s a bit smaller, but walking distance from the city center. If train stations are your fancy, you can read more about Wien Hauptbahnhof here and Wien Mitte here! (If you haven’t figured it out yet, Wien means Vienna.)
When you arrive at the station, the first thing you need to do is get your ticket if you don’t already have it. I did not have mine because I do not have an easily accessible printer at the moment. When that is the case, they give you a code you use at one of their ticket terminals at the station, and it prints your tickets. Nifty!
Something to note: the ticket terminal kiosk thingies are identical to the ones at the other train/underground stations throughout the city. I have a theory that you can even use those to print your ticket instead of waiting until you’re at the main station the day of. I did not know this and assumed they had to be different, so I wandered around a little bit, and even waited in line for a few minutes at the ÖBB office before deciding to just try them out. Not even 10 seconds, and I had my tickets. Whoo!
Next, finding your train and platform! Every train has an ID number which will be printed on the ticket, and you use that to find your train information on the timetable boards. It will let you know what time your train is arriving, if it’s late, where it’s final destination is, and at which platform it will be boarding/disembarking.
So, I quickly find my train number and platform, then board shortly after. When I get off this train, I’ll be in Prague!
Stage 2: Bad News
Long distance trains are a bit different than the commuter trains we have in and around the city, which are set up kind of like airplanes with two stories (the nicer ones). The older ones just look like subways. Anywho, I walked onto the train and you’ve got a narrow passageway on one side of the car, and taking up the other side are the rooms or compartments comprised of 6 seats. Basically, think Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
In 1st class, you get an assigned car, compartment, and seat, but in 2nd class it’s a free-for-all. I find a spot, settle in with my Sudokus, podcasts, and music, and am ready for the 4 hour journey.
After about half an hour, someone comes by to check and stamp everyone’s train ticket. I get mine out, *stamp stamp*, and back to sleep.
About another hour or so goes by, we’ve passed a few more stops where people have gotten off and others have come on, and we’re in the Czech Republic. Now, someone new is coming by to stamp tickets. I pull mine out again, and he looks at it for a peculiarly long time. Then he starts speaking very fast German (or Czech). I just kind of stare at him and say, “Sorry…”. He then moves into broken English. “This train does not go to Prague.”
Wait. What?
He goes on to explain that this train is going to some other town, something that starts with a “W”. I think it might have been in Poland. Furthermore, to get to Prague, I need to get off the train in three stops, and transfer to a train that is going to Prague.
I don’t think I’ve ever been more nervous in my ability to count to three.
Stage 3: Redirection
Alright, third stop, here we go. Přerov, Czech Republic. Its a pretty small station, only a few platforms, and I’m praying it’s big enough to be able to connect me to Prague. I purposely slow my breath, wander around a little bit, wait an awkwardly long time at what I find out is the currency exchange (I was the only one there, and the lady never looked at me or waved me over or anything…), and then find the ticket counter.
I tell the woman behind the glass I’ve somehow ended up on the wrong train and need to get to Prague. She doesn’t speak great English but begins explaining that I need to take a train from here at this time and get to this other city and take another train at this other time to eventually arrive in Prague at 20:00. Then I stare at her like a buffoon before digging in my purse for some scrap of paper to write down words and numbers that sounded important. Seeing this, she starts looking around her desk and writes everything I need on some kind of timetable slip. I try and repeat the name of the town I need to get to, and she corrects me. I thank her earnestly and walk over to the nearest board.
Now although I don’t speak or read German, I’ve at least come to recognize key words and layouts of things like timetables at train stations. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Czech before, let alone been able to make any sense of it. So I’m staring at the timetable back to my little slip of paper back to the timetable and back to my little slip of paper over and over as I try to glean what information I need in order to get on the right train to the right city.
I’m able to figure out a few things:
- This ticket lady’s handwriting is very hard to read…
- The station names in the first column on my timetable slip are in order of the station I’m at now, the town where I need to change trains to Prague, and finally Prague (or Praha in Czech). The other two columns on the timetable slip are the arrival and departure times and then the train numbers of the trains I need to take at each station.
- Apparently, I have to wait until the train is almost to the station for the platform number to show up on the board.
- On the board there’s this extra column all the way on the right that sometimes has numbers in red…Oh my gosh that’s how many minutes the trains are late. This column does not exist in Vienna. That’s a good sign.
- My train is 5 minutes late.
Once the platform number shows up, I quintuple check it before making my way there. Once on the train, I end up in a car with only one other person (no walls on this train, just sets of 6 seats), and after a few minutes, someone comes around to check tickets when I realize something.
I have no idea if I was supposed to buy a new ticket.
Okay, don’t panic, just be cool. I opt for half staring out the window intently and half sleeping. He stops to see my fellow passenger and checks her ticket. Moves on, and by some miracle, completely passes me. I begin breathing again.
Thankfully Olomouc is only one stop away and is the last stop, so even if I wasn’t sure if this was the right station, I would have had to get off regardless. I go inside the station, find the board to locate my next train, and it’s 15 minutes late. Fantabulous. On the bright side, this gave me time to exchange some money, find a bathroom, and find a snack. I come back to the board, and my train is now 25 minutes late. #ThanksObama #ThanksCzechRepublic
After [something sassy depicting a long passage of time], I make it onto my final train. I feel very much at ease once I make it on this one, as I can see its last stop is Praha.
Stage 4: Panicking People
At this point, I’m going to arrive in Prague at 20:30, which is nearly 2 hours after the time my sister will be waiting at the train station for me. I’m no longer in Austria, so my cell service and data do not work, so I can’t call Michael or WhatsApp or Facebook anyone else. The station in Přerov didn’t have wifi, the Olomouc station did, but my phone continually failed to connect to it, and neither of the trains I’ve taken since have wifi either. So I have no way to tell anyone what has happened, where I am, that I’m alive, etc. All I can do is anxiously watch the time pass and anticipate the moment when my sister will start panicking.
Knowing that she’s worrying, has definitely called Michael, possibly called my mother so they’re also worrying, I can’t quite relax. I try to distract myself with my time passing activities since there is literally nothing I can do.
While listening to an episode of This American Life (I love you, Ira!) I begin to get a call from an Unknown number. I answer it, and it’s Michael! Instead of being relieved, my first reaction is, “How are you calling me…?” “With Skype”. Regardless of that making no sense since I’m outside my cell coverage area, I’m so excited someone found me! I let him know what happened and when I’m actually going to be arriving in Prague. He then hangs up with me to call and let my sister know. After a few minutes, he calls me back to tell me that my sister’s phone has died so she is charging it at her apartment before running back to the train station. He helps me identify at which Praha station I need to get off, and I eventually find my sister where we call my worried mother. Happy endings for all!
Stage 5: Lessons Learned
- The train number at the bottom of my ticket? There were two of them. That means I needed to change somewhere.
- My confirmation email came with a PDF attachment. It was my time table and listed my connection.
- You can never be too sure about how many connections you think you do or don’t have.
Planes are straight forward – everyone has to get on and off at the same place. Trains? You are much more on your own.
Moving to Vienna 