Traveling Isn't Easy... Part II

The train drifting off into the distant, Andrea and I standing on the platform with heads hung low, nothing to do but to turn around and walk back in the train station, hoping we will be able to return our tickets for a train leaving an hour later. As I walked into the office to attempt to exchange our tickets all those had watched me rummage through my things were still in line. Plus, the line had lengthened a little bit. They all turned around to see me, now with Andrea, and each gave me a strong look of pity. Quite embarrassed I stood at the back of lined and waited. Neither Andrea nor I in a good mood and we bickered for a quick moment indirectly about who’s fault it was that we missed our train and would be arriving in Vienna later than planned. I waited in line for what seemed like an hour, really about twenty minutes, the whole time sweating profusely thinking I would not be able to exchange the tickets and would have to buy two new ones.
As I stepped to the window, my face downcast and flush, I explained to the woman selling tickets that we had missed our train. Talking in broken English, hoping she would show my negligence and I the same pity all of those nice, patient people in line had. She did, I was so thankful, this time bowing my head and repeating, “Dekee, dekee,” as I walked from the line to find Andrea out in the main terminal to tell her we would have to just wait another half hour and we could get into Vienna just a hour later, not too bad. Plus, while waiting for the next train Andrea realized she had not packed her camera. Traveling to Vienna without any photos to return with would have just been a shame. All in all maybe it was a good thing we missed the train.
This time we got to the platform for the train with ten minutes to spare. Jumped on the train with all the relief in the world. Now we would simply have to sit on the train making one small transfer at one of the bigger cities in the Czech Republic. We were only allotted six minutes for the transfer, but it would just be hopping off one train and onto another. Plus, we could ask questions, we had are itinerary in hand, and it normally worked to just point to the itinerary. Then the conductor would point to the correct train. The city we had to make our transfer at was about 25 minutes on the current train we were on. The city was called something like, Paradice, I am not quite sure, but as we slowed to a stop Andrea saw a sign that read “Paradice.” She told me, “This is our stop. We have to get off.” So, we grabbed our bags quickly and jumped off the train. Immediately upon exiting the train we saw some teenagers and in the Czech Republic the majority of teenagers speak at least a little English. We sprinted up to them with are itinerary shoved into there faces and asked them which train we were to jump on to transfer to Vienna. We had asked them if they spoke English, they did, but for a minute or so, they spoke Czech back and forth. With them seemingly confused and us in a hurry I asked for the itinerary back and ran with it over to a train station worker, who spoke very little English. She was able to point down the railroad tracks in the direction we had been heading. We had got off at the wrong “Paradice” exit. There was a main terminal about two more miles up the tracks. There went our six-minute window, there was no way we could make our transfer, are train was gone. Nicely, the women we spoke with pointed up to a little train, trolley-type thing. We got on the trolley completely humiliated, the same kids who had looked at are itinerary in confusion sat next to us on the trolley, looking at us with smiles the whole ride to the next train stop. When we got to the train stop mentally and physically exhausted we looked down at the itinerary, there would be a non-stop train to Vienna in two hours. We had to sit in “Paradice” for more a little more than two and wait.
Right outside the train station there was a little pub with outside seating. We sat there disheartened; we would not arrive in Vienna now until past nine at night. On top of that we would be completely worn to the bone. As we sat there, discovered the pub had wireless Internet, Andrea had beer, as I suggested it might calm her nerves a bit. As we sat there on the Internet my Mother called on Andrea’s computer. We must have been on the phone with her for nearly an hour, which definitely helped pass the time. Andrea had another beer and was pretty calm by the time we stepped onto our non-stop train to Vienna. I was exhausted after my day, but I did not allow my emotions get the best of me. I figure all these types of things happen when you are traveling in a foreign country where you cannot speak the language or read the language. I was simply happy to finally be seating for a long period of time, off my weary feet. Andrea and I played cards about half the three-hour train ride and I wrote for close to the rest of the time. And like I said in part one of the series we did make it to Vienna and our hostel safely. I will share our actual time in Vienna a day or two and I am sure Andrea will have pictures up shortly on her Facebook page.