Train rides from hell

My much improved set up for rolling
my and Cosmo's luggage with low
center of gravity for easy rolling

Ashley: Finally getting some ideas on how to make life better
As always the best ideas occur to you right when you need them, far too late to help you. I left 20 minutes earlier than planned for the train station, checkout took less time than I planned, and after dragging Cosmo’s and my suitcases for half a block I opted for taking the tram one stop since it was pulling up right then. So we got to the train station area almost 2 hours early. This meant that even with a walk for Cosmo we sat waiting almost an hour inside the station for our platform to be posted. Unfortunately, the station was not air conditioned and after a bit Cosmo started panting from the heat. How easy would it have been to fill my extra empty water bottle with ice from the hotel so I could stick it in with him and keep him cool! Next time. I just realized that the whole “giant backpack on top of rolling bag” might be easier if I put my heavy daypack (with food, drinks, and laptop) hanging from the front of the rolling bag instead of in the giant backpack front pocket. That would give me a lower center of gravity so wheeling it all could be much easier. Let’s hope! I’ll take a picture of the new setup and post it.

Blissfully happy on the first part
of the train ride. this is the
last time Cosmo liked a train

Trains to/from Vienna are cursed. The first leg to Vienna was fine. There was 1.5 cars of first class so we went for less crowded the half car and got the whole place to ourselves! Cosmo explored a bit until someone passed through, which scared him back into his bag. The conductor told me the other car was nicer so we tried it. It was very full but a few degrees cooler with significantly nicer seats so we cooled down in there for awhile before going back to our quieter car.

The other first class train: comfortable, cooler, and crowded

Lawn mowers that Cosmo did NOT like

Cosmo: Ashley grabbed me and bundled me up in my backpack. All our bags are packed so I know what this means. I don’t want to leave. I like it here. Here I recognize when we are a block from “home” and I know my way from the elevator to the room. But I have no choice in the matter. At the train station I had a nice time walking around and was hanging out by a sandpit until a VERY loud lawnmower came by and we left. Then the hell came. We walked into the station and it was hot! No breeze, no cool shade, just heat. We sat there FOREVER. Eventually Ashley saw me panting and cooled me with her fan, but I was not a happy camper.

Hot hot hot train station

Finally we got on the train and it was cooler in there, comfortable. And we had the whole place to ourselves. I sat recovering in my bag for awhile then started to explore, but people kept coming through our compartment. Then we moved to another compartment that was full of people. I pouted in my bag and kept staring at Ashley to let her know I liked the empty car better. She did not get the message. At least not for a long time.

Then we left the train to transfer to Vienna, which is where things went bad. It was extremely hot outside, 97 degrees, worse than the first station. I started panting from the heat. The train was late but got there eventually except the heat didn’t get better, it actually got worse. Ashley said the air conditioning was broken. She was unhappy because she said the whole point of going first class was so I would have more room and be comfortable. At least her intentions are good. It got marginally better when she started fanning me. I think she was really worried and for good reason. I thought I was going to die. I KNEW we should have stayed in Prague. For awhile she took me into the hallway and held me up to the open window above her head. That was nice! I stopped panting, but after a bit she complained about me being too heavy and put me back in my bag. Luckily we were almost there by then.

Ashley: Once we got to Vienna, a kind stranger helped me figure out the tram and subway system. Though it was even a bit warmer in Vienna (over 100). The tram was cooler than the outside but still fairly warm. I could feel Cosmo panting in the backpack. For a scary 15 seconds I couldn’t feel him panting and I worried he had passed out, but I was so hot and tired at this point my brain was moving like molasses and my body was moving even slower. Then he was panting again. By the time we got to our hotel, I felt like something the cat had drug in. I was sweating profusely, my hair was matted and frizzy, my face was red and splotchy, and my clothes were damp. My luggage had my day pack hanging off the rolling bag for weight balance and I was pretty sure that everybody seeing me walk up was questioning the niceness of the hotel with clientele such as myself. However, I regained my composure during my 10 minute wait to check in. Cosmo perked up in the air conditioned lobby and got some appreciative comments. Thank God we finally made it here!

so nice to finally get to the Hilton Waterfront Vienna

Leaving Vienna was far far worse. The weather had changed in 2 days from blistering hot 100 degrees to stormy and rainy (and cool which I loved). Our train to Budapest was 40 minutes late. No worries, it’s a pleasure sitting out in the cool weather. Somehow I had gotten upgraded to business class, which has 4 people per cabin with all luggage stored overhead. Uh oh, I had repacked everything so my second bag was only 8 pounds and my rolling bag close to 50 pounds! But strong men in my compartment helped me get it up on the racks and I prayed we wouldn’t come to a screeching halt where it would plummet down and severely injure someone. The folks in my cabin were very nice. About an hour into the trip, we come to a halt and sit there for awhile. Then awhile longer. They tell us it’s going to be some hours.

How the train connects to electricity

The trains here all run on electricity powered by lines that run above the track. if anyone has ever seen the buses in San Francisco where they are tethered to an electrical line you'll know what I mean. except this has an improvement. There's a section of about 4 cars that are powered by one car that has a metal connector that goes up to the line and pushes up on it slightly so the line rests on it. that way the lines can be connected to land above and it doesn't interfere. The trains can go very very fast! unless there's a power outage due to a lightning strike. Then you're stuck going nowhere.

People are getting out and walking around while the train line figures out what to do. I take Cosmo out for a walk. He want to go across the tracks into the brush. If the electricity is out, then no trains can come the other way, right? Otherwise they could just patch the electricity from one line to the other. I still kept my eyes out for oncoming trains, just in case. Left my phone on the train so no pics of him here.

Loading off one train to go wait for buses

No train came. After a couple hours, they floated the idea of us going back to Vienna, but we all wanted to get to Budapest no matter what the time. Finally they work it out that buses will come take us past the downed section over the Hungarian border to another train that will go to Budapest. The guys help me get my behemoth suitcase down. To get off the platform there are lots of stairs down. Well that’s a problem as it means stairs back up at some point. And the guys went on since I took my time getting my bags all connected to roll. Luckily another nice young man Peter from Hungary asks it I need help and carries my heavy bag up the many many stairs at the opposite end.

Peter taking my 50 lb bag up a ton of steps. He's barefoot because the storm flooded the area at the bottom of the stairs

my savior Peter from Hungary

Three buses took the first groups. Since it’s only 17 minutes away, they should be back soon, right? A group of people do a spontaneous local folk dance, which was awesome to watch. And it stopped raining so that’s a plus! But 2 hours later no bus had returned. Every time we saw headlights we strained to see if it was a bus, only to be disappointed that it was just another car driving from Vienna to pick up a friend and bring them home. It turns out the buses belonged to a different train company and after they delivered our first group to their train, one of their lines went out and they had to go take care of their passengers next. Our line was sending another train from Budapest. Night has now fallen. Cosmo is tucked into the underbrush somewhere. I would like to make the first train and not wait 3 hours for the next train to arrive, so I get in a taxi van that takes 8 of us to the other train station for 5 euros each.

the remaining passengers waiting for buses

as my friend said "at least it stopped raining!"

Taxi vans taking people to the others train station for 5 euros a person. wish we had taken this one and not waited fruitlessly for the bus another 35 minutes

in the van on the way to Hegyeshalom train station

finally at the new train station

It’s a bit of a mad house when we get there. Apparently the train from Budapest had tons of passengers on it and they are now waiting for the same buses to come with our passengers so they can board and take our train to Vienna. Unfortunately, we see their train just pulling out of the yard when we walk up. But an empty train is just arriving so we settle into that one and wait another hour or so for the rest of our train’s passengers to arrive. I manage to fall asleep for a bit and it’s 2:30am when we finally pull into Budapest, 6 hours late.

subway completely closed at 3am

Uber doesn’t work here. I did download Bolt, a local app but I haven’t added a credit card, which is often an issue. Google maps says there’s a bus that goes right by my hotel so I follow the signs to it but the signs end with no more signs in sight. Next I try Google’s turn by turn directions but that leads me back uphill to a closed ticket counter. There’s an automated ticket machine but no directions on where to go once you have a ticket, and the metro doors are closed at this late time of day. In my wanderings I had seen a taxi station up some stairs so I decide to try to figure out Bolt. It actually works with Google Pay so I’m all set though it will cost 2500 Hun. No matter what the cost, I’m just exhausted and need to get to my hotel just over 1km away.

The meeting point was indeed the same as the taxi so I needed to lug my and Cosmo’s suitcases up the stairs. I felt like the lady with the baby stroller in the movie “The Untouchables.” Clunk, clunk, one at a time. My driver arrived shortly and it turns out 2500 Hun is only a little over 8 dollars.
It took a long time to get checked in, though I didn’t really care. We had finally gotten there so I was happy! I get to bed at 4:09 after feeding Cosmo and setting up his litterbox which he promptly used.

Finally arrived at the beautiful Kimpton Budapest

Cosmo is happy to finally arrive at the Kimpton Budapest

Cosmo: I hate trains. You get bustled on and off. They can be unbearably hot. Then they sit around going nowhere. If we’re going to sit and go nowhere, why can’t we do that in the comfort of our hotel room? Plus there’s tons of other people. I hate noise and I hate crowds. I hate trains. No more trains please.