We’ve had a few 24 hour travel days, but they usually involved overseas flights and thousands of miles. This is what happened when we went from Kosice, Poland to Brasov, Romania, a distance of just 400 miles, yet it took a whole day. The following is a real life journey and not for those who like to control things or lack patience…
We had tickets from Kosice via a two-part train trip. Part one was a 4 hour train to Budapest, followed by a few hours layover and then a 13 hour overnight train from Budapest to Brasov. But when we looked at our tickets we had some concern that the ticket only addressed part TWO of the journey and not part one. Upon research we found out we could get a bus for just 15 euros each, and that bus got us to Budapest much earlier and allow us a lot more wiggle room in Budapest. Sometimes spending a few dollars for peace of mind is worth it. We got to the Kosice train station about 2:00 for a 3:30 bus, allowing plenty of time to chill. When 3:30 rolls around, no bus arrives. Nor did it arrive at 4:00 or 4:30, but it finally did get there at 5:00, a full 90 minutes late, but still with enough time to catch our second leg in Budapest. These are the realities of mass transit and truthfully, it could happen with a car, too.
We got to the bus station 90 minutes late, then over to the train station after a quick Uber transfer, and that extra wiggle room we hoped for was gone. No matter, we got on our sleeper car at 11:00, and ALMOST got in trouble since we did not complete our first leg that concerned us. Anyway, the train rolled, we got into our cozy bunks and were awakened by Hungarian passport control at 2:00 a.m. Usually this is taken care of when you get to your destination, but because we were leaving the EU and going to a non-Schengen area, they are more strict. We passed muster but were awoken AGAIN an hour later by the Romanian passport control. Let’s just say that the process had a lot to be desired but sleep still came after that.
Will this day ever end?!
A beautiful sunrise and morning made the trip enjoyable but for the fact that this train was so slow that we almost could have walked faster! It seems the Romania rail system is dated, along with the machinery, so they are always working on the tracks, which forces the trains to stop or go very, very slowly. Add to the fact that we sat dead on the tracks for about 45 minutes while they brought in a new engine (seems to be an issue we encounter) and the morning went very slowly. We finally did arrive in Brasov, Romania, about 2:00 that afternoon, just a short distance from Count Dracula’s castle in Transylvania.
As a comparison, the Romanian train system- and much of Eastern Europe- cannot hold a candle to the Western European train system. Spain and Italy, the ones we used the most, were light years ahead of many others.
Travel can be fun and adventurous, but it has risks and sometimes is too easy to do wrong. Missed connections can ripple and turn a peaceful day into a stressful one. Or so they say…
#trains, #traintravel, #romania, #romaniantrains, #schengen, #schengenzone
