A Day of Trains

I had a 6 am train to Zagreb today. No problem except for the lack of sleep. O, I also was taught to check distances before making plans. I knew the trip from Budapest to Zagreb would take 6 hours. I choose the first train out thinking that I could get to Zagreb by noon, spend a few hours walking the city, and then jump on a train for a short trip to Split. So much for thinking. The trip from Zagreb to Split is nearly 6 hours in duration. At least the scenery is great. Up and down and all around mountains. The last 2 hours was in darkness so if I had to do it again, I would take an earlier train from Zagreb.

I must admit that I finally lost my temper at a European today. I had arrived at the Zagreb train station and I was trying to buy the next available train ticket to Split. I started at the information window which sent me to the train information window. Unsurprisingly, she sent me to the ticketing window at the other side of the station. After waiting in line for 20 minutes, I get to the counter and attempt to by a ticket. I am refused. The teller tells me no. Her command of English revolves around “no” and “information booth”. I return to train information line and queue. What is interesting is that the train information person does not speak English well and refers me to the basic information queue. There I am told that everything is ok and that I must have been standing in the international line. I assure here that I was not since I stood in the line that did not have the word “international” in it. She shrugged and directed back across the station from whence I came. Once again, I was refused and sent back to information. At information, I am finally told that the computers are down and that they can not sell tickets. What! People are buying tickets as we speak. She shrugged again and wandered away. Back to the train line, I went. I was in luck to get the same woman for the third time. I asked for a ticket to Split once again. She shook her head and said something to the young woman at the next counter who, in passable English, asked me what was wrong. I said that I wanted to buy a ticket to Split. Her response was predictable.

Ticket Seller #2: Sorry. We can not sell tickets. Computers are down.
Me: What. Wait. What did you just give to that woman? (Pointing to Woman in line 2.)  (WTF – A man behind me in line #1 had just bought a ticket! Everyone is buying tickets!!!!!!)
Ticket Seller #2: A train ticket.
Me to Strange Women buying ticket: Excuse me, where is the ticket for?
Strange Women buying ticket: Split
Me: You sell her a ticket to Split but you will not sell one to me?
Ticket Seller #2: Yes, she is going today to Split.
Me: So am I.
Ticket Seller #2: Then you already have a ticket?

(long diatribe follows)

I am going to stop here and say that I am humbly grateful for the designers of plexiglass and the thoughtful engineer that decided that it was only necessary to have two small hole - one for the passage of money/tickets and the other for sound. If not for these two things, I may have been a guest in Croatia for a long time.

I did make it to Split and I was punished for my outburst. While departing the train, I slipped and pulled a calf muscle. Luckily, it was dark and my directions to the sobe where significantly bad as to have me wander around for nearly an hour lugging my full backup and school pack while dragging my left leg along side me. On a bright note, the sobe is lovely.