Once I got on the train I was actually just really excited to be alone. But after a bit I really missed everyone and it was really hard to leave. When I left Halifax it was hard, but I knew I would see everyone again soon. Leaving Kiev was more difficult. I’m sure we’ll all stay in touch, but I really don’t know when I’ll see some of these people again. We went through a lot together in a short period of time and became pretty close.
There were two women in my room of the car on the train. They didn’t speak English but were hilarious, very expressive personalities. Before we left the station they had questions for Dasha, and AIESECer who came on to translate a bit for me. They were trying to figure out which bed was mine, and where I was going. When I was saying goodbye to everyone, they came out off the train just to ask if I snore. At night they kept dropping their book and dropping their phone off their bunk onto my bed. They were getting off at Lviv before the Polish border at 6am so I thought I would just keep sleeping and hopefully have the car to myself. While they were packing up they had dropped their phone and called it to find it at 6am. It had fallen beside my head and scared the crap out of me when it rang.
Almost the whole rest of the way I was nervous people would join my carriage, because it was awesome to have the room all to myself. Sink, table, 3 bunks, lots of storage, not very glamorous but it was awesome. The train was now a mix of cars from all the stops and from different rail lines, and since I was in the Ukrainian car, I was hoping no one else would get on. More and more people kept getting off our car at different stops. How was I going to know which stop was Prague?
Once we stopped in Krakov, about two thirds of the way there, I was pretty sure no one was getting in. The train left the station and waited in some rail yards for awhile. I probably could have bought separate tickets and stayed here for the day because I think it’s the same train. I figured out from the Rail Europe guide that the only train leaving Krakow for Prague wasn’t until 10pm, and that was probably us. It was now only 3pm so I had to wait there for 7 hours.
I stepped off train for a break from the heat when everyone left in the car left. I think maybe they were going to the store, but no one spoke English so I wasn’t sure. The conductors walked them there and then came back so I figured it was okay to get some sun and fresh air. Then the train started to move, the conductors were sitting on the stairs and just kind of stared at me standing there. The train separated and pieces went opposite ways. In the middle of a sketchy rail yard I ran after it for a bit. The path between the tracks ended so I stopped, and then the train headed back this way but on different tracks. Please stop, please stop, the train stopped on other side of another train. I quickly walked around it, as it passed me the conductors were pointing to where it was going, I think. Finally it stopped and I got back on, I didn’t get off it again, even though it was 7 hours, just in case. I’m glad too, everyone came back from the store eventually with food, and we shuffled a lot more added and subtracting cars.
The biggest thing I noticed on the train ride going from Eastern Europe back to Western Europe was the cultural differences in the people between the places. There was a new presence of people in suits and ties, and with generally good style again. There were travellers backpacking and with rolling luggage. Signs were in the Latin alphabet again, instead of Cyrillic, and I recognizing words right away even in other languages like Polish or Czech. There started to be restored old buildings along the tracks and at the stations signs for tourist amenities like money exchange, showers, and restaurants, something that virtually didn’t exist at stations in Ukraine. I can’t wait to be on a Western European high speed train.
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