Chapter 17
(part 2 of 4 parts)
of
HOW TO EUROPE
The Complete Travelers Handbook
Internet edition. Photographs by the author.
A page from
Enjoy-Europe.com
by
John Bermont
The departure board for international trains at the station Zuid/Midi in
Brussels, Belgium shows trains departing for Paris, France, Köln (Cologne), Germany,
London, England, Zurich, Switzerland, etc., etc. Doesn't
this sign just get your blood excited. You can go anywhere! My train was the second in line, the 10:40
Thalys to Paris Gare du Nord (North Train Station) departing from platform 6. That Thayls, what a
beautiful train. By the way, Brussels has three major train stations — Nord, Centraal/Centrale,
and Zuid/Midi. The Thalys stops only at Zuid/Midi, the southernmost station.
If you are visiting Brussels you probably want to be near the Grand-Place/Grote Markt
which is near Centraal/Centrale. Local trains take about two minutes between these
stations but don't pay if you are on an international ticket. Notice that everything
has two names in Brussels, including the city, Bruxelles/Brussel, because the city
is officially bi-lingual, Walloon (French) and Vlaanders (Dutch).
[p1020015]
GOING TO THE STATION
Find Your Station
Know which station your train departs from. Major cities usually
have more than one. London and Paris have at least half a dozen. Go
over to your station the day before departure and do a little
exploring. Some stations, especially in Spain and Italy, are poorly
posted. The non-Latin alphabet in some of the eastern countries
will give you pause. You don't want to be mad-dashing around,
lugging your suitcase and working up a sweat trying to find your
platform at the last minute, or after the last minute.
Madrid has a couple of major train stations, Chamartin and Puerta de Atocha.
This is the interior of the beautiful and unique Atocha. It looks more like a tropical garden,
which much of it is.
[p1050253]
There are two basic designs for train stations. In the majority of them the
trains come in at one end and exit at the other end, straight through. In the rest,
primarily in major cities, the trains come in and exit from the same direction. If you are continuing a trip
through one of these stations you will need to change seats if you still want to face forward, or
backward.
Abfahrt at Westbahnhof in Wien (Vienna) is translated into English,
French, and Italian, except for the small print that really counts. Detailed departure information
is usually posted on yellow or buff colored posters like this one in train stations throughout Europe.
The columns from the left give you the Zeit (time), Zug (train number and type), Nach
(destination and intermediate stops), and track/platform number. A similar poster, though white, for arrivals
is posted nearby. If you are doing serious time on the trains of Europe carry a Thomas Cook European Timetable.
Click on the picture to see it in greater detail.
[p1090020]
Find Your Train
As you enter major train stations you will usually see a large airport
style departure board hanging about a mile high in the main hall.
Scattered around on the station walls will be poster size
schedules of departing trains. Smaller stations usually have only
the posters. Locating your train is most easily done by using
departure time and destination, rather than by train
number. The track or platform number will be with the train
identification information, though you will not see the word "track" or platform.
It will be the local name, e.g. voi, spoor, etc.
Sometimes, while you are standing on a platform, everybody around
you grabs their bags and starts trotting toward the exit stairs.
They probably just heard an announcement over the public address
system saying that there has been a change and your train will
depart from another platform. Quickly find a conductor and ask for
help. Failing that, ask one of the local citizens in the migrating
herd. You are bound to find an English speaker very quickly.
Find Your Car
Platforms in major stations of some countries have boards
showing the complete assemblage of each train. The train number,
departure time, and destination are shown, followed by an outline
of the train with engine, first class cars, second class cars,
diner, mail, etc., in the same order as on the train. An indicator
on the board shows where the board is located relative to the train
when it stops. In Germany there are also zones A, B, C, D on the
board and above the platform to further help you find your car. The
car location board also shows the car numbers. You can be standing next to your car when it stops and
not have to haul your luggage through the narrow, crowded
passageways of several other cars.
The Wagenstandanzeiger is literally the "rail
car position indicator," auf Deutsch (in German). This is a typical one at Westbahnhof in Wien
showing you where to find the 1st class (yellow with number 1), 2nd class (white with number 2), sleeper (blue with bed),
and restaurant wagons (red with crossed knife and fork). It shows train type and number,
times for arrivals and departures, car numbers, and the destination for each car. If you have a reservation,
stand by your car. Click on the picture to see it in greater detail.
[P1090022]
These boards are not evident in some
countries. Often, track numbers are not even posted in Spain and
Portugal and you must ask at a ticket window where to go to get on
your train.
In Italy, car locations are stated on the yellow departure
posters, Treni in Partenza. They tell you where the first
class cars are located: testa (front), centro
(middle), coda (rear), verso
testa (toward the front) or verso coda (toward the rear)
is about as descriptive as it gets.
Here is the Composition des trains
board for departures from platform F at Marseilles, France. The red dot indicates
the approximate position of this board. All pertinent information about the train is shown: departure time,
train number, and destination, number, class of service for each car, and type of train. On this
platform all trains are TGV type, the high speed trains of France.
[P1070328]
If the train is originating in your city it
will probably be in position long before departure time. Get to the
station a half hour early, get on board, and pick a good seat. If
the train is passing through, get there early enough to locate the
track, eyeball the board giving the Composition des Trains,
and position yourself near the designated stopping point for a
first or second class car (as your case may be) going your way. If
there is no board showing car locations, ask a conductor on the
platform or at the station master's office before the train
arrives.
Double check to make sure you are boarding the
correct car. Almost all cars have a signboard near the door, either
outside and/or inside, showing the car number and origin and
destination of that particular car. Some will have a sheet of paper
with the destination taped to a window and visible from outside.
Just because a car is sitting on the track from which your train
departs does not mean that it is going your way, or that it is
going all the way, or that it is going at all. Trains are split and
portions are sent in different directions along the way. Sometimes
the first few cars nearest the main hall are not even attached to
the train. If there are no signs on the cars, go to the head of the
train and ask a conductor or engineer. Just point to the train and
ask "Madrid?" or whatever city you are bound for.
Find Your Seat
When the train stops, move quickly to a door and scramble on
board, not waiting for other travelers hauling six oversized
suitcases up the narrow steps. Get a seat, stash your bags on the overhead
rack, spread out, and don't
budge until the train has pulled out of the station and the seat
grabbing flurry has settled down.
If it's night and you want to sleep but have not reserved a bunk,
get in an empty compartment if available, pull the
seats down, turn off the lights, and pull the curtains closed. This
discourages other travelers from intruding into "your" compartment
and cramping your sleeping style. However, don't hesitate to open
the door and pull back the curtains of other compartments at any
time. Often you'll find one person comfortably occupying a
curtained compartment while five may be stuffed in the next one.
Park yourself where you will have the most comfort.
Try to get a seat on the shady side of day trains. On the shady
side the sun is not glaring on your window, perhaps giving you a
sunburn, and it's much easier to see out and photograph the
countryside. Don't immediately sit down on the shady side though.
When the train leaves it might toot toot north for a few minutes
and then head south. Know your route and which way the train is
going. Sit on the north side of east/west trains, the west side of
morning trains, and the east side of afternoon trains.
When you get settled, make a note of your car number and seat
number so if you forget something it will be much easier to find it
or report it. I saw one worried man telling the conductor that his
coat and luggage were stolen while he was in the restaurant wagon.
He was simply looking in the wrong car, which the conductor pointed out
after looking at the passenger's reservation receipt.
The sign next to the door of a wagon on a German ICE,
InterCityExpress, gives you the paticulars of this car. The big number 1
tells you that it is a first class car. For the rest see the next photo.
[PA100062]
The sign next to the door in the previous photo
is too small to read, and fuzzed anyway because it is an LED display. It
reads that this is car 27 on
ICE 611 from Dortmund to Munich. Smoking is not allowed but those pesky
cell phones are OK. I'd rather have a fly on my nose than one of those within
earshot. Hbf is something you will see fairly often in Germany. It means
Hauptbahnhof, the main train station in that city. Many German trains stop
at Flughafen. Those are airports.
[PB100062]
ON THE TRAIN
Smoke Zone
The smoking situation has really changed in Europe over the past decade. Indoor smoking is now
forbidden or severely restricted in most countries. Where smoking is allowed,
train cars are divided into smoking sections and non-smoking
sections. Sometimes the whole car is nonsmoking. Sometimes the whole
train is non-smoking, as in Italy. My train tickets in Germany even had a
notice that smoking is forbidden on all trains in Italy. Smoking is prohibited
almost everywhere in Spain. Nonsmoking is always posted, and smoking usually is.
In addition to the multilingual notices, look for the cigarette
symbol with or without a line through it. A cigarette symbol is
usually posted at each door, and again in the car. Cigars and pipes
are allowed, and common if you are in a smoking section. Be
prepared for beaucoup plenty of smoke. When requesting your
reservation, specify non-smoking or smoking.
You can sit in non-smoking and then go to the smoking area when you want to puff.
Even smokers get burning eyes if they sit in that haze too long. If
you want to relocate to another seat after getting on the train,
just do it as long as your chosen seat is not reserved.
A typical train station tell-you-where-it-is board,
courtesy of the Krakow, Poland station. At the left is an exit to Nowa Huta,
money exchange, platforms/tracks 1, 2, 3, 5, exit to the center of the city,
restaurant, and toilets. In the next photo is the continuation of the sign showing
luggage storage, waiting room, ticket windows, taxi stands, and the smoking zone. Pretty
easy, huh? These modern day hieroglyphics are used throughout Europe,
an almost nation with about four dozen languages. It is interesting that so much
communication these days uses the oldest form of writing known, pictures.
Everybody knows this language.
[p1200188a&b]
Luggage
Luggage can sometimes be checked, but almost everybody carries
theirs on board. The only exception I ever saw was a Saudi princess who, with her 20 servants,
filled an entire baggage car with their stuff.
There are one or two luggage racks above the seats
which easily hold any bag which you can carry on a plane, plus a
smaller bag. Can you lift your luggage and put it on a narrow ledge
six feet above the floor? If not leave it on the floor.
The newer
airline-style coaches operated on some trains, especially the premium trains, have luggage
compartments near the doors in addition to luggage space above the
seats. Some have space for a bag between back-to-back seats. I
prefer to keep my goods close at hand. If you leave your luggage in a
luggage area near a door keep your eye on it when the train is making a stop. Never leave any valuables in
your luggage.
Bicycles
Many people, locals and tourists, bring a bicycle on the train. I have done this
a few times in Holland. If there are not many people on board you can
stand with your bike in the entryway area of any car, so try to avoid the rush hours. However you must pay
to bring your bike aboard. The fee is rather steep, especially if you are making a short
one-way run. The pay period runs from midnight to midnight so it would be worthwhile to do this if you wanted to take a day trip on the train to ride around another city in Holland.
The Hague is a beautiful city for bike riding.
If you have a fold-up bike it has a free ride, but those little things cost a small fortune.
For an excellent discussion of bringing your bike on trains go to the web site of Brian Wasson at Bikes on trains in Germany, Austria and Czech Republic.
The first-hand details in this report will save you time and plenty of anxiety. You'll be an
expert before you get there. To learn about taking your bicycle for a ride on the trains of France, Italy, and a few other countries visit the
European Trains and Bicycles section of Q. May's web site.
Windows
On most of the older trains, you can pull the window down for a
better look and a breath of fresh air. Newer cars are air
conditioned and have sealed windows.
Windows have blinds. Some are like curtains, some are like
shades, and some cars have manual or electric venetian blinds
between the inner and outer sealed windows. Play with them for a
minute to see how they work.
Newspaper
Carry a newspaper or magazine. Put it on your seat while you are
in the dining car, the toilet, or just roaming around. This will
discourage others from rearranging themselves into your window
seat. A newspaper is also handy for relaxing your feet. Put it on
the seat opposite and prop up your leathers. Otherwise you must
take your shoes off, which could spoil the appetite of others
nearby.
Plumbing
Rail cars usually have a unisex toilet at each end with a
locking door. Floor pedals, levers, or push buttons activate the flush and basin water. The
basin water is nonpotable. Do not drink it or brush your teeth with it.
Use of the toilets is normally forbidden while the train is
stopped in a station. The reason is that they flush right down onto
the tracks. Stations would soon start smelling like construction
site porta potties. Some of the newer premium trains have enclosed
sanitary systems so toilets can be used at any time. Check to see
if there is a notice in the toilet advising against use in a
station.
On some trains in Spain, the toilets are locked at the origin
until the train is out of the station. When the conductor comes
around to check tickets, which could be a half hour later, he
unlocks the toilets. Don't drink coffee until the toilets are
unlocked.
Functioning toilet and hand wash
facilities are found on virtually every train. Bring your own butt wipes or
tissues because you never know if there will be TP in the toilet. There is
usually a 220 volt electric shaver outlet. See
chapter 11
to get juiced up on electro info for Europe.
[p1040222]
Crime
Keep your seat and keep your eye on your luggage while the train
is in a station. Professional thieves loiter on some platforms,
board trains, walk through the cars, grab what they can, and jump
off before departure.
Keep your valuables under your
control at all times. Elizabeth had her purse rifled while we slept
on an overnight train from Venice to Vienna, probably by a fellow
passenger. A friend of mine went to the toilet and had his cash and
camera taken out of his bag by a new-found "friend" on a French
train. Never leave money or valuables in your bag anytime anywhere
anyway.
I have heard reports of other problems, including a bizarre
story of a couple who were offered oranges by some other travelers
on a train in Portugal. They ate the oranges and the next thing
they remember was waking up with no wallets and no luggage. At
least twice I have heard the story of a gang which operates on
trains from Milan. They open the train compartment door, mace the
passengers, and grab their wallets and suitcases.
As discussed in other parts of this book, do not stand out as wealthy
or as an American. If you do you are making yourself a tasty target
for the vermin. Most Americans are open and trusting by nature and are
the easiest pickings on the street. Orientals should be aware that pickpocket
professionals know that you are likely to be carrying a large
quantity of cash. It's part of your culture. Less cash and more credit cards would be
advisable when traveling in Europe.
Please see chapter 8 for more examples of the
underworld at work, and sure-fire means of defense against these
lowlifes.
This is a plexiglass bracket designed to hold reservation cards. You'll see it on the window
facing the corridor of train compartments. All of the seats in this
compartment are reserved for at least part of the journey, though none was occupied at the time I came
on board this train from Geneva to Milan.
[p1070370]
Seat Reservation Card
Never sit in a seat displaying a reservation card, unless it's
yours. However if the reservation card indicates that the seat is
reserved from say Karlsruhe to Frankfurt, and you are going from
Basel to Karlsruhe, just help yourself to the seat. The reservation
card will be attached to the seat, or be in a holder on the outside
of the compartment. On those reservation only trains in Sweden and
Norway, though, reservation cards are not evident. Ask the
conductor if there is a seat available. On a train with reservation
cards, all seats without a card are available. First come, first
served.
The photo above shows the outer door area of a car
ready to go from Prague to Berlin Lichtenberg station,
with stops in Decin, Dresden (where I got off), and at Berlin Schönefeld
airport. In case you have a seat reservation notice that seats numbered 81
through 116 are at this end of the car. The cigarette
symbol indicates that smoking is allowed. The hl.n. stands for hlavni nadrazi
(main station). Flugh is short for Flughafen, German for airport. D378 is
the train number.
[p1210313]
The photo at left is from the inside showing the handle you push down
to open the door. The warning on the floor in front of the door is serious. I was
standing on the top step when the door suddenly closed and this thing flipped down on
top of my feet. The car number, 265, should be prominently displayed on the outside
of the car.
[p1210324]
If someone claims that you are in their
reserved seat (though the seat does not have a reservation card),
politely ask to see his/her reservation receipt and make sure to
check the car number. The car number will be posted in large
numbers on the outside and/or inside of the car near the door and
it will be indicated on the reservation receipt. Being in the wrong
car is the most common mistake made by people with reservations.
The reservation system is computerized, and it works better than
you would expect. Request a window seat if you want it.
Seat Numbers
Seat numbers in compartments vary from country to country. The
numbers may be in sequence from the door or from the window and may
have odds and evens on opposite sides. Numbers normally start with
11, 21, 31, etc. in each compartment, but you can find some like 1,
2, 4 opposite 5, 6, 8 and other combinations around Europe.
Back and Forth
Train cars travel in both directions. With a reserved seat, you
are just as likely to be traveling forward as backward. In those stations
where the train comes and goes at the same end of the station a new engine
will be attached to the former rear and the train will take off. On one train in Spain when it
reversed in a station, the passengers got up, pushed a lever at the
base of each seat, and rotated all the seats so they faced forward.
This feature was unique. I've never seen it on any other train.
Even if you aren't
using the trains, many stations in Portugal are worth a visit just
to see the
azulejos (tiles) on the walls. This is at Vilar Formoso.
[p1040167]
EATING ON THE TRAIN
Dine Well
At the moment of writing this (which was many years ago) on
a TEE (Trans-Europe Express) train from Amsterdam to Paris, the head waiter came
through the car, suitably attired with menu in hand and announced
the first sitting, speaking in French. Immediately the stampede to
the dining car started. Late arrivals do not get much attention. If
you wish to eat, get up and get moving with the locals. American
deference, courtesy, and service are pretty rare in Europe.
TEE trains don't exist anymore and my nostalgia for a
by-gone era will never be cured. On the successors to the TEE, the
InterCity, TGV, ICE, and others, the dining cars
are very nice and the food is generally very good, though it costs more
than in a normal restaurant. Dining is pleasant on these trains. It's a nice way to pass the
travel hours and presents opportunities to meet others. Most eaters
are European businessmen or relatively well-to-do Europeans.
Occasionally a few drops of wine may splash out of your glass,
thanks to rough tracks.
Breakfast was served in my compartment on the overnight Fulda, Germany to
Copenhagen, Denmark train. Later I went for a coffee in the diner. It cost €2.70,
equal to about $3.25, for one cup of coffee. Ouch!! Most of the dining cars I have been in are
much better appointed than this one. [p1110111]
If you intend to have dinner on the train make sure that there is a
dining car. Consult a timetable and look for a crossed knife and fork. For
example, expecting a nice meal on a TGV train in eastern
France one Sunday evening, the conductor said that the dining car
only ran on weekdays. Weekenders are served from a small bar and
can get a croque monsieur or pizza. Severly disappointed was I.
One of my most pleasant European diners was on an IC
coming down along the Rhine River from Essen en route to Frankfurt.
Not only was the meal great, but the moving scenery along the river
is outstanding. Utterly relaxing.
Before boarding
inspect the train composition board to locate the diner. It is often
placed between the 2nd class and 1st class cars. On some trains,
the head waiter will accept reservations for a
seat in the dining car. Ask as soon as possible. Specify nonsmoking
or smoking for your comfort.
Cart Service
If there is no diner car or snack bar, a waiter pushes a cart through
the trains. Food and drink are sold on virtually all of the international
trains and on most other long distance trains. Selections
are normally limited to coffee, milk, beer, wine, soft drinks,
yogurt, cold sandwiches, and sausages which resemble hot dogs.
Service is available for only part of a journey, even though the
attendant is on board for the duration of the trip. However even
though there is cart service, the "service" may be less than you expect.
I saw a young man push his cart into the far end of a car I was in and
then he had a call on his cell phone. He stopped right there for half an
hour talking his important business while the customers in the car
watched the dork. Fortunately I had brought my own beer on board.
Service at Your Seat
Diner can be served at your seat on some trains. On a Talgo in
Spain the head waiter came through the car at about noon to see who
would like to have lunch. I volunteered. An hour later he put a
tray on my seat similar to those on some airplanes. Then followed
a delicious fish with pimentos, a pork chop, peas, a half bottle of
vino tinto (red wine - very good, but the train shook up the
sediment), roll, sweet roll, banana, and coffee. Total cost for a
great meal was about the same as you would pay in a restaurant at home.
Spain still has good values compared to the nnorthern countries.
Brown Bag It
Budget travelers, including most Europeans and usually me, bring
a sack of bread, cheese, ham, and beer on board and fix dinner at
their seat. Do the same. Can your trash. The symbol on the window
of all trains, with windows that can open, means "Do not throw
bottles out the window." Don't throw anything out the window. Don't
stick your head out the window either, unless there is nothing in it.
This sign for the DB, Deutsche Bahn, (German Rail) train at the Frankfurt
Flughafen (airport) train station shows the continuing route. The train
started in Köln (Cologne), not indicated here, and stops in Mannheim, Stuttgart,
Ulm, and Augsburg on its way to München Hauptbahnhof (Munich main
train station). The scale A through G indicates where the first class
(yellow), second class (green), and bar/diner (red) cars are located relative
to the corresponding zones on the platform, in this case platform 5.
This is an ICE, InterCityExpress, train number 611, requiring a
supplemental fee if you have a regular ticket but no supplement
is required for Eurailpass holders. Seat reservations are not required.
Ab (departure) is 16:54 which is
4:54 PM. Don't be late because only trains can do that, and they do that even in Germany.
[p1100065]
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