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Trip Vienna -> Athen

Trip Vienna -> Athen

Postby AEG_DMU » Sun Apr 17, 2016 5:43 pm

Ticket Cost:
Code: Select all
Wien – Hegyeshalom   € 22,90
Hegyeshalom – Wien   € 22,90
CITYSTAR Ticket: Hegyeshalom – Kulata   MÁV-START – CFR – BDZ útvonalon / 251 km‐től / 1.oszt   € 206,00
Budapest Keleti pu. → Sofia Single Sleepingcar   € 63,70
Bucuresti Nord Gara A → Wien   € 84,30

MAV Total:   € 399,80
Code: Select all
Kulata – Thessaloniki   € 13,50
Thessaloniki – Kulata   € 13,50
Reserviation Sofia → Bucarest   € 3,50
   
ÖBB Total:    € 30,50
Code: Select all
Thessaloniki – Athen   € 33,90
Athen – Thessaloniki   € 33,90
Total:   € 67,80
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Re: Trip Vienna -> Athen

Postby christo » Tue Apr 19, 2016 12:23 am

It was deemed necessary to move the topic here awaiting some photos ;) .
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Re: Trip Vienna -> Athen

Postby AEG_DMU » Sun Apr 24, 2016 4:01 pm

So guys... I hope the English Dictionary is installed. :D
Now I am in my Hotel in Sofia.
From Vienna to Budapest I took an MAV Train. The First-class Car have Compartments. Its was nothing special.

Now it get more interested. Budapest -> Sofia. :D Yes thats a long trip...
I arrived on Keleti a little late so i cant make much pictures. The Sleeping Car war the first car and i must walking and walking. :o
The Car was the old WLAB:
https://www.mavcsoport.hu/mav-csoport/j ... 80-sorozat
https://www.mavcsoport.hu/mav-start/nem ... halokocsik
Image

I was reseated at Compartment No 21. :roll: There was another Passenger at 22. I dont know where he was boarded because i was in the 1Class Car for a wile.
The first hours nothing was special only at the Boarder Station Lököshaza some MAV Cars where disconnected. The boarder Patrol scanned my ID Card with an special reader and walked away. After a while the come back with the Sleeping Car Stuff and say I must open the Compartment (to search for illegal stuff). Yes I locket the Door with an Key. :oops: So I run with the Boarder Patrol Guy from the last the first Car and open the door. I felt a little embarrassed. After that Train move the to Curtici where the Romanian Boarder Patrol came and the write my Data on a sheet. :shock:
Normally when I cross any European Boarder the just look on my ID Card and thats it.

So after a while the Romanian Conductor force me to leave the 1Class because I have no Seat Reservation on the 1Class Car only for the Night Train. :roll:
The lett me sit in the 1Class until Timisoara Nord. After that Station some Guy who wear no Uniform force me very rude to leave the 1Class Car and move to the Night Train. So I want no problems and put my belongings in the Backpack and moved to my Compartment. Thankfully there was an normal European Power Socket in the "bathroom cabinet" over the Sink where not cut off when the get overpowered. :D In many Sleeping Cars who have no dedicated Power Socket for Laptops the have only an Power Socket for Shaver who cut off when the load is to hight.
Between the Station where I moved to the Car and Craiova we run very slowly and the ride was very bumpy. Pictures come when I am back home. I must edit it and cut. My Laptop Display are not good enough for color calibration. :D

The only interesting part was between Orsova and Drobeta Turnu Severin when the Train run next to an River.
The other Time where only Wood and Leaves. :roll:

We arrives Craiova delayed. How long? I dont cared about. Maybe 30Min - 60Min.
When the Cars where new arranged some People say on the Internet its possible to go shopping on the Main Building but that is not an good idea.
Maybe when you bribe the Conductor the get some additional minutes before the Train leave.
The Trip to Golenti was also unspectacular. If someone had an Professional Camera who can make good Quality Pictures when its dark there are some nice Train Stations on the Way. The are very interesting scenes on the way. Golenti - Vidin was my personal hight on this Trip. I read a lot of Storrys about that Bride.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Europe_Bridge

There was no Car on the Bridge until will we crossed. Maybe the would be overweight nor not 24/7 open? On the other side i could see some Trucks waiting to cross the Bridge. At the Station Vidin we arrived at "the Cage" some people called it. Its an Platform who where fenced out. The Boarder Patrol collect my ID Card! I got very nervous when the Train was moved around. Maybe the forgot to give me my ID Card Back? After a while when we where on the domestic Platform the give us the ID Card/ Passport back. :D I closed the Door an feel asleep. :D The Compartment was so hot I use the Blanket as Pillow. Thankfully I got an Inflated Pillow from an Online Shop who make the Journy much more comfortable. That what the MAV called Pollow is an 30x30cm flat peace of fabric. :roll:
We should arrive at 05:41 so i desired to wake up at 05:20. I know the Train will be delayed sometime so I got enough Time pack everything together.
And yes we where 20 - 30Min delayed. :D At the Station I searched for an ATM the only I found look like broken. I dont try to put my Card in because to could stuck in there. I took some screenthot. :D I found the Metro Station I dont searched for. The accepted only Cash and I haved no Leva. :roll:
There where some People on the Station who where very helpfull and show me the way to another ATM and while we walked he offer me some Hotel or an Bus to Istanbul. :roll: oke oke he do his business. Thankfully he dont force me to buy. The International Ticket Counter where opend at 7 AT and I arrived at ~6 at the Station so there was enough time to relax near the Counter on a bench. Some random Business People try to offer me there Service again and again... :roll:
At 7 I walked over the the Counter and ask for an Seat Reservation. The Train to Thessaloniki will be put on a local Train to Koulata. Than the cross the Boarder to Greece when the 2 Cars put on an IC to Thessaloniki (an Athen). The IC 600 from Strymonas to Thessaloniki shuld have an 1Class. The Ticket Office dont trust me and could not make 1Class Reservation. :o :roll: ... so I got just an 2Class. I hope the will have an 1Class becouse the ÖBB (Austrian Railways) offer me an 1Class Ticket. Tomorrow the Women from the Counter will ask there Manger and the Train OSE what the can do. In the case there is an 1Class I buy another Reservation who cost ~1€.

After that I go to the Metro Station who have Disability Access. The Metro System is very confusing because the Station Name and the Destionation Screen dont fit together. I choose the right way after a long ride maybe 30Min or so I reach the "Business Park" where my Hotel is located. :D


Any recommendation?
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Re: Trip Vienna -> Athen

Postby BarbaPanagos » Mon Apr 25, 2016 7:39 pm

this a a Great Trip Report!!!!!!! and with no doubt a trip full of incidents one can share at the Pub :P
we are looking forward for the rest AEG


...
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Re: Trip Vienna -> Athen

Postby AEG_DMU » Tue Apr 26, 2016 8:52 pm

So today I was on the Railway Station in Thessaloniki make it Pictures for the Forum here. :D
The are all safe on my Server.

The way from Sofia to Thessaloniki was not that interesting. The Car where 1Class Compartment OSE Cars (yes I took some Pictures!).
On the Boarder Patrol checked my ID Card at the Promachonas Station and than we droved to Strymonas where we waited for the IC 600 (Alexandroupoli - Thessaloniki (- Athenes)).

On the Train started an nice conversion between me and an Malaysian Traveller (who is on an Missionary Mission around Europe to help People to find the right way to god) and an American Couple (which Government Bomb People to God) and an Greek Traveller. :D
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Re: Trip Vienna -> Athen

Postby AEG_DMU » Wed May 04, 2016 7:43 pm

Sorry I am a lazy ass... :lol:

Make it short... The Train ride from Thessalonki to Athen was very unspectacular. I arrived on Thessaloniki Main station 4 Min before departure ( :roll: ).
My Seat was located in the 1Class Compartment the Car had an Children Play Area. I was chatting with an Greek Guy around about EU, Greece and the Railway System.
I was also happy that my Toilette worked in the Car. 3 other in the 2nd Class where broken. In total I took about 1000 - 1500 Pictures. :D
Many Rail Pictures for our people here.

When my Website is up please support me by using my Affiliate Links. :D
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Re: Trip Vienna -> Athen

Postby AEG_DMU » Sat May 07, 2016 8:10 pm

:o is nobody interested in my storrys?
I tooked a lot of pictures from Greek Cars. :D
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Re: Trip Vienna -> Athen

Postby christo » Sat May 07, 2016 8:24 pm

I, as many others, would be very interested to hear your stories. Please make them available.

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Re: Trip Vienna -> Athen

Postby AEG_DMU » Sat May 07, 2016 8:37 pm

:D sure the major problem is the /%§"%"§/"§ Greek Railway is on Strike every day... :evil:
Tomorrow we must go by Bus the the Boarder and than?! I dont know.
I hope that i will arrive vienna on 10.May. :roll:
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Re: Trip Vienna -> Athen

Postby BarbaPanagos » Mon May 09, 2016 3:16 pm

don't worry AEG, we are all reading your reports regularly,
don't bother about the absence of comments, you should have noticed by now that we all use to comment only when we have something really important to say :D

we are waiting for more of your Greek and Balkan experience reports and of course those photos that you have promised

BP
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