Taking the Train from Bratislava to Vienna
Today is the day I wrap up all my work in Slovakia and head to Spain. Since I had such a hard time getting to Bratislava, I did my research this time and left with plenty of time to spare. I remembered the bus route from the train station to the hotel, so I just asked the hotelier for the bus number and headed straight to the station. For someone used to living in Seoul, it's a really small town, but the transit system is quite challenging with unreadable signs and trams I've never seen before. Still, the hotel was in a good location, so I could get there in a single bus ride.
You buy tickets from a machine that looks like this. As I mentioned before, in most of Europe, you carry a transit pass and show it if an inspector asks (otherwise, you just ride). I heard they ask foreigners to show their tickets almost 100% of the time, but that hasn't happened to me yet.
I'm perfectly willing to pay, but the problem is I have no idea which ticket to buy. Since I was only going two stops, I just bought the cheapest 0.35 EUR one. If someone says something, I'll worry about it then.
If you slide the purchased ticket into this machine next to the door, it validates with a loud "zzzzjik" sound. Maybe the locals rarely use it, because the old printer-like noise made everyone on the bus turn and look at me.
I guess there was no issue with the ticket because no one said anything, and I arrived at the train station just fine. To be exact, no one talked to us at all. Only the local kids stared in wonder, while everyone else just gave us sidelong glances.
I left early because of what I went through yesterday, but this time I arrived way too early. On top of that, the train was delayed, so I killed some time looking around. I watched people puffing away on their cigarettes outside, and couples kissing and being all affectionate, sad to say goodbye. While I was smiling and watching them, the train to Vienna, Austria arrived. Suddenly, more than half the people in the station rushed inside. The streets were quiet, but seeing how crowded the train to Vienna was, it seems like more people work in Vienna than in Bratislava.
Maybe because it's Europe, but the way people express themselves when parting is very colorful. I even saw a couple acting like they were in an old movie, with the guy running alongside the train shouting goodbye. They were already tall and pale like models, so seeing them do something so cheesy made me think they were shooting a commercial.
I arrived in Vienna, Austria, which definitely has a different vibe from the countryside-like Bratislava.