Train Adventures - second and hopefully last part ๐๐๐
It is always a great adventure to travel on the Bulgarian state railways, as I said before. You never know what you will be surprised with. And here I am again this Monday traveling by train to the second largest city in the country, this time with a referral to a specialist, finally!!!, after so many months, to see a doctor for the condition I acquired at the end on September, as I told you.
I had to catch a fairly early train this time because I had an 11am appointment. So I caught the 7:45 train. I was glad there was another woman at the stop with me, because as I've found out lately, as much as I love to travel, I don't really love to travel. ๐
At least, not alone. I always have the feeling that something will happen, that I won't make it, that I'll get lost, catch the wrong train, etc...
So, as soon as I arrived at the stop, I noticed that this train was not the usual train I had traveled on last time, it was more special, the steps were unpleasantly high, almost scary to climb, and in fact the train stopped in front of us with a door that said: Does not open.
So we opened the next one, a bit difficult, the other woman opened it because my hands were busy with bags. And then she said, Oh God, now how does this close?
She tried to slam it shut as the conductor shouted from some other compartment: Close the door!
Failed. Another inward swing, and the door finally clicked into place.
"God, what a train!", exclaimed the woman again.
And really, I'm not sure I've ever traveled on such a train, although I've generally done little train travel at all.
I walked through the compartment, surveying the situation with interest.
The other woman entered the first such section. I entered the second one. It was clear that there weren't many other passengers on the whole train, there was no need for us all to get into the same compartment.
The conductor soon arrived, took out a cob of tickets and began to write by hand.
I smiled. That's something familiar and so symbolic to me.
I don't know when I entered the other reality this time - at the slamming of the door of this outdated train that came from another time, or with the taking out of the ticket stub.
The man sat in the seat across from me as he wrote the ticket. But he finished quickly, got up and closed the compartment door behind him. By then it was open.
My phone is ringing. My partner says he saw it was a sleeper train. That's why he calls to ask me how the situation is.
"You have seen even from the outside how things stand", I replied.
And then I began to look around more carefully. Yes, it really is a sleeping car.
And now I can say for sure that I have never traveled on such a train, because I have never traveled on a sleeping car.
Because anyway, here we are talking about a train that serves a distance of an hour and a half maximum. Who needs a sleeping car?
My partner asked me if it was warm inside, because the outside of the train did not inspire confidence.
I told him I didn't feel cold, but the conductor sort of forcefully closed the door of the compartment, as if he had to.
And it wasn't until later that I saw this:
Actually, I don't know what that is and how it works, but I guess it's for temperature regulation, however you do that. I haven't touched it.
It may not work. Just like those interesting lights above the seats didn't work.
But to tell you the truth, it wasn't the old age and dysfunctionality that shook me as much as the feeling of misery. The seats were not as dirty as the newer and more modern trains I traveled on last. There, the seats, upholstered with similar textiles, were so dirty that I was disgusted to sit down. And yet I did it because there was no way I could stand up straight for the entire hour and 20 minute distance.
But look at this, how does it make you feel?:
"I'm going to hang up to watch the sunrise through the dirty window", I told my partner and hung up.
The sun outside peeked timidly behind the dirty windows, but soon after ghostly hid behind a curtain of fog and clouds, as if it didn't want me to look at it through this ugly filter.
There was no voice to announce the next stop and I was glad to had to get off at the last one anyway, I didn't have to be on the lookout.
At every stop, doors would slam and the conductor would shout: "Close the door!"
People began to move along the corridor, back and forth, but apparently we were still few enough at this early hour, there was a separate compartment for each, and no one tried to enter mine.
One thing could be recognized on this strange train, and that is that it has charging sockets, which I have not seen on the "more modern" ones I have traveled on.
Still, the misery is staggering, at least in my estimation:
And all this time, a figure has been watching me from the window across the hall, photographing and looking around, wondering and dazed, wondering where exactly I've ended up.
The inscription below ะะะ stands for Bulgarian State Railways.
Well, this is the epitome of this whole farce.
I never opened my book during this trip, even though I was alone, even though this time I didn't have to listen to someone else's conversations. All this time, standing alone, I was busy thinking about so many things...
| Thankย youย forย yourย time!ย Copyright: | @soulsdetour |
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 | Soul's Detour is a project started by me years ago when I had a blog about historical and not so popular tourist destinations in Eastern Belgium, West Germany and Luxembourg. Nowadays, this blog no longer exists, but I'm still here - passionate about architecture, art and mysteries and eager to share my discoveries and point of view with you. |
Personally, I am a sensitive soul with a strong sense of justice.
Traveling and photography are my greatest passions.
Sounds trivial to you?
No, it's not trivial. Because I still love to travel to not so famous destinations.๐บ๏ธ
Of course, the current situation does not allow me to do this, but I still find a way to satisfy my hunger for knowledge, new places, beauty and art.
Sometimes you can find the most amazing things even in the backyard of your house.๐๐ง๐งญ|
If I were to tell you that your dilapidated train is better than our so-called good trains, would that be a comforting thought for you? Well, for me, it's still a source of embarrassment. To be honest, I haven't traveled by train in quite a while, but the situation seems just as bad. I keep wondering... Are these smoldering summers what drive our people to constant irritability and irresponsible behavior? Can that even be an excuse for the untidiness and uncleanliness? There's sweat, heat, foul odors, and weariness... all gifts of the season, after all... And add the factor of poverty... Well you can do the maths.
I enjoyed reading your travel diary. It was a fun read. The way you have written about the events made it easy to imagine myself traveling with you :))
I'll admit it's not the most dilapidated train I've ever been on. ๐คญ Even the condition of its seats make it look good, isolating them from the rest of the circumstances.
Three years ago, I traveled with "something" that I had no hope would reach its final destination, but it did. Then, three years ago, I found that I was afraid to travel with the Bulgarian public transport because of the constant accidents, old machines bought as second hand from the West, the lack of maintenance and any kind of care, etc. Then, the carelessness of the bus drivers, the old buses again, the very bad roads, frequent non-observance of traffic rules, etc. I have to go to the capital in a few days and I am terrified of what I will be traveling with and how I will get there. Especially if it snows again - the situation becomes even more dire.
Regarding the mentality of the people and their attitude towards the objects around... just today I had a conversation with my partner about a similar topic and I came to the conclusion that the West actually has a very hard time with us because personally, the irresponsibility of the people here seems to me impossible to change, whatever regulations are pushed by the EU. Or some things will be possible to change in 150 years or more.
Thank you for the complimentโฃ๏ธ I think it is not easy to read the things I write, often I even write hoping that no one will read.๐
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Yes, like a kind of auto psychotherapy. You write something, you get into it, you unravel it, and that writing alone gives you the answers you didn't even suspect before. I am also sure that these writings are difficult to read, even sometimes incomprehensible to outside readers. Especially to those living in normal countries.
Very good explanations!
Thank you! ๐
Wow, what an experience! Traveling back in the Soviet times, as it looks like.
State-owned companies are the worst...
Well, actually, it's not even clear at the moment if that's the case. It is said that our power distribution companies had better be returned to the state because the private owners are not taking good care of them. They take care of their services with the capabilities of a bad landlord, as the state generally does, or worse ๐... such a race is daily in this country for incompetence, sloppiness, and plunder.
And as I already said, this is far from the worst train that runs in this dilapidated country.
I am sure there are people who work for that company who try their best, but the problem with the huge state-owned companies is their top management changes when the government change. So no good long-term strategies could be applied.
Also, such companies always got milked by corrupted politicians and their puppets put as CEOs, unfortunately...
I agree with all your arguments. But this does not mean that no government structure, unit or company should, by presumption, work. I think this is the understanding only in this country. I also agree that there are good and conscientious people everywhere who are trying to do good work and do something. Unfortunately, they often die young if they don't get sick or broken by the system.
True, true...
As many poets and singers expressed...
... "only the good die young"