Train Adventure
Exit St. Petersburg
You would think that once I had my passport, visa and train ticket it would be smooth sailing to Greece. Not a chance. I decided, considering my available time, that I would skip Ukraine and Romania and go directly to Greece for a week.
You may remember that the furthest I could get from St. Pete on a Russian train was Warsaw, Poland. What you and I didn't know was that the train would be taking me through Belarus - a former Soviet Republic that still requires a visa to pass through. So, my four day train adventure begins.
Good Start
After all this I didn't want to miss my train or get my pocket picked again, so I opted to catch a "taxi" to the train station. Remember from my previous stories that catching a Russian taxi is really hitchhiking. You just stand on the side of the road with your hand out - eventually someone will stop.
I had my exit planned. Nina and I had a final meal down the street, and we said our goodbyes. She headed off to school, leaving me at the flat to wait just about an hour. I packed my bags and headed down to the street.
So there I am on a side street, both packs on, waiting for a ride. Within a couple minutes a guy stops, and I explain that I want to go to the Vitep train station. Of course there are a half-dozen stations in Pete.
Traffic is horrible, and time is slowly running out. Then to make matters worse, he yanks out a map of the city. Now I'm sweating bullets. Not to mention the car chase scene he is making as we weave in and out of traffic. Those of you who have driven with me know the drill.
We pass a train station, and I ask if that was it. Of course with my Russian language skills it takes a few blocks to communicate that we passed a train station. We spin around, stuck in bumper to bumper, and eventually get back to my station. I toss him some monopoly money and run to the train literally as it closes the doors. This is getting silly.
New Friend
The train left St. Pete in the early afternoon, and I was definitely not sleepy. My train to Warsaw was scheduled to take 36 hours, and there would be plenty of time to sleep. I thought I would explore the train, so I headed back. I was expecting to find typical sleeper cars - what I found was really interesting. I had a private room in my wagon. It had three beds, two of which were stowed, and this is typical of any overnight train I have ridden. As I traveled back I found something far different - each car had walls holding beds, but there was no hall or doors. It was one big room with everyone sleeping with their feet in the walkway. You can imagine the stench - it was worse than an Italian metro in the summer. Needless to say I made it back to my accomadations quickly.
On my way back I met my next door neighbor. She was a Russian woman roughly my mother's age. We spoke in Russian for hours - I still have no idea how. We used my dictionary and she spoke really slowly for me. I learned she was married to an Armenian man and they had two children. She was in Russia trying to get her Russian passport renewed. Don't get me wrong, the subjects never got very complicated, but I was pretty pleased with myself. After that my mind was whirring, I was tired, and I decided to read a bit in my car.
Terrible Premonition
All of a sudden something struck me. I'm laying in my bunk reading and decide to check on my papers. I lift up my bunk, under which I stowed my backpacks. I open the pouch where my papers are kept, and didn't find my passport. I freak. Ok - where is it. I pulled out my bag and rip open every zipper. I know where I keep it - always. This cannot happen twice. After a long five minutes of looking frantically, my hand feels the passport on the floor of the storage area below my bed. Must have slipped out when I pulled my ticket out earlier. Whew!!
Good time to sleep. I catch a few Zs and wake up to a familiar train station outside my window. I never gave it much thought, but I assumed I would be traveling through Lithuania, where an American doesn't need a visa. But the station outside looks like Moscow station. Those of you who are geographically challenged, Moscow is considerably south of St. Pete. From there the only way out to Warsaw is Belarus. And then it hit me - I don't have a Belorussian passport. Nothing I can do. I went back to sleep.
Good Morning!!
The conductor woke everyone for passport time at the border. I decided to get dressed - this could be bad. As usual, the passport control people come by and check my little blue book. He sees the Russian visa, but flips and flips through the pages looking for the Belorussian one. He asks in Russian, and I answer that I just need to transit. He tells me to grab my bags quickly, and he looks pissed.
All kinds of things run through my head at this point. I put on my bags, front and back, and follow him off the train, underground beneath the tracks, and up to a small office where uniformed officers are called in and out. A lot is said that I don't understand, and I have no idea what is coming. This is a scene out of any Cold War era movie - I was waiting for cigarette burns.
Eventually an English speaking officer come in and explains that I need to purchase a transit visa. A taxi driver would take me to the Militzya office, where I could arrange it. I told them I had no Belorussian rubles, and he told me that the driver would also take me to the bank. So the clock starts. The taxi driver speaks no english, so we spoke sparingly. Once in the Militzya office I walk up to the only open door and find a grimacing officer. I ask if I can come in and he shakes his head no but says yes. I'm told to sit in another room.
About a half-hour later I am called into another room, where a woman explains that I need to get 38,000 Belorussian rubles. Not exactly knowing how much that was in dollars I left the building. The taxi driver took me to the bank, where he helped me change money. He took me to some window at the bank where I paid for the visa (I think) and got a receipt for 38k. Back at the Militzya office I gave the woman the receipt and she asked me to wait in the little room again.
About an hour later my impatience got the best of me, and I went to her to find out what was happening. It seems that the only officer that handles this took the day off. They called him, and I was waiting for him to come back. So I went back to my seat and continued to read. Another hour passed when he showed up looking pretty upset. He called me into his office, where he informed me that I needed to give him $25 to get my visa. I smiled and handed him the currency.
My Train
I was expecting that my train had gone, and that I was stuck in Belarus for a day. This visa thing must happen all the time - the train had a scheduled 5 hour stop in this podunk town. I paid the taxi driver $25 for his trouble, and he escorted me to the passport control office. I thought I could just get back on my train, but they wanted to hold me until the train was about to leave. So I sat in that little office waiting for my cigarette burns. Then I told them I was hungry and wanted something to eat. They mostly laughed at me and I laughed at them. Eventually I told them I wanted a beer - they acquiesced. My guard escorted me to a bistro where he suggested something to eat. I had my beer and Belarussian fast food.
On My Way
When there was fifteen minutes to get on the train, they let me go. Just before I got out, my guard asked if I might buy him a bottle of vodka as a gift. I played dumb and got my butt back on the train. All told my visa cost me $70, but at least I caught my train to Warsaw on time. My Russian friend also had a problem with her passport, so we laughed, called them pigs in Russian, and talked for a little while. She told me that there were two stations in Warsaw, and the train was scheduled to stop for five hours in the first station. She knew that I was trying to immediately transfer to a train heading for Greece. She suggested I get out with her and take a tram to the central station.
Meet the Mush
When we got off the train, she was met by her Mush (husband) and son. She explained my situation, and after introductions, we all rode a tram to Warsaw Centralny. Her son, who spoke English, helped me buy a train ticket to Belgrade, Serbia for the following morning. He suggested I stay with them, but I declined - he walked me to a reasonable hotel, talking the whole time. What a wonderful family.
Off to Serbia
This time I did my homework. I checked the State Department website for visa requirements. None requiered for US Citizens. I hopped on the train at 7am. I changed trains in Budapest, and having a 5 hour stoppover, traveled into the center for coffee and dinner. I grabbed the night train to Belgrade. I hung out in the hallway well into the early am, watching the cool night and beautiful lights pass. I arrived in Belgrade at 6:50am, where I had to catch the 7am to Thelosonik, Greece. Serbians use Cyrillic letters, so I could not find the train by name. I found the number and crossed my fingers.
Gotta Love Greeks
I didn't have a ticket for this train - I just had to buy one on board. The train is stuffed - people standing and sitting everywhere. A group of five Greek university students got on with me. We all had bags coming out of our ears and had no place to put them. Some kind old woman suggest I sit in a seat that was strangely empty. I took it and read for a bit. After a bit the train emptied out a bit, and I had a chance to shoot the breeze with the students. They lived in Thelosonik, and were heading home from a conference. It took all day to get to Greece, and we laughed and joked the entire way there.
When we got to Thelosonik, one of the guys walked me over to the ticket counter and got me a ride to Athens the next morning. We all kissed (cheeks), and I walked off to a hotel. 7am came fast - I caught my final train to Athens. I readily found an inexpensive hotel in Athens near the train station, and prepared to have a wonderful time.
All Told
All told, it took me four days on trains and two nights in hotels to get from St. Pete to Athens. The ride was exciting and worth every minute. I've been in Greece for a week now, and I have some stories to tell. That will have to wait until my next newsletter. Miss you all - wish me luck.
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