Day 44 - Balkan trains are notorious for good reason...

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HOLY CRAP. This is probably the most POORLY planned traveling excursion imaginable. The day before, I was dismayed by the fact that only 1 train leaves for Thessaloniki from Skopje...at 7am. Holy shit.

Now, getting up at 7 is nothing to quibble about...it's just the small detail that there was something I had forgotten to pack for this European stint.

A watch.

A goddamned watch. After a couple of days here, I'd gotten used to not ever knowing what time it was (usually I looked to the position of the sun in the sky for a clue...though this never worked when it was crummy out). The only thing outside my realm of control was waking up on command.

Holy shit. Factor in trudging through inches of snow with all my worldly possessions on my back without getting myself killed, I needed at least over an hour to get to the train station.

So I borrowed from what I remembered back in college: I slept with the lights and music on. Needless to say, I was feeling a touch crabby when I decided to get up at 3:30 in the morning. Two hours later, I was at the station.

Did I mention that I set my clock on my computer incorrectly? I thought I'd arrive at about 5:30am at the station. I arrived there at 4:30am instead.

Hahahaha. And then my train was TWO HOURS late. Essentially, then, I waited over 5 hours for that damned thing. I was very, very cold waiting for it.

The fun didn't stop there, though.

Something else to remember: always come prepared in terms of where you plan to stay for the night. I arrived at the Thessaloniki station, confident that I would be able to find a cheap hostel nearby within minutes.

Oh. The information desk clerk informed me that there were no hostels within the city limits.

Hmm.

Two fun-filled hours later, I threw my bags in my 40-euro/night room at a nearby hotel and called it a day. At least the receptionist was a riot to talk to, and the toilet didn't look like it'd been through WWIII.

At that point, I couldn't have asked for anything more.

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Photos

Skopje train station
I waited over 5 hours for this train!

bathroom
oh, a nice, sanitary bathroom...haven't seen these in awhile <3

Greek border
outside my train window as we stop at the Greek border

Thessaloniki train station
IT'S HUGE. The station, that is. Not too sure what this is though.

my room
my backpack gets its own bed. sweet.

statue!
of someone important, I assume ;)

Comments

[facialwash]

oh geez. um. at least you won't be complaining about the 50 degree weather here anymore!

[omg]

geez carissa after reading these crazy entries i'm just glad you're surviving/haven't been kidnapped! (jk) how are you traveling around without a watch?! and buy warmer clothes... hope things have calmed down for you.

[devyn]

thanks a bunch joyce, lol. I've learned to live without ever knowing the time...except when I have to get up early hahaha. Since my mom's here, things should be more stable (and I will actually be eating now...and real food too! :)))) for the next 10 days or so!