Was (very good) plan to leave O-Ringen day earlier than our car and my boss, with purpose to get to Orissaare Xdream. I had put together quite tight timetable: train Soderhamn-Stockholm, biketrip to port and ship Stockholm-Tallinn. Decided to take the cheaper (and posterior) train, to keep some 250 SEK for company. Asked from some swedes, is it possible to take a bike to the train - yes, it is. In ticketoffice I said, that I have a bike with me - no problem - and the traintickets with transfer in Gävle has sold. Nice.
Söderhamn-Gävle was nice too. In Gävle some 10 min waiting and next train came. I waited after bigger traffic and went in. Suddenly there was one very nice guy in uniform and said that I can't go to train with bike. Sorry? Can you repeat that in English? "It's not allowed to travel with bike in this train!" Sorry, what? ... ? I have bought the ticket and I said there that I have a bike and they said that's there is no problems ... "We are very sorry, but it's not allowed" and there came some more ladies in the same uniform. But I need to get to my ship in Stockholm and when I bought the ticket, nobody told I can't take a bike! "We are very sorry but you must leave the train!" ... Yes, I almost cried there. In this moment it was "almost".
Even being in platform and seeing the train leaving - I didn't realized what was happened. I went to the ticket office and asked for next train or bus. "Sorry, there is no buses today to Stockholm, and next train which takes bikes leaves at 18:06". But my ship is leaving at 17:45!!!
Where am I? What country and place it is? Poetically speaking - "Horror fell upon me"!
It tooked for me some 20 minutes to get myself ... If they don't take the bikes, do they take big baggage? Of course! I managed to change my ticket, buy 4 big black plastic bags, take my bike off to 3 pieces and pack my baggage and get to next train to Stockholm. There was one problem – it's in Stockholm 17:35... Check, when my ship is leaving ...
I called Kaia and asked her to find some other ships to Tallinn or Finland. Stockholm-Turku (19:30-7:00) was sold out, even deck places. There are two ships from Kappelskär after 21 o'clock. Now I cried. For being so clueless. For meeting (twice) the people who just do what they need to do and that's all. And once again – being so forlorn. Young woman with small daughter gave me a handkerchief.
From Stockholm cent
ral station to port was approx 30min as it was planned. From ticket office I got a place, deck place. From Stockholm to Turku.
When you last time had a night in ship deck, which more exactly means in ship corridor? :) Ok, I can get to sleep quickly and I sleep almost everywhere, but still – those 2+1+0,5h were quite few if to think next night 13h Xdream adventure.
In the train Turku-Helsinki was very good place for bikes, and somehow it happened that I didn't pay for the bike. As I wrote to my finnish ... mate, being in Finland feels after Sweden like being at home :)
With LindaLine I have once already travelled with bike and this is very normal system.
Finally in Tallinn. Only 4 hours later than planned.
I couldn't use my booking of Sto-Tln route to Sto-Turku, so at the end seems my financial lost in this adventure is 56 EUR (Sto-Tln ticket) + 20 SEK (plastic bags from Gävle). Emotional lost is much bigger.
5 comments:
Elu on ikka seiklus, eks? :)
Sometimes they can be a complete pain with trains and bikes. Some trains in the UK take them no problem, some you pay a small amount, some you have to book ahead, some you don't... Oh for a bit of simplicity, eh?! :)
Elo, do not worry, life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get :)
Kõik sujus ju hästi lõpuks:)
Really, does in a box of chocolate can be... whatever? Haven´t got many, and still prefer grapes and wine. And one small rose too, please! :)
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