Tuesday morning I made it down second to the breakfast buffet. I took some bread 🍞 and cheese 🧀 for the road, and left the hotel by 7:20. Our gathering was over and I was leaving Vienna after Easter. Dagi and Harald had paid my third-person room fee of $58 per night for the prior two nights. I paid last night $89 for a very small and lonely single room. The comforter and pillow were great, however.
On the Right Train!
Luckily I left when I did, as I had to transfer and find my way to the right S-Bahn (street car) again for the Süd Bahnhof (Vienna South Train Station). Luckily I was standing on the right track, and asked the right person, just as the right train was pulling in. I made it with about 15 minutes to spare; seated once again on the same train to Bratislava- Kosice, as I was over one and a half months ago.
Recollections of Bratislava – Kosice
Not as nervous, as cold, as shocked, as curious, or as packed-down as I was last time, I sat in a cabin with two Austrian women going shopping in Bratislava. I recommended Café Mayer, which they were already familiar with. The Slovak train cars seat eight rather than six people incidentally. They were full when Michael and I traveled to Trencin last week. Now leaving Vienna after Easter, they were nearly empty.
After a smooth, successful train change in Bratislava, I was on my way to once again to Kosice. The weather was nicer (no comparison) than last time. I knew what to expect, passed a few castle ruins, viewed the mighty Tatras, and re-read the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.
The further east we traveled the less green it was, and the more people were working in their fields, by hand. They are out hoeing and planting, all by hand. I only saw two or three tractors and I could tell they were very old. The (Slovak) countryside is poor, but peaceful.
Reconsidering
On the way “home” I was thinking about a lot of things. I decided to call boyfriend and let him know what I’m feeling. I also realized that I was not as perfect as I felt I was in our relationship; and that he never once said he couldn’t do something I wanted to do because he had to golf, or anything else. Also it was usually (always) me who couldn’t do something because I (always) had to work. So even though he doesn’t plan, he will always come along. I can accept that. The question is, can he accept me? And are we willing to work it out, accepting one another?
Once again, the train pulled into Kosice at 16:00. This time, I recognized the town – but nearly didn’t de-board as there are no signs or announcements. The thing is, I thought Kosice was a last stop and everyone would get off. But it wasn’t, and luckily I asked and got off!
Going for a Run!
It felt good to have a place to walk home to and know where I was going. As soon as I could, I got into boyfriend’s skinny leg pants (that I had packed) and went for my first run in Slovakia; on the red dirt track I’d seen out my window a week earlier. I was so excited to run, it felt great! I wanted to do six, but had to do eight laps- I couldn’t stop myself.
Tuesday after Easter, 1999
