!!!
Today I woke up at 6:45 to head toward the airport for my flight to London. I packed last night, made notes about travel, printed my boarding passes, and in all other ways was ready to go. I made it to the tram outside my hotel in just enough time to jump on before it left, which I thought to be a good sign.
I made it to Bahnhofstrasse, or the main station, at 7:45. I stopped at the information desk to confirm my train and the platform, and made it to the correct gate at ~8:15. The train was to depart at 8:30, so imagine my delight when it took off at 8:20! I was cheerily planning out my day when I passed a landmark I recognized, and to my dismay I realized I was on the wrong side of it. I walked the train until I found a kind elderly gentleman who spoke English, who explained to me that I was in fact headed towards Ütliberg, a mountain approximately 35 minutes from the city center. I asked how frequently the trains ran, and was even more horrified to discover that I could not exit and board a return train - the only return train would be the one I was riding, after it reached its destination, took a 20 minute break, and turned back towards town. I sat trying not to cry as I watched the clock tick closer and closer to 9am. I was scheduled to depart at 10:05, and I knew I had to check luggage 45 minutes prior.
I made it back to the station, checked the marquee for the next airport bound train and going off all the info i had, which was that I should be looking for Flughaven, which is Swiss-German for airport, I hopped on a nice looking train with exactly that displayed on the lcd info screen. wewt! 9:15, maybe I'd make it if I hauled ass and asked very verrry nicely to carry on my should-be-checked luggage.
Well. I was headed toward an airport alright. For the first time since I've been here someone asked to see my ticket, and as I handed my Zurich rail pass, he asked for my train ticket. Confused, I asked what he meant, and discovered I was in first class on an express train headed toward Austria. Even better, I didnt have the correct ticket, so I had to pay not only for the ticket, but the fine for boarding without it as well.
I cried. I cried a lot. I exited near Feldkirch, Austria, and bought a return ticket to Zurich. I was terrified of continuing into unknown territory, and couldn't find a vendor for a Euro Railpass, so the single ride fare was the best I could do. While on the train, I called my travel company and discovered that because I'd used the online check in service, my fare was both non-refundable and couldn't be changed. I got a refund of the tax I paid for my ticket, but the cost of the ticket was lost. Even better, I still have to get to Amsterdam somehow. To fly home from Zurich would cost me an extra $800, plus service and change fees. This is the perfect moment for my phone to die on me. I can't even speak to someone at an airline to try to find a new flight. All I have left to do is go towards Main station and see if I can find a flight, or if I need to book a hotel and wait for tomorrow. Have I mentioned a craptastic hotel in Zurich will run ~$190/night?
After 7 hours on trams and trains, I've made it to the airport and found a flight to the Netherlands this evening for an insane amount of money, most of my remaining budget in fact. I'm sitting in a smoking lounge, passing the time, paying for internet 3 hours at a time. I have lost an entire day of my trip, as well as more money than I care to share.
Fucking Fail.
I made it to Bahnhofstrasse, or the main station, at 7:45. I stopped at the information desk to confirm my train and the platform, and made it to the correct gate at ~8:15. The train was to depart at 8:30, so imagine my delight when it took off at 8:20! I was cheerily planning out my day when I passed a landmark I recognized, and to my dismay I realized I was on the wrong side of it. I walked the train until I found a kind elderly gentleman who spoke English, who explained to me that I was in fact headed towards Ütliberg, a mountain approximately 35 minutes from the city center. I asked how frequently the trains ran, and was even more horrified to discover that I could not exit and board a return train - the only return train would be the one I was riding, after it reached its destination, took a 20 minute break, and turned back towards town. I sat trying not to cry as I watched the clock tick closer and closer to 9am. I was scheduled to depart at 10:05, and I knew I had to check luggage 45 minutes prior.
I made it back to the station, checked the marquee for the next airport bound train and going off all the info i had, which was that I should be looking for Flughaven, which is Swiss-German for airport, I hopped on a nice looking train with exactly that displayed on the lcd info screen. wewt! 9:15, maybe I'd make it if I hauled ass and asked very verrry nicely to carry on my should-be-checked luggage.
Well. I was headed toward an airport alright. For the first time since I've been here someone asked to see my ticket, and as I handed my Zurich rail pass, he asked for my train ticket. Confused, I asked what he meant, and discovered I was in first class on an express train headed toward Austria. Even better, I didnt have the correct ticket, so I had to pay not only for the ticket, but the fine for boarding without it as well.
I cried. I cried a lot. I exited near Feldkirch, Austria, and bought a return ticket to Zurich. I was terrified of continuing into unknown territory, and couldn't find a vendor for a Euro Railpass, so the single ride fare was the best I could do. While on the train, I called my travel company and discovered that because I'd used the online check in service, my fare was both non-refundable and couldn't be changed. I got a refund of the tax I paid for my ticket, but the cost of the ticket was lost. Even better, I still have to get to Amsterdam somehow. To fly home from Zurich would cost me an extra $800, plus service and change fees. This is the perfect moment for my phone to die on me. I can't even speak to someone at an airline to try to find a new flight. All I have left to do is go towards Main station and see if I can find a flight, or if I need to book a hotel and wait for tomorrow. Have I mentioned a craptastic hotel in Zurich will run ~$190/night?
After 7 hours on trams and trains, I've made it to the airport and found a flight to the Netherlands this evening for an insane amount of money, most of my remaining budget in fact. I'm sitting in a smoking lounge, passing the time, paying for internet 3 hours at a time. I have lost an entire day of my trip, as well as more money than I care to share.
Fucking Fail.