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Entry from: Linz, Austria
Entry Title: "Linz: Be There One Day"
Entry:
"Never had we expected the trip from Graz to Linz be so painful or long as it ended up being. We had deliberately chosen an early morning connection to ensure we had enough time in Linz and in hindsight this ensured that we actually arrived before nightfall! Our train was scheduled to leave at 8:35am and we were rushing to get out of the hotel on time and avoid having to wait 2 hours for the next connection. Hotel Daniel was one of the few hotels that didn't require payment before arrival or upon check-in so I sent Belinda across to the station while I settled the bill on departure. As luck would have it we made it up onto the platform and onto the train just 2 minutes before the departure time. Our lateness had denied us the opportunity to purchase some breakfast and with no buffet or restaurant onboard our train the food and drink situation was looking grim. 8:35am came and went but the train stayed at the platform, without the slightest sound of a guard's whistle. An announcement sounded through the train notifying passengers that due to problems up the line the service was delayed for at least 15 minutes and that we would leave as soon as the line was clear. Breakfast was back on the cards. Belinda rushed off the train to visit a bakery at the station while I stayed onboard with the bags in case we left earlier than expected. During the wait I enjoyed watching the station signs flap about wildly in the very strong winds that the city was experiencing as a result of a nearby storm. The food did not take long to acquire and as we ate the train finally departed. Unfortunately in her rush Belinda ended up being served some random milk extract fruit drinks that were disgusting. Just because it has orange on the carton doesn't mean it's orange juice kids! Our departure did not bring great news. With an 8 minute connection awaiting us in Selzthal our slow running on top of the late departure was worrying us. We made some unplanned stops before the guard informed us that the train was going to terminate at a random small town, where we would change to buses to continue our journey. Considering that it was a Sunday I was impressed with ÖBB's organisation as there were 2 buses waiting for us when the train arrived. With all of our bags and ourselves transferred to the buses we headed off along the expensive-looking freeways, along large viaducts and through long tunnels. The road roughly paralleled the railway and we were able to see the source of our problem: a fire descending a hill next to the line. The road passed the fire on the opposite of the river valley and after the group of women who should've been on their way to an anti-smoking seminar downed some alcohol - "Schöne Reise!" - and a little more travel we found ourselves disembarking at Leoben Hbf, the first scheduled stop of the train we were meant to be on. A 25 minute wait was instore for us at Leoben as the train from Innsbruck was yet to arrive. It was going to turn around at Leoben and its passengers would be shuttled in the buses back to the train we had taken from Graz. Belinda grabbed some drinks from the Spar supermarket at the station but we decided against getting lunch because we were anticipating it being available at Selzthal station during our elongated stay there. By the time we were leaving Leoben on the surprise consist of mainly DB NachtZug sitting compartment carriages we were running about 1 hour 30 minutes late and were planning to take the later regional train connection to Linz. This would mean a wait of around 30 minutes, plenty of time to grab lunch but not long enough to get too cold waiting around. Upon arrival at Selzthal it was apparent that the delays on the Austrian network were not limited to Graz or the Steiermark region. Most of the trains on the departure board were delayed, with amounts varying between 30 minutes and 1 hour 10 minutes. We were lucky that our train to Linz was the one with the short 30 minute delay, apparently related to its impending ..."
Read and see more at: http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/v1213/eurojapmishmash/1201561620...
Photos from this trip:
1. "Delays"
2. "Waiting in the Rain"
3. "Virtual Butterflies"
4. "Linz at Night"
5. "Rainy Evening"
6. "Cool Trams"
7. "Poestlingberg Animals"
8. "Attacking a Fence"
9. "Looking Back"
10. "Cold and Rainy View"
11. "Poestlingberg Church"
12. "Rolling Down"
13. "Waiting Around"
14. "Another Station View"
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Es ist Linzby albana14725,284 views
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