gyuri_ft
Service Attendant
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2002
- Messages
- 140
Yes, it was "Avala". There is only one IC from Beograd to Vienna and it has Serbian Diner.Maybe we are going a bit off topic but....
Thanks for BP Keleti pics and for new V1047 in the background.
Trick about Budapest:
1) Open your picture
2) Look straight into "eye" of V1047 (it's on the track #8)
3) Slowly rotate the cursor, so now V1047 is on your left hand side.
4) You should see an older gentleman holding yellow-blue paper box in his right hand.
Just across you is the Wasteels travel office. This is the only one in Budapest who will sell you rail ticket without handling fee and accept "plastic". They - unlike MAV ticket agents even do speek (some) English. They also sell CITY-STAR tickets, a very important means to travel to Germany, Austria and most of East Europe. Anyone traveling extensively in Europe should go to that place very first, than somewhere else.
Q: how was the SZ dining car on "Avala"? We wanted to use it, but arrived with good 180+ from Saloniki and missed the connection. The local trains were of course pretty bad, but still managed with some running to arrive in outskirts of Budpest around midnight - 4 connections from Belgrade! If you look at my "avatar" it's actually the front part of Avala with ÖBB 2nd class behind RZD sleeper
.. I can second your opinion about Wasteels office in Budapest.
I dont know if I have been on the Avala. It was a Intercity Belgrade Budapest Vienna with arrival in Vienna around 7 PM the food was plenty and the price cheap.
Here another view of Keleti PU
And here something unbeatable. One night on a sleeping car across Syria for only 6.50$US
It's actually possible to beat the Syrian price: you can travel from Bratislava till Korean border or China for 100 Euro r/t using CITY-STAR ticket bought in Slovakia. Catch: the sleeper surcharge (around 80 Euro each way) is extra. But you travel well over 10000 km each way. 20000 km for 100 Euro is not very expensive, even if you pay 180 Euro for the sleeper (both ways) extra.
I did see your pics of the CFS sleeper. Syrians bought them from Germany (East) and recently refurbished them at Pars car factory in Iran. Who get the Iranian-rebuilt car are lucky and you are one of them. The refurbished cars run internationally Haydarpasha - Aleppo, the non-refurbished ones Aleppo-Tatvan. On domestic route it's a Syrian roulette, what you get. But even the worst is well worth 5 Euro.