late Departure

LATE DEPARTURE

Last year, In September 2017, I purchased ticket on the rail station to go to Vienna from SOPRON in advance. The station is 20 minutes walk from my apartment. Here people speak German as a second language and hardly someone speaks English. On the station, ticket sales people who sell tickets to local destinations do not speak English ar t all.. to by ticket to Vienna you have to go to a one sales person in “International”. Vindow. There woman was hardly spoke English. I asked her which train will be be better to take if my plain from Vienna to the United States depart at 2;30pm? She suggested train departing from SOPRON at 7:25. I purchased my ticket and in a day of my departure came to the station with my pretty heavy back pack and not too big suit case to take a train. Station in SOPRON is a small one, but has 4 or 5 underground entrances to trains with different destinations and main hall.has an electronic display with the schedule of trains and number of a platforms. I looked at a board and did not find a train, on which I purchased a ticket. There is no train which depart on 7:25. It made me nervous. While I steadied carefully all departure gates it was already close to 8. I run to a cashier. Another sales women was there. “Could you please tell me what happened with the train departing at 7:25. I have a ticket to that train and my flight to the US is on 2:30 from Vienna”.
“There is no train on 7:25, but there is a train on 9: 28 but you have to change at a curtain  station and this way you will come to a Main Station in Vienna”. “Well, I already have a ticket on not existing train. Can I use it for the next train?”.
“No, sorry, you have to buy different ticket”.
I did that. What ells can I do? On one of stations I have to change train to go to a main train station in Vienna where I have to buy a ticket to electrical train which goes to the Airport.
Train on 9:28 was late 10 minutes.
When I came to the station where I have to change a train, I see a big station with many rails and gates but to reach any other gate I have to go very far and get under ground  in order to change the gate. How do I know on which gate I must go to get a train to get to Main station in Vienna. Just by looking around I noticed a group of people standing with the big suitcases. I guess they must reach a Main station in Vienna. While I was going to an underground entrants and up where this group was standing, when I came up to the platform, the group of people was gone. I could only see a tail of the train they possibly took. It was no one on a platform and it was the center it this platform. It means that if I want to study a schedule of train, I have to g pretty far to a station and find a board with the schedule of train.
I look at my smart phone time and it was already 11;10. I must be at Airport 2 hours before my plain departure  - 12:30.
Here, without knowing if I stay on the right platform, I have to wait uncertain train, guessing that it will go in right direction.about after 20 minutes another train is coming. Yes! I was lucky! It does go to a Main train station in Vienna!
Now I’m finally on the platform. But where do I have to go to get a train to go to an Airport. Platform became very busy. Many people go in different directions.few cars behind I see a conductor closing a door of his car, I’m running to him and while he is locking the door screaming my question “How can I go to the Airport?”
He was holding his door and for a second stopped closing it. “Get in fast. This car is going to the Airport”.
He let me in to stay in a tambour without even checking my ticket  naturally I did not have a ticket. While swiping my forehead I noticed that it is a lack sure car.
Now I’m finally at airport. In information desk, which also I have to find where it is, I found that my plain is departing from terminal one. Vienna Airport became big. It took me about ten minutes to reach terminal one.
Here is a registration where I got my boarding pass.
Here finally is a passport control and after that I have to stay in a huge line to go through a metal detector where is also a huge line.
Passport control man: “well, we’ll, may I ask you what did you do in Vienna?” politely he asked.
Actually I passed Vienna and I was all Summer in SOPRON, Hungary.
“But your visa in Vienna is not interrupted. It shows that you were in Vienna, Austria 10 days longer. You must go to an Austrian Embassy and get a permit to live Vienna 10 days later. You were here 3 months and ten days but you are allowed to be in Austria only 3 months”.
“ My plain to the US is departing in 45 minutes. I have no time to go to the Embassy. Can we somehow resolve this issue here right now, please?”
He looked at me.
“I will, call Airport Administration”
He pulled his cell phone out and started to dial different numbers.
Time is running out. Line behind me became pretty big and I see eyes of people behind.
“Can you please step out in a mean time?”
I submitted myself to a Universal Energy. Now I can not influence situation any longer. Let’s see what will happen.
In about 8 minutes, while letting other people go through his station, I see that he is talking to someone.
“Wait right here. Someone is coming over”.
In about 10 minutes I see two soldiers with the rivals are coming to his station. Both are dark Sekana gentlemen's, one is Indian with the turban on his head and one is a Spanish. They looked at me, nicked by the eyes and left.
“You can pass through now. You are fine”, man put stamp in my passport and I was running to a huge line to pass metal detective. I had no time to look and my smart phone. On my shoulder I had my pretty heavy back pack I will take with me and a small suitcase which I will give as a baggage. In 15 minutes I I’m rushing to my gate.
“We called you on the radio” said one stewardess while closing the gate, “You are a last passenger we were waiting for”.
Here we go.

Grigory Gurevich,

Копирайт, Август11, 2018, Шопрон, Венгрия.