I awoke this morning at 0620 hours stiff, and stinky from the fire I’d stoked for a large part of the evening. I had 45 minutes to pack up, clear up and clear out before the train departed. I set off at a jog but that didn’t last long. By the time I reached Xertigny train station three kilometers later it was 0735 hours and the train had left without me (damn inconsiderate, if you ask me).

I began to walk back to the town center to see about a taxi since the next train to Epinal (to anywhere for that matter) didn’t leave for another three hours.

Two hundred meters from the station I met a family loading up their car with suitcases. In a rush and unable to help (and unable to speak English) they directed me to the next house along the road. There I found Simone, a woman who appeared to be in her late 6os, with one heck of a smoker’s cough. She pulled out her Yellow Pages and sat on the doorstep. No number for a taxi service in Xertigny was listed.

“Nouveau taxi Xertigny,” she said and marked on my town map the new company’s approximate location.

“Bon voyage!”

I reached a bus stop where two men were chatting.

“Is there a bus to Epinal?” I asked. They both shrugged. One of them ran across the street to the butcher’s to enquire.

“Non,” he said when he returned. I continued in search of the taxi. Both men said goodbye to each other and one of them accompanied me (obviously, neither of them had plans to catch a bus). As with everyone else I’m meeting, he babbled away in French and from the intonation of his voice and the way he looked at me, I knew he asked several questions but I unfortunately couldn’t answer.

The door to the taxi firm was closed and no number was listed. Never mind, I’d grab a coffee and just head back to the station again and catch the 1044 train.

“Cappuecino, sil vous plais,” I asked the proprietor of the bar, just as his doors were opening.

“Non. Café?”

“Oui, merci. Au lait?”

“Non. Café?” No milk. Only black. I would do.

When I’d finished I schlepped back to the station and waited for the train. 1044 came and went. I ran back across the tracks to check the time of departures. Yes, it clearly said 1044, Monday to Friday.

It’s bloody Saturday!!! I was stuck. I called Joel and Edith, the people I stayed with the night before last.

“Non train pour Epinal. Je voudrais un number pour taxi.”

Joel understood and gave me two numbers. I called the first one.

“Non train pour Epinal,” I said again (hey, it worked the first time). “Je vourdrais un taxi Xertigny station pour Epinal station, sil vous plais.”

“Tout suit!” the woman said.

The taxi arrived 20 minutes later and I reached Epinal within plenty of time to catch the 1221 train to Nancy. Once there I just had enough time for lunch (Quiche Lorraine) at the Ibis Hotel Cafe across the street before catching the next train to Luxembourg.

Regarding the ticket, it looks like I may have solved the problem (fingers crossed). In addition to receiving an e-mail from DSB admitting to the error, I managed to get the ticket stamped and corrected manually in Austria (with the help of Barefoot). It’s amazing how much more helpful people are when you actually speak their language. Hopefully, the conductors from here onwards won’t give me too many problems.

If all goes according to plan, my rail ticket expires on August 28. The end is finally in sight and I will have completed the alphabet before the end of the month.

Woo hoo!! Could it be that I’ll actually finish this self-inflicted challenge??

After a couple of very relaxing days in the small city of Olomouc in the Czech Republic, I’ve just arrived in Vienna to spend a few days with Bernd but have just realized there’s a problem with the last Inter Rail ticket I bought in Copenhagen.

It was supposed to be the last ticket I needed to finish this trip. I paid 500 Euros for an All Zone “Global” pass which lasts for 30 days. You can’t buy one for any fewer days. But the stupid woman who sold me the ticket typed the wrong expiration date. It says it expires on Thursday this week. Have just spend 30 minutes with the sales office at Westbahnhof to see if they can correct the expiration date but there’s absolutely nothing they can do. The only authorities I can take it up with (I think) are the ones in Denmark.

I’m now wrestling with the option of leaving Vienna immediately (not go climbing) and rushing through three countries in five days–which I think may be even more than I’m capable of right now–or biting the bullet and buying a one zone ticket on Friday, which will give me 16 days to finish. To buy individual train tickets will be even more costly.

Bugger it! I’m so close to the end and thought things would be simple from here onwards. But obviously not.

Just having difficulty now trying to figure out how to get up to Latvia for “V”. Think I’m just going to go to Ventspils on the coast and be done with it.

Aushra and Laura, the girls at the tourist office in Utena are amazing and doing everything they can to assist me. I think I’m driving them mad. We’re going out for dinner this evening (to celebrate them getting rid of me soon, I think).

I need to get a bus from Utena to Panevezys and then another to Riga, the capital of Latvia. I’ll stay there for a night and then catch another bus to Ventspils.

Where east meets west and new meets old, and two walls–not just one–used to divide them.

I got to Berlin early this morning without much of a plan. I made a reservation to leave again ten hours later (which is in 15 minutes) and as much as I could easily hang out in the station all day (it’s faaaaabulous!), I decided to go for a walk. At 0730 hours few people were around.

After doing a bus tour (15 Euros), which was okay, and a walking tour (free and fabulous!) I’m now back at the station with a new “U” destination chosen. Rather than tell you where it is, though, I think I’ll keep you guessing. Won’t be there until tomorrow afternoon so will update you sometime after that.

Have a wonderful weekend!

On a much brighter note, thanks to a friend of my brother, I did get to experience the wonders of Christiana today, a rather dubious looking neighborhood with a main thoroughfare called “Pusher Street.” Pretty easy to guess where it gets its name from.

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This you’re gonna love.

The train system is so screwed up around Copenhagen at the moment because of track work that instead of catching two trains to Tisvildeleje, I had to catch three. Unfortunately though, I missed the last one because of delays–it was after 2100 hours–and would have to wait for another hour.  I called Ann at Tibirkelude B&B (www.tibirkelund.dk) to let her know I’d probably be there around 2300, what with having to walk 2km once the train pulled in.

“Oh, this is bad,” Ann said. Yeh, I know, but what can I tell you? Shit happens. “We go to bed by 10:30.”

“Er, so what would you like me to do?” I asked, and added half joking, “Should I not come and go all the way back to Copenhagen?”

“Er yes, I think that would be best,” Ann said.

You’re fucking kidding me, right?? (in my head, mom, not out loud). This really can’t be happening.

She wasn’t kidding and it was happening. What the hell was I going to do now? I was speechless and just put the receiver back on its hook. Maybe she just had a bad day.

Since there was no-one around at the ticket office I walked through the only open door I could find and spoke with the train track operator (or whatever the name of those guys is that sit in front of the control panel) to see where I could go. Anywhere. Just get me out of here.

Nothing much we could come up with. Osterport, Copenhagen or Helsinger. But what about a “T” place? Nope.

The next train that pulled in was headed to Osterport so I jumped on. When I exited the station at the other end I saw a Comfort Hotel so went to ask how much a night would cost.

“Usually 175 Euros, but we could let you have it for 145.” Very sweet of you but no thanks. If I was going to have to pay that kind of money, I’d head back to the city again.

Stephanie was carrying her bike down the stairs to the platform.

“Hey,” I said, suddenly thinking I might have some kind of plan, “Are there any hotels in Tivoli Gardens?” I’d make it do as my T place, stay one night and get out of town.

“No, they unfortunately close it at night.” It’s just got amusement park rides and restaurants.

I could see I’d sparked her interest with my alphabet idea. Her mind was working, the wheels turning, trying to come up with a place within easy reach beginning with the right letter.

I then looked at the train map and realized there was a station right before the airport, a suburb of Copenhagen beginning with T: Tårnby. There had to be somewhere there.

“It’s a relatively new area that’s built up over the last couple of years,” Stephanie said, “so I would have thought they’d have something there.”

She wished me luck when we got to Copenhagen and I continued, fingers and toes crossed there’d be somewhere.

And like a bright shining light I could see the Zleep Hotel Airport sign 100 m from the station exit. It would cost me approximately 50 Euros for the night but I didn’t care. Tårnby would do as my “T” place. It’s very basic and the carpets could do with a good wash (better yet, replaced) but it’s a roof over my head and I’ve got BBC World Service!

I left Senec, Slovakia at 1050 and caught the train to Bratislava, to what I thought was the main station. No. Ended up at some other Bratislava station, Nove Mesto, which was the wrong bloody one. Then had to wait one hour until 1240 to get to the right place.

1335 hours and the door had still not opened to Platform 1 for the Vienna train due to depart at 1340.

“You must ago around to Passport Control,” the woman at the ticket counter said. How was I supposed to know that?

At last back on an air-conditioned train heading towards Vienna, Austria. Things were getting better already. Or not. How many bloody stations are we stopping at? I’ve counted at least ten since we set off. Fuck knows when I’ll reach Vienna. Maybe not until nightfall.

The plan had been to catch the direct (with only one change) 1430 to Copenhagen out of Westbahnhof but because of my delay in Slovakia, I missed that one. The next option left at 1622 hours but there would be connections. Eight of them.

Only got as far as the first one, Munich, before I missed the next one. Received SMS from my brother inviting me to Barcelona for a few days. He and his girlfriend would be there. Since I now had options, what with missing my train, I asked about trains to both Barcelona and Copenhagen.

It would be complicated to reach Spain. I ummed and ahhed and thought about it—What about flights? No, too expensive—before plumping for the next Copenhagen-with-only-one-change-train. I didn’t have to pay for the ticket—although did opt for a cozy couchette behind a curtain—and I’d be keeping on track, heading in the right direction to complete the alphabet.

I slept pretty well, although didn’t realize there were blankets until I woke up this morning, so things were a little chilly at times. Also didn’t realize when making the reservation that there’s an option of an “up” or “down” couchette. I had to scramble my way to the top using the aluminum step ladder. Once ensconced, though, I was happy as a clam.

Was expecting to arrive in Hamburg at 0753 hours so got my bags together and waited for arrival. Next stop was Hannover. Miles away from Hamburg. Hhhmmmm… Perhaps there was another time change that I’d been oblivious to. But that was impossible.

“Enschuldigung,” I asked a gentleman that passed by in cycling shorts, “Wieviel uhr is es?”

I managed to pick out sehr, very, and spater, later.

0848 hours and things just kept getting better. I asked the conductor what time we’d arrive in Hamburg and she said something along the lines of “Spater, zwei und halb stunde,” which I think meant two and a half hours late.

I eventually arrived in Hamburg after 1030 and am now waiting for the next train. Must be feeling much better because I don’t seem to be bothered in the slightest. Smiling in fact (maybe something to do with the positive comments everyone’s made).

So, that’s been my last few hours. How you doin?

PS: Love ya tons, Bro, and can’t thank you enough for the kind invitation and hope you understand. Maybe you can take me to Barcelona to celebrate when, and if, I get to the end of this journey………

I woke up in Senec, Slovakia, with big puffy eyes from all of my crying. The bottle of wine I’d bought to get drunk and forget about everything the night before sat virtually untouched on the bedside cabinet. Now that’s a bad sign.

I considered my options:

• Go straight back to England, take a break or simply give up;
• Continue heading east and visit a “T” place in Ukraine; or
• Head north to Czech Republic for “T.”

None of the options really appealed to me. I was tired of the heat, the standard of living, and the language barrier, but I really didn’t want to fail.

I looked at the map and decided to head to Copenhagen, Denmark. Don’t ask me why. It wasn’t even one of the countries on my list. A last minute decision which I rationalize as follows:

• It may be cooler;
• My rail ticket is still good for a couple of days to get me all the way up there,
• If I’m stuck on the train for 20-plus hours, I won’t have the need to be outside in the heat running myself down even more; and
• There are several “T” places in Denmark I can choose from once I get there.

And, if I still need to see a doctor, my E-111 card covers me there, too.

It’s taken me four missed connections in 24 hours and I’ve now only just made it to Hamberg, Germany. Will get the next train to Copenhagen in a couple of hours.

Although I couldn’t get anyone to understand me in Rajka, I did manage to find someone to select my “S” place in Slovakia.

Senec is situated in the South-West of Slovakia - in Podunajská nížina, on the boundary line of Podunajská rovina and Podunajská pahorkatina, and it’s only 27 km from the Austrian border (so no points for guessing where I’m taking my couple of days break…).