This post is for Quaminante and Cuckoo. Actually, I wrote before about the strange incident at Amsterdam in a previous post. And I am not going to tell you a word more about it, apart from that it has got to do something with a stroll that I took (or did not) around the train station!
Talking about trains, there is this strange custom in the Netherlands about trains (or at least it used to be there in the year 2002). I took a train from Amsterdam to Groningen and I had to change the train at some place in between. Knowing that I was new to the place the train in-charge of the Amsterdam train saw me safely down and pointed out the train I had to catch next.
When I tried boarding the other train, the in-charge of the ‘Groningen’ train asked me where did I want to go? I found the question strange, I thought the train would go to Groningen, as pointed out earlier to me. Still, who was I to argue in a new place? When I said Groningen, he asked me to board the first coach of the train. A few hours later I reached Groningen safely.
The next day, I was having a lunch with a professor and was telling him something about my train experience when he said, “Of course, you must be finding our trains strange. We keep cutting coaches here and there. The entire train does not go to one destination.”
After that whenever I boarded another train in the Netherlands, I made sure to ask which coach was going to my desired destination, and not if the train was going there.
Ah yes, I once got stranded in Charleroi after getting in the wrong part of a train to Brussels from Paris (not possible any more as only high-speed Thalys trains run on that route now). And some trains from Brussels to the coast split after Brugge with one part going North to Knokke near the Dutch border and the other South to Ostende, near the French border! I think this comes of having a dense railway network in a very small country, rather unlike the situation in India. At least you finally got an explanation!
the amsterdam episode is so interesting. i wanna be in amsterdam too given a chance.n did u knw we do have some trains in india too where different bogies go to different destinations
Thanks Mridula,So nice of you for giving us the link of Amsterdam!! :)) Since, I am new to this blogworld & also you have so many posts, I didn’t know abt your prev posts. Yes, this different coaches to different destinations is quite common in Europe and it’s fun too !! Once we boarded a train in Italy to go to Florence & next morning we found ourselves in Genova !! Ha Ha..And I agree with Maverick… it is there in India as well. I have travelled in those trains… Oh I have started missing them again. My lovely train journeys.Thanks again.
Hey! i have travelled quite a bit here(Groningen, Utrecht and Den Haag) but never heard of this. I think they have stopped the practice now.On a side note, I sure remember this once happened long time ago in India when I was small and travelling with my family. 3 coaches of a train got disconnected at a station and we had to shift coaches.On another side note, the one thing special about the railway system here is their punctuality. Amazing! they have timings like 11:33, 16:21 etc. and that’s that. you can adjust your watch on that. So reliable.I also hear that if the train happens to be late by more than 30 minutes, you get your fare back. 🙂
Oh yes, Ketan..You are very much right about the timings and getting the fare back. It’s true in almost all the countries of Europe. So surprising for us indians who are used to late trains always.And I like ferries more than train or bus inside Amsterdam city. :))
Cool, Glad they helped you out…last thing you did want was to land somewhere else. 🙂
If you are in Amsterdam on weekends, would be great to meet up. I have been following your blog for a long time, and love your travel writing, and would be great to meet you in person. Do let me know if you have time. Cheers, Surya
It was good that you asked.:)
Qumainante, I did get an explanation otherwise I am sure I would have ended someplace once for sure.Maverick, I know that used to happen in India too but it is very infrequent now. And I definitely was not expecting it there. Hope you will go to Amsterdam soon.Cuckoo, you are welcome. I agree train journeys are the best!Ketan, it was curious practice indeed. We Indians surely are not known for being punctual. My students sometimes accuse me of being on time for every class!Cuckoo, do you write about travel a lot on your blog? Give me a few links if you do, I would love to read it.Ajeya, that is right. I have been abroad very infrequently and getting lost is the last thing is that I would like to happen.Surya, thanks a lot for finally leaving a comment. I enjoyed your 20 minute post a lot. As I was saying above, I live in India and I have been just to a few places abroad very infrequently. Maybe if you come to NCR we can meet?Sidhu, I was just telling the professor something about the journey when he told me the practice, I could have never guessed it without getting lost at least once on my own.