My Road to Perdition- Prague to Krakow (Auschwitz) 2

The day had already been a series of unfortunate events. There was a missed train, a cancelled train, no food, no sleep, sores on my hands and a stop over at a haunted hostel on a full moon night. I swear at that moment, standing at the train station of Ostrava again, in my head the scene from the Bollywood movie Jab We Met was playing. Where the lead actress was praying to God to not make this night any more eventful. All I needed was to get to Krakow on a decent seat.

On the train.. and the only place I found to sit!

As the train whirred in, it felt like a never ending chain of bogies. All of us waiting at the station cheered looking at each other saying, "Finally!". A little clueless we all just got in anywhere and since we did not have reservations on this train, we all just got in and groups of friends took up any empty sleepers they found. I kept looking for first class cause my God knows I needed the pampering. I walked across many coaches but couldn’t find the first class nor any official. I reached a connection between two coaches that couldn't open so decided to sit there and wait for the Ticket Checker. We soon stopped at the next station and I popped my head out the door, too scared to step out without knowing how far I would need to walk and may miss the train. I looked around for the men in uniforms, but none of them responded to my asking about the first class. So I just hung on till I would find someone who would understand me and give me some information. I looked around, stared at the board giving details about the next train and the stops for the train I was in, just staring blankly. Tried to pronounce the names of the stations to amuse myself, when it suddenly struck me. Like a bolt of lightning. It did not state Krakow. I totally panicked! I saw a man in orange overalls and just looked at him and pointed to inside the train and yelled, "Krakow?" he looked around, looked at the board and just nodded, "No Krakow". What?? What?? I was in the wrong train??? When was this hell of a day going to be over? So I signalled again to him, "Where Krakow?" And he looked around cluelessly, and pointed to the train across the platform and said, "Krakow!" My eyes searched for confirmation and felt silly cause Krakow was written all across the coaches. I jumped right out and made my way to the train, and as I stood there catching my breath, I panicked again. All those people I had met at Ostrava, all were going to Krakow, and now were sleeping all over the longest train I had seen. I couldn't possibly leave them! But I had a suitcase I couldn’t lug anymore! And didn’t even know when the train would leave! I stood smack in the middle of the platform with all these questions, and finally said to myself, "Chuck it, can't live with the guilt!" I left my suitcase there unattended for anyone to steal and ran all the way back knocking windows waking up everyone looking for the faces I had seen at Ostrava. And making violent gestures begging them to come out with their luggage cause they were on the wrong train. They got up and hurried right out in their PJs and socks and luggage and shoes in their hands.

Once I told them what had happened I got hugged and loved by all and we went into our supposed last and final train to Krakow. Now nothing could go wrong! Wrong!

We finally got food and tears came easy

Remember we didn’t have reservations? Now this was a small train and the uniforms of this train somehow just refused to even acknowledge our presence, forget talk to us or listen to us. So we all just huddled into this 1 coach which had one section of 6 sleepers unoccupied, and waited for the Ticket checker to give us his time and assign us some seats somewhere. We all just sat on the floor of this coach. Tired, hungry, clueless, hopeful. Hopeful that once they heard what we had been through they would help us. I got the place outside the toilet which was locked thankfully. When the train started the Ticket Checker got in and walked right all over us, opened the locked cabin as we looked on like puppies, got in and locked the door and drew the curtain. That’s it! We all just stood there. Completely unable to understand what was happening to us. A bunch of girls who were in their cabin, also saw the whole situation and were as dumbstruck as us. Finally one of them asked me what had happened and why were we on the floor even though there was place in the train and I rambled on and on about the entire day. She didn’t interrupt me! She just kept looking at me and nodding in sympathy. When she finally spoke, she said something that broke me.

The Spanish Angels who fed us

Something I just wasn’t prepared for. She said, "Are you hungry? Do you want some food? We have lots of it!" We had been through such cruelty all day, that when she said the most obvious human thing to say I didn’t know what to say. A little awkward, a little ashamed, and very hesitantly I said, "Umm no! I'm ok" She put her hand on my shoulder and said, "Really, we have lots of it. It's no problem!".

We still found some smiles and sleep

I nodded hard and said, "Yes, yes please I'm very hungry!" No words can explain how I was feeling as these girls spoke to each other in Spanish and started giving me all their food. Packets of chips, water, muffins. One boy even gave his half eaten sandwich apologising and asking if it was ok. Ofcourse it was ok! Tears rolled out of my eyes unstoppably. And as I walked around coach waking all the others on the floor with food in my hands, we all broke down.

We were crying because of kindness. We were smiling at our state and crying at the same time. A system that was meant to help us sat in an over-privileged surrounding while we grovelled for the basics. Much like our societies!

The whole moment was melancholic with a strum of tears and vague smiles. Dawn was breaking. We were crossing Auschwitz (one of the worst concentration camps of the Nazis). We were sprawled over the floors and I was still able to sleep next to the toilet, leaning on its door. A layer of haunted fog over the horizon which had seen some horrid cruelties.

No matter how long the day had lasted, it was over. I had connected with people without knowing where they were from. No matter what background I was coming from, there, in that moment, on that train, we were all just travellers. We were borderless. We all cared for each other. I had found love in a hopeless place. The Swedish couple next to me, shared their stories with me to help pass the time. An onlooker from the other side of the locked coaches, Chris also made conversations to help us feel better. I was bruised and battered. But my soul was enriched. Enriched with random acts of kindness all through the day. I was stronger than what I had thought. People were still nice. I had learnt lessons which no school could teach. I knew something in me had changed. Made me better.

The dawn breaking at Auschwitz

My Road to Perdition- Prague to Krakow (Auschwitz) 1

Perdition means hell, doom or destruction.

Well my journey wasn't as dramatic but while those 24 hours are something I am proud of today, that day.. That particular day, there were a series of unfortunate events that made the day longer than the usual. It both shook up my belief in humanity and restored it in ways one can only experience and not fathom.

It was a usual day, I left from my Airbnb apartment in Prague and my lovely hostess had offered to drop me to the station. We just about made it in time and as I dashed through the crowds with a certain confidence but I was up for a surprise. I knew the track number my train was to come on but, there were no clear indications of platform numbers. No they were not sequential. So, I asked the uniforms but apparently either they didn't understand what I was asking or they didn't know too. When I finally met an old man who offered to help me, he looked at the time and simply started running towards the platform with my big blue suitcase and I simply ran after him. There were no lifts or escalators on this station so without asking or offering he looked at me and just picked up my suitcase and started running up the steps. I kept saying thank you, thank you, god bless you while he came to a slow stop as he reached the top of the steps and we both saw the train get away from us in slow motion. We both just kept looking at the tracks and each other with shock, awe and smiles. We walked down together as he showed me where the information counter was and before I could even pull out my phone to take is name he was gone. Just gone! As if God had sent him in my life only for this task and once it was done he was to disappear.

At the Station at Prague

Travelling makes you a very positive person. I have learnt how to not dwell on the problem but start thinking of the next best plans. I mean what's done is done and our crying can't make it better can it? But thinking of ways to get out or get over it, feel like the right way to me. So I played a happy song and walked to the information counter, cause I knew it was now going to be an adventure. The next train was at 1:40 pm, with 2 changes at Ostrava and Katowice. So happy and positive me found a good spot on the floor at the station, got myself a burger, put on my tunes, found a free internet connection and chilled on the station. I helped some people who asked for directions and shared smiles while I was lost in my music. I knew everything will be alright!

Cervenka Station

Time came, I made my way to my assigned bogie and soon I was served champagne in the first class and life was good! Lost in my music, I was disturbed by a certain commotion on the train and the ticket checker asking everyone where they had to get off. When I said Ostrava, he said keep sitting. Apparently some train had caught fire on the tracks ahead of us so we had stopped for a bit. I saw the time; I had 15 minutes at Ostrava to swap trains and head to Katowice. We were already 10 minutes behind time, so again the positive me was thinking "There are too many of us, they are bound to make alternate arrangements for all of us.. so why Panic?" In about half hour, we were told to get off at the station we had paused at. The uniforms were going to organise buses for all of us to go to the closest station and then board trains to Ostrava. We were told that we could only get information from there now. So we waited; a hundred of us soon became hundreds of us at this small little station in the middle of nowhere called Cervenka. We waited for almost 2 hours and then buses started coming and though there was method to the madness, I could not board the first 2. Finally succeeded in my 3rd attempt and got on the bus.

It was a long drive but the girl sitting next to me made time fly. A simpleton, mother of two girls who was going to be without her daughters for the first time. She was so nervous and anxious, but as I comforted her with thoughts of books she could read and all the ME time she would get as she pointed out to her house beyond the church in the fields, her tensed body became more calm and relaxed.

We reached the next station and all got on the train headed to Ostrava. I was sure there were gonna be arrangements there.

Ostrava - The church next to my hotel

OSTRAVA, Ostrava did not have any escalators. Let me remind you we all had been without food since about 2 pm and it was 7:30 pm now. Tired and exhausted I dragged myself with my suitcase up some 50 steps and down 50 steps to get to the reception and ask for next steps to get to Krakow. The lady hit the keys on the keyboard and after a few sighs and nods to herself, she gave me slips of paper and asked me to rush for the next train back on the platform. It was past 8 and the train was at 8:30 pm. So I picked up my suitcase and went up 50 steps and down 50 steps and waited for the train. I HAD to catch this train to Katowice, to take my last connecting train to Krakow at 9. And as I stood alone at that platform staring at the tracks and time, I heard the announcement through the cacophony of freight trains that the train was cancelled. In utter disbelief, I once again, went up 50 steps and down 50 steps with my luggage, back to the lady at the reception and waited for my turn in the queue.

I looked at her and something inside me gave up. No, I wasn't scared. I think I was just fatigued and hungry and had sores on my hands. My back and leg was aching beyond belief. I looked at her and just said, "Do you realise we all are having a hard day? Could you not have just checked if the train was cancelled in a station where there are no escalators?" And I didn't realise but tears started streaming down my face and suddenly I had the empathy of all fellow travellers, who started screaming at her in different languages while I kept repeating I was just tired. Thomas and his friend, another 2 guys on a Eurotrip like me, comforted me and said, "Come let's pick up a beer and figure out what to do.Let's eats something first". As we walked slowly towards the only shop selling sandwiches and drinks, the guy there; BAM shut the door in our faces, showing us the time on his cheap watch. It was past 9 and the shop shut at 9. We 3 stood there shell shocked! There was all this food infront of us and we had the money but…. no humanity. We just wanted food.

At this weak moment I called my brothers and asked them to just get me out of here, anyhow. I wouldn't dare let them know I was crying but I think they figured. Within moments, they had booked me in a hostel 400 mts from the station. Moravia Ostrava; for Rs.800. single room with breakfast. My Blessings, My Brothers! So with all the energy left in my tired body I dragged myself through the dead silent streets of Ostrava to my hostel.

I met George here. An old, frail man with long hair. His wrinkles were somehow filled with stories. I knew he was interesting the moment I met him. I sat at the dim lit reception doing my check in formalities and telling him my ordeals of the day and he made notes cause he wanted to write to the authorities about it. My room was on the third floor. It was too late to get any food, so I requested George to get me some coke so I could knock myself out with a drink for a few hours before deciding on what to do next. I had the option of taking the all night train from Ostrava station at about 2 am or sleep all night and figure what to do in the morning. As we walked up the stairs, to this almost shady hostel, George took it upon himself to educate me about the place. Bad decision! It was almost 100 years old with a haunted history. Yup! You read it! The hostel was haunted! With 2 ghosts of women. Who walked around the corridors. So again, silly me thought, I'll just get in my room, take a shower, have a drink and sleep. Not step out in the corridor AT ALL. Right? Wrong! It was a room for Rs. 800/- Room. Just Room! The bath and toilets were communal. Which now meant I would HAVE to step out of my room. I remember sing out loud while taking the shower cause I was just so scared that I didn't want to hear any sounds outside my door. But the decision to take the night train became obvious.

My Hotel and room at Ostrava

Ofcourse I didn't get any sleep! Waited till 1 am and praying hard I stepped out into the corridor and walked down the steps to get to the station. Now you must know that motion sensory lights are only cool sometimes. In a place known to be haunted, they are creepy like hell. As I was approaching the ground floor and the lights came on, I saw a man's body waiting for me. I screamed out loud! George had decided to help me with my luggage till the station. So kind of him but scared the BBBBJESUS out of me to say the least.

As we walked the cold, lonely road to the station he kept talking about how he felt a connection with me, cause it was a full moon night and he had felt a lot of movement in the spirit world that night. I can't begin to tell you how I had the strongest urge to run away screaming my lungs out and didn't. But he was still warm inspite of his cold conversation. It was wonderfully kind of him to help me.

When we reached the platform, I was relieved for more reasons than one. I saw Thomas and his friend Zeger again, and some more familiar people, and we all were finally going to be heading to Krakow.

The worst was yet to come!

Wait for part 2 :)

Travelling Boots