I make my way from Budapest to Vienna to catch the night train from Vienna to Krakow. In Vienna, taking the tram from Westbahnhof to Sudbahnhof, I meet a Brazilian woman who is traveling across Europe.

We arrive at the ticket counter in Vienna Sudbanhof around 9:30pm. We each have a Rail Pass, but we know that we will need a supplemental ticket for the night train. The ticket agent tells us that no beds can be reserved on this train after 7pm. He explains that we have to purchase a bed supplemental ticket on the train. We think he says “40 Euros,” and the Brazilian woman says “forget it, I can sleep in a seat, I don’t need a bed.”
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I’m surprised at the number of people on the train. Most cabins are packed, and I’m hearing different dialects of German being spoken around me. One man explains that the reason this train is so packed is because it is one of the few that will go straight onto Munich after Salzburg.
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Arrival in Zurich
We arrive late in Zurich. My grogginess seems perfectly matched with the overcast weather. I miss my connection. A Swiss agent helps me re-route myself. She tells me to spend the day in Zurich, enjoy the city. I look out the window and see raindrops. I´m thinking of Spanish sunshine. I go on.

Zurich - Geneve
The elderly Swiss man looks big-eyed out the train window, his head bopping to the sights: fog lifting out of valleys, water cascading down rocks, birds encircling tree lines, families emerging from chatlets. Hairs stem from his ears, an oversized cargo jacket engulfs his frail body, and a red plaid cap covers his forehead. He watches out the window with all the delight of a school child. This can´t be the first time he´s taken this train. Maybe he fears he won´t have so many opportunities more? Next to him a young woman sleeps.

There´s a big car show in Geneve today. That´s why the train is crowded, the woman next to me says. She gets off at the next stop. I use the car show as an ice breaker for the rest of the ride. ¨Are you going to the car show?¨ Nearly everyone is.
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