Bus Station and ATM Mafunctions

So I had decided to take off and go to Vienna today. I bought a ticket online, but then realized I had to print it and I had no printer! I rushed to get my stuff together and ran out the door knowing time was going to be tight. I had only walked to this bus stop once and I had to find a printer as well now.

I got to the city center and ran into a hostel. They weren't able to help me. I ran into an internet place across the street, and I had barely enough Polish change left to print (I thought I had none it was a fluke I found some even!)

I printed my ticket but the tram had already left. I had 20 minutes to walk to the bus station, and I had only walked there once so this was going to be from memory and very very tight for time now.

I walked as fast I as humanly could with my backpack on. I was still just getting over this cold, so I was covered in sweat in no time; felt like I was really really pushing myself especially after dancing so much the night before... I tried and I was only 5-10 minutes late. I was hoping the bus was late.

I walked into the station and showed them my ticket asking if my bus had already left. The man shook his head and pointed to the date. The ticket was for Thursday! It was Sunday! Somehow I had messed it up online... either when I went to buy it I had to re enter info and it was on the wrong day and I didn't notice, or that was the ticket that showed up for Sunday because that was the next bus leaving by that company. WTF.

So I was disheartened. I looked and there was a bus at 9pm that night, so I went back to Ali's by tram feeling very defeated.


I told my host in Vienna that I had missed a bus (that may or may not have even existed) and that there was another but it arrived early the next morning. She was okay with this so I hung out at Ali's for a while...




... and went back to the bus stop. I had gotten rid of my Polish money, so I had to go to an ATM first. I left early to make sure I had time to do this. Good thing I did! There was an ATM outside, but I tried and then afterward it said it was a broken machine. UGH. There was one inside, but it was inside a store that had closed half an hour ago and the guy cleaning would not let me in to use it!! FUCK!

I had ten minutes before it left now, and I had no money! I was again looking like I was going to miss the bus. Then I had a genius thought that the train station is across the street and they should have one... so I ran for it. Again I was covered in sweat with my backpack bouncing behind me, but the ATM worked and I made it with a few minutes to spare. That was close.

Unfortunately since I was so close there were no places with two seats empty, so I had to be one of maybe three or so people that had to sit beside someone and not lay down sleeping on the seats for the overnight bus. Eight hours in a bus seat overnight later, I had not gotten very much sleep and it was not even 5am when I got on the Ubahn in Vienna. I arrived at about 5:30am tired and hungry.

Ida, my wonderful host, met me at the station at this ungodly hour and showed me back to the house where we both went to sleep right away....