I managed to find my carriage but to get the bike up into the train, I had to unload it and even unloaded, it was still a challenge. I managed to hang the bike and store my luggage.
We were only a few stops in when I realised I was in somebody else’s seat. Apparently, despite booking my ticket six months in advance, including the bike, the place number and the window related to the bike and not me! You actually have to book a separate seat for yourself. These are only released three months beforehand, so they weren’t available when I booked my ticket six months in advance nor was I aware of this requirement. I spent the first three hours with a combination of standing and sitting on the floor. It’s quite an interesting strategy by German and Hungarian train operators where they sell tickets but actually don’t sell seats to align with those tickets. This means that the aisles are absolutely full of people. They’re sitting anywhere including outside the toilet, on the steps at the door, between carriages, anywhere they can fit. I can’t imagine what an emergency breaking situation would do. I managed to make it to Munich and it was quite a disaster trying to get off the train. I had another couple of Hungarian cyclists helping me and also a lovely German lady by the name of Beatrice. It was absolutely chaotic with people literally pushing me over to try and get on the train. Despite the train not going to leave without them, there was this sense of panic from everybody.
I made it to my hotel and set off to find some dinner. I’d done some research to find some gluten-free options and found a great place with some gluten-free German food. I’ve done a full day of sightseeing today, as much as you can do in one day. I’m heading to the airport tomorrow by train. I need to pack the bike and will leave it at left luggage. I have an airport hotel booked for tomorrow night with my flight home scheduled for Wednesday.
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