Berlin-Prague Tuesday 13 December 2022
Today we needed to be at Berlin Südkreuz to ctach ICE 379 to Prague departing at 1123. This time, we had seat reservations, so expected everything to run smoothly. Off to a good start, arriving early at Südkreuz with enough time to have a coffee and stock up on lunch snacks for the 4 hour long train trip, expecting to arrive in Prage at 1535. Up to the platform still with 30 minutes to spare - to walk straight into DB/Eurail cough Show part 2 being confronted with the dreaded sign "Zug fällt aus" = "Train cancelled". So off I went to Reisezentrum to see what could be arranged.
The best they could manage was a train to Dresden and then another train to Prague with revised travel times 1245-1735. And of course, all our seat reservations fell over. I was served by the original "Mr Happy" and was unable to get new seat reservations on the 2 hr Berlin to Dresden leg as it was "too close to departure time". For those following along, our previous trip from Munich to Berlin had involves some guy apparently getting a "last minute reservation" for one of the unreserved seats we were sitting in, so one of them was telling porky pies. We did manage to get new seat reservations for the Dresden to Prague leg, but there was no refund for the inability to get reservations to Dresden. Best I could do, so let it go.
Back up to the platform, which grew ever more crowded as we froze ourselves in the -2 degree temperatures. We were reluctant to go indoors as we now knew from bitter experience that getting a seat without a reservation might be a challenge and wanted to be first to board if we could. Next announcement was more bad news - the ICE after ours to Prague was also cancelled, so even more people were displaced to the Dresden train. When this arrived, it was already packed and we were squeezed in like sardines. Mr Seat 0A took one for the team and stayed downstairs with our bags and had to stand the entire way to Dresden (2 hrs) in the corridor of the 2nd class carriage. Further, wehn the conductor came to check his ticket, there was no internet (and we had local SIM cards) and he could not get his (compulsory) electronic Eurail pass to load. Conductor not sympathetic and read him the riot act about it being his problem to produce a ticket on demand. Pretty piss poor when you've paid for a reserved 1st class seat. I made it up to the 1st class seats, but there were none to spare, so I also stood for 30 mins before a couple of nice people in their 40s squished up a bit and made a perching place for me to precariously sit. They picked up that I wasn't German but that I could speak a bit and so we got chatting about allthe various DB horror stories and they said "Wilkommen in Deustchland" and offered me a beer! Things got a bit loose after that!
Anyway, we made it to Dresden and expressed our delight that at least we had reserved seats for the last leg of the journey. When the train arrived, we made our way to the correct car, correct seats - only to find 2 Americans sitting there, claiming that they had these seats and flashing an app around that I couldn't read without my glasses. They were 100% in our seats as per the DB reservations. Anyway, we gave up and took 2 other empty seats and vowed that we were NOT MOVING from these, no matter what happened. First class travel on DB with Eurail is absolutely NOT what it used to be, that's for sure.
Ate a very late lunch on the train and got some coffee and pastry to go with it. Felt a bit better with some food on board. Trip otherwise uneventful and we enjoyed beautiful scenry with snow on the ground from shortly outside Berlin all the way to Prague. When the train arrived in Prague, the loudspeakers patriotically played the haunting Ma Vlast by Smetana, which was very moving and set a good atmosphere.
View attachment 349053
Caught our first ever Bolt to our hotel in heavy traffic for CZK 155 = $10.03! Had a luxury splurge at the Hotel Century Old Town M Gallery for two nights for CZK 7528 = about $420. Very well located 10-15 mins walk from the main square. Felt shattered after our day of travel woes, so just enjoyed our Accor Plus/ALL welcome drinks and a couple of bar snacks and called it a day.