Let me just set the scene for you…
It is September 1st. You have the beautiful ticket in your hand, the one saying you will board the train at Platform 9¾ at 11am. You pack your trunk, grab your Firebolt and your owl, and you climb into the ministry car waiting for you. Your friends pile in with you and off you go, ready for a new year of learning and of mischief.
“Mr. Weasley started up the engine and they trundled out of the yard, Harry turning back for a last look at the house. He barely had time to wonder when he’d see it again when they were back – George had forgotten his box of Fillbuster fireworks. Five minutes after that, they skidded to a halt in the yard so that Fred could run in for his broomstick. They had almost reached the highway when Ginny shrieked that she’d left her diary. By the time she had clambered back into the car, they were running very late, and tempers were running high.”
(Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets)
Y’all, this is what my team experienced on Saturday. Instead of the rushed attempt to board a train to Hogwarts from King’s Cross, it was a rushed attempt to board a train back to Svishtov from Levski.
You see, we had spent the day with our friends, Pete and Jasmyn and their son Matthew, in their beautiful home in a smaller village an hour from Svishtov. Six American women took a graffitied train down to Levski then promptly switched trains and continued on to Butovo. Jasmyn met us at the village train station and we walked back to their home.
After a full tour of the house and property, and after hearing their plans of turning part of the buildings into a hostel (we told them we would schedule our one year World Race reunion trip to be the first to stay in the hostel), we settled into an afternoon of bliss. We pulled out board games, we admitted much defeat in a British version of Trivial Pursuit, we devoured all the delicious snacks Jasmyn made for us, and we laughed, oh how we laughed! It was an absolutely perfect day off.
Mid-afternoon, we sat down for a late lunch / early dinner. Six Americans and three Irish gathered around a beautifully set table. Take your guess at what we ate, I guarantee you will be wrong. We sat down at this table where so much laughter had already been spilled and we devoured corn on the cob, quickly followed by a traditional South African meal. Pete may have been born in the UK and spent much of his adult life in the UK, but he was raised in South Africa. We cleared our plates and Jasmyn brought out a traditional Bulgarian fall meal, a bonitza made with pumpkin filling. We filled our plates once again and we were in heaven.
With bellies full, we piled ourselves into the SUV. Seven people in space that should only fit five. This is where the Harry Potter reference truly begins. We made it to the bus station in Pavlikeni with just enough time. We walked up to the ticket booth and asked for our tickets, confident in our Bulgarian. She told us no. The bus had left two hours prior and there was not another one leaving. The train station is conveniently across the street, so we decided to check that. The lady told us there was a train at 5:28 leaving from Levski. We were in the Pavlikeni train station, it was 5pm, and it is about a 20 minute drive to Levski. Pete was willing to chance it, so we piled back into the SUV.
If you have ever seen a movie filmed in a foreign country where roads are filled with a view of the countryside, the roads are paved but full of potholes, and the roads keep winding around corners, then you have a fairly accurate vision of the road from Pavlikeni to Levski. Now just imagine taking that road at breakneck speed, while within reason safety wise, but breakneck speed nonetheless. Kim Rathod and I both felt like the Weasley’s trying to make it King’s Cross to catch the train to Hogwarts.
Fortunately, our adventure did not end there. We made it to the station at 5:27. Kim and Kim sprinted to the ticket booth while every Bulgarian native stared like a giant green pig had flown through the air. There was no need to rush; the train apparently didn’t leave until 7:20.
We piled back into the SUV and drove the couple miles back to their home. Jasmyn laughed upon our arrival; we teased Pete about not having the hostel ready for us. We had our tickets purchased for the 7:20 train. So we arrived back at the station at 7:10 to find a train on the platform. As we crossed to the necessary platform, we double-checked we had the right train. Unfortunately, we did not. This train, the exact one we had ridden from Svishtov to Levski, was headed for Lovech. We found the train master along with a police special forces man and talked with them in broken Bulgarian. Our tickets said 7:20, but there was not a train to Svishtov until 9:35. The train master upon leaving, lifted his hand in laughter and called out, “Ah, Bulgaria!” We laughed at this, realizing the day had truly turned into an adventure worth remembering.
This time when we made it back to their home, we walked in calling out versions of “honey, we’re home!” Jasmyn had already pulled out supplies in case we were staying the night. But alas, we had already purchased the train tickets, so we were determined to attempt the 9:35 train. One last time, we made the drive to the Levski train station. This time there was a train and this train was indeed headed for Svishtov. When we walked out onto the platform, that same train master and policeman energetically pointed at the train and called out “DA! DA! DA!” (“Yes! Yes! Yes!”) We boarded the train, waved final goodbyes to Pete out the window, and we were on our way back to Svishtov.
Upon our arrival in Svishtov, we found the three day local festival in full swing. The music was loud, the mood was energetic, and we were hungry. We headed for one of the food booths that sold waffles and crepes along with a variety of toppings. Two of us got waffles with Nutella and bananas and two got crepes with Nutella and bananas. The perfect snack at nearly midnight after an adventurous day of travel!
Sunday morning, our wonderful friends came up for church and we enjoyed much laughter and teasing about the day before. Making new friendships on the World Race truly is worth it, y’all! Anna joined in our photo because she’s wonderful! Jasmyn is in the back right, next to me; Pete and Matthew are front and to the right.
Cheers to international friends, adventure, and my amazing teammates!
