Euro 2012 Interrailing

[on the move]

So, we got 5 opponents in the Euro 2012 group. Russia, Armenia, Slovakia, Macedonia, and Andorra, but we'll leave the football discussion aside for the moment.

I was out in Bulgaria for the qualifier in the last group, travelled by train from Bucharest to Sofia, and even though it took 10 hours, it was direct and reasonably comfortable, though it seemed that everyone got off at the border.

Had a look around some provisional routes, and if we got a double-header trip to Armenia and Russia in the same week, in theory it would be possible to travel by train. However, there doesn't appear to be such a service from Yerevan to Moscow around. If we got Armenia away on it's own, you could take in a trip to Turkey as well if the train was reliable enough.

Travelled through Slovakia the last time, but unfortunately, while it's dirt cheap, train travel in Slovakia isn't great, and I ran into numerous problems then. Barcelona appears to be the most accessible for Andorra, but not too keen on going down that route.

We've also got a trek to Skopje to negotiate, and is the one I'm most keen on. Had a look around and Belgrade, Tirana, and Salonika seem to be within reasonable reach. But which one is best? Going direct to the game venue may be more convenient, but it's also more expensive.

Anyone wish to post their advice of travelling around those countries?

[ACustomer]

If you are going to Armenia, then you more or less have to fly. They are more or less at war (albeit with a ceasfire) with one of their neighbours, Azerbeijan; another neighbour, Georgia, is presumably cut off from Russia because of the little war in 2008 and the third neighour, Turkey, has closed its borders since the war with Azerbeijan. And there is always the continuing grief with Turkey over the genocide of 1918. I don't think that recent attempts to patch things up with Turkey have yet lead to anything better than direct flights, and I'm not so sure there are any rail links anyhow.

[the FitzGerald]

Main line x Belgrade v skopje and border(gevgelija) thessalonika. deviation se3condary line atg lapova vers kosovo&pristina (may be familiar names from de war?) to Skop:je. Main line has good connections at Belgrade, Nis (for Sofia-Bucharest or Instanbul).
For Tirane U will have to bus it but they are like Dublin taxis-everywhere an wow-wow! Time; well much same speeds as 1960 Irish Rail!
But a sight cheaper than flying and a lot safer than de bus!
But remember: it is better to travel hopefully than to arrive! Bon Voyage

[Colm Moore]

Originally Posted by the FitzGerald

Time; well much same speeds as 1960 Irish Rail!

Slower than now?

[ccos]

Rail in Albania is crazy, if you find a seat thats not broken keep it, use broken ones lying aroud to block holes in carraige, only 1 train a day to lake ohrid on Macedonia border and no trains from there to Skopje. 50 euros in a taxi, Theres a couple of trains daily from Belgrade to skopje including an overnight on that arrives in skopje around 9 altough it was quite late when I used it, this train goes thru to thessallonika so I assume it comes back that way, All trains are quiete cheap in Serbia and if you have railplus (I dont know if you can buy it in Ireland, comes with bahncard in germany and costs E15 in Holland) theres 25% off crossborder trains.
The line via Kosovo is closed and you cannot cross between Serbia and Kosovo anywhere. The Greeks aren´t big fans of Macedonia calling itself, well, aah, Macedoina so transport links aren´t as good as they could be.

Very good train service from Budapest to Bratislava and Vienna is only 45 minutes away, theres also plenty of trains from Prague
I dont think theres much in the line of crossborder trains between Armenia and Azerbijan, they still have some unfinished border business and I think the only train that far east in Turkey goes to Iran with a break to cross a lake. Coming from Russia via Georgia would probably also pose a problem due to some unpleasantness that occurred recently.

Plenty of ferries from Bari (where Santa Claus is buried) in Italy to Durres in Albania and its less then an hour on the train to Tirana which runs regularly, an experience that will make you look differently at 2900´s but one I highly recommend.

In General trains are very cheap in eastern Europe.

Direct regular express buses run from Toulouse to Andorra.

Anybody know wher I can find the fixture schedule as I wouldn´t mind going to Armenia meself?

[Colm Moore]

Originally Posted by ccos

Anybody know wher I can find the fixture schedule as I wouldn´t mind going to Armenia meself?

They may be working on it at the moment, this was put up last week. http://www.fai.ie/index.php?option=c...22&It emid=31

Actually, its not here either: http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro2012/sta...958/index.html so I wonder if they have decided yet.

[on the move]

Originally Posted by ccos

All trains are quiete cheap in Serbia and if you have railplus (I dont know if you can buy it in Ireland, comes with bahncard in germany and costs E15 in Holland) theres 25% off crossborder trains.
The line via Kosovo is closed and you cannot cross between Serbia and Kosovo anywhere.

Can't buy railplus in Ireland afaik, however IE might be able to do something for you regarding passes and tickets. I don't recognise Kosovo's "independence", however it might be possible to go up to the border and see the place where their refugees were dumped into Macedonia in the conflict. Thought about going into Serbia from Sofia last time, as it's only 90 minutes away, but apparantly Serbia isn't that easy a country to get into, and there is also a time difference between it and Bulgaria, and I wouldn't have much time there anyway, so I didn't bother. There is another time difference between Greece and Macedonia, but there don't appear to be any bureaucratic problems going in and out.

Anybody know where I can find the fixture schedule as I wouldn´t mind going to Armenia meself?

The fixture list won't be released for another 2 weeks. It should have been sorted out by now, but the Russians dug their heels in and demanded they hold the meeting. The first sign of their stubbornness in the group.

[Colm Moore]

http://irishrail.ie/news_centre/news.asp?action=view&news_id=1034

Win tickets to Ireland v Macedonia PLUS details of rail services by Marketing Department

European Championship Qualifier Rep of Ireland Vs Macedonia KO 19:45hrs Saturday 26th March 2011.

Take the train to the Rep of Ireland v Macedonia European Championship qualifier in the Aviva stadium on Sat 26th March.

Iarnrod Eireann are providing additional return services after the match for soccer supporters from Heuston Station to Galway (23.05hrs) and to Limerick and Cork (23.15hrs).

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DART

Extra DART services will also operate before and after the match.

Please buy a return ticket before travelling.

Grand Canal Dock Station will be closed from start of match and until 90 minutes after match ends. No trains will call at Grand Canal Dock during this time.

No bicycles will be carried on DART / Commuter on this evening.


Competition

Fancy winning one of two pairs of tickets to Rep. of Ireland V Macedonia? Click here to enter our competition http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZVBKVJ8

[on the move]

Heading out to Macedonia via Belgrade.

There is a direct raillink between the two cities, and unlike from Greece, it does operate. Did consider heading to Pristina in Serbia for going back, but didn't need it in the end. Skopje and Pristina are only 90 minutes apart, but due to border controls, is said to take longer, and the trains are apparantly very slow.

KO is 21:30 local time, so out of the oven-like heat, and also provides an opportunity to travel from Belgrade on the day of the game, as the train is scheduled to arrive at 17:00 local time, well in time for the game. Whether or not, I'll head in on the day or the one before is something I haven't decided yet, but overall, it's not too bad given the relatively limited rail options in the region.

[Colm Moore]

Originally Posted by on the move

Did consider heading to Pristina in Serbia

Not, getting into the politics, but hasn't Ireland recognised Kosovo's independence?

[dowlingm]

Originally Posted by Colm Moore

Not, getting into the politics, but hasn't Ireland recognised Kosovo's independence?

http://www.dfa.ie/home/index.aspx?id=42938

[on the move]

Originally Posted by Colm Moore

Not, getting into the politics, but hasn't Ireland recognised Kosovo's independence?

It claims to, but I don't. Kosovo imo is another region of Serbia, and if you look to travel there, every time you type the main city of the area, it will come back as "Pristina, Serbia". The Serbian government also doesn't recognise it as independent.

[Sasha]

Another option to go via Sofia. There are 5 buses a day from Sofia Central Bus Station to Skopje, 7:00, 9:30, 16:00, 19:00, 24:00. Return ticket 58 BGL (30 euro). Journey time 4 Hrs.

[Colm Moore]

http://www.irishrail.ie/cat_news.jsp?i=4571&p=116&n=237

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[dowlingm]

There's trouble up north
http://fisherbelfast.com/no-northerners-need-apply/ (note the reply from IE in the comments)

It made the BBC
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-17741233

and Slugger O'Toole:
http://sluggerotoole.com/2012/04/17/...across-europe/

[Mark Gleeson]

Translink do the same, can't even buy a discounted ticket without a UK address

[Thomas J Stamp]

urgh, got brain fade half way through the slugger o toole comments section.

here is an example of myself being accused of being partitioist by various SF people (same sort as commentators on that blog) on twitter.

I asked why RTE were leading the radio news with a story that several hundred jobs were being created in Belfast. It would be the same, I suggested, as saying several hundred jobs had been created in Liverpool (actually I think i used birmingham, but Liverpool is closer again). None of those jobs benifet our ecomony (and yes I got taken to task for not including the wee catholics of Belfast as not being "ours"), none of the taxes arising from them come here, they will not reduce our unemployment rate nor raise our employment rate.

This led to a predictable amount of "partitionist" accusations from, as i said, the likes of that on the Slugger O'Toole site. I find this "stick your fingers in your ears and hum loudly" stuff - post GFA and post Referendum on Arts 2&3 and the Governement of Ireland Act - to be annoying. There may or may not be a physical boarder, but there is a politicial and soverign one. Belfast, and Northern Ireland, is still a constituant part of the United Kiingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

No amount of SF/Stickies agenda within the RTE newsroom and at whetever level of RTE deems it important to treat news that happens in a part of the UK as if it was happening in the State of Ireland (interesting legal note - we dont live in the Republic of Ireland, it doesnt actually exist, we live ina State called, in Irish Eire, in English, Ireland) will change this fact, nor being taken to task by them for daring to point out the obvious realiity that exists. Ironic that a SF polititian can, when it suits him, recognise the existance of this state, when most of the time they dont by constantly referring to where I am a citizen of as "the 26 counties" or "the free state", so before picking holes lads, you should start by recognising the legitimacy of the state down here.

Same goes for yonder boarder blogger and "offended of Derry" in relation to this harmless promotion. One thing I have noticed from anything on the net, though, is that once one Shinnerbot comments on an article, within 12 hours dozens more of them will be on-site to back him/her up, not matter how trivial and harmless the original percieved offence was.

Still, beats blowing things up I guess. A favourite historical past-time of the Replican movement in relation to Irish Rail services in northern ireland, and one for which an "RoI" address was not a condition of participation.

Good to have got that rant off me chest.

[on the move]

You would expect such an "amazing trip" to have at least decent accommodation. Not this one though. You get to spend 11 nights on a patch of grass aka "campsite" in rural Poland, and like it or not, you have to take it.

On the plus side you do get €1k spending money, even if you only need half of it.

It's a shame though that IE only recognised that the Euros are on only now. Most fans going to the arsehole of Poland made their travel arrangements months ago.