Well what should have been a nice journey from Zurich to St Gallen became more entertaining than I wanted it to be .
I bought the tickets and came down to the platform to board the train . I asked a couple of elderly people whether I could board any compartment of a given train and they nodded in affirmative . I boarded the first train to St Gallen and was able to get my heavy baggage in before the doors closed . Thats why I prefer the trains in India , you can board them till the last compartment moves off the station and the doors are never closed !
I boarded the train and was looking at the picturesque view all around through the wide windows. As soon as it reached the next station en-route I saw a sign “1″ on the other end of the compartment .I then quickly went to the sign and started reading the details. There were enough German words which where similar to English to make me realise that I would have to cough up 120 francs fine as I had boarded the First Class with a Second class ticket. Also my infinitesimally minimal knowledge of German meant that I could not know if there were any imprisonment clauses too !
Just as I made my mind to get down at the next stop , my eyes caught the ticket collector\ checker ( seemingly a rarity on Swiss trains) who had just boarded the adjacent compartment. I was tensed , day 1 and wrong side of the law ! I started shifting my luggage towards the exit away from the ticket collector. I was standing at the exit for next 20 minutes biting my nails and praying to all Gods back home as the ticket collector was slowly moving towards me. Then came a heavenly voice , from the automated train announcement that next halt was nearing .
When the ticket collector was four rows away , I got into the restroom to think of an excuse apart from my ignorance so that I can atleast get away with the fine . As I got out from the restroom , the TT had moved 2 rows ahead at smiled at me. I got the fear of my life and just as I looked out I saw a station and the train started slowing down . I didnt care about which station that was , I just rushed out with all my luggage ,thanking gods who saved my day .
As I saw the train halt for more than a minute , I boarded the 2nd class compartment of the same train. For about 35 minutes my heart was in my mouth. Felt like I had been through a thriller movie , and I am more than happy with climax, but I would not recommend this to anyone!
Had a good laugh! Looking forward to more of your escapades.