Challenging Experiences
Howdy! There is no way we have been here for 3 weeks! It is flying by. I have learned so much and faced so many challenges already. One of the biggest challenges I was expecting coming to Germany was figuring out the public transportation. I was nervous about traveling with the trains and buses, but I knew I would get the hang of it and eventually become a pro at it. I loved the idea of being able to go anywhere and everywhere with the trains.
Coming into this trip, I had heard about the public transportation system and how efficient and affordable it was. I was expecting to become a lover of the trains and buses early in this trip. Since being here, I have learned that the idea of the public transportation is really great and has the potential to work very well. However, I have not had this experience with the public transportation. The trains that I take are almost always late or do not show up. This causes schedules and plans to be moved or even cancelled in some cases. This was very surprising to me and hard for me to comprehend. It also surprises me that everyone is so okay with it, as it is the norm. This was not a challenge I was expecting to face being in Germany. I understand that everything has its advantages and disadvantages, but for me personally, the advantages of public transportation do not outweigh the disadvantages.
Thanks & Gig'em,
Rebekah Bledsoe
Howdy Rebekah! This trip has gone by so fast! I was also really nervous about navigating public transportation for the first time. The trains being so late did surprise me, but I use the trams every day and I have noticed that they are usually more reliable than the trains. I think relying solely on the trains for daily transportation would be very frustrating.
ReplyDeleteHey Bekah! I do understand the grievances with public transportation, but I will say I enjoy the fact that there is at least a solid infrastructure there for those who don't have cars to rely on. I know that in the U.S. it is so normal to have a car, but I've also been to cities, like Washington DC, where most people don't even have a driver's license due to the accessibilty of public transportation. Here I feel it's an issue with investment in the DB infrastructure, which causes a lot of frustrating situations. When comparing the public transportation systems I've used, I would say the U.S. and Germany are fairly similar, although Germany has a much more widespread system of travel. For example, I've once needed to travel by the Amtrak train and got stuck on the tracks for 45 minutes. I do think this occurence is less of an issue in the U.S., but it's nice to see all of the other options in Germany where success in punctuality is found. It's really an interesting thing to think about because I think as people who drive cars so much it can be hard to get sold on public transportation, especially when it involves the touchy DB system.
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