It’s been 3 weeks so far, and I think I’m finally able to visualize where I am when using the BVG (Berlin’s CTA.) What shocked me most at first was just how enormous Berlin is when looking at the routes. The plus side is that it’s not that difficult to figure out which way you need to go once you have an idea of how the map is orientated. It’s just a bigger version of the CTA and not everything is clustered around one area, like Chicago’s loop.
The first time I went to a train station, I realized there weren’t any turnstiles. It was “free” entry and exit. You didn’t even need to show your ticket unless there’s a controller. Controllers show up randomly on trains, so you don’t know when you would run into one. I have yet to experience shuffling into my bag for my monthly pass in the past 3 weeks. If only the CTA trusts me as much as the BVG. I definitely make it onto more trains here. The trains are also very exact. If it says 3 minutes, it will come in three minutes. Another thing new to me: Germany is punctual. (I went to a music performance five minutes late and the doors were closed.) Trains run pretty much every 5 minutes, so the wait is never long. If I do have some time, I usually browse around the train stations. Some of the bigger stations have basically a mall down there. From bakeries to an Asian market, you can find anything- use it as a hang out even.
