Keri SoVery…

Yep.  I’m SoVery Driven.  Probably not the “Driven” you are thinking of though.  I’m referring to being driven around.  So far since being here I have not gotten behind the wheel of a vehicle.  I’m relying on being driven around…by buses, U Bahn Trains, S Bahn Trains, my beautiful neighbor, and my handsome hubby.  I am also walking a lot. Being a girl from a small town, public transit was something I had never done before coming here.  Plus I’ve had a car, so I had no need for public transit. Now, I know there are lots of folks out there that use public transit everyday, so y’all please forgive me for not being as experienced as you.  I am still learning.  Every trip is different.  I learn something new all the time.

I am also still learning what you want to read about in my blog, but here we go, some of my public transit experiences and lessons I’ve learned from them. Hopefully it’s either helpful or amusing. 🙂

One day, we got on the wrong train completely.  Fortunately it was headed in the same direction we were so we rode it as far as we could and then hopped on another train to get us the rest of the way. We still haven’t figured out what went wrong on this one because we were both sure it said the destination we needed as it pulled into the station.

One day Chicadee hurried on to a bus and was reprimanded because the drivers were changing out and she got on before the next driver was in place.

The very first time I took the train system without my handsome hubby, a ticket checker came and checked my ticket.  I know that doesn’t seem like much, but ticket checkers seem to make people nervous, I was one of those people.  I hear all the time “they really don’t check tickets that often.”  I’m here to tell you, they DO!  In fact if you ride with me, you better not be riding dirty, cause I seem to get mine checked ALL THE TIME.  They don’t make me nervous any more though.  They usually are dressed in plain clothes and just randomly walk up and speak to you. The first time, it took me a minute to realize they were asking for my ticket.

One day I boarded a train that was going on break, the guy had to come tell me to get off the train and use the one directly behind it.

One day I was making my trip home and really needed to use the bathroom.  But I had no euro coins on me to pay for the restroom. Yes, you pay to get in them in lots of places here.  But they are pretty clean.  Anyway, I had to hold it.  I still had a train to wait on and ride about 40  minutes,  and a mile to walk.  I was hurrying home and made it into my  bathroom at home, but my body was done holding it before I could get my pants unbuttoned and down.

One evening, I peed next to a tree on the way home.

I had an epic fail day this week.  I had 2 meetings to attend one at 5:30 and the other at 6:30.  I planned out my day the day before.  I thought I had things under control.  I needed to leave my house by 3:49 walking to reach the train station in time to catch the train leaving at 4:09. I would then catch another train and then a bus, and then walk the rest of the way.

But what really happened is I had to do some parenting and was on the phone with a teacher, then I of course had to speak to a child after getting off the phone with the teacher.  This put me leaving the house at 3:55 instead of 3:49. It was raining.  I was thankful to have my jacket with a hood.  I hurried to the train station.  It was 4:09 when I got on the platform, the train was still there, I was running to it, and it pulled away.  😦

I get it, I was late, that’s on me.  So I hopped on the other train that was at the station that was going in a direction I knew could work and rerouted my route.  Funny thing is I still ended up with pretty much the same route. Then I was hot and sweaty from rushing, so I took my jacket off.

As I rode I realized I would be sitting and waiting for a bus for like 20 minutes once I arrived at the station I was headed to.  I knew the walking path in that area and since I was rushing, I decided I’d rather walk that sit and wait, so when I got off the train, I walked the rest of the way to where I was going.

So I walked in the meeting at the school LATE and a hot and sweaty mess. I also really needed to use the restroom, but I was already late, so I sat through the meeting.

When the meeting was over I stopped by the restroom before heading to catch my bus to the next meeting (see I learned that lesson).  I get out to the bus stop and I had just missed the bus going where I needed to go and there wasn’t another for an hour.

I used my VVS app (a must for the public transit here in my opinion) to figure out a route.  It would put me getting to the 6:30 meeting at 8:20. So, I made the decision to not go. Then, figured out my route home.

Now it was dark at this point and much cooler and since my under shirt was soaked in sweat, I was now cold. I walked to the bus stop indicated on the app.  I realized I was just in time to catch the LAST bus for the day heading out of there.  I stood and waited.  The bus was late. Finally, I saw the bus coming.  It was not slowing down for my stop.  I had to wave my arms around and jump up and down to get it to stop.  It stopped in the middle of the road instead of in the bus stop area it had already driven past and opened the middle section of doors since it was already past me.  I got on the bus and headed up to scan my ticket.

Now usually I get on a bus and scan my ticket, the driver MAY say a simple greeting or let me know I’m good and I go sit down, but not THIS day. Of COURSE that’s not what happened on this day.  The driver started speaking to me in German and mimicked me waving my arms around at the bus stop.  I asked if he spoke English.  He said no. I have decided to believe that he was telling me it was a good thing I waved my arms around because he almost didn’t see me.  He preceded to ask me a question in German. I have no idea what he said, but I was pretty sure he was asking where I needed to go.  I said 1 stop.  Then he was still talking and still in German.  The passenger next to me (there were only 3 of us on the bus) started to speak to me. Still speaking in German, but SLOWER, because I guess he thought that would help me understand.  (Now I know how people feel)  I was pretty sure he was asking where I needed to go.  So I showed him my app because obviously me trying to say the stop name was not helping either of them understand where I needed to go.  Not only do I not speak German, I have a strong southern accent, so when I TRY to speak German, there’s no telling what it sounds like to them.  I was just 1 stop away.  The 3rd passenger stepped up because he spoke English and told them I was getting off on the next stop. WHEW!

So off I got and I sat and waited, wet with sweat and cold for about 25 minutes for the next bus.  That bus experience was perfectly fine and so was the train ride home. When I got to my train stop and texted my handsome hubby to see if he was there, he stated he was.  I couldn’t see him anywhere.  It’s important to know here that we have 2 train stations near our house.  He was at one and I was at the other.  Fortunately they are only a few minutes apart and he came and rescued me from the cold walk home.

I said all that to say this here:  I am constantly learning all about the public transit system here.  Here are a few things I’ve learned.

 

1. Get the VVS app on your phone!!  You can search routes and purchase the ticket right then and there.

   

2. There are several options for tickets: one trip(Einzel Ticket), day ticket (EinzelTagesTicket), child’s ticket (Kind-these are also used for pets), group day ticket (GruppenTagesTicket) are just a few.  I usually do a day ticket or a group day ticket. The group day ticket is for up to 5 people, but its even cheaper than buying 2 tickets usually.  When you buy a group ticket a pet can count as 1 of the beings in the group. It all depends on how many zones you are going through really.  You can also purchase tickets at the train station and right from the bus drivers. Since I don’t speak the language, the app is the best option for me. It is my understanding if you are using a paper ticket, there is some machine on the platform at the train station you must get it punched by to show when you began using the ticket. There can be a fine if you don’t do this. I’ve never used a paper ticket before, so I don’t know the details.
   

   
3. If you are going several places, you need to research how many zones you are going through altogether-it will tell you right on the app as you figure out your routes. Then you can just purchase a day ticket with either 1-2 zones, 3-4 zones, or the entire network.

   

4. Keep Your Phone Charged.
5. Pack a portable charger with you just in case.
6. Make sure your portable charger is charged and you have a way to connect it to your phone for charging. 🙂
7. Plan ahead: From where we are it usually takes over an hour to get where I need to go.  It is usually a combination of walking, trains, and buses.  Sometimes there are several of each.  So usually if I have to go somewhere in the afternoon or evening, I start figuring out the route the day before or early that morning so that I know when to start out.

   

   

   

   

8. Use the restroom before you head out.
9. Wear comfortable shoes. I sometimes pack the ones that go with my outfit, but wear the comfy ones for the trip there. 🙂
10. Pack a bag.
11. Have Euro coins in said bag in case you need to use the restroom while you are out and about.
12. Wear layers and pack prepared for rain…even if rain is not in the forecast. It may be a rain jacket or an umbrella.  I prefer a jacket, but honestly I pack both.
13. Pack water and even a little snack in said bag. There are vending machines at the various stations, but a water is like 2 euro, so might as well just pack it.
14. Pay attention to the signs.  This is especially true at bus stops.  Often times there are stops on both sides of the road sometimes with the same bus numbers on both sides, so pay attention to where the bus you need is headed.  Once you get more familiar with the area, it will be easier because you will have an idea of the direction you are headed. For me, I easily get turned around especially when one bus takes me to another bus that takes me to a train station that takes me to another train station.  Summary: pay attention to the signs and be sure you know where your bus is supposed to be headed so you get on the right bus. It will say so on the app and it will say so on the signs at the stop. There also signs on the platforms at the train station to help as well.  The buses and the trains also have signs on them.
    

    

    
15. Pay attention to the time you have between connections as well.
16. If you make a mistake and get on the wrong bus or train or miss your bus or train, just take a deep breath, pay attention to the stops, (there is usually some type of signage with the stops listed) and use your app to refigure your route.  It will be ok, there is no reason to get upset. 

    

17. Pay attention to when the buses stop running in the area you will be in so that you know when you have to leave by to be able to get where you need to go and back home.
18. Usually the public transit is pretty quiet.  Loud people get dirty looks.  Don’t be a loud person.
19. Ask for help. Help others that ask for help. There are lots of people still figuring this out and unsure, they will often ask you questions. Answer if you can. Direct them to the signs that may help them especially if you don’t speak the language.  Often times you can help even if you don’t speak the language because they are saying the names of stops. Also, don’t be afraid to ask someone a question if you need to.
20. JUST TRY IT!  Might as well especially if you are going to be here a while still.  The more you do it, the easier it gets. Take along a friend.

 

In conclusion, you too can be SoVery Driven!  Just get out and go!  Of course always be aware of your surroundings and be careful how much information you share about yourself.  Know that this is written by someone who is still figuring it out as I go. Hopefully I’ll run into you at the train station or bus stop some time!

SoVery Adventurous