U-Bahn

As hectic and confusing as the airports were, the Berlin subway system seemed beautifully simple. Bright yellow trains arrive every five minutes, except on holidays when they only come every ten minutes. Signs make it easy to find your way from one train platform to another, and the automatic ticket dispensers work brilliantly (as long as you can figure out which direction to insert your euros.) Of course, having almost never used the subway in America, I can hardly compare my experiences at home with here. Nevertheless, the fact that a completely inexperienced traveler like me could navigate my way alone from my house to the Goethe Institut without incident says something.

Strangely, the majority of people taking the subway never have their tickets checked. I have taken five trains so far, and not once have ticket checkers come along and asked to see my month long pass. This pseudo honor system saves the city money by reducing staff for each ride, and getting on and off is considerably quicker and easier. However, it does make riding illegally for free very easy. A fare dodger is called a "Schwarzfahrer," and I must admit, when the ticket dispenser asked me for 74 euros for my month long pass, I may have been just a little bit tempted.

Another oddity of the subway system is the occasional live performances. One man sang and played the guitar on my first ride. Then later, a man performed violin with accompaniment via iPod. I was impressed not only by his playing but by his ability to keep his balance while the train went around curves. His fevered performance made my day.