2005: The S-bahn

So with my sporadic blog posts, I thought that I might as well share some stories about my travels and life. The above picture is taken on the S-bahn in Stuttgart. I don't exactly remember if this was taken going to Schwabstrasse from Mitte or from Uni. Either way, I have some very exciting stories and also mundane stories aboard the S-bahn during my time in Germany.

In the beginning of the Amsterdam weekend, we all gathered to meet to take the S-bahn together to Hauptbahnhof. I remember it was fairly early on a Friday. My sister was in Stuttgart at the time and I think we were all packed. After having been in Germany for so long, I didn't even think of taking my passport out when I traveled. It just didn't occur to me since every weekend we would go somewhere in Baden Wuerttenberg or Bayern. No passport required. Anyways on the way to Schwabstrasse, someone mentioned passports and I completely freaked out because I know I don't have mine. I think it was Milos who brought it up. I got off at Schwabstrasse and called Jacek. He had my room key for some reason. I don't exactly remember. Maybe to borrow some stuff while I was on the trip. Anyways, I asked him to meet me halfway to the subway stop with my passport. I ran from the Unit station to meet. I remember I was very out of breath and tired. It was a foggy, wet autumn day. So I was wet too. I got back on the S-bahn all the way to the main train station and barely made the train with 2 minutes to spare. Very exciting to say the least.

I have also seen my share of people caught without a ticket. The way the transportation system works in Germany is based on an honor system. There are no turn stiles but you have to have a ticket to legally board the train. As a student worker, I had a monthly pass I had to buy every month. The ticket checkers aren't always there. They appear about once every two weeks. The fine back then was forty euros, which was about the price of a monthly pass. Anyways, I remember seeing two Americans without tickets or passports. Without passports they were taken into police custody. They were checked on the train from Mitte to Schwabstrasse. They had to get off with the train police at Schwabstrasse. No handcuffs though.

Another story I have about the train is throwing up in Ludwigsburg. My co-worker at Bosch invited me to the Weihnachtsmarkt there and we had Gluehwein (spiced mull wine). Anyways it didn't sit very well and I had to stop once on our trip home to throw up in the trash can. Sven was a very nice guy. I wish him all the best wherever he is.

The S-bahn was my constant source of transportation in Stuttgart. My friends and I would take it anywhere in the area. It was the way to travel longer distances within the Stuttgart metropolitan area. There was one thing that's pretty interesting about the S-bahn is that there is a first class. I would see the suit types in first class. It was basically two booths closed off by glass. Their chairs were larger but I think first class in public transportation is funny.