I admit, living in the middle of Germany’s largest city makes it easier not owning a car. But the streets are packed with cars and many of our friends have cars. We don’t. Sure, I miss the thrill of racing around the hills of Northern California in my V8 Mustang, or cruising from San Jose to San Diego in my V8 Lincoln LS. But when we drive from Berlin to places in Germany, France, Netherlands or Italy, those little Peugots, Citroens or Opels are perfectly comfortable and affordable – with a gallon of gas costing almost $8.
In Berlin, we have an efficient, clean and punctual public transportation system – well, the S-Bahn, a surface train, seems to have problems with old equipment and freezing switches in the icy winters. But all we have to do to reach just about any place in Berlin is to walk to the nearest U-Bahn station, about three minutes from our door. Okay, a ride in one direction costs about $3.5, but we can also transfer to a very good bus system we use for the right destinations; for shorter distances, I pay less than $2 per ride. Compared to the huge costs of owning car here, estimated to be about $600 a month, riding trains, subways and busses is a real bargain. And don’t even think about finding a parking space here.
