Transportation

You asked for it, so here it is.

my borrowed bike

 When I came to Braunschweig, I expected the transportation system to be similar to Lüneburg, where I spent my study abroad time.  BUT, it is way more complicated and often inconvenient to ride public transportation.  The buses only come at certain times and sometimes not in the direction you need to go.  Some buses only go in a circle, so you might end up riding a half an hour on a bus to get somewhere, when you could have gotten there by car in under 10 minutes.  You also often have to travel to the center of town and change in order to go in the right direction. 

Also due to the fact that there are many one-way streets and pedestrian zones in Braunschweig, bicycles are the preferred mode of transportation.  Almost all my students ride bikes to school, and even those who come on the trains bring their bikes with them.  When I arrived in Braunschweig and Magreta showed me around my flat, she told me that I could use her daughter's bike while I'm here.  Well, this girl must be a lot taller than me, because even when I lowered the seat all the way down, the bike is still too big for me.

I am proud to report that I have gotten much better at riding a bike since I've been here.  I have also decided that if parents ride bikes with their five-year-old children into the city, then I can't let a five-year-old out-do me!