Walking, Buses, and Trains, oh, my!

The boys and I went on our first excursion on the Public Transportation here.  The destination was not the objective, just riding somewhere.  We did get to where I had planned so we were successful!

We do not come from where there is an extensive public transportation system.  The boys have riden maybe once or twice before in their short lives.  I've been more times during traveling, but wouldn't call myself an expert yet.  You can imagine all of the questions the boys had during our expedition!  Some I could answer; other questions we answered together by observing fellow riders along the way.

Our journey began with a 2.5 minute walk to the bus stop.  The walk was easy...getting out of the house with four boys and myself ready on time was more of the feat!  The boys had lots of questions... How do we know when the bus will come?  Where is the bus?  When will it come?  What do we do with our passes?  When will the bus come?  We looked at the time table and I was glad I had on my watch so I could tell them how long until the bus arrived:)  We also noticed the bus stop across the street where we would get off when we got back.  (This is the stop we'll start at on the way to school everyday.)

The bus arrived and  I wasn't sure what to do with our passes.  They entitle us to ride as often as we want.  I showed the passes to the driver and he just waved us on.  The bus wasn't too full at the time so we could easily find a seat together.  We watched what other people did to learn lots of things.  We rode the bus for 13 minutes.  The boys often asked when it would be our stop.  It's good to know in advance how long you'll ride so you can inform your young travelers!

The boys were excited to be able to push the button for our stop.  When our stop came, we got off and had 6 minutes to transfer to a train across the street from the bus stop.

This is the street that we need to cross.  You can see the tracks in the foreground.

This is the type of train.

This is were we'll often transfer from our initial bus.  Busy place! 

The "H" signs are the bus stops.  

The elevated station is for the train. 

We rode the train for 14 minutes.  We arrived at our destination 2 minutes early and went to play in the Rhine Park.  This is a large green space (1 block by about 8 blocks) in the middle of Dusseldorf along the Rhine River.  It was pretty quiet Monday, but on the weekends it's filled with families enjoying picnics, soccer, frisbee, walks, bike riding, dog walking, running, or enjoying the traffic on the Rhine.  We played for awhile in a kid play area.  We met a nice family that moved here from New Jersey.  It's surprising when you actually hear someone speaking English after so often not knowing what is said around you.

Here are some of the things we learned on our excursion:

• You only need your pass ticket when the driver asks for it.  But, if you don't have it when they want it you'll pay a hefty sum.
• The time table tells you when to expect the bus or train.  The German system is on-time and reliable.
• Being able to read a time table is an essential skill to learn!
• There are LOTS of buses and trains.  Make sure you get on the correct number and that it's going in the desired direction.  You can reach almost any destination by bus or train around here.
• There is a sign on the bus and train that tells you the next stop.  It is in German:)
• You have to push a button on the bus and train to let the driver know you want to get off at the next stop. 
• You have to push a button if the door on the train doesn't open and you need it to.
• Sometimes the floor on the train doorway becomes steps and sometimes it remains flat.  Pretty cool to a little boy!:)
• At the stop there is an electronic sign that will tell you when the next train or bus is expected. 
• You need to be on the correct side of the street to catch the bus or train that will go in your desired direction.  The corresponding stops are not necessarily directly across the street from each other.
• Keep track of how long it took you to walk from your stop so that you can get back with time to catch a ride home.
• If the train is full you don't always get to sit together...but as it empties you can change seats.
• There's lots of waiting while you're at the stop and riding.  Good time to read a book or do homework!
• If it's raining you still have to wait at the stop.  Better invest in a good umbrella!!

We're going to try it with only one vehicle.  Greg will often need it for work.  So, the boys and I will become very familiar with the public transportation around here.  I don't doubt that they'll quickly be able to help others navigate themselves through a journey!