From the outside, it might seem that there is a strong car culture in Germany (and Germans definitely like their cars!), but overall, most people get around using public transit, such as buses and trains, or even on their bikes! This week, because it snowed, I even saw quite a few children being pulled around by their parents on sleds!
I have a ticket from the University that permits me to use any public transit within the state where Kiel is located. This means that I can travel for almost 50 miles in any direction and never have to pay a fare! I take the Deutsche Bahn (the name for the German train system), which is a comprehensive transit system that covers the whole country. Unfortunately, this system was built during the middle of the 20th century and is now a little bit less cared for than it used to be, so delays on the Deutsche Bahn are common. That being said, you can get pretty much anywhere you would like to go, even if it does take you a ittle longer. And of course, it's cheaper and better for the environment than taking a car. Overall, the train is still fairly quick, such as the journey when I travelled all the way from the North to the South of Germany over the course of a single night. That's further than the distance from New York to Chicago!
Bicycles are also a common form of transport here in Germany, and I have gotten used to biking everywhere, which I definitely did not do in New York City! There are bike lanes on almost every street, which makes biking a much safer activity. Bicycles are treated like cars, which means that you follow every traffic rule just as you would if you were driving a car.
