How I Know I'm American #2: Transportation

In Doylestown my life is in the car; at Penn State I always went by foot; Montpellier's trams saw a lot of me; and in Innsbruck I biked everywhere. But here in Munich, it's all about the Bahn.

It took me a while to associate the German terms with English equivalents instead of just the actual objects. Technically, I suppose the U-Bahn is a subway, S-Bahn is a regional train, and the Straßenbahn is a trolley. But since I haven't had much experience with those in the US, I've been like a little kid this summer. I'm flabbergasted by the swarms of people moving on, off, and around the U-Bahn at each stop. I'm chilled catching glimpses in the darkness of the cavernous tunnels in between stations and fascinated when we zoom by another U-Bahn full of people heading the other direction. I'm tickled by the drivers' voices muttering station names in thick Bavarian accents and their million variations on the requisite "Zurückhalten, bitte." I'm terrified, waiting outside for the S-Bahn, when the long-distance trains storm through and shake my bench just two meters away. I'm delighted when people break the routine of blank faces and non-descript actions, like the guy who brought in a lawn chair and promptly plopped down in it next to me.

My German course ended last week, but it was fun having a precise schedule every day during that time, because I started recognizing people. A co-worker was sometimes on my morning U-Bahn, so we could walk together to work. On the way from work to the station, I always passed the same 2 or 3 people from another company, napping in the car during their lunch break. Where I got out for class, a nasal male voice always filled the corridor, trying to sell a magazine called Biss. And right before the Goethe-Institut building, I was always confronted by the entreating face of an old lady begging. OK, so fun's not the word for that part - more like troubling. (I've seen fewer immigrants begging here than in France, but each makes me wonder a lot about my role in poverty.)

Munich's Bahn system has a couple of neat features, like the news updates and 1-minute cartoons playing on the TVs at every station. But from what I've heard, it can't touch the Moscow metro. A Russian classmate gave a German presentation on it, in which I learned:
-It's the second most-used system worldwide, with around 7 million riders daily.
-It's renowned for the artwork and architecture in most stations: the most famous painting requires the constant vigil of 2 guards.
-It's considered a tourist attraction, with guided tours and even a special dinner car that meanders through.
-There's apparently a hidden Stalin-era line, Metro 2, connecting several key government buildings to an underground town. Buried deep underground, it may be even longer than the regular Metro. Rumors fly around about kids and teens stumbling onto it, then never being heard from again. My Russian classmates wouldn't put it past their government.