My life without a car (Germany 2018 UPDATE)
You can view the original post here. Hard to believe it's already been over four years since I posted that blog. Time is flying by....
So, heres the info. I sold my beloved Honda back in 2013, before I moved full time to Europe, to pursue new experiences and European living, not to mention to be with someone I love. Yeah, yeah... totally cliche :-). So technically I have been car free for about 5 years now.
The majority of my sentiments from the first post still ring true, public transportation has its ups and downs, but here in Germany public transit is much different from the US and Ireland. Germany is known for its amazing public transit. In Ireland if a bus or train was an hour late, things were still "okay", here in Germany, people start complaining if a tram is 5 minutes late! Yes, seriously. They are so spoiled or blessed here with good efficient transportation services, busses, trams, trains, and intercity trains, all at a relatively low cost. Which for us, as a car free couple, meant that a move to Germany would enhance our lifestyle. And I can confirm that it definitely has. But that's not all.
To be honest, we don't use the public transportation that often. Here comes the questioning right?! That is because on top of public transportation, Germany is set up with an incredible bike transport system. That means, that cities here are set up with dedicated bike lanes and pathways, which promotes more people to travel by bike. And thats what we do. It's about 15 minutes by bike to my work, and its a ride through a park most of the way...so awesome! And I don't feel as afraid riding because I don't have to ride in the street with the cars. Cologne is also relatively flat, which makes it even better for getting around with a bike.
What I also noticed about Germany, is that the cities and towns are set up in a way that are conducive to walking. There is usually a central area, where a lot of the shops and things are, and for example in Cologne, nearly every district has this central area with shopping that is usually, very easily reachable by foot.
Speaking of foot. One of the biggest appreciations I now have after 5 years car free, is the power of my own body of getting me place to place. I know it sounds simple, but when you grow up, literally driving everywhere, to the store, to the gym, to the movies, its easy to forget that the best way for us to get around is our own two feet. Like all of our ancestors did before us.
Not only are we helping the environment, but I have lost weight and gotten in better shape because of our lifestyle. Plus plus.
That said, we still have access to cars. Another plus about Germany's transportation system. Car sharing. You can "rent" a car for a short period of time, or hours at a time, and then give it back so someone else can use it. Ours in particular, DriveNow, basically you search the app for a car near by, activate the car with your card, drive to wherever you want, and then deactivate the car and walk away. So when we have to do an Ikea trip or its snowing and we don't feel like taking the bike, we have the option to use a car.
As you can see, it's actually pretty convenient to not have a car, especially in a big city. No repair payments, no insurance, no searching for parking places, and an easier carbon footprint. And in Germany, it's not all that uncommon for people not to have a car. So cheers to all those out there like us who are successfully tackling life on their own two feet!
So, heres the info. I sold my beloved Honda back in 2013, before I moved full time to Europe, to pursue new experiences and European living, not to mention to be with someone I love. Yeah, yeah... totally cliche :-). So technically I have been car free for about 5 years now.
The majority of my sentiments from the first post still ring true, public transportation has its ups and downs, but here in Germany public transit is much different from the US and Ireland. Germany is known for its amazing public transit. In Ireland if a bus or train was an hour late, things were still "okay", here in Germany, people start complaining if a tram is 5 minutes late! Yes, seriously. They are so spoiled or blessed here with good efficient transportation services, busses, trams, trains, and intercity trains, all at a relatively low cost. Which for us, as a car free couple, meant that a move to Germany would enhance our lifestyle. And I can confirm that it definitely has. But that's not all.
To be honest, we don't use the public transportation that often. Here comes the questioning right?! That is because on top of public transportation, Germany is set up with an incredible bike transport system. That means, that cities here are set up with dedicated bike lanes and pathways, which promotes more people to travel by bike. And thats what we do. It's about 15 minutes by bike to my work, and its a ride through a park most of the way...so awesome! And I don't feel as afraid riding because I don't have to ride in the street with the cars. Cologne is also relatively flat, which makes it even better for getting around with a bike.
What I also noticed about Germany, is that the cities and towns are set up in a way that are conducive to walking. There is usually a central area, where a lot of the shops and things are, and for example in Cologne, nearly every district has this central area with shopping that is usually, very easily reachable by foot.
Speaking of foot. One of the biggest appreciations I now have after 5 years car free, is the power of my own body of getting me place to place. I know it sounds simple, but when you grow up, literally driving everywhere, to the store, to the gym, to the movies, its easy to forget that the best way for us to get around is our own two feet. Like all of our ancestors did before us.
Not only are we helping the environment, but I have lost weight and gotten in better shape because of our lifestyle. Plus plus.
That said, we still have access to cars. Another plus about Germany's transportation system. Car sharing. You can "rent" a car for a short period of time, or hours at a time, and then give it back so someone else can use it. Ours in particular, DriveNow, basically you search the app for a car near by, activate the car with your card, drive to wherever you want, and then deactivate the car and walk away. So when we have to do an Ikea trip or its snowing and we don't feel like taking the bike, we have the option to use a car.
As you can see, it's actually pretty convenient to not have a car, especially in a big city. No repair payments, no insurance, no searching for parking places, and an easier carbon footprint. And in Germany, it's not all that uncommon for people not to have a car. So cheers to all those out there like us who are successfully tackling life on their own two feet!
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