StewBlog

I may have posted about this before but even if I did, this deserves another airing! I like this country, but the more I travel, the more I realise how bloody expensive everything is, especially travel...

Berlin: Single anywhere on the S-Bahn, incl Schoenefeld = €2.80
New York: Day pass for any bus/train to go anywhere, incl JFK = $7.50
Madrid: 10 tickets to go anywhere on the Metro, incl Barajas = €5.65
Tokyo: Day pass for any Metro train, incl Narita = ¥710
London: Underground pass for Zones 1-6, incl Heathrow only = £13.80

The subway in New York is fantastically air-conditioned and very pleasant even in the height of summer and runs all through the night. The S-Bahn is spotlessly clean and efficient, from my experience yesterday. The Madrid Metro is the largest system in the world yet runs very smoothly right through until almost 2am in the morning.

Somehow, all these cities manage to provide an efficient transport service for their capital city at a fraction of the cost of London... So, can somebody tell me what the hell is going on here?

Didn't get to see much of Berlin at all yesterday. Due to the flight delay in the morning, I had no time to hang around, so on arrival I was straight on the S-Bahn and on my way to Wedding, a station in the North West of the city. Made it to reception with just a few minutes to spare, after struggling to double Windsor knot my tie around the corner - They're real buggers to get right, those things! Anyway, I had 4 half hour interviews which were pretty relaxed - no bench tests, technical questions or anything. The one surprise was that I'd pretty much have to learn German to get on out there. Unlike my current company and similar companies in Switzerland, which are truly multinational, this place is thoroughly German. E-mails, chit-chat, lunch, banter is all Deutche! After we'd finished, I had to race straight back to the station at Wedding and get on the train back to the airport! In fact, my only real taste of Germany was a bottle of Berliner Kindl which I picked up for the flight home.

I should find out whether I'll be offered a position early next week.