My Scariest Moment in Berlin

When one rides the subway in Berlin, the ticket is purchased from a machine. But... you don't just buy the ticket, you must also validate it before boarding. This sounds redundant, but it allows you to purchase a bunch of tickets in advance -- a 4-pack costing less per ticket -- and then validate them as you use them.

It's more or less an honor system,  but fear promotes honor. From time to time an "enforcer" boards and asks to see tickets... after the doors close. Being caught "black riding" carries a 40€ fine and the risk of prosecution. So yeah... I validate my ticket... except when I forget.

Step One: Buy Your Ticket

Twice on this trip I forgot. Both times I realized my mistake quickly and got off at the next station to validate, and both times I was lucky and not asked for my ticket. Until today.

M and I traveled to P's place of employment to meet her for lunch. On our trip home, an enforcer boarded. Neither of us had remembered to validate. And neither of us remembered until that very minute.

Step Two: Validate Your Ticket

We got lucky. We were sitting between doors and the distance between stations was short. Someone asked the ticket checker for directions, distracting him from his duties. M and I got off immediately, vaguely waving our tickets in his direction as we disembarked. And we wasted no time getting off the platform, like we were headed someplace.

Where we were headed was the nearest validation machine. A few minutes later, we were back on our way. The train we'd been on was gone. Luckily, so was the ticket checker.

For lunch we went to an Italian restaurant called Sedici.

The restaurant is sort of non-descript from the outside, but there's a cool-looking courtyard behind, where they probably set up tables in warm weather.

That floor looks like it lights up.

The neighborhood is near the Wahrschauer Straße station of the U1 line.

Other than that, not much happened today. M and I were both a bit weary from our visit to the Zitadelle yesterday and, although still temperate, it was a bit gray and gloomy. So we were both content to hang around the apartment for most of the day.

BTW - one can also use the subway/S Bahn tickets on the bus. In that case you validate the ticket right after boarding. If you're transferring to the bus from a train, you just show the ticket to the driver (unless you've entered by the rear door, in which case it's usually honor system). It sounds more complicated than it is. Really.