Thursday 31 January 2013

Going Underground

It feels like several lifetimes ago, but I once spent four and a bit years living in London.

And almost every day of those four and a bit years, I descended into the bowels of the earth, swiped my travel card and journeyed along the tentacles of this city's metro system, one of the oldest in the world. Like everyone, I dealt with my share of nutters and gropers, of rude people and the patently insane. But I was never one of those who 'suffered' the Tube; I loved its frenetic energy and the challenge of trying to negotiate my way around it, even on days when it was so unreliable, overcrowded and frustrating I was surprised they hadn't slapped a misery warning on it.

Since then, I've been lucky enough to ride subway cars in New York, Moscow, Prague, Hong Kong, Amsterdam, San Francisco, Shanghai, Paris, Tokyo, Washington DC, Munich, Berlin, Athens, Bangkok, Madrid, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Budapest, Cairo, Seville, Rome, Osaka, Kuala Lumpur, St Petersburg, Vienna, Singapore, Milan, Lisbon, Oslo, Warsaw, Barcelona, Istanbul, Helsinki and Glasgow (apologies if this comes across as hubris; it isn't meant to. I hadn't realised until now how many I've actually been on. It makes me sound like some kind of rapid transport geek).

Anyway, this is a stupidly long way of saying that today the London Underground celebrated its 150th birthday by hosting Chuck and Camilla (obvs everyone more interesting was busy). The glorious Guardian ran a caption contest, asking readers what they thought was going through the Cornwalls' minds as they got a taste of how the little people live (but without the vomit, pick-pockets and homeless folk, of course). I have just spent the last hour almost peeing my pants reading the comments; they are beyond priceless (click here for story).

          


2 comments:

  1. Gee you're a well travelled wee thing!

    Loved the story and the comments - still smiling about them.

    Have a great weekend and hope it isn't all work, work, work.

    Mel xox

    ReplyDelete
  2. Am feeling it must be time to add to that list.

    Lots of work on this weekend, but interspersed with fun things which, no doubt will make it to the blog in the next few days (the fun, that is, not the work).

    Have a good weekend yourself

    SSx

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