I'm sitting here nervously waiting for it to be time to leave to travel to the other side of London for my meeting with 'S' about my lecture and the seminar to follow it.
Everyone always assumes that getting about London is easy, and quick, but I can assure that is not always the case. Much will depend where you are travelling from and to, and my journey today is a good example of this. I live in a part of London that is not served by the Underground. Apparently it will be here in a couple of years, but we don't have a connection at the moment. This means that the cheapest way for me to get across London is to use a combination of bus and tube; both of which enable me to use my Oyster card which means that I pay less than the standard single fare if paying by cash. I can't use my Oyster card on the rail network, and the cost of travelling into the centre of London on a train can be ridiculous.
I decided to check the Transport for London website for the best way to get to my destination. It suggested a method whereby I had a 10 minute walk to a bus stop, caught a bus, changed buses (probably with a wait in the cold), then got off at a particular tube station and completed my journey by tube. That would be one tube fare and two bus fares that I would be charged for each way. I have found a different route (by using my rudimentary knowledge of London (I was away for more than 30 years and things have changed a bit in that time)) and by using my way I still have a 10 minute walk to the bus stop, but in a different direction, and I need only wait for one bus, which will take me to a major transport terminus in the centre of London, and then a shorter journey on the tube. This means that I am saving at least £2 on my travel costs, and I will have less waiting in the cold for buses.
All that is left for me to do before I set out is get myself into some really warm clothing so that I don't freeze to death waiting for a bus, and then set out on my adventure.
1 comment:
Well done for sorting out a more practical route than Transport fopr London website could give you for your journey across London to meet with 'S'. I hope your session with him goes well and that your discussions help you to decide what you need to gather in preparing your lecture/seminar. I also hope that you managed to wrap up sufficiently well to keep warm in the near arctic climate conditions. Look forward to hearing the news of your meeting later. :-))
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