A visitor's view of London
February 7 2016 By Abiodun Giwa
the London's Underground train
One day in London is like one day in heaven. Why? You see as much people thronging the streets around Westminster and the Trafalgar Square, as one see people in places like the Grand Central and Times Square in New York City, places regarded as heavenly places, by people visiting from other parts of the world.
A journey from the Heathrow Airport to the Westminster and the Trafalgar Square represents an open window to London, where the mass transit is called 'The underground train', unlike in New York City, where it is called 'The subway'.
And whether a Subway or Underground, the mass transit perform same function - moving a mass of people. You know where you are going, but you don't know where others are going.What unites you all is that you all have a system that gets you to your different destinations without headache.
As you get into the underground rail system in London, you discover that the trains are painted red, blue and cream colors. Some of the trains are old look and horrible in their colors, while the trains that are still new look really good in their colors.
The train doors slams to a close as if warning you that if you don't get out of the way, the door is careless and capable of cutting any careless person into pieces. And that makes you ask whether this train is meant for humans or animals. Serious, you got to be fast to ride the trains in London to avoid the door slamming against you, unlike in New York City, where you can hold the door open for oncoming passengers or allow yourself in before the door closes. A visitor cannot do without doffing the hat for Londoners for living with that tram.
Again, as you journey through Earls Court to Kessington Olympia and to Noting Hill; from Bayswater to Paddington, and from Bakers Street to Westminster, you suddenly begin to see arrays of escalators. And you ask, "Is London a city of escalators?" There are so many escalators in London that make the use of escalators in other cities pale to irrelevance. London don't just have escalators, it ensures these escalators have deliberate architectural touches that make them beautiful. The escalators seem like that they are not just performing the function of moving people up and down, but that their presence is also to ensure people see them as beautiful pieces of artworks and decoration for the walls.
Escalators in London are mesmerizing. In addition to this is the length of the underground train. You stand in the middle of the train and you seem to be unable to see the end of both sides of the train. You say self-consciously that this is a crowd packer. Making the connections to where you are heading, as a first time visitor, is not easy. You have to stop people to ask questions, to avoid getting lost or waste valuable time running in a circus, when seeking help could get you to wherever you have in mind to go.
I was heading toward Westminster and Trafalgar Square, but I almost got lost along the way. The trouble began from the Heathrow Airport, from where I chose to travel underground for 12 pounds, instead of going to town on the express train for 35 pounds. A temporary trouble began when it almost became impossible to get a ticket to go underground.
I knew that I needed to get a ticket for the whole day to do a round the city ride following an inquiry. But the vending machine refused my credit card. A young man who assisted me toward resolving the debacle told me to use my bank card, instead of a credit card. I refused. I said I only use my bank card outside the United States for highly important matters.
I was asked to go to Bureau-de-change to get my dollars changed to pounds Sterling. I did. But that still did not resolve the problem, because the ticket vending machine had no provision for cash payment. I was taken to another set of vending machines near the entrance into the underground.
All the machines near the entrance into the underground also did not take cash. I ended queuing on a long line before a counter. The line moved fast and I eventually got a ticket for 12 pounds that ensured my journey to Westminster and Trafalgar Square.
At Westminster, you see the double decker buses, the Parliament building, the square with flags of Commonwealth countries and the statutes of important British political figures. And you see a large crowd. You know that you are not yet at the Trafalgar Square. A young man tells you on enquiry that going to the Trafalgar will entail fifteen minutes walk.
You almost decided to abandon the quest. But something seeking an adventure asks you to go ahead. You walk. Along the way, you continue to see statutes of men and women with marks about how they made Britain proud in wars. It suddenly damns on you that immediately to your left is the British War Museum.
Under ten minutes, you arrive at the Trafalgar Square. "This is Trafalgar!" You said to yourself. The crowd surged and you wondered where they were from and you said they must have been visiting just like you. People delightedly take pictures with the lions' statutes, mount the podium and sit round the fountain.
After feeding the eyes and shooting so many photographs and videos, you remember the need to return to the airport and the Piccadilly line comes into your attention. People have told you not to forget Piccadilly as the only train line to the airport from the Wetsminster. However, the train on Piccadilly line this evening developed a fault and everyone seemed stranded.
Consequently, I jumped into another train to Acton Town like I saw everyone who had places going did. And from Acton Town, we got into another train that connected us back to the Piccadilly line. Evidently, one can't travel from the Westminster to the Heathrow Airport without traveling the Piccadilly line, if one's choice is to travel underground.
A journey from the Heathrow Airport to the Westminster and the Trafalgar Square represents an open window to London, where the mass transit is called 'The underground train', unlike in New York City, where it is called 'The subway'.
And whether a Subway or Underground, the mass transit perform same function - moving a mass of people. You know where you are going, but you don't know where others are going.What unites you all is that you all have a system that gets you to your different destinations without headache.
As you get into the underground rail system in London, you discover that the trains are painted red, blue and cream colors. Some of the trains are old look and horrible in their colors, while the trains that are still new look really good in their colors.
The train doors slams to a close as if warning you that if you don't get out of the way, the door is careless and capable of cutting any careless person into pieces. And that makes you ask whether this train is meant for humans or animals. Serious, you got to be fast to ride the trains in London to avoid the door slamming against you, unlike in New York City, where you can hold the door open for oncoming passengers or allow yourself in before the door closes. A visitor cannot do without doffing the hat for Londoners for living with that tram.
Again, as you journey through Earls Court to Kessington Olympia and to Noting Hill; from Bayswater to Paddington, and from Bakers Street to Westminster, you suddenly begin to see arrays of escalators. And you ask, "Is London a city of escalators?" There are so many escalators in London that make the use of escalators in other cities pale to irrelevance. London don't just have escalators, it ensures these escalators have deliberate architectural touches that make them beautiful. The escalators seem like that they are not just performing the function of moving people up and down, but that their presence is also to ensure people see them as beautiful pieces of artworks and decoration for the walls.
Escalators in London are mesmerizing. In addition to this is the length of the underground train. You stand in the middle of the train and you seem to be unable to see the end of both sides of the train. You say self-consciously that this is a crowd packer. Making the connections to where you are heading, as a first time visitor, is not easy. You have to stop people to ask questions, to avoid getting lost or waste valuable time running in a circus, when seeking help could get you to wherever you have in mind to go.
I was heading toward Westminster and Trafalgar Square, but I almost got lost along the way. The trouble began from the Heathrow Airport, from where I chose to travel underground for 12 pounds, instead of going to town on the express train for 35 pounds. A temporary trouble began when it almost became impossible to get a ticket to go underground.
I knew that I needed to get a ticket for the whole day to do a round the city ride following an inquiry. But the vending machine refused my credit card. A young man who assisted me toward resolving the debacle told me to use my bank card, instead of a credit card. I refused. I said I only use my bank card outside the United States for highly important matters.
I was asked to go to Bureau-de-change to get my dollars changed to pounds Sterling. I did. But that still did not resolve the problem, because the ticket vending machine had no provision for cash payment. I was taken to another set of vending machines near the entrance into the underground.
All the machines near the entrance into the underground also did not take cash. I ended queuing on a long line before a counter. The line moved fast and I eventually got a ticket for 12 pounds that ensured my journey to Westminster and Trafalgar Square.
At Westminster, you see the double decker buses, the Parliament building, the square with flags of Commonwealth countries and the statutes of important British political figures. And you see a large crowd. You know that you are not yet at the Trafalgar Square. A young man tells you on enquiry that going to the Trafalgar will entail fifteen minutes walk.
You almost decided to abandon the quest. But something seeking an adventure asks you to go ahead. You walk. Along the way, you continue to see statutes of men and women with marks about how they made Britain proud in wars. It suddenly damns on you that immediately to your left is the British War Museum.
Under ten minutes, you arrive at the Trafalgar Square. "This is Trafalgar!" You said to yourself. The crowd surged and you wondered where they were from and you said they must have been visiting just like you. People delightedly take pictures with the lions' statutes, mount the podium and sit round the fountain.
After feeding the eyes and shooting so many photographs and videos, you remember the need to return to the airport and the Piccadilly line comes into your attention. People have told you not to forget Piccadilly as the only train line to the airport from the Wetsminster. However, the train on Piccadilly line this evening developed a fault and everyone seemed stranded.
Consequently, I jumped into another train to Acton Town like I saw everyone who had places going did. And from Acton Town, we got into another train that connected us back to the Piccadilly line. Evidently, one can't travel from the Westminster to the Heathrow Airport without traveling the Piccadilly line, if one's choice is to travel underground.
