| Re: Central line extension to New York? |
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Group: uk.transport.london · Group Profile
Author: Graham HarrisonGraham Harrison Date: Jan 11, 2008 10:49
"Paul Corfield" dsl.pipex.com> wrote in message
news:a1cfo3d5s37i80b6l4436oh60jd8hpm4s5@4ax.com...> On Thu, 10 Jan 2008 22:44:29 +0000, Ian Jelf bluebadge.demon.co.uk>
> wrote:
>>>Whenever this sort of thing comes up, I usually end up telling a story
>>or two.
>>
>>I have had Americans confuse Windsor and Brighton, Oxford and Oxford
>>Street, ask for directions to Camelot and head off up to the Northern
>>end of the DLR in search of Shakespeare's Birthplace.
>>
>>But then I've had Britons complaining *bitterly* that "the Dome isn't
>>next to the London Eye" , not recognise Big Ben [1] and try to get to
>>Covent Garden by standing at a bus stop [2] and waiting for a bus
>>labelled "Covent Garden" to come along.......
>>
>>Taking Britons abroad I've heard complaints that Paris "hadn't used to
>>be this far", that the view of the Alps is "spoiled by all the mountains
>>in the way" and been admonished for speaking German to a hotelier when
>>sorting out a customer's problem "because I must have had something to
>>hide".
>
> Even though you've posted some of these examples before they still make
> me smile.
>
>>Overall, we tend to be more ignorant abroad than visitors to the UK are
>>about us. (European visitors in particular are generally very
>>knowledgeable and interested in Britain and its culture.)
>
> Which unfortunately is the point. Even in "easy" places like Singapore
> and Hong Kong you witness all sorts of nonsense or else a general
> reluctance to "do as the locals do". I think I must be about the only
> tourist in Singapore who deigns to use the normal bus services rather
> than silly sightseeing or premium fare tourist shuttles. On my most
> recent visit I saw some people (who were staying in the same hotel as
> me) look visibly surprised when they saw me alight from a local bus near
> the hotel while they waited for the SIA shuttle service.
>
> --
> Paul C
>
>
> Admits to working for London Underground!
Can't remember if I used the buses but I definitely used the Singapore
underground. In fact.....
I was in the process of buying a house (in the UK) and my wife had sent me
some documents to sign. Two needed a witness. I went round the hotel
dining room at breakfast but people were from every country except the UK.
I gave up and went sightseeing (it was Sunday). I was on an underground
train and a (youngish, not that it's relevant) caucasian couple got on. I
thought "why not" so asked if they were British. "Yes" (they were Navy
people and their boat was in dock) and one of them duly obliged me.
Stupidly, when I got back to the hotel to arrange to fedex the documents
home there was a BA crew in the lobby ... had I waited around....
I admit to being a travel snob and I'm often irritated by the number of
brits I notice on public transport in some of the most out of the way
places.
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