As I’ve previously said, I’m good with directions, despite being a bit befuddled with navigating the streets. Finding my way around London has been a learning experience that I’ve come to find is both frustrating and exhilarating. I get to discover a new route or part of town that I previously over looked, but only after completing 13 trips around the same block, all the while trying to ignore the obvious stares of the people I’ve passed, yet again. For me, getting around London is actually fairly simple. I’m lucky enough to have a wide variety of options in the area I live in.
Taking the tube is a piece of cake for me and it’s almost directly across the street from my accommodations. I can easily switch between lines, I know which route is faster and what to avoid. Like Victoria is quicker, but usually more crowded. Russell Square’s lifts are absolutely ridiculous, because I spend more time waiting for one then I actually did on the tube. The Tube is just easier to use, but that doesn’t always mean it’s the best. Sometimes using the tube is completely off limits.
With the recent Tube Strike, I ran into a bit of an issue. How was I suppose to get to and from my evening class. I had so far been relying strictly on the tube because it’s just was easier for me. Now that was completely off the table. I was worried about taking the bus since I hadn’t done it since coming back to London and left me with so many questions. Which bus did I take? When did I get off? How close to IOE could I get? Was I going to end up on the complete opposite side of London with no idea what to do? Turns out, I wouldn’t get to test the bus system out that week. Because of the strike, public transportation was an absolute mess. Some of the girls in my building waited hours for the bus and then couldn’t even get on because it was so packed. Buses were in a complete standstill in my area. There was no way I was going to make it to class successfully, let alone get myself back home! Thankfully, my professor was understanding and I did not attend my class last week.
That’s why I tested the bus out early this week, incase it was needed because of the strike. I didn’t have a horrible time determining my bus route, because the lovely Sara over at The Window Seat suggested the Citymapper app, which was a lifesaver – THANK YOU! Honestly, how exactly did we all survive before we had smartphones! And because I had the app, I didn’t stress out as much as I had previously thought I would. I knew what number bus I was planning to get on and the general direction I was going, everything else I would figure out as I went, and I had the app for backup. I got on the bus and enjoyed the journey. I had a window seat that let me look out on the neighborhoods we passed. It was so different than the tube; on the bus you can see the shops and actually see the change between areas. I took the bus to Euston bus station, because the bus was going to stop directly outside my building and well that’s just easy. I knew Euston wasn’t all that far from IOE so I figured I could easily get from one place to the other. Yeah… not so much. If anyone was in the Euston area and noticed a girl with a cheetah umbrella wandering around in a complete circle about 3 or 4 times, that was me. Finally I pulled out my phone and looked up directions. Once I got on the right track, well it was actually so incredibly simple that I could have kicked myself. Walking from Euston bus station to IOE opened my eyes to how just wandering around can be helpful. You stumble upon things we wouldn’t have noticed otherwise.
Another form of public transportation is the trains. I’m actually a huge fan of the trains that go out of central London. Last time I was in London, I used to have to take a 20 minute train ride in from either Kingston or Surbiton. I cherished those 20 minutes of sitting on the train with my friends, it was such a fun part of our days and it was great to see people’s reactions to us. That’s why when I took the train out to Battersea from Victoria station, a few weeks ago, I did so with such an effortless ease. To me, it was like riding a bike. You never forget. Much like the tube, the train has always been easy for me.
I’m sure I’ll have more experiences with London’s public transportation, but that the moment it hasn’t been all that exciting. The exciting parts are when I step off my transportation and set out exploring! That’s the part I love.
Adventures in London 