tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20327350822496804002024-03-06T03:05:54.834+01:00After Here Through WillichFour years after my first experience of being a public transport commuter I find myself in a similar position with a different journey. Seat covers galore. Now with added "bossy signs".Shohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06811501749653742846noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032735082249680400.post-80312937796210441072014-07-27T16:57:00.001+02:002014-07-28T20:32:11.587+02:00Traveling is the ruin of all happiness!The title is taken from a quote by <a href="http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/85638/Fanny-Burney" target="_blank">Fanny Burney</a> who was actually talking about how dull other buildings are once you have seen what Italy has to offer. The part I've selected seems to sum up my regular commute, especially just lately when the German rail network hasn't been living up to it's fearsome reputation for punctuality.<br />
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But I digress.<br />
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I am back on the trains after a year - and this time it's not because my car is behaving like a very expensive, and very large, paperweight. No, last year I had a bit of a - compulsory - test run of trains between where I live in Erkelenz and Ratingen, where I work. My office moved there in 2011 from Willich and doubled my commuting distance. That meant 140 kilometers added to my mileage per day with all the kerfuffle and expense that entails. So my new journey to work now looks like this:<br />
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Home - Erkelenz Station: car (currently a black Golf Plus)<br />
Erkelenz Station - Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof (main station): train (the RE4)<br />
Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof - Düsseldorf airport station: train (there are several different ones that I can take according to my arrival time at Düsseldorf Hbf)<br />
Düsseldorf airport station - office: Bus (the route 759)<br />
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Luckily for me, in the morning there are four trains an hour heading towards Düsseldorf - although one of them involves a change at Mönchengladbach so I don't want to take that one unless I have to. My train of choice is the 6:31 - partly because it terminates in Düsseldorf so I'm not in any danger of sleeping past my stop.<br />
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After that I can get the 7:22 from platform 17 to the airport, and the 759 bus to my office. The buses run every 10 minutes so if it is full I just wait for the next one. It's only about 7 stops and a 2 minute walk to my office and the first coffee of the day.<br />
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The downside of this journey is that I've already uploaded the photos of the seat covers already. Except for the ones from the 759 bus, because usually it's too full.<br />
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The upside is that some lovely people - well, they might not be lovely, I wouldn't know because i've never met them - have supplied me with pictures of seat covers from their journeys. So. Since I have boring, already seen seat covers on my journey, here are two from Southern Trains in the UK.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVmPfGbZuczsLpHSuRgEby_oxOI2uNCoVX4rOlW7ZHJ1er5xQlfvTvXb2rlh2Eer_BASXJfEOLoC4EU6E6N2OB3Heqcj5F2eenYzVcaNRSlog6P7rDfiMP05xxzLmLwsoKrY7XQ3tDro0/s1600/20140222+charles+pooter+seat+cover+UK+Southern+Rail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVmPfGbZuczsLpHSuRgEby_oxOI2uNCoVX4rOlW7ZHJ1er5xQlfvTvXb2rlh2Eer_BASXJfEOLoC4EU6E6N2OB3Heqcj5F2eenYzVcaNRSlog6P7rDfiMP05xxzLmLwsoKrY7XQ3tDro0/s1600/20140222+charles+pooter+seat+cover+UK+Southern+Rail.jpg" height="320" width="238" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_0RhtSsmuxnKmaZhi02ixVcPI3BWES5B_jqk6_GIgWAQAgJ1JbIquUYXzeKkqKiHdoSxpDkqyuiVImNbQ6De3RjGf5teP-rEJ2icbQV58kEvZ7XNM_MXJNxR_OOBZn0_LzhS-nfJB280/s1600/20140225+charles+pooter+seat+cover+UK+Southern+Rail.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_0RhtSsmuxnKmaZhi02ixVcPI3BWES5B_jqk6_GIgWAQAgJ1JbIquUYXzeKkqKiHdoSxpDkqyuiVImNbQ6De3RjGf5teP-rEJ2icbQV58kEvZ7XNM_MXJNxR_OOBZn0_LzhS-nfJB280/s1600/20140225+charles+pooter+seat+cover+UK+Southern+Rail.jpg" height="320" width="238" /></a></div>
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And there we have it. One of the things that Fanny Burney hadn't anticipated: that second photograph demonstrates exactly why travelling ruins happiness. I can't imagine my state of mind if I had to sit on that every morning. Look at those colours! It's like a refugee from the 1970s!<br />
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Hopefully I'll find something interesting to blog about soon.Shohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06811501749653742846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032735082249680400.post-25240609784764476492013-08-25T21:19:00.000+02:002013-08-25T21:19:55.111+02:00Getting aroundI've written before how easy we found it (outside of rush hour) with our bikes on the trains. But it's not just the trains that are set up for bikes / pushchairs / wheelchairs. The buses, as they are in many other countries, are very funky these days. First of all they have the double doors half-way down the bus which open wide enough to allow a passenger to get their bike, pram or wheelchair onto the vehicle. Secondly they have a hydraulic tilting action so that when the bus is at the stop it tilts towards the pavement so the step up to get on the bus isn't high.<br />
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So far so not rocket science. But what I really like about modern buses are the spaces to put the prams or whatevers. And not just one. With careful management you can get 2 or 3 (or 2 or 3 bikes or a couple of wheelchairs in the space provided. And, oh joy, there are a couple of flip-down seats so that the bike owner, pram pusher or someone accompanying the wheelchair user, can park their backsides for the duration.<br />
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All in all while I love the routemaster buses, I do like our fancy schmancy new-fangled bendy buses.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIoXnaAOoZRe_qyGst-_fruApq0trtVqckCSeMmj9e9Vuc_KriYvujth3WaOXdTsX7eGwQiedIO_GanGdD5CzHYnBrVKobxWvpfoPfMd7CpM6JGgcFzj4PbbhiXpbgW1XDzS40oazlSCw/s1600/IMG_20130823_080842_390.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIoXnaAOoZRe_qyGst-_fruApq0trtVqckCSeMmj9e9Vuc_KriYvujth3WaOXdTsX7eGwQiedIO_GanGdD5CzHYnBrVKobxWvpfoPfMd7CpM6JGgcFzj4PbbhiXpbgW1XDzS40oazlSCw/s320/IMG_20130823_080842_390.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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What I'd like to know is, when did buses get so high tech?</div>
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In other news, the 759 bus between Ratingen-Ost and the Düssseldorf Airport station that I caught to get home on Friday sent me off with this eyesore of a seat cover:</div>
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<br />Shohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06811501749653742846noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032735082249680400.post-64956760800969097332013-08-22T21:19:00.000+02:002013-08-22T21:21:11.414+02:00Those are not the carriages you're looking forSo day 3 of my life as a reborn train commuter went well in the morning. The trains were on time, the bus was on time and it was warm and sunny and I got a fair amount of Economics for Dummies read. Not that I understood most of it, but it shows willing, doesn't it?<br />
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I decided to go for a different train on Wednesday having tried the 18:48 (from Düsseldorf) on Monday, and the 17:48 on Tuesday. Those trains take me to Mönchengladbach where I have to change to a stopper to get to Erkelenz. So I decided to split the difference and go for the direct train which leaves Düsseldorrf at 22 minutes past the hour.<br />
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The first leg is leaving the office at 17:45. That can be a bit of a struggle (especially at the moment with the auditors requiring me to be at their beck and call this week) but I got to the bus stop on time and off we trundled. The train from the airport station to the main station was, according to my Deutsche Bahn app, due to leave from platform 6 at 18:03, but due to the fact that they allow very generas walking times between stops, I got there in time to get the 17:54 from platform 4. Which got me to Düsseldorf Haputbahnhof in plenty of time to get the 18:22. Yay.<br />
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But it was running 20 minutes late (in the end 24 minutes late) so there were a lot of people hanging around on platform 4 waiting for the train to Aachen. When it arrived there was a little sigh running around those waiting because it wasn't the usual double decker, which meant reduced seating capacity. Nevertheless we boarded, everyone whipped out their books, ebooks or smart phones and settled in for the journey. The driver made an announcement that the train was going to Aachen.<br />
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Swiftly followed by an announcement out on the platform that the 18:22 (20 minutes late due to some technical thing) would depart from platform 5 instead of platform 4. Everyone looked up, looked around. Confused expressions all around.<br />
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And indeed as we all looked over at platform 5 our sleek, regular double-decker pulled in. There was a mad rush for the platform and we boarded the train to Aachen. The other one. A few minutes later off we went and I tried to educate myself in the small matter of macro economics.<br />
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What I noticed is that when I'm going home on a sunny day I need to sit with my back to the direction of travel* since the sun was shining directly into my eyes making it difficult to read.<br />
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The other Aachen train must have followed us to Mönchengladbach because as we pulled into that station the helpful announcement on our train ran along the lines of: you are currently on the train to Aachen shortly arriving at Mönchengladbach. Connection possibilities at that station are blah blah blah and for passengers going to Aachen you can take the train which will arrive shortly at platform 5.<br />
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Eh? This time we all stayed put and shortly after that I was in Erkelenz meeting my Chef for a rather nice dinner in <a href="http://www.antons-erkelenz.de/home/" target="_blank">Anton's</a> the shiny new restaurant which has taken over the refurbished station building.<br />
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Today I went for the 18:22 from Düsseldorf and even though my bus and then the train from the station airport were a few minutes late, I managed to get the train I wanted. And do some shopping on the way home so the Gruesome Twosome are alright for frozen pizza for the next couple of days.<br />
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Winners all round!<br />
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*this applies to going to Düsseldorf in the mornings too for the opposite reasonShohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06811501749653742846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032735082249680400.post-8697096501396845622013-08-20T20:52:00.000+02:002013-08-20T20:52:07.561+02:00Rollin' rollin' rollin'...Carless for a week now, I have survived two days of commuting by bike, train and bus and in contrast to the last time I did this it is working out very well.<br />
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Monday morning dawned bright and clear, so I jumped enthusiastically onto my bike and peddled off to the station. Since the last time I was a member of the train commuting fraternity I am now equipped with a smart phone. With the Endomondo app so I am now able to race myself to work every day if i want. It turns out that the station is 3.55 miles from my house, and I cycled it on that first enthusiastic morning in 20 minutes and 50 seconds.<br />
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As I mentioned before my office has moved and although it is further away and takes twice as long by car, my commute is actually shorter than the old one. The schedule is this:<br />
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06:30 leave the house by bicycle (the Germans call them a "drahtesel" which translates literally to "wire donkey" which I find rather fab)<br />
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07:06 - the (double decker) train departs our station with me already reading stuff on my Kindle (another addition to my gadget armoury)<br />
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07:50 - I amble from platform 7 to platform 10 in Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof and take my place on the next (double decker) train<br />
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08:03 - having descended the steps from the Düsseldorf Airport Station to the bust stop, the 759 to Ratingen Ost moves me swiftly to the bus stop outside my office in a rather quick seven minutes<br />
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Coming back has worked well too, although I haven't managed to get the direct train from Düsseldorf to Erkelenz, there is a smaller train (to Venlo - it's international!) which means I have to change at Mönchengladbach*.<br /><br />And that's about it which is very boring. What am I reading? Another new thing for me is that I've signed up for the Open University**, my next course starts in October. In preparation I'm doing background reading, this time: Economics for Dummies.<br />
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The seat covers have been pretty average, so for anyone missing those here's one I had the misfortune to have to look at last week: (the U79 tram from Heinrich-Heine-Alle to Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihIdaaoXSOjXx-gsF6Ubg_RYy_VZ0GS0nvYSWb4UCjLRl79QMWoiuiqqRxqRhjGyl2YeVcCt0srRbMauyxtUxzJBf44PdK34hhdEJk1SSmfrQX1SR7ovZyULrvyW0rJB7OpjskYjpXsVM/s1600/IMG_20130817_175310_476.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihIdaaoXSOjXx-gsF6Ubg_RYy_VZ0GS0nvYSWb4UCjLRl79QMWoiuiqqRxqRhjGyl2YeVcCt0srRbMauyxtUxzJBf44PdK34hhdEJk1SSmfrQX1SR7ovZyULrvyW0rJB7OpjskYjpXsVM/s320/IMG_20130817_175310_476.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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And yet again I have to say: someone goes home at night and says "hi, Honey, I'm home! and I designed an absolute corker today!"</div>
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On the same tram journey it struck me that there are notices all over the inside of the carriages. And they are sometimes rude, sometimes polite and, being Germany, often bossy.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdyRPRUiFMo98-43164oP3ddH-ArJgwmWwPtiVlgcnvHxhsPNtL6azze6VwNMkgnehlRLp0yaM5WTZGbf1292KPnUD2mm-NKQwPDDwCBZSQgHEi-QFYofJYFKMRGLpF7HXnCrLOeTvQwo/s1600/IMG_20130817_175734_444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdyRPRUiFMo98-43164oP3ddH-ArJgwmWwPtiVlgcnvHxhsPNtL6azze6VwNMkgnehlRLp0yaM5WTZGbf1292KPnUD2mm-NKQwPDDwCBZSQgHEi-QFYofJYFKMRGLpF7HXnCrLOeTvQwo/s320/IMG_20130817_175734_444.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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It tells passengers that it is their duty immediately on boarding to secure themselves. Any consequences of ignoring the instruction are self-inflicted.</div>
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* Ah, Mönchengladbach. Anyone who was young in the 70s remembers their football team and the joke that goes with them:</div>
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Q: Who is the most unpopular man at a Borussia Mönchengladbach match?</div>
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A: The one who shouts "Give us a B!"</div>
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** I'm studying, for fun, Politics, Philosophy and Economics. Fun or because I want to be Prime Minister. I keep changing my mind about what, exactly, my motivation is.</div>
Shohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06811501749653742846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032735082249680400.post-15978982820248292552013-08-18T17:09:00.002+02:002013-08-18T17:20:51.001+02:00Testing, testing... can anyone hear me?It's been a while since I blogged (discounting the threat this morning to inflict something other than seat covers on an unsuspecting public) and I need to find out how to upload photos. Yes, my old brain has forgotten.<br />
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I've been on holiday for the last two weeks, due to lack of preparation, money and enthusiasm on the part of my two resident teenagers* we didn't go anywhere. My other half (better known as "chef") decided that we should get out on our bikes. We live close to the Dutch border so it's very flat round here, and there are a lot of well signposted cycle routes. In the first week we stayed close to home and cycled round here, but in the second week we decided to be a bit more adventurous: cycling along the Rhine from Düsseldorf to Köln. Our plan: cycle to the station, take the bikes on the train to Düsseldorf, cycle along the river to Köln then get the train home.<br />
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You can buy a bike ticket for €3 for a single journey or €4.50 for a day ticket, so for an additional €9 we could take the bikes on as many trains or buses as we fancied. The double decker train to Düsseldorf has a train section at the front, the seats are arranged along the sides of the carriage. They fold up so that the bikes can lean against them and there are seatbelt type things to prevent them flying around.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1DcQRg27iFE3lCJPLr0q-nO15xRdbWDu4OyUjp9fBBWqi6Qsg17QmGaLCfK0gAZObLM6JxpVWLY0OgtwLpyWR0gxdbPbgLckVlEeYyzoMj2cX2rnxdtx3cC2FO9eWoJYX3-yYqqHhNko/s1600/IMG_8393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1DcQRg27iFE3lCJPLr0q-nO15xRdbWDu4OyUjp9fBBWqi6Qsg17QmGaLCfK0gAZObLM6JxpVWLY0OgtwLpyWR0gxdbPbgLckVlEeYyzoMj2cX2rnxdtx3cC2FO9eWoJYX3-yYqqHhNko/s320/IMG_8393.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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So there it is. My bike on the way to Düsseldorf.<br />
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*it may shock people who know me to realise that they are now 15 and 16...Shohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06811501749653742846noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032735082249680400.post-63665516775467457442013-08-18T11:26:00.002+02:002013-08-18T17:19:33.773+02:00A touch of déja vu? Here we go again.And here we go again! 4 years after the sad demise of Super Punto, the replacement car (the not so super, but totally huge Octavia) died on us. Followed a few months later by our other car, an 8 year old Golf Plus. It requires rather a lot of work, which will cost rather a lot of money, so while it is in the VW garage it's back to the bike-train-bus combo for me.<br />
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Luckily, probably, my office has moved from the difficult-to-reach Willich to the twice-as-far-away Ratingen West (near Düsseldorf airport). The upside is that there is a direct train (one of the double-decker jobbies) to Düsseldorf. The downside is that from there I have to take local stopping train followed by a bus. As before the last bus from our town to my village is at 18:00 so in order to be sure of getting home, I have to get to our station on my trusty bike.<br />
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I may or may not resume regular blogging. I'm not sure about sharing seat covers - it depends how splendid they are. I did, however, find something else that interests me. So: watch this space.Shohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06811501749653742846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032735082249680400.post-15592883034490820482011-07-16T12:42:00.000+02:002013-08-18T17:18:17.147+02:00Berlin, BerlinAs if to prove myself wrong (that I'm not a geeky transpotter) here's a cute train we saw at some S-bahn station (on the way to a fabby and marvy John Mellencamp gig)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYOIMeZ_SUvLsyzXuO4jJxyaMbVZkz9PPqcRa8AnZap_97KJcXlu5F4YX6ustvQXgzvGJKTvOo5arXypCf8kL03lracrvPUpEENSadfabSPsZjzcuFkyg1LrhELM4mLcJv2K6i9TSgVCs/s1600/SAM_0346.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYOIMeZ_SUvLsyzXuO4jJxyaMbVZkz9PPqcRa8AnZap_97KJcXlu5F4YX6ustvQXgzvGJKTvOo5arXypCf8kL03lracrvPUpEENSadfabSPsZjzcuFkyg1LrhELM4mLcJv2K6i9TSgVCs/s200/SAM_0346.JPG" true="" width="200" /></a></div>
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Unfortunately, we weren't travelling on that one, which I think was either a sleeper train or it had been converted to a restaurant or something. We went on something that had seats that looked like this.</div>
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I have two more seat covers to show you but since the internet doesn't want to play - we all have that to look forward to. Yaayy.Shohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06811501749653742846noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032735082249680400.post-42069268712603730892011-07-16T12:15:00.001+02:002011-07-16T12:20:24.485+02:00Like a bus - you wait ages for a blogpost and then several come at once.I'm not actually deluding myself that anyone is waiting for me to post but I can't resist some kind of pun or whatever.<br />
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First to distract any readers there might be from what's to come - here's a pretty view of the Fernsehturm.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD2AygY28bjhRW35C9HDqCYijYQ85lxmVxibDNBePdPZwAjcGCQuqUOGah3qmbB0GCHLslz-QBFS1c19go7vjGwDUOYFljIvb_r8Iswtk1V3Iml-zO2XiPdN54jTKdDL5CINUvN9oAdFs/s1600/100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD2AygY28bjhRW35C9HDqCYijYQ85lxmVxibDNBePdPZwAjcGCQuqUOGah3qmbB0GCHLslz-QBFS1c19go7vjGwDUOYFljIvb_r8Iswtk1V3Iml-zO2XiPdN54jTKdDL5CINUvN9oAdFs/s200/100.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">On the way back from looking at this we had to sit on these, again on the U5 - but I'll be kind and put it behind the break...</div><a name='more'></a><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAEoR2e20oUKtRSRUW5fMIVvzioBoG3R_n1kDd4evS5JuTiwx8WSaC6vSpevPlRR_ShdmwNcqclP49Ztiw7p-TqULVCmeOU_pKWvDSLokpWrhAhdi8wQ4rplb-KmMcCfEybAcV6N7REaI/s1600/101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAEoR2e20oUKtRSRUW5fMIVvzioBoG3R_n1kDd4evS5JuTiwx8WSaC6vSpevPlRR_ShdmwNcqclP49Ztiw7p-TqULVCmeOU_pKWvDSLokpWrhAhdi8wQ4rplb-KmMcCfEybAcV6N7REaI/s200/101.JPG" width="150" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">That's just an insult to the eyeballs. At least it's shiny smooth plastic to make it easy to wipe of the vomit it induces. These ones - and I'm half ashamed to say I can't remember which line they were on, but it was the underground - were fluffy, plush things.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCPhiIbF-JZni0neRpq5_5hnv_OL7xsmf_HXU4lLrXK11pVHqB1qjzF3Rf_RvXxEQZqfbCY29gi26XunfPtXg-rIHdceQx8HveF-33GpQWSFmP_ZB37dF6jH72j4I0mQVQ3zLqJsiDctk/s1600/132.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" m$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCPhiIbF-JZni0neRpq5_5hnv_OL7xsmf_HXU4lLrXK11pVHqB1qjzF3Rf_RvXxEQZqfbCY29gi26XunfPtXg-rIHdceQx8HveF-33GpQWSFmP_ZB37dF6jH72j4I0mQVQ3zLqJsiDctk/s200/132.JPG" width="200" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Enough already!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Shohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06811501749653742846noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032735082249680400.post-31089280890592271252011-07-16T11:51:00.001+02:002013-08-18T17:22:02.226+02:00Just when you thought it was safe to go back onto the internet...you come back to find that I've been travelling by train. Again. What can I say? I love them.<br />
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And even though this has now morphed into a blog about public transport seat covers - which in NO WAY makes me into some kind of nerdy geek, by the way - I hope it's still vaguely interesting. (<em>yeah, only to public transport seat covers geeks. - ed</em>)<br />
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Anyway. I went to Berlin, by ICE which didn't give me any new material because we went first class. Again. Because - and this is the part that has me scratching my head - <em><strong>it was cheaper</strong></em>.<br />
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Ho hum. On the first evening, having brushed the country-bumpkin straw out of our hair, we excitedly boarded<strong> <em>public transport that was still running after 6pm! </em></strong>The U5 from Tiergarten (eastern Berlin) to Alexanderplatz (where the Fernsehturm is). And had to sit on something that looked like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcC5b2GetiGBpoppiVPX6dMGlmp2JfaPOeNVqNKMRZVPRWW9Le0-NKpDvOGsD3NhwCGC3MPv6C9fboMjOX8MqvsCFNXDJ2_ldLTcx7lWA63Zlc3riC4aRdsoVVsmFlJ91F9i-zCZDHvU/s1600/098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" m="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrcC5b2GetiGBpoppiVPX6dMGlmp2JfaPOeNVqNKMRZVPRWW9Le0-NKpDvOGsD3NhwCGC3MPv6C9fboMjOX8MqvsCFNXDJ2_ldLTcx7lWA63Zlc3riC4aRdsoVVsmFlJ91F9i-zCZDHvU/s200/098.JPG" true="" width="150" /></a></div>
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Now come ON! Someone designs this stuff for a living and someone selects it, and then pays money (which eventually trickles to our ticket price) for something LIKE THIS! Someone is having a laugh...Shohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06811501749653742846noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032735082249680400.post-80451691050168139432010-10-17T19:16:00.016+02:002013-08-18T17:22:44.402+02:00The Europeans...Although the UK likes to pretend that Europe is a place far, far away, it is still - geographically speaking - European. Thus, here are some European public-transport seat covers.<br />
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Regional train between Erkelenz and Aachen. First class.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheVtODFJ8Q1XJOg_HbMRjmVeGLTI13S8NGRxvRysJ0wzqHX602s1DDPm90dF9u0SZ54XI1JfDgkAE6evYPIQkBUvjX_7jhqeo49VopQwoYrr7zOtnl-N12Nzlk4OfAFIR4rc2RXLLQg-Y/s1600/London+October+2010+020.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529065550133004626" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheVtODFJ8Q1XJOg_HbMRjmVeGLTI13S8NGRxvRysJ0wzqHX602s1DDPm90dF9u0SZ54XI1JfDgkAE6evYPIQkBUvjX_7jhqeo49VopQwoYrr7zOtnl-N12Nzlk4OfAFIR4rc2RXLLQg-Y/s320/London+October+2010+020.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a><br />
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If you're geeky enough to check with a previous post of mine, you can see that it is the same as the seat cover on our usual double decker train to Düsseldorf - but in blue instead of greeny-grey. I think it's nicer, despite my usual antipathy to blue.<br />
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Next up: the ICE which we took between Aachen and Brussels (but all the ICE trains are the same). Again, first class, baby!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTeFcxky6Z818_v0BsnnUq6Y17zZS9m9Nlftkf2_o91Byak_mGuIONCQEvAiwOlBa_J5E72aEPTSh2mv_KkFqWX0J4BR-N35SkK6YcvPEgQPtjLrqWnRG0wXIznXPMIlGOtPbQegUXQA/s1600/London+October+2010+028.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529066613099353490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlTeFcxky6Z818_v0BsnnUq6Y17zZS9m9Nlftkf2_o91Byak_mGuIONCQEvAiwOlBa_J5E72aEPTSh2mv_KkFqWX0J4BR-N35SkK6YcvPEgQPtjLrqWnRG0wXIznXPMIlGOtPbQegUXQA/s320/London+October+2010+028.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a><br />
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And now for the hottest, sexiest train of them all (excepting the now defunct Metropolitan) - The Eurostar. First class.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2p4air9UcM5h-cXTc1aIJzuxDhDirID4f7MklRNrgPgjfy88rlOTrjx-Rl0vu_qw4aSrYi0RDgMbZaJMMiahawC5kTClMxkLYfYArm_HtopRrRh10GNOjhMUug0rMlRfySRYt6hZU6Cs/s1600/London+October+2010+034.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529067031570433730" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2p4air9UcM5h-cXTc1aIJzuxDhDirID4f7MklRNrgPgjfy88rlOTrjx-Rl0vu_qw4aSrYi0RDgMbZaJMMiahawC5kTClMxkLYfYArm_HtopRrRh10GNOjhMUug0rMlRfySRYt6hZU6Cs/s320/London+October+2010+034.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a><br />
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And now... the World Famous London Underground. I hope you appreciate these, as I braved London Underground Passenger Stares to get these to you.<br />
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The Picadilly Line - Monday, 11th October 2010<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6bPo6WtDyCIduBCHxa6UG0uRPJapdKSpmfnJLHZeloKU80s_zcQaiM1R3pyxBlmRrxwxdh7fmQCZWj5EbKqOG_rUJdHdeUXoc0fxaPSikDId2YgfolN0IUSqU3ozHBjQC53GYmMZhNg/s1600/London+October+2010+094.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529068572431739874" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq6bPo6WtDyCIduBCHxa6UG0uRPJapdKSpmfnJLHZeloKU80s_zcQaiM1R3pyxBlmRrxwxdh7fmQCZWj5EbKqOG_rUJdHdeUXoc0fxaPSikDId2YgfolN0IUSqU3ozHBjQC53GYmMZhNg/s320/London+October+2010+094.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a><br />
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The District Line - Tuesday, 12th October 2010<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxsTcs8hoB4g7cPqHug6E3CL4tb8XhduQKZqI1PAZgU3Ea3bqcXFLpnLNNW_fKbpw4Xo8dymWBJYKLjwMGWhGS29wFEVXYBr7w2n2_1NsgsDq9JUGFKLnNgCt9VSc9m_7nSzg1Sg5yg1E/s1600/London+October+2010+197.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529069027450582962" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxsTcs8hoB4g7cPqHug6E3CL4tb8XhduQKZqI1PAZgU3Ea3bqcXFLpnLNNW_fKbpw4Xo8dymWBJYKLjwMGWhGS29wFEVXYBr7w2n2_1NsgsDq9JUGFKLnNgCt9VSc9m_7nSzg1Sg5yg1E/s320/London+October+2010+197.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a><br />
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Victoria Line - Thursday 14th October 2010<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0Qwx_BUr8DwD7jWpT_X73LcbvIenon3HAApFbWkDaF84Nm6wM85U324OQiYDfY5WFPoAdECpoTNlcNmjq9UVPDv-rxOmlNqMaD2ahW5rlkZ5_8mCm8S_uJafYY89m1ax2ksXLrqSUds/s1600/London+October+2010+404.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529069893225673538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX0Qwx_BUr8DwD7jWpT_X73LcbvIenon3HAApFbWkDaF84Nm6wM85U324OQiYDfY5WFPoAdECpoTNlcNmjq9UVPDv-rxOmlNqMaD2ahW5rlkZ5_8mCm8S_uJafYY89m1ax2ksXLrqSUds/s320/London+October+2010+404.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a><br />
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and finally... Central Line - Thursday 14th October 2010<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPs1dIh2792gjNYrtQvacYachYD74hyphenhyphenzavYoKwU9o3DJgA-ZN2lWGnCGuE63VZMfQqE4TH9feD7G2W6_X-l1Buyio85G5ROAy7d7f61k6H0CSTa0mmILyLso2vsOnoqsavn8Er-xMd-OQ/s1600/London+October+2010+408.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529070407350047970" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPs1dIh2792gjNYrtQvacYachYD74hyphenhyphenzavYoKwU9o3DJgA-ZN2lWGnCGuE63VZMfQqE4TH9feD7G2W6_X-l1Buyio85G5ROAy7d7f61k6H0CSTa0mmILyLso2vsOnoqsavn8Er-xMd-OQ/s320/London+October+2010+408.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 320px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 240px;" /></a><br />
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But before I go, we took a couple of tubes from the Westminster station. It's very deep and reminded me of something from Metropolis.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgns7GVPOwVQJdxT1BS-gvsp3cZKQmyeny8QvqEuZOYI9pyYKlnaUPZcGMn4OPDULD2jFk4mAPoroHJaKA-diVtEp0a1sZdO36Vc0y46Fkg13cB68B_MUEcqstcM8maifcIDCRZWrnPuko/s1600/London+October+2010+344.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529071540365328434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgns7GVPOwVQJdxT1BS-gvsp3cZKQmyeny8QvqEuZOYI9pyYKlnaUPZcGMn4OPDULD2jFk4mAPoroHJaKA-diVtEp0a1sZdO36Vc0y46Fkg13cB68B_MUEcqstcM8maifcIDCRZWrnPuko/s320/London+October+2010+344.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 240px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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Somebody out there must know somebody who knows somebody who designs these appallingly ugly seat covers. I'd really like to hear from that person, because I can't - even in my wildest imaginings (and I have a very wild imagination) - I simply can't understand why they want us to look at these seats each day. Unless they are trying to chase us off public transport and into our cars?Shohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06811501749653742846noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032735082249680400.post-15793982628021417302010-10-17T18:53:00.008+02:002013-08-18T17:23:34.308+02:00Those NZ public-transport seat covers in fullWell, maybe not in full, but I have some new pictures with which to wow you all. Remember, this from the town that gave us the beautiful green fern cover that I posted before.<br />
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Number 1:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLF3xkddbXbIqt7XNYP7Roe2w1icuu36A_mXUnDPEiXoe2drALsEEfD5UTr9pPdShyo_BUBIZzPbowKm5rYtk4p4d3EcpEc4Ll8hIM5NvtRMJ8UlPUFMKw_QuS7GkZg3Nsk4MelyMTKlM/s1600/nzseatcoverA.bmp"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529063263993078066" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLF3xkddbXbIqt7XNYP7Roe2w1icuu36A_mXUnDPEiXoe2drALsEEfD5UTr9pPdShyo_BUBIZzPbowKm5rYtk4p4d3EcpEc4Ll8hIM5NvtRMJ8UlPUFMKw_QuS7GkZg3Nsk4MelyMTKlM/s400/nzseatcoverA.bmp" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 98px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 130px;" /></a><br />
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Number 2:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUrqoBFry00UtSSXjZkIWcJGASK7EzFHOMzwduIsfF5qI1BK6rOhbBfdpVhXnvPAid2SOUofwXNlm_UQGNtOvbm-e0WG9SkgcoHyBjEHsmIqLxp5JNai3ypU4IYxs7STpYNcXZFdQLqrU/s1600/nzseatcoverB.bmp"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529063562401506754" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUrqoBFry00UtSSXjZkIWcJGASK7EzFHOMzwduIsfF5qI1BK6rOhbBfdpVhXnvPAid2SOUofwXNlm_UQGNtOvbm-e0WG9SkgcoHyBjEHsmIqLxp5JNai3ypU4IYxs7STpYNcXZFdQLqrU/s400/nzseatcoverB.bmp" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 98px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 130px;" /></a><br />
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As Rory said: is the truly vomit inducingness of the seat cover mitigated by the wonder that is painted on the roof of the bus? (sorry, not sure which of the seat covers goes with this)<br />
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Ceiling:<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaF5dB3LC-kUTXIXOiEt79nVpOLPcLaWP1opuySweyYf6RioQJxghRyP9Y6SypcL76zSwqPR36WRPn6xSJVaJK85R0Ly1E7yhpnzcjkwF8iJKetSyUJZuoBlVbJwFqkVX8NsqDp2PX91k/s1600/nzbusceiling.bmp"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529063927551496322" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaF5dB3LC-kUTXIXOiEt79nVpOLPcLaWP1opuySweyYf6RioQJxghRyP9Y6SypcL76zSwqPR36WRPn6xSJVaJK85R0Ly1E7yhpnzcjkwF8iJKetSyUJZuoBlVbJwFqkVX8NsqDp2PX91k/s400/nzbusceiling.bmp" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 98px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 130px;" /></a><br />
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This one reminds me of something that I've seen in Germany - don't tell me they swap designs?!<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT4KOiX5UBWoIJuqpNnkjtDwBHSoMvr4WhT3VQIrwJnm8PYWhgrGmB4kto_OTyjc6yGBpvEPjWBfg2SkEYDq92F__BOtuvTSPMOKKPbDIHvIGJEQLIZILc85aU7A5DgBooqkkuWOySv4Y/s1600/nzseatcover2.bmp"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5529064209822431058" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT4KOiX5UBWoIJuqpNnkjtDwBHSoMvr4WhT3VQIrwJnm8PYWhgrGmB4kto_OTyjc6yGBpvEPjWBfg2SkEYDq92F__BOtuvTSPMOKKPbDIHvIGJEQLIZILc85aU7A5DgBooqkkuWOySv4Y/s400/nzseatcover2.bmp" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 98px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 130px;" /></a><br />
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Stay tuned for some European rivals!Shohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06811501749653742846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032735082249680400.post-91707118513230223542010-10-17T00:58:00.010+02:002010-10-17T01:28:03.199+02:00The Final Chapter - return to Germany Friday, 15th October 2010All good things come to an end. Apparently.<br /><br />We went through the usual morning routine - packed the last few things in our bags and checked out of the Youth Hostel.<br /><br />Our payment still hadn't been confirmed by the head office, but luckily the chappie on the desk was a good guy and said it was no problem as they had all our details and had seen the transfer confirmation. Padhraig. Or something he is called - good guy anyway.<br />:)<br /><br />Having seen the Tube at rush hour, and having two big bags, we decided to bite the bullet and get a cab. Expensive but stress free for us - not so the cab driver who was roundly abused going around a bus by a black cab driver. Par for the course for him, I reckon.<br /><br />We quickly dumped our bags at the extortionately priced left luggage and went in search of breakfast. After a fruitless search outside the station we found one of the coffee bars and had coffee and sandwiches.<br /><br />Our original plan had been to go out for a troll around the area and one last look at London but in the end the shops there were enough. Chocolate had to be bought to take back, and #2 wanted to get some lovely earmuffs in Monsoon. After that we looked around at the huge variety of sandwiches on offer so that we could take something to eat on the train - the Gruesomes weren't keen on Eurostar food and it would be 9pm before we got home, too late to eat.<br /><br />I also had time for a quick trip to the St Pancras branch of Foyles. Just for a look around. And of course that meant I left with 3 books (Scoop by Evelyn Waugh, The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown - for Chef - and Springtime for Germany - or how I learned to love lederhosen - by Ben Donald)<br /><br />The check-in process at St Pancras is much more efficient than at Brussels-Midi and we were soon in the "departure" lounge waiting for our train to be ready. Soon enough we were sitting in our lovely, comfy seats, reading our books or listening to music, and a rainy Kent countryside was rolling by. Again we entered the blackness of the tunnel without any fanfare and before we knew it Brussels-Midi station was upon us.<br /><br />This time we had to run the length of the station to use the smelly facilities again, but at least it meant that there was hardly any waiting time before we could get on the ICE to Aachen. The train was packed and there was a lot of "I think you'll find this is my seat" going on - I'm always glad when I have a reservation under those circumstances.<br /><br />Aachen station was cold and rainy so we waited in the entrance hall instead of up on the draughty platform. This train was nearly empty so we spread ourselves around the tiny first-class compartment and before we knew it we were at Erkelenz station and getting into a taxi.<br /><br />There was a momentary stab of panic when we thought we didn't have any Euros, but luckily I'd stashed enough for the cab fare in my purse.<br /><br />And that was that. We were home at last after our London adventure. And, as is usual: it was as though we'd never been away.Shohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06811501749653742846noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032735082249680400.post-71277644414719952912010-10-17T00:20:00.006+02:002010-10-17T01:37:08.549+02:00Last day of the London Jollies - Thursday, 14th October 2010Shower still cold upstairs, so give it up for the hot downstairs showers. Yaayyy.<br /><br />We decided to do a McBreakfast today, but on the way we found that <a href="http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/79/794/Courtfield/Earls_Court">the Courtfield pub</a> offered Ye Olde Fulle Englishe Breykfast (<I>Stop that, Ed.</I>) for a fiver. So we thought we'd give it a go. It was great, except that the coffee wasn't up to much. Chef had the full English with black pudding, #1 had a BLT with egg, #2 had the vegetarian full English (and pronounced the sausages to be the Very Best Vegetarian Sausages ever). I had been tempted by Eggs Florentine yesterday, but get a bit iffy with poached eggs done the "proper" way. But again I was tempted, and this time I gave in. And they were so yummy - the hollandaise sauce was either a very very good bought one, or they had made it themselves. Highly recommended.<br /><br />Today's programme was to have been Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery followed by a zip over to Selfridges to see <a href="http://www.michaelmcintyre.co.uk/">Michael McIntyre sign his book</a>, then something else. As it happened, by the time we had waddled our way over to Trafalgar Square, and stopped to buy chocolate, it was really too late to do the National Gallery. I think the Gruesomes were probably relieved at that.<br /><br />We took a few photos, had a look in a few touristy shops and then headed over to the Eye again (they had some t-shirts that I liked - I was after a black or grey one with a sparkly Union Jack...) It wasn't to be. So we took the tube to Oxford Circus and marvelled at the sheer number of shops and shoppers on Oxford street. We got to Selfridges at around 12:30, picked up a copy of the Michael McIntyre book, got a wristband (so we could have the book signed) and joined the queue. However, they were enforcing a strictly one book/one person policy so #1 had the wristband (just by chance) and I stayed with her while she waited. It took ages but eventually we got to the front of the queue, got our signature and had a bit of a banter with the man. He seems like a very jolly chap.<br /><br />Then we caught up with Chef and #2 and wandered up Oxford street some more but it was getting cold and late and we wanted to give the 2nd hand book store by the Gloucester Road - I had my eye on one of the Penguin mugs featuring classic books.<br /><br />But before that we made a quick detour to The Tower of London. Quote of the day:<br /><br />Gruesome #1: That's a tower? That's not a tower!<br /><br />There was also a quick stroll over the Tower Bridge and the plan had been to go along the river, over the Millenium bridge, a very quick look at (the outside of) St Pauls, then back on the tube. As it was we took a wrong turn and were half way to Wapping before we realised. So the footbridge and the cathedral were out - which didn't upset anyone as we definitely ad sore feet by then.<br /><br />The bookshop beckoned and we made it there by about 6:30 - the tubes were all incredibly full and it was difficult to get on. The shop was great and we picked up a few good ones (Ian Rankin, JRR Tolkien and a mug featuring Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh). After that it was time for some food and we thought we'd try the pub again from this morning as their evening menu looked interesting. Our feet were sore and we were tired and in posession of a travelcard each so we took the tube. But wow, were they full now! We actually let one or two go before we got on one as they looked fuller than anything I had even seen in Seoul at rush hour.<br /><br />Finally we got to Earls Court but the pub doesn't serve children after 7pm so we decided to go to McDonalds. The place - as was much of London for most of the week - was packed with Germans, so we frightened a few by speaking to them in their own language. I hope they have now gone back home and told everyone that the myth of the monoglot Brits isn't true!<br /><br />When we got back we packed our bags ready to leave in the morning and went to sleep for the last time in our bunk-beds.<a href="http://www.afternoah.com/images/item_thu_34726.jpg"></a>Shohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06811501749653742846noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032735082249680400.post-82528168687893813972010-10-16T23:28:00.008+02:002010-10-17T00:05:50.157+02:00Middle Day in London - Wednesday, 13th October 2010Since we decided to go to London I've been looking forward to this day. It's the Big One for me. <a href="http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/">The Science Museum</a>.<br /><br />But first there was the Cold Shower Question to be answered. Chef was first up and braved the shower on our floor - but it was cold. He went to the ones downstairs and, wonder of wonders, they were working, unoccupied and hot. After he'd used the shower, the Gruesomes braved them followed by yours truly.<br /><br />This time we had decided to try for a full English. Chef had asked the Hostel staff and we'd been given directions. We duly arrived at the place, which was a posh-looking restaurant/café advertising the Full english for NINE POUNDS! Still, we thought, we're on our jollies. In we went, and ordered. Full English for him. Full English for Gruesome #1, Scrambled eggs on toast for #2 and Porridge for me (it was sunny but chilly).<br /><br />Chef was a little depressed due to England having drawn nil-nil with Montenegro the evening before, so we weren't talking much about sport. Luckily the TV in the bar was tuned to BBC news which had wall-to-wall coverage of the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11412845">rescue of the Chilean miners</a>. Yaayyy.<br /><br />The breakfast was very good, if a tad on the expensive side once coffee and juice had been factored in - but at least we probably wouldn't need lunch...<br /><br />And off we trotted to the Science Museum. This time we walked down Earls Court Road, then along Cromwell road until we reached the museum. Unlike the previous day, the crowd was relatively small - but ten minutes after opening time we were all still there, shuffling our feet and tapping our watches. Finally a museum employee came up behind us and said that we'd have to go in through the out door - causing Chef much hilarity and the Gruesomes much eye rolling "do you know as song about <B>everything</B>?")<br /><br />Our tactic was to go to the top - well, the third floor, and work our way down. The Launchpad is a hands on introduction to science - physics mostly, and was a huge hit but not only with the GGruesomes. The staff are great and we stayed there for well over an hour. Highlight for the Gruesomes appeared to be when we were all in front of the thermal imaging camera and my nose was noticeably freezing cold. Next to that part, though, was a collection of scientific instruments made for and owned by George III. Of particular interest to me were some pieces of Herschel's telescope (eyepieces) as I've just read a really good book about the Age of Wonder and the beginnings of the Royal Society.<br /><br />Before we left that floor we allowed ourselves to be mugged... sorry, stopped for a coffee and millionaire's shortbread...<br /><br />It really is my favourite museum in the whole world, hands down better than anything else (although <a href="http://www.visitmagna.co.uk/">Magna in Rotherham</a> and <a href="http://www.techniquest.org/start/">Techniquest in Cardiff</a> both come quite close for being very interesting and making Science Interesting to Chidlren)<br /><br />After that we headed over to the <a href="http://www.londoneye.com/">London Eye</a> - we had bought (slightly) cheaper tickets from the Hostel and so I waved the three of them off and headed along the river to the 2nd hand bookstall. I also wanted to check out the menu at Wagamama in the hope of finding something we would all like. A vain hope as it turned out. I was more successful with books, though, and picked up a Terry Pratchett, Jamaica Inn and Whisky Galore.<br /><br />After the Eye we had to have a look at the Houses of Parliament and then Westminster Abbey. That is mostly due to the Gruesomes' obsession with Friends and the fact that they simply <B>had</B> to say "hands down the best Abbey I've ever seen". Whatever.<br /><br />Then it was time to make #2's day - a trip to <a href="http://www.hamleys.com/HAMLEYS_HISTORY_%7C_Hamleys_Toys/HAMLEYS_HISTORY,default,pg.html">Hamleys</a>. I thought they would be a bit big for that shop, but the three of us had a great time looking at everything while Chef sat in the café and read his book. We tried fantastic pens, nail varnish kits, sticker sets and lots of other things. But the highlights were the guys selling the remote controlled helicopters and the chap - who we watched twice - demonstrating the magic kits. Luckily sanity prevailed and we didn't actually part with any readies.<br /><br />Since we were in the area we had a quick zot down to Picadilly Circus and then back underground and back to Earls Court where we went to <a href="http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/s/74/742/Blackbird/Earls_Court">the Blackbird pub</a> for dinner largely on account of their claim to make the best pies in Earls Court. Chef pronounced his pie very tasty, my veggie bangers and mash were ok, #1 munched her way through a huge pile of nachos with guacamole and #2 prounounced herself with baked camembert with cranberry sauce and a side order of chips. We also tried a <a href="http://www.fullers-ales.com/london_pride.php">pint of London Pride</a> (adults only) which went down very well.<br /><br />Once again, even though it was fairly early, we went back to the hostel and had an early night.Shohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06811501749653742846noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032735082249680400.post-13232083528082695702010-10-16T22:44:00.008+02:002010-10-16T23:16:16.007+02:00First full day in London - Tuesday, 12th October 2010So here it comes in excruciating detail.<br /><br />You have been warned.<br /><br />After a terrible night (me - the others all slept like logs) because it was too hot, too loud and it was a strange bed, it was time to hit the streets runnning. The shower was cold which certainly woke us up, but we soon warmed up with the YHA continental breakfast (juice, yoghurt, pain au chocolat, piece of fruit and coffee or tea for two of your English quids and 95 of those pesky pence).<br /><br />I'd been texting with my friend L during the morning and as she was going to bring along her five-year-old D, we decided to meet at the <a href="http://www.nhm.ac.uk/index.html">Natural History Museum</a>, which is within walking distance of our hostel. The streets between Earls Court and Kensington are quiet and leafy the houses beautiful. At that time of day the "ooh"-ing and "aahhh"-ing from the Gruesomes was at maximum due to all the children on their way to school. We passed an interesting looking bookshop (new and second hand) and as we were early sat for a while at a <a href="http://www.paul-uk.com/content/food-patisserie.php">Paul pattisserie</a> for coffee (ouch! It was too soon after breakfast for a pastry, thank goodness, or we'd have blown our food budget for the week!)<br /><br />We arrived at the museum just before opening time and joined the queue. L and D would be there about 10:30 so we decided to meet up inside. The queue moves slowly because everyone has to have their bag checked due to the heightened terror alert. #2 was getting a bit worried as sharp objects are banned and I always have a (very tiny) Swiss Army knife on me. However that isn't usually an issue and before long we'd met up with our friend and were heading off to look at dinosaurs.<br /><br />Quote of the day.<br /><br />Chef: So, D, how come you know so much about dinosaurs?<br />D: I'm five.<br /><br />Simples.<br /><br />After that we looked at the Blue Whale which really is impressive in itself, let alone for demonstrating just how big those beasts are. Then we had a quick sandwich in the overpriced café (sitting near Chi Chi the panda who I remember seeing when she lived at Regent's Park Zoo) and went over the road to the <a href="http://www.vam.ac.uk/">Victoria & Albert museum</a> to look at the small clothing exhibit. One thing stood out: a pearl encrusted outfit which was made for Diana, Princess of Wales. She was really very very slim, something I really hadn't appreciated from the photos I've seen of her.<br /><br />Looking at clothes isn't really very exciting for a 5 year old of either gender, so we left the museum and walked to Kensington Gardens and had a nice long play in the <a href="http://www.royalparks.org.uk/parks/kensington_gardens/diana_playground.cfm">Diana Memorial Playground</a>. Actually, the grown-ups just yakked their heads off while the Gruesomes entertained D all afternoon. It started to get cold - I haven't mentioned that on Monday and Tuesday the weather was cold but sunny with beautiful blue skies.<br /><br />It was time to forage for food which isn't as easy as it sounds. Poor D had a sore leg and was tired, and limping, so we went to the nearest tube station and searched around in the location of the London Eye for something to eat. It had to suit a five-year-old, a 12-year-old vegetarian and a small budget. No chance by the eye, so we went over the river again and found an Italian restaurant that looked a lot better than it was.<br /><br />After that it was time to leave. D fell asleep on the table and it was difficult to wake him so Chef carried him until it was time for L to take him home at Victoria. We toodled on back to Earls Court in the hope of a better night's sleep (for me) and hot water in the shower (all of us).Shohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06811501749653742846noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032735082249680400.post-42315786618984132162010-10-16T22:06:00.008+02:002010-10-16T22:39:29.611+02:00The London Trip - first afternoon/evening (Monday, 11th October 2010)So, we dumped our bags, and having consulted a guide to London* kindly lent to me by a workmate, we hotfooted it to the Earl's Court Tube station where our first surprise met us.<br /><br />I'd seen photos but totally forgotten - there is a Tardis outside the tube station. It brought us all up in our tracks (for some reason I thought it was in Leicester Square). The weird thing (to us) was that people just walk past it as though it's not there. We, however, turned into total fangurls and squeed and squawked at it.<br /><br />The kindly gent at the ticket booth informed us that a travelcard was our best bet, as we could just hop on and off tubes for the rest of the day to our hearts' content. But we wanted to walk. And so we looked at the tube map, looked at the book, calculated and jumped on a Picadilly line tube to Green Park.<br /><br />Where I promptly upset the teenaged daughters by taking my first picture of a tube-seat-covering**. Oh the shame!<br /><br />From Green Park we followed the instructions in the book and walked to Berkley Square passing Devonshire house and Clive of India's house. The nightingales weren't singing and so we moved on rather swiftly in the direction of Mayfair. Now I'm not overly familiar with London despite one of my parents actually being a Londoner, but even I know that Mayfair means money. We wandered, open mouthed around places like Charles Street and wondered what all the armed police were doing outside one rather imposing building, but toodled along without really stopping to admire the buildings because we really wanted to get to Hyde Park to enjoy the last of the sunshine.<br /><br />After passing the Red Lion Yard - fairly disappointing since only the facade of he pub remains - we did, in fact, stop for a while in the Mount Street Gardens to sit on a bench and watch the schoolchildren having a good run around. The Gruesomes exclaimed "ahh, how cute" just about every time we saw a schoolchild in uniform - especially the little boys in their shorts, blazers and school caps. But they still don't want to have to wear one. Shame. The gardens have lots of garden benches, with plaques to the memory people who have enjoyed their peace over the years. Very Notting Hill (the film) and we sat on one dedicated to a Philidelphia lady who had come over and fallen in love with the place.<br /><br />But soon it was time to move on and we passed several very expensive designer boutiques - which Gruesome #2 especially loved as she wants to be a designer. We stared for a while at the Laboutin shoes and wondered if it really is humanly possible to do anything but stagger around on those monster heels.<br /><br />Finally we got to Park Lane - cue several hilarious jokes about not standing still because we couldn't afford Park Lane with a hotel on it. There is a memorial to animals who have died in war over the years which is rather touching - something I'd not seen before, so we took a fair few photos of that. Then it was on to Marble Arch where <I> wonder of wonders we managed to get photos without anyone standing or walking in front of it</I>! There is also a new (to me) sculpture of a horse's head (Horse Drinking) which was a rather marvellous piece.<br /><br />From there we walked through Hyde Park, down to the boathouse at the Serpentine, then abandoned the Dorling Kindersley walk through Belgravia in favour of going accross to the Albert Hall and Albert Memoria. Blimey - that is one Bling Bling monument - I really didn't remember it being that golden! There were a lot of coaches outsiide the Albert Hall disgorging countless numbers of Women of a Certain Age (older than me). It turned out that Cliff Richard was appearing there all week as part of his 70th birthday celebration. #2 asked a tout how much tickets were, and it seemed they were going for their face value of 70 of your English quids.<br /><br />By then we were getting tired and hungry and looking for a tube station. But luck would have it, before we found it (Kensington High Street) we stumbled on one of the <a href="http://www.giraffe.net/">Giraffe chain of restaurants</a>, slogan: Love, Eat, Live. It's sometimes difficult to find something we all like, and #2 is vegetarian, but in England it seems a lot easier.<br /><br />Anyway, I had a spiced vegetable risotto (yum), Chef had baramundi with some kind of tomato salsa (yum), #1 had an oriental noodle salad (yum) and #2 had a vegetable burrito (yum - she ate it all, and it was massive). Coffee afterwards for me and they had ice-cream or cake. After that it was a short walk to the tube at Kensington High Street and back to the Youth Hostel for a good nights sleep before our first full day in London.<br /><br /><br /><br />*London - Dorling Kindersley Vis-à-Vis series (in German... we saw several other people clutching this book on our travels, in various different languages.)<br /><br />**I've decided to make one monster blog-post later with all the seat covers... just to build up the suspense you understand!Shohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06811501749653742846noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032735082249680400.post-11710120459002544242010-10-16T21:07:00.006+02:002010-10-16T22:40:35.052+02:00Monday, 11th October - the trip to London. Part the first.We didn't have a summer holiday, as such, this year due to lack of funds. However an unexpected windfall arrived in time for us to book a short stay in London during the first week of the Gruesomes' Autumn holidays.<br /><br />We elected to go by Eurostar, partly becuase I love trains but also because from where we live to any airport, and then from any destination airport into London and all the waiting around involved with air travel it's just as quick to go on the hot and sexy eurostar.<br /><br />Our original plan was to go for three nights (our budget) and stay at the Premier Inn, but some friends suggested we try the Youth Hostel Association which meant that our budget could stretch to four nights. There were no vacancies at the Kings Cross one, but <a href="http://www.yha.org.uk/find-accommodation/london/hostels/london-earls-court/index.aspx">Earls Court Youth Hostel</a> had a family room which we promptly booked. Unfortunately there were no 2nd class tickets available for the Eurostar and for about 2 minutes it looked as though the trip might be off. But then... Chef and I both said "stuff it, let's go in styleeee" and we booked first class.<br /><br />Horribly expensive but lovely.<br /><br />We also took the precaution of booking seats for the parts of the journey not on the Eurostar which paid off on the way home on Friday (15th October)<br /><br />So, 11th October dawned bright, cold and sunny. At 07:30 our taxi arrived and ten minutes later, horribly early for the 8:02 train, we arrived at the station. Chef and Gruesome #2 were promptly despatched for coffee while #1 and I piled our bags artfully and started to take photos.<br /><br />The first train took us to Aachen where we had a cold 40 minute wait for the ICE to Brussels. The coffee and the cold had worked on us, so the 3 girls in our party set off to look for the loo. Unfortunately we found it - bleuch, but needs must. The time passed quickly but we had time to check the timetable for the Thalys to Paris while we waited - that will be our next Capital City Destination.<br /><br />The ICE is a beautiful train, I've always loved them. The shape is just fantastic, and in the first class the seats are wide and comfortable. We had a set of fourr seats with a table, which was lovely, and there is a waiter service to bring coffee and snacks. We stuck to coffee.<br /><br />Unfortunately I didn't manage to take a photo of Liège station when we stopped there, but it's totally beautiful. Very modern and clean looking - a real change from my local station and the horrrible thing they have at Aachen.<br /><br />We rolled into Brussels perfectly on time and decided to use the Brussels-Midi station facilities before finding the Eurostar check in. These were slightly better than those on offer at Aachen but it did provoke me to wonder why when you have paid a fortune for tickets (first or any other class) you still have to put up with horribly stinky, cramped and sometimes downright disgusting toilets?<br /><br />What struck me during the journey to and from London is that stations can be incredibly efficient, sometimes beautiful places. But the toilets are all disgusting. Why, for example, do they persist in the horrible stainless steel fittings and grey non-slip floors. This combo just always always looks disgusting and dirty no matter how recently it's been cleaned. Even in St Pancras which is my new very favourite station and v v fabby and marvy has the most horrible facilities. Added to which, if you're travelling alone with anything other than a small rucksack or bag, there is nowhere to put them while you pee. An oversight which I'd like to see addressed.<br /><br />Anyway. Where was I?<br /><br />We checked in for the Eurostar. To get to the UK from mainland Europe you have to show your passport. There were several school parties, and it seemd that each one had one member who had either forgotten their passport, didn't have one, or just couldn't find it. Total nightmare for the teachers I'd imagine.<br /><br />The train itself is beautiful. Sleek and smooth, like the ICE with lovely comfortable seats. Again we had a 4 group with a table and settled down with our various books, mp3 players and what-have-you.<br /><br />Soon after we started an airline-stylee meal was served which consisted of prawns in some kind of dressing, sheep's cheese with some kind of dressing and something else with a bit of fig. There was a small bottle of water for each person, and we could have wine or a soft drink too. After that there was coffee or tea. Not too bad and, a with flying, soon after the dishes were cleared away we arrived in London.<br /><br />One thing: we whizzed into the tunnel without any announcement which I thought was a bit odd. One minute we were zooming through the countryside, the next there was total blackness outside which seemed to last for ages but was about 20 minutes in reality.<br /><br />St Pancras, a place I'd last seen during my time travelling between Bristol and Germany as a schoolgirl, has changed beyond all recognition. For starters it's St Pancras International. But it has been modernised, the trains are all upstairs, and there are wonderfully shiny new restaurants, cafés and shops in the main concourse. The nice thing is that they have preserved the basic structure of the station, which is a beautiful Victorian edifice, within the small glass-fronted shops. More about St Pancras later though.<br /><br />For now we decided that rather than annoy the lunchtime tube travellers we'd take a cab to the Youth Hostel at Earl's court. We passed through Hyde Park on the way, and it was such a beautiful, sunny, autumn day we decided that we'd check in, dump our bags and go for a walk.<br /><br />The taxi driver didn't know the Youth Hostel in Earl'sC ourt but thanks to the fact that I'd noted down their directions from their website, we found 38 Bolton Gardens with no problems. As we don't use a credit card, we'd booked and paid for the room in advance - making the bank transfer at the end of September. But it still hadn't been registered by the YHA - apparently they receive payments at the head office and they inform the place you've booked when the payment is received. They had received my email with the payment details though so there wasn't much to worry about.<br /><br />Having checked in, paid the non-YHA members fee, we went up to our room. It was at the back of the hostel and was the very basic room I was expecting with two bunk-beds and 4 lockers for our things. There was a loo and a shower close by which was good.<br /><br />We dumped our bags, re-arranged our rucksacks and consulted a London Guidebook for a walk. Originally we'd planned a route through Notting Hill, but having seen how gorgeous Hyde Park was looking we changed our plans and jumped on the tube.Shohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06811501749653742846noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032735082249680400.post-86460650529129507892010-10-16T21:06:00.001+02:002010-10-16T21:07:37.609+02:00Hello? Hello? Is anyone out there?Due to having a shiny new car to match my shiny new bike, this blog has been largely silent.<br /><br />But I've just returned from a trip to London where Public Transport featured very heavily on the agenda.<br /><br />And so the next few posts will be a bit of a trip diary. And there will be photos of seat coverings!Shohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06811501749653742846noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032735082249680400.post-47458325209020119872010-09-05T08:33:00.005+02:002010-09-05T08:42:11.124+02:00The blog goes international!Thanks to Rory over at the Wellington Boots blog, I am now able to share with you the wonder that is a New Zealand bus seat-cover!<br /><br />This one is lovely, far superior to anything I've seen over here, and I have to admit to not a little jealousy. Note the lovely shading and use of colour (not least because Green is My Favourite Colour and The Best Colour In The World Bar NONE)<br /><br />It also displays a rather lovely touch of pride in the fern which is something most of us will recognise in the Silver version as worn by New Zealand sports teams and most of their army units.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3voLDWe3CmG8Ibv_rzpudE2XodpXiK43aahJlHq9uV4x7rRm-cArKwAONeIO9nI80Zy2YfO0qVlo0oycJ-O1aF9_rpQB4TClyq_NqwUJ3wTv3JmBUG_kMCmjSEO25hyqgVcWc1AM-tE0/s1600/nzseatcover.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3voLDWe3CmG8Ibv_rzpudE2XodpXiK43aahJlHq9uV4x7rRm-cArKwAONeIO9nI80Zy2YfO0qVlo0oycJ-O1aF9_rpQB4TClyq_NqwUJ3wTv3JmBUG_kMCmjSEO25hyqgVcWc1AM-tE0/s320/nzseatcover.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5513315285857983346" /></a><br /><br />Now go back and compare that with some of the designs on German busses. How much more relaxing to sit among the cool, green ferns than surrounded by what can only be described as the result of a deranged mind (thinking specifically of the kindergarten-stylee scribbles featuring parachutes).Shohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06811501749653742846noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032735082249680400.post-29903594122823370032010-08-28T22:14:00.004+02:002010-08-28T22:53:00.753+02:00Yes. There really is no general speed limit on the autobahn.With my super duper 1.9litre engine it is very easy to suddenly find myself zooming along the Autobahn at around 170 kilometres per hour. Which isn't too bad as long it's on the stretch close to where I live which isn't encumbered with anything as crass as a speed limit. It's also a nice stretch with a smooth surface and no bends.<br /><br />Of course, it only has two lanes which means I have to be sure to be in the outside lane so that I don't have to slalom between the Puntos and the lorries.<br /><br />A couple of kilometres along the A46 I have to change over to the A61 and that has a 120kph speed limit on it, so I do have to slow down and pay attention. It's prtty much the same until I get to work, but since that's where the traffic starts to build up. Actually I'm lucky if I get as fast as 100kph for the rest of the journey.<br /><br />So much for my route to work. Now let me take you back nearly forty years. Imagine the scene: it's the small housing estate in Windsor which joined on to the Army camp where my father worked. It was late summer and I was eight or nine. (See: <B><I>nearly</I></B> forty years...) There we all were, my friends and I, playing outside skating up and down the (hardly used) road on our roller skates.<br /><br />It had been a good summer - for insects. Specifically Crane Flies. Back then I had long hair, and since I was already home from school my bunches were a thing of the past. Anyone ahead of me here? So there we were, skating up and down, hair flying around in the middle of Crane Fly season.<br /><br /><A HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crane_fly">Crane Flies</A> are harmless. They don't bite. They don't sting. They just sit on walls or clamber in a most ungainly manner in the long grass. Or they fly around and get caught in your hair and dangle their long legs in your face.<br /><br />Remember. Nearly forty years ago. But even writing this, nearly forty years later, the hair on th eback of my neck is standing up and I have goosebumps on my arms. In fact, the hair all over my head is standing up and I'm typing more slowly than usual since I am constantly checking the room for long legged beasties. It's the season for them and it's been a hot, then wet, summer. Perfect for the horrible creatures.<br /><br />Urgh.<br /><br />So why am I relating this now? You might well ask. In fact, I'm so caught up in my memories that I have nearly forgotten. Nearly, but not quite.<br /><br />Now I've rejoined the car-owning classes I'm back to doing the family grocery shopping during my lunch-breaks. On Wednesday I'd been shopping, and when I got home my Chef helped me get the boxes out of the boot. I noticed something fly into the boot, don't forget it's an estate (station wagon, combi) so it's a big, open interior. I looked around but didn't see anything. Not to worry, I thought, I'll make sure to drive with the windows open. I don't want bluebottles in my new car.<br /><br />On Thursdays the gym near my office opens at 7am. That means that if I don't have to put the Gruesome Twosome on the school bus at 7:30, I can leave early, get to the gym at opening time and get a bit of exercise before work. That leaves my lunchtime free for reading and coffee. So, raring to go and wondering if I was up to a jog or just the cross-trainer, I hit the autobahn and put my foot down. There wasn't much traffic and I was just thinking that I might as well enjoy it while I can - school starts again next week and the autobahn will fill up again.<br /><br />And what flew into my face? Oh yes. My old friend a Crane Fly. Now, most people who know me can tell you that I'm not actually a very girly girl. Apparently I drive like a man, I used to be in the army and for fun I like to mess around with power tools.<br /><br />The only thing that stopped me screaming was the fear that the Big Beast would go into my mouth. But there I was, whizzing along the autobahn at 6:45am trying to fend off my Nemesis. I managed to get the window wound down (giving silent, closed mouth, thanks to whoever invented electric windows) in the vague hope that I could use my hand to flap it out. The stupid thing didn't comply with my wishes and thus met it's untimely end squished to jelly by my own fair hand against the driver's door.<br /><br />But it was a very shakey Sheona who pulled into the car park, took four attempts to park the jalopy and staggered into the gym to use the cross-trainer. It's amazing, given that I was driving quite fast at the time, that I didn't end up wrapped around the central reservation.Shohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06811501749653742846noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032735082249680400.post-15177640222119625722010-08-24T20:06:00.002+02:002010-08-24T20:29:15.046+02:00Four wheels on my wagon...The second day of commuting by car has come and gone and I have to say - much as I love and adore my Shiny New Bike - this really is the way to get to work.<br /><br />In the past I've taken the B-roads to Mönchengladbach where I've joined the Autobahn (the A61, then the A52 then the A44) to Willich. It takes around 45 minutes - but this has stretched to more than 2 hours on one or two occasions. Most notably when it has snowed and I was young and keen (I won't be doing that again) and when the Autobahn exchange was being improved (improved no end but what a pain in the neck while it was being built).<br /><br />But now I have a car that has a better engine and runs on diesel, I've decided to join the autobahn which runs close to my village, and cut my journey time. And what a cut! It took 30 minutes yesterday and today, although I expect that to increase next week when the school holidays finish.<br /><br />Car-driver's laziness set in on the first day, sadly. The plan was to get up at 6am and get to Willich as early as possible because there were some jackets on offer in Aldi (not very nice, as it turned out so I didn't get one). But I watched the clock click round to 06:45 before I actually managed to schlepp my sorry bones out of bed. Since I got some shopping done before work, lunchtime was coffee and my book.<br /><br />Yaay.<br /><br />The drive home was also around 30 minutes but that could have been because I didn't leave work until 19:30 - although today I left at 17:30 and despite a bit of traffic early on, I still managed the journey in 35 minutes.<br /><br />None of that 2-and-a-half-hour journey with missed buses!<br /><br />Yaayyy.<br /><br />Although - I do feel vaguely guilty about my carbon footprint.Shohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06811501749653742846noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032735082249680400.post-1415637366878056052010-08-21T15:52:00.002+02:002010-08-21T15:57:17.624+02:00Panic over: the radio is tuned!So now I have a car it's easy to fall into the trap of: but I don't like the seat covers/radio/colour...<br /><br />Actually, I'm still in love with the shiny "new" Octavia but was worried because it has a free-range radio that has no instruction book and doesn't actually do anything except spew white-noise, sometimes at full volume. The radio doesn't appear to have an off switch.<br /><br />But today I was in a "multi" story car park. (what passes for multi-story in these parts: it has 2 levels) Suddenly we realised that there was some kind of display on the radio that works, and that we could see which wavelength we were trying to tune. Easy peasy.<br /><br />And on the offchance that saving the stations is pretty much the same on all of these types of thing I started tuning and pressing like a mad tuning and pressing thing.<br /><br />Result!<br /><br />We now have the ability to select, at the press of a(n unlabelled) button: BFBS2 and WDR2. They don't set the radio universe alight but they do have:<br /><br />a) the Radio4 Today programme<br />and<br />2) the actual traffic news<br />and<br />iii) local news.<br /><br />Yaayyy!Shohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06811501749653742846noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032735082249680400.post-20497732742663889702010-08-18T08:21:00.004+02:002010-08-18T08:31:42.012+02:00333,333 reasons that the Punto is prefixed with "Super"Here it is. Evidence, if you will, that I need:<br /><br />a) to get out more<br />and<br />b) to photograph all my sets of wheels if I'm going to blog about them in future.<br /><br />As I don't have any photos of SuperPunto, here's one I took earlier. It is the milometer and it speaks for itself. Indeed, explains the whole "super" part of the SuperPunto epithet.<br /><br />Technical details: I could see, of course, that this was coming up, and did hugely complicated feats of maths (yes, I didn't do well in my maths A-level, alebit back when they were difficult) to make sure that I wouldn't be on the Autobhan with no chance of stopping when it came round.<br /><br />The day dawned. I arrived at the car park at work with around 20kms to go. At lunchtime I drove to the rather fabby and marvy (and, indeed, spiffy) RealFuturestore - The Best Supermarket In The Whole Of Germany. Close, but no cigar.<br /><br />That meant, slow driving around the less populated areas of the car park still didn't get the result I wanted. A trip down the small road to Aldi was necessary. I got very very close, so I drove around a small sliproad a few times.<br /><br />By now I was absolutely sure that anyone around (and there were quite a few) would be calling the police by now. And then, LO! and BEHOLD! I saw the numbers turning, pulled sharply into one of those parking spaces that you get at the sides of some roads and this photograph is the result.<br /><br />Make sure you are sitting down for this...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn_FiN7Y1-34075IaIOT_I_TA3aNz05cTMzUuCnKxqY2jkream6-MW-d2bctVd70EdAEcV1gA4WdpAdAZAgm6y0J_Da7RWWGh0S3fT08TDZEKU3WWR_DLlhFmKhPf6BxaKT-HR8bNYku4/s1600/020.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 180px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn_FiN7Y1-34075IaIOT_I_TA3aNz05cTMzUuCnKxqY2jkream6-MW-d2bctVd70EdAEcV1gA4WdpAdAZAgm6y0J_Da7RWWGh0S3fT08TDZEKU3WWR_DLlhFmKhPf6BxaKT-HR8bNYku4/s320/020.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506633478228140450" /></a><br /><br />So, do you think I should have tried to sell this to the FIAT museum rather than send the car to the crusher?Shohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06811501749653742846noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032735082249680400.post-77861107544275430402010-08-17T19:59:00.012+02:002010-08-17T20:50:53.325+02:00The Car. It's here.I just thought I'd mention that now I've got a car there definitely won't be any more blogging about my woeful experiences on German Public Transport.<br /><br />However, since I've enjoyed the blogging exponentially more than I enjoyed the travelling (except for the fact that it offered a fantastic opportunity to Read More Books) I've decided to carry on.<br /><br />But first, let's have a respectful silence for SuperPunto.<br /><br />*the brass band plays Abide With Me in the background*<br /><br />ALAS AND ALACK! (ha, there they are again!)<br /><br />I don't have one single photo of the Super Punto. Not one.<br />Really, it is true: you don't always know what you've got 'till it's gone. There is a photo of the speeedo/milometer when it did 333,333kms and maybe one day I'll find that and post it.<br /><br />But anyway.<br /><br />That is the past.<br /><br />We will move into the future. But before we do that, here's my favourite bike. Yes, indeed. Finally, here it is.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUeaRiF-4nfeWOCnd0BZ2a_pFI2hA_JdSkOqs-f957NGi8yBZDhwD7ZuwXMUAMTsNrus7ovKRkalHBQ7xCOJAx4i1i648V7maEJNEMiKEM4-KM2YKpguUO7fnDmQuFWFdrLqlmzDYci0/s1600/blog+photos+006.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMUeaRiF-4nfeWOCnd0BZ2a_pFI2hA_JdSkOqs-f957NGi8yBZDhwD7ZuwXMUAMTsNrus7ovKRkalHBQ7xCOJAx4i1i648V7maEJNEMiKEM4-KM2YKpguUO7fnDmQuFWFdrLqlmzDYci0/s320/blog+photos+006.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506449809011682962" /></a><br /><br /><CENTER>The Shiny New Bike</CENTER><br /><br />And now, the moment we've all been waiting for. Some of us more anxiously than others...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiucJIhMyNIB273mwULL83xxuAqaonLSJ25qEB1WSB1I0yujOryOZYcHS2k7KJb97MKzgnUY4dJ0EVWFiduwGn4sHM9Gib5lWM4dsShZQ79UXvm90zBi5cYMKtxwczcreIECurOhMMLBmg/s1600/blog+photos+004.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiucJIhMyNIB273mwULL83xxuAqaonLSJ25qEB1WSB1I0yujOryOZYcHS2k7KJb97MKzgnUY4dJ0EVWFiduwGn4sHM9Gib5lWM4dsShZQ79UXvm90zBi5cYMKtxwczcreIECurOhMMLBmg/s320/blog+photos+004.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506451856553349218" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXRoZXMhbuOFvd4w1xT62LWmNZYpJOxf2Q6rBnSDbrkT-o9Joj0ME76jYJ_DDDfVYf-j3TX_zX43Ttp2lKubRbWwdMSUkKM_y1Zy8LbIwBObqpq6uEEiAXJzu390vOhKq1aWKjbsRc5Fs/s1600/blog+photos+005.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXRoZXMhbuOFvd4w1xT62LWmNZYpJOxf2Q6rBnSDbrkT-o9Joj0ME76jYJ_DDDfVYf-j3TX_zX43Ttp2lKubRbWwdMSUkKM_y1Zy8LbIwBObqpq6uEEiAXJzu390vOhKq1aWKjbsRc5Fs/s320/blog+photos+005.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5506452201635023074" /></a><br /><br /><CENTER>The Skoda Octavia Combi/Estate/Station Wagon</CENTER><br /><br />I don't know any details apart from the fact that it has a massive boot. Four doors. It runs on Diesel. And I'll be checking the oil a lot more often than I have in the past.<br /><br />:)Shohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06811501749653742846noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2032735082249680400.post-83801626204933252682010-08-17T13:17:00.004+02:002010-08-17T13:27:09.082+02:00Tempting fate - tempting, isn't it?<B><U>A car in the offing</U></B><br /><br />So, this is probably tempting fate, but we're so far along the process I really don't see what harm it could do.<br /><br />We live in a village, and if there is one thing village people (note lack of capitalisation there - we are not that 70s singing group) are good at it's networking. Obviously being newbies to the village (having only just embarked on our second decade here) we don't actually get spoken to by anyone, or indeed referred to as anything apart from 'The English Family'. But we do use the local car repair guy who has built up a very good business over the last ten years or so.<br /><br />It started as a kind of small workshop, and he sometimes sold the odd second hand car or two. Now it's a pretty much fully-fledged business taking on things like windscreen repairs and a breakdown service. Anyway, to cut the long, boring story short, he has a car for us and, because he's really working at his business, will register it for me.<br /><br />In the meantime he has loaned me a cute little Citroen thing - it's tiny but it works, which is more than I can say for the late, lamented Super Punto. This has meant that I haven't been cycling much (it's horribly rainy at the moment) and since my chef is back at work this week we haven't used the trains much either.<br /><br />So - hopefully, the car will be registered this week which means the blog will be (with any luck) redundant from next week when I go back to work.<br /><br />Before I hang up my Commuter Blog Hat forever, though, I'll try to post a picture of Super Punto, the tiny Citroen, the new car and - of course - the star of the blog: my Shiny New Bike.Shohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06811501749653742846noreply@blogger.com9