Tag: oyster

Interplanetary problems

thegirlinthecafe 2 Comments

This was the second time I had problems with my Oyster card. I paid for it on the internet, but somehow that information couldn’t get through to the card itself. Which meant I couldn’t get through the gates of the underground. So I went to the information desk (I am a regular customer there). And the queue was long, and I was going to be aggressively late for work. Again.
When I finally stood in front of the small glass window (no voiciliciousness this time either) I explained the problem. He did something with his computer.
“I need your password” he said.
“Right” I said. This had to come one day, and today was obviously that day.

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Love thou underground

thegirlinthecafe 5 Comments

Going Underground

14 reasons to love the London Underground:

  • If you just missed a train, the next one won’t be far away.
  • You never really know for sure how the world looks like when you popup above ground again. Life is an adventure.
  • Yes sure there are delays sometimes. But I have never seen delays being notified so clearly. And why make a big fuss about them – when did 10 minutes extra suddenly make that big a difference in your life.
  • How can you ever get enough of “Mind the gap” and “mind the doors”
  • The new Oyster card is a genious idea, and many international cities could learn from it. Yes I am a proud Oystercard owner, and London is my oyster.
  • You can style your hair in the wind that is pushed forward by a train when it arrives. If you don’t need to style your hair, just let the wind touch your face. It is nice.
  • It is never cold, underground.
  • There is always funky live music on Piccadilly and Leicester Square station. It sounds good, underground, and sometimes it is more than funky.
  • The signing is so easy to follow that it is hard to get lost, or to get on the wrong train.
  • Take a closer look at the interior of the trains, and see how f.ex. Piccadilly Line (blue line) trains have blue frames, and Central Line trains (red line) have red frames. Someone has been thinking about things here.
  • No mobile phone noise in the underground trains.
  • Most tube stations are beautifully designed and decorated.
  • And the most important thing : it brings you around in London in a fast and convenient way

In other words : the tube is your friend in London.