I spent a few days in Holland, and the public transport is brilliant. Having trains and buses, all integrated and on time, regular and cheap, shows what can be done. And those bike lanes that are actually respected and used.
I spent a few days in Holland, and the public transport is brilliant. Having trains and buses, all integrated and on time, regular and cheap, shows what can be done. And those bike lanes that are actually respected and used.
ay up
Yes. The coverage here is patchy. Birmingham has a good service, but it is big enough to sustain the levels of service. I bet it's not so good up your way. The trouble is it would also take a major shift in attitudes from car drivers to do it. I know people who would never contemplate travellingby bus.
Speaking of public transport, we took our Japanese exchange student to London for the day yesterday. We got cheap train tickets, but the journey was 2 hours, and pretty busy. The trip back was really hot, with the place crammed up with people with luggage - there's nowhere to put cases. Luckily we had none. The London bit was good, but as usual we has far too little time to get round.
We spent quite a lot of time around Parliament, Westminster Abbey and the monuments. Great stuff.
Hahaha, opinions differ on that subject. I can tell you that. The NS (the national railway company) is criticized a lot over here. But I'm glad someone has something good to say about them, finally. I do agree that Dutch public transport is quite good, but us Dutchies tend to nag about the slightest things xD. The bike lanes are the best thing. My city has separate bike lanes everywhere and we also have separate bus lanes so regular traffic and public transport don't interfere.
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past - The Great Gatsby
Give every man thine ear, but few thy voice - Polonius (Hamlet)
Here, it is all about the car.
Transportation infrastructure has been centered around the automobile for so long it is difficult, at least here in the DFW area, to develope mass transit systems that can follow logical, efficient patterns, not to mention the efforts in changing the public mindset.
Nevertheless, efforts are being made to develope transit train systems. Dallas has had the DART system for some time that includes buses and trains. New lines are reaching out to suburbs. Denton County, to the north of Dallas/Ft. Worth, has developed a transit train system refered to as the "A Train" that links up to the DART system south.
I live in Denton County and plan to give the "A Train" a try at some point.
The Japanese Student leaves tomorrow on an 11 o'clock plane from Birmingham. She has, of course, been extremely polite, nice and no trouble whatsoever.
It has, though, been like living in a guest house for three weeks. Up at 6, table set with napkins, and a choice of stuff for breakfast - croissants, toast, cereal... no more slumping in front of the telly watching the BBC News with my porridge, putting off the moment I venture out with the dog.
She leaves tomorrow, as i said, but my wife has grown to rather like the Georgian Tea Room formality, and, though it is nice to have a conversation on a morning with my wife and daughter, I think the daughter will revert to her 15 minute toast grab and rush out of the door. The other thing is that we have to listen to local radio and not Planet Rock, or anything lively. They have these tedious - used to do it on Radio One 30 years ago - competitions, where everyone is ever so slightly wacky which is not what I want on a bleary, not yet sun up morning. Ho hum.
I just got back from Mexico. Those Mayans can really bring down a discotheque.
Her hair was like a flowing cascade and her breasts were real awesome also.
My ***** Better Have My Money by Fly Guy
My ***** better have my money.
Through rain, sleet, or snow,
my ho better have my money.
Not half, not some, but all my cash.
Because if she don't, I'll put my foot dead in her ***.
Is this your first exchange student venture? Seems like it would be a rewarding experience.
It is the everyone or everything so slightly wacky, that has forced me to set the alarm to wake me at a time that many would think uncivilized, but it allows me the calm I crave before the sun rises.
Coincidentally, my son and a friend had an all night gaming party. They are still sleeping, or attempting to, here in the den with me.
I enjoy these rare occasions, blessings from God if you will, when I'm provided with a captive audience being forced to listen to the likes of Spike Jones...
"Chloe"...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y02l0...eature=related
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Mayan disco
A charactersitic they picked up from the Ancient Aliens
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Last edited by Gilliatt Gurgle; 11-11-2012 at 01:11 PM.
Course the Aztecs were more into jazz.
ay up
And nowadays the sons and daughters of the Mayans and the Aztecs seem to be into the accordion.
Uhhhh...
No, we had an exchange student last year too as part of my daughter's exchange visit. We ran as a guest house then too.
I'm still feeling the fallout, as my wife often doesn't have breakfast, and my daughter grabs her as she rushes out. That leaves me in the conservatory listening to the blah on the radio - though I do tend to put Planet Rock on.
We were about to fall off the front page again.
Nothing much to offer.
Let's see... I just got back from a two day Thanksgiving celebration at my sister's home.
My son backed a tractor into our car, fortunately he was able to slow it down just before impact, but we still ended up with a 4 inch split in the bumper.
"split"...Did you Blokes ever imagine we would have plastic bumpers?
Ha ha
Ur, I'd kinda like to bumper.
Uhhhh...