How To Organise Chaos
At the moment N1 is seems to be in permanent chaos on the roads.
But I don’t drive, so why should I bother?
Every day, perhaps two or even four times, I take a bus to or from the Angel or Highbury Corner.
Yesterday, I wanted to get to Paddington to go to have lunch with a friend in Burnham near Slough. My normal method to that station, is to walk to Dalston Junction and take the East London Line to Whitechapel, where I get the Metropolitan across London. That may seem a long way round, but it’s quite reliable in the time it takes. But yesterday the Metropolitan and \district lines were not serving Whitechapel, due to engineering work. So I thought, I’d get a bus to the Angel, where I’d swap to a 73 or 30 for Kings Cross, from where I’d get the Hammersmith and City Line to Paddington. Highbury and Islington is solid at the moment due to the rebuilding of the bridge, so the direct route up the Essex Road using a 38 or 56 would be sensible. But then that road was locked solid, as they’d decided to resurface it, on a weekend with no Metrolitan Line and jams at Highbury Corner.
It took nearly an hour, to do a journey that takes just twenty minutes normally. I was even later to Kings Cross as there were diversions on the way, which meant I missed my train to Burnham by five minutes. I might have actually caught it, if the ticket machine at Paddington hadn’t gone bonkers and issued loads of blank tickets.
The problems could have been avoided, if whilst they’re doing the bridge replacement at Highbury and Islington, they refrain from doing any other major works.
It was no better today and they’ve now moved the road works further towards me on the Essex Road.
Someone is definitely not getting their project management right!
An Unusual Cancer Story From Germany
I have just read this story on the BBC web site entitled The Blind Breast Cancer Detectors. Here’s the first paragraph.
Women being screened for breast cancer in Germany may find themselves in the hands of a blind examiner. The idea has been around for a few years, and unpublished research suggests that it really works – that blind people can in fact detect tumours earlier than their sighted counterparts.
Now I’ve never had cancer, but C had breast cancer and she found the lump herself, which the GP discounted. It was later confirmed by a specialist.
But in Penang in Malaysia, we were staying at the Mutiara hotel. My back was giving me trouble, so C suggested I had a massage.It was probably the most successful massage I’ve ever had.
And the masseur was blind! They explained that the Malaysian government was training them to work in the luxury hotels of the country.
I thought at the time, it was a good idea. I still think it is and after reading the BBC article, I think that the sensitive fingers of the blind may go a lot further than relieving tension in my spine.
By TGV Est From Strasbourg To Paris
This was a two hour twenty minute trip on the top deck of a TGV on the LGV Est, which is one of the fastest lines in Europe. It cost me around £57 for the nearly 400 km. And that was a walk-up fare. London to Newcastle would probably cost me about £121 booked off-peak at a walk-up.
The train was regularly cruising at just over 300 kph.
An Appalling Death Cult
Not my words, but those of David Cameron in this report on the BBC. These are the full words he used.
We all have a role to play in stopping people from having their minds poisoned by this appalling death cult.
I agree entirely.
If Islamic State was something like the movement started by Jim Jones, that ended so tragically in Guyana, we might have taken action earlier.
They say there’s one born every minute and religion certainly takes advantage.
What I find strange about religion, is that it often fleeces the poor of their money and sanity, but although the rich may leave their money to their church, temple or mosque, they generally don’t get fleeced in their lifetime.
Match Thirty-Two – Ipswich 0 – Reading 1
This was one of those matches that contributed to a tiresome day. It started by having to go to Ipswich via Billericay and a coach.
Ah! Billericay!
Reading scored one of those goals and then sat back and defended – Game Over!
Coming home was much worse, as I was dropped into the organised chaos at Liverpool Street.
Transport for London Have A Small Problem
This year a the end of May, some of the Lea Valley Lines and the Shenfield Metro part of Crossrail come under the control of Transport for London.
But what are they going to do with the iconic Tube Map?
This reasoned article on The Londonist gives their ideas including starting again and imagining how Harry Beck would have drawn it now!
Whatever they do, millions will think it’s been done wrong.
Still Remembering Charlie!
I passed through Republic and took these photos in the square, that I visited soon after the atrocities a few weeks ago.
I haven’t changed my stance, that there was nothing that could excuse the murder of the staff of Charlie Hebdo.
A Quick Crepe And Then The Eurostar Home!
I’d booked myself on the last Eurostar back to London and I just had time for a crepe and some cider at Cafe Breizh, near the Metro station of Saint-Sébastien – Froissart, which is just two stops south of Republique on Line 8.
A Quick Crepe At Cafe Breizh
I made the mistake though of trying a new route to the Gare du Nord using Line 4. It didn’t take any longer but I spent twenty minutes finding my way to the Eurostar terminal, as the signage from that line was poor to say the least.
Of the three direct Eurostar destinations that I have used in Europe; Brussels, Lille and Paris, the French capital’s terminal seems to have been designed with the sole purpose of persuading passengers, that they are better off staying in the city. I can’t wait until direct services to Marseilles start!
A Diversion In Paris
As I had some time in Paris, I went to look at their first tram-train line, T4.
I didn’t ride the tram-train, as it was very crowded and I couldn’t find out how you bought a ticket.
But as it appeared the tram-trains were the same as those in Mulhouse, it was an experience I could pass.
The trams run from Bondy on RER Line E to Aulnay sous Bois on RER Line B.
The Anonymous Widower 