TRAVELLING

I have become a seasoned traveller here in the UK. I realised that this had happened when I didn't bother to book my return train from Wales, looked online the day before I was leaving and just grabbed a suitable train rather than booking a seat in advance.

I did, however, get a bit too smart for my own good. I was supposed to change trains at Birmingham International Train Station and the station before was Birmingham New Street. Now I've been to Birmingham New Street on several occasions and knew that there were regular trains from there to Oxford. So smart Madeleine decided to hop off the train at Birmingham New Street instead of Birmingham International. Problem was, I then had to find out which was the next train to Oxford and I've still not worked out the destinations!! Like does the train to Wolverhampton go through Oxford? What about the train to Southampton? Does that go via Oxford??

I wandered around like a bit of a lost soul for a while and then decided I needed a pee. I'm assuming everyone has heard the expression “Spend a penny”. That used to be the cost of having a pee in a public place. Prices have gone up since that expression. Now it's “spend 30p to have a pee”. I'm not quite sure how you would translate that into cents for Australians, but it has a rather nice ring to it for the UK. I met another little dog travelling with his owner. The owner was going to have a pee as well so we had a bit of a chat while we were working out how to get in. If I'd thought of it sooner, I could have done a series of blogs on “Dogs I met while travelling”. Some of them have been rather gorgeous.

Anyway, after having a pee, I found a customer service place, checked out when the next train was to Oxford and realised that I had to move to catch it. Off I hopped, down the stairs, and onto my train. Which, to my disgust, stopped first at Birmingham International. I could have stayed on my first train and ended up in the same spot !!

This train was totally full. I  mean people in the aisles and all. So this journey was spent in the entrance, chatting with a young lass and her man and Ralph the dog. Now Ralph was pretty special. Staffordshire Bull Terrier. Brown. With the soft brown eyes of the staffie and the same soft nature. The four of us spent the next hour chatting and keeping out of people's way as they wandered through the carriages. An hour later I was in Oxford. If I had booked my seat, I couldn't have got to it anyway. The couple I was chatting with had reserved seats and someone was sitting in their seats.

The trip itself was fine, no major dramas.

The trip to Chester was rather interesting. I had 2 changes to make. One in Birmingham (again), and the second one in Crewe. I arrived in Birmingham safely and found which platform I needed. Arrived at the platform. The train was there so I got on. Then the fun began. After a little while, an announcement said that the train would be delayed as they couldn't find a driver. Okay!! I wonder what happens now ! Why would you schedule a train and not schedule a driver? Oh, maybe the driver is sick. Anyway, after a number of different announcements, and about 30 minutes, we got our driver. I'm not sure how happy he was though. When he made the announcements of where we were and where the next stop was, his voice was incredibly bright and cheerful, but almost had a sarcastic tone to it.

Then, then, just before my stop (Crewe), he made an announcement to say that this train was not going as far as Liverpool, but would stop short and that people would have to get off and find alternative routes. Didn't affect me at all. In fact, the 30 minutes I waited in Birmingham just meant that I didn't have to wait in Crewe for the next leg. The train still went to Crewe and that was all I cared. However it is pretty standard for British Rail that they chop and change, trains break down and are cancelled, staff don't turn up for work so they lack drivers etc. I wonder what the German's think of this British system. Theirs would run on time always. I wonder if Australians could do any better or whether it is simply a product of a very well used, extensive train network.

I still enjoy travelling on British trains.

Madeleine

Wednesday, 31 December 2008