 Central line extension to New York?
On Thu, 10 Jan 2008 22:44:29 +0000, Ian Jelf <ian@bluebadge.>
wrote:
>Whenever this sort of thing comes up, I usually end up telling a story
>or two.
>
>I have had Americans confuse Windsor and Brighton, Oxford and Oxford
>Street, ask for directions to Camelot and head off up to the Northern
>end of the DLR in search of Shakespeare's Birthplace.
>
>But then I've had Britons complaining *bitterly* that "the Dome isn't
>next to the London Eye" , not recognise Big Ben [1] and try to get to
>Covent Garden by standing at a bus stop [2] and waiting for a bus
>labelled "Covent Garden" to come along.......
>
>Taking Britons abroad I've heard complaints that Paris "hadn't used to
>be this far", that the view of the Alps is "spoiled by all the mountains
>in the way" and been admonished for speaking German to a hotelier when
>sorting out a customer's problem "because I must have had something to
>hide".
Even though you've posted some of these examples before they still make
me smile.
>Overall, we tend to be more ignorant abroad than visitors to the UK are
>about us. (European visitors in particular are generally very
>knowledgeable and interested in Britain and its culture.)
Which unfortunately is the point. Even in "easy" places like Singapore
and Hong Kong you witness all sorts of nonsense or else a general
reluctance to "do as the locals do". I think I must be about the only
tourist in Singapore who deigns to use the normal bus services rather
than silly sightseeing or premium fare tourist shuttles. On my most
recent visit I saw some people (who were staying in the same hotel as
me) look visibly surprised when they saw me alight from a local bus near
the hotel while they waited for the SIA shuttle service.
--
Paul C
Admits to working for London Underground!
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