Impressions from my trip to UK

Making page with photos took me a long time so I wrote this one first after a very short time from my return on 13^th JNR 2015 from the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. After that I wrote two pages with photos.

Customs

Of course, this is the first what tourists see in the country. The frontier guard was asking me many questions about purpose of my visit to UK, my destination in the country, made sure my fingerprint is the same with the one supplied with a visa appliance (that means this is really me trying to enter the UK using my passport and visa). Finally, the frontier stamp is in my passport and the passport control is over. I had nothing to declare in my backpack (really, pants, T-shirt, sneakers, socks and underpants are not so valuable, neither purse and photocamera are) and nobody suspected me in carrying forbidden items. But it smells like a hospital at Heathrow Terminal 2 and the guards in thick rubber gloves look like they're ready to seek for forbidden items with enthusiasm.

Prices

Frightening! Not because of exchange rates of Russian Roubles and UK Pounds, the prices in Pounds are frightening themselves. Remembering that one Pound values a bit more expensive than a Euro (about €1.33 per £1) British prices look more expensive than in Finland. During 11 days of my being in the UK I supported the country's economics with a higher amount of £££ than I was going to.

Language

On the one hand it's strange but on the other hand it's completely clear. I believed my English was not excellent but at least very good. I understood it very well what foreigners told me and they understood me well too. Sometimes I helped my european interlocutor to build his phrases. But a language barrier almost grew before me in the UK! It can be explained easyly: since English is learnt in many corners of the world, many people try to find a better living at the motherland of the English language with their not good knowledge of it...

We have a similar situation in Russia now. Russian was learnt all over the USSR and now people try to find their better living in Russia. I would feel pity for a person who learnt the beautiful language that Anton Chekhov, Leo Tolstoi, Andrew Platonov wrote their books when that person comes to a marketplace. Strong accent, poor dictionary and pronounce - that's what will be heard! My dear compatriots! Let's preserve our native Great and Mighty Russia language! English is being lost in England very fast. Let's save our own language!

So we reached the mutual understanding but it was not always easy to. Only in Oxford book store I heard the ideal English pronounce! I feel English is better in other countries of Europe...

Free Wi Fi

Poor. I didn't see many countries and planets but in Finland, Sweden, Latvia, Russia it's better. In theory there exists free Wi Fi. But strictly registered (for your better service - it's said). Paid Wi Fi if hotel, by the way, works in the same manner. You will be asked your given name and family name, phone number (an SMS with check code may be sent), document number, home address - many very unpleasant questions for checking your e-mail or looking trains schedule! And some error may occur after which you still will not have access to internet! It was also a competitive task to connect prepaid Wi Fi in hotel!

Mailing

Again, not so many countries and planets I have seen, but it's definitely better in Finland, Sweden and Latvia! In the UK it is a bit better than in Russia, but only a little bit. Many different kinds of postcards are sold: citi-views, all manner of drawn subjects, watercolours of different times. But the mailing stamps!.. International stamp (£1.10) are often sold but the European price (£0.97) stamps are hard to find. When you send just one or two cards, the difference seems not so much. But when you are going to send ten or more cards, difference grows up to very feelable values! I succeeded buying 97p stamps at a souvenir shop once, but in most places no such stamps are sold. Mailing stamps are available to buy at post offices. My local post office didn't work too long (many local post offices all over the world don't work too long!). Really, Russian local post offices are more convinient - at least, you can collect your registered letters and parcels after work. As to my local P.O. in the UK, it did work only from Monday to Friday and closed at five o'clock! As to mailing tariffs - see chapter «Prices»

But there are good news about the Royal Mail. It's very convinient to know the collection time from the mailboxes. Not only time for this box is written but also information about nearest box with later collection is written. Imagine that you are running towards the mailbox with an envelope you are going to send (of course, you would like it to travel as fast as possible). And while you are running you see the mailman collecting mail from the box you are running towards to! But you can find a mailbox where the mailman will collect mail later and you have a possibility to make your letter start its postal travel this day! Besides that, when the mailman collects letters, he also changes the label on the box showing the day of next collection. So you can know if your mail will be collected this day or later.

Railways

When trains are in service, there is good service. Passenger trains are operated by private operators and make it look like there is rivalry. Looking better makes you discover that only at several directions there is rivalry but at most branchlines single operator runs trains. Unless you reserve your seats you don't have to know about this feature of British economics. Ticket bought at the station is valid at any operator's train heading the route specified. Once it made a good service for me! As to tariffs, see chapter «Prices» again.

Junction stations have 15 or even 20 track and all those track are in operations with passenger trains running intensively. Trains run not empty. Sometimes there is lack of seats in train and some have to travel standing. Sometimes I had to too. The railway is rather popular in the country and pleases with care to passengers. During your trip the driver would tell his passengers that there is good service in London Underground, all stations are open, and buses run good too, the temperature is warm enough etc. And if it happens that the train stands still in the middle of fields, a minute would not pass before it's told via speakerphones that the train is held at a red signal and would proceed soon. In an evening train on day-off passengers were told that new overhead contact line wires were being hung and our train had to run the wrong direction rails so those passengers who travelled standing had to hold the handrails while the train was changing its direction. Very pleasant care!

But the page «Delays Explained» at National Rail website (Nationalrail.co.uk/DelaysExplained), where it's written in detail why trains are late, exists for its reason. Some my trains were late too. We had a bad wheather. We had obstructions on the way. Strong wind threw branches onto the way and trains were stopped. It's so good that tickets are valid both from Paddington and Waterloo stations - let there be a local stopping in every village service than completely stopped train motion! We also had a person hit by a train...

And what really surprises me in british trains are train doors! Modern trains have folding doors with an opening button. But some trains including Intercity 125, are equipped with flap doors. I have no idea why but since the days of Trevithick and Stephenson the British set the handle only at the street side of the door! Even in Intercity 125 it is a regular way to quit the car (the instruction can be found in tambours): pull down the window glass, get your hand outside the car, find the handle and open the door). At large stations there are special employees to check if all flap doors are closed properly and only after they whistle the train driver departs. At smaller stations such trains do not stop now, as far as I know. Local stopping services are now operated with short trains with folding doors. I'm sure before this many people worked at every station closing the doors... No idea, why the British don't set a handle inside the coaches!

I saw only 7 freight trains during all 11 days of my being in the country. Five of those trains were seen in one day. It's amazing! There are goods to carry in the UK but goods are almost not carried on rail! Automobile transport is more expensive (more fuel, more drivers) and large amount of goods would paralyze the roads. But the buses run frequently and reliable too. I don't understand what British economics is kept on...

London Subway

Not so frightening as it was told at English lessons at school. Yes, lines of Underground are branchful, and the Overground single line has lots of branches and even a loop. The DLR is also similar to Overground but trains run automatically without engineer so there are seats for passengers with a view to rail and sleepers. Of course, DLR has also a single lines with a dozen of terminals and trains run from unknown where and to unknown where. But when you know exactly where you are going to and which route you shoul go you'll not get lost!

Electrification system... could be better, as for me. There are four rail laid in the track! The two rail are train runs on and onother two ones are to feed train with electricity. The construction of the track leaves no chance to survive if one falls down. If this unlucky person has no damage due to falling (height is small enough), electrical shock is guaranteed. Dimensions of tunnel (and of rolling stock, of course - those are caused by dimensions of tunnel) in the centre of the city are very narrow, and hardly can be renewed. There are coaches built in 197x in service - like Russia!

It's very useful to learn the lines along your route and geographical directions, destination stations of suitable trains and if the line splits in its middle, several stations in the required part are also worth learning. Really, not too complicated - just learn your route before you go underground. Underground diagram is also available at stations and via your mobile phone. As for me, I prefer paper diagrams first and keeping in memory when you get used to subway...

Steam engines

There are many railroads with steam engines in the UK. I could not learn it very much but I think most of them are operating at branchlines where National Rail services discountinued traffic. Some of them are going to build (or at least are planning to) new tracks, some of which are to restore demounted tracks and some never existed before. Bluebell Railway, for example, are planning to build a secong line with a junction in the middle of existing line. Alas, I had no time yet to learn about some technical aspects. It's interesting for me how they have enough money for fuel or where they get parts for their engines and coaches from etc. Anyway, I seem those British steamrailroadmen are going well!

In Didcot Railway center - museum of ex-engine shed of First Great Western - a modern operator of suburban trains, the mayor of the town himself was the conductor in the train! The train consisted of a tank engine and sigle coach and its whole way was tracktion path in depot, less than half kilometer. The train crawled forwards and backwards all day long. And the ~~Mayor~~ conductor went to platform, whistled his whistle and showed his green flag.

London

Oh, London itself is very and very various and a week would be too short to have it been seen! For incoming tourists the London Pass is a great tool to explore the city. It allows to save a lot of banknotes with a profile of Her Majesty visiting sights where tourists are to pay money for entrance. It also stimulates to see as much as possible. Map and guidebook given with this little plastic card are also a good hint telling where it's worth going and what is must-see in London. Nevertheless, many sights are free of charge but it does not mean that paid ones are not worth seing! I do remember well what I wrote in paragraph "Prices"!..

It was very interesting to see the exhibition inTower Bridge, where its hisrory is told and the old machine hall is shown with the boilers and pumps.And some London Bridge Experience is ~~balderdash~~ completely different. If we would know we would not go, in fact. For those who don't have a London Pass this show costs £25 - locals say it's too expensive for them - and so it is for tourists (at least when you are from Russia while Russian Rouble exchange rate falls rapidly). If you like all those zobies and inquisitions this sight is your must-see. I don't like this kind of spectacles but several of my friends are wanting to visit it after my narrations. This plase is located very well: you will not understand it at once that all that is over. Only pub across the road is located better. It's such a good idea to celebrate the finish of spectacle in the tombs of historical London with a pint ob beer...

You can learn a lot it London museum of Transport and see historical steam engines and learn many interesting things about double-deck buses. For example during WWI it appeared that this masterpiece of engineering can be easily converted to anything! Mobile anti-aircraft gun - not a problem! Fiels kitchen with a canteen and pigeonry - easily! Field hospital - can be done! Apartments - why not! And it has a fantastical stability, this disproportinal vehicle - amazing!

Nearness of madame Tussauds feels in each museum! Almost everywhere there are wax figures made at a high quality and wery naturally. People are surrounder with wax stuff. For example at HMS Belfast wax soldiers are cleaning wax onions and crying and wax potatoes became black while soldiers were cleaning onions. Wax potatoes are made ideally. Wax surgeon pulls a tooth out a warrior and it smells ether around the surgery. All done very, very careful!

A museum is done out of HMS Belfast. A very cool one! There are wax warriors inside the ship and aura of compartments is recreated well. In the kitchen it's very hot near to boilers with pea soup, at the bridge one can see a radio-locator, at the ship radio-station (there is a ham radio station GB2RN now) Morse codes are heard. That's how military museums should be done!