At The Train Station

We were up and about at first light to head out to another of the Aunts. Taking the train this time. No car. Like I always said, If we don't get on the public transport of a country at some point, we'll never really know a city. London is one of those cities where you need to do this.

A tube and train map in hard copy isn't good enough. Get an app. It works much more seamlessly. I don't think the lines are confusing at all. Quite easy. Best if you've data access on your smartphone- you get updates about which stations and lines they arbitrarily close at any one time without much notice. Like during this period. They're either on strike, doing engineering works, had a signal failure or something.

The Waterloo train station was packed already. No surprise there. London is such a big city that it's crowded all the time. Victoria station is a nightmare at peak hours. Ugh. You want to avoid the tube if you possibly can. Walk. Walking about London and sprinting up and down the stairs of the Underground and for the trains guarantees you significant weight loss in winter. I've never put on weight on trips to cold climates. I always shed the weight because of the extra exercise (be it riding, skiing or walking) during these trips. Awesome. This trip is precisely what I need to get over the plateau to lose the next 5kg and build muscles.

2 trains run every half hour to our destination. I can't believe I found train stations interesting. I'm most fascinated by the availability of pubs that dot the landscape, as well as the rather exciting foods section of Marks & Spencer. I always stop by to buy a pot orchids or flowers for the home visits. Always, I love WH Smith. There's always something to buy. Books are much cheaper. So are the magazines, if I don't already have an online subscription to them. The man has bought so many iTunes top-up cards that he's grinning like a chipmunk about it. He's been zealously downloading stuff every night.