public transport imagination

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Theres a certain panic that accompanies any long term trip abroad. At first the elation of leaving the grey skies behind, completely masks the underlying fear of something possibly going horribly wrong. Questions like 'what if the weather is terrible' soon escalate to 'what if theres a military coup'. Not entirely rational but then worry rarely is.
For me Trains symbolise what is great about Britain. Sure they're never on time, often cramped and dirty, and on occasion, today being one such occasion, there is a kid in a fit of screams reaching decibels that only dogs can now hear. Us humans meanwhile, silenty implode. Being British we of course ignore the situation, tut quietly to ourselves and then go home and complain about it in a travel blog. Im sure that the parents are perfectly capable and that the child was probably just acting up out of chracter...O for the love of God do not give that kid crisps to shut it up. Ok, so now the parents deserve to be in this blog.
Apart from this however, there is no better view of the British countryside, i feel than from the window of a train. The rolling green hills, pastures, farms and little villages that cluster around the railway lines throughout the countryside.
There is also a suggestion of old-world style about trains. If you imagine hard enough, someones ciggarette smoke is transformed into steam from the coal engine, piping away. The 'bing biong' of the tannoy is not so different from the whistle which in my neck of the woods, to my delight is still used. And even the gruff and fed up ticket collector seems accomodating and smart.
I would however advise that this is all far easier to imagine with headphones to block out the kid who is now screaming cos she's finished her crisps and wants sweets now!

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