Problem
How do you get to talk to people in London?
Answer
People don't talk much to strangers on underground trains. You stand more chance on an intercity trains, where you can choose to sit at a table for four. (Some trains haver reserved seating.)
However, if you are chatty, like me, you stand a fair chance of talking to somebody on a bus, if it's a long journey, so you have several different people, and you smile.
The seating is designed on the 142 bus route along the Edgware Road and other buses so that the front four seats are allocated with priority seating for those with greater needs. In the day time you get a high proportion of people who are elderly or schoolchildren or students. So there's a lot of to-ing and fro-ing, and ''have a seat," and 'Thank you".
I got on the bus and saw a seat with a woman who turned sideways so I could squeeze past to the window seat. However, after hesitating, I decided to take the empty aisle seat next to another woman who was by the window.
She immediately got into a muttered conspiratorial conversation with me, starting with her view of the woman in front. "I'm surprised she even moved aside for you. People are so unhelpful."
I nodded. it turned out the speaker was already aggrieved about other passengers. She said, "Earlier I tried to sit down and a woman had a cake on the seat. I said, very politely, "
'Excuse me, would you mind moving your cake.' She replied, indignantly, 'Where am I supposed to put it!' I said, 'On your lap. You haven't paid for two seats!' "
The front of the bus has a high level area where people place their shopping out of the way.
The conversation certainly livened my journey. A short-lived friendship, but a friendship.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
How do you get to talk to people in London?
Answer
People don't talk much to strangers on underground trains. You stand more chance on an intercity trains, where you can choose to sit at a table for four. (Some trains haver reserved seating.)
However, if you are chatty, like me, you stand a fair chance of talking to somebody on a bus, if it's a long journey, so you have several different people, and you smile.
The seating is designed on the 142 bus route along the Edgware Road and other buses so that the front four seats are allocated with priority seating for those with greater needs. In the day time you get a high proportion of people who are elderly or schoolchildren or students. So there's a lot of to-ing and fro-ing, and ''have a seat," and 'Thank you".
I got on the bus and saw a seat with a woman who turned sideways so I could squeeze past to the window seat. However, after hesitating, I decided to take the empty aisle seat next to another woman who was by the window.
She immediately got into a muttered conspiratorial conversation with me, starting with her view of the woman in front. "I'm surprised she even moved aside for you. People are so unhelpful."
I nodded. it turned out the speaker was already aggrieved about other passengers. She said, "Earlier I tried to sit down and a woman had a cake on the seat. I said, very politely, "
'Excuse me, would you mind moving your cake.' She replied, indignantly, 'Where am I supposed to put it!' I said, 'On your lap. You haven't paid for two seats!' "
The front of the bus has a high level area where people place their shopping out of the way.
The conversation certainly livened my journey. A short-lived friendship, but a friendship.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.
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