For me the vaporetti are the clockwork that keeps Venice going. If you take the routes that circle the city and ferry commuters morning and evening to and from the railway and bus stations it gives you a good insight into daily life.
Get off at one of the stops like Fondamente Nove or on the Giudecca and make your way into the heart of the town from there
I've known London since my first heady visits in the early 1970's and have lived and worked there several times over the years. Disillusionment started setting in the mid 1990's - poor services, high prices - and I hadn't been back for 10 years. Until Tuesday that is, when I had to pay a flying visit on business. I was prepared for the worst, and so this is the first of a couple of blog posts about my reactions.
I flew into Heathrow from Zurich on Tuesday afternoon, and decided to put things to the test by going to Richmond via public transport. Being used to the Swiss system, and remembering London Transport from previous times, I didn't have great expectations. However it actually went ok. Tube to Hounslow East, and bus to Richmond. No traffic snarl up getting into Richmond even though it was rush hour (5-6pm). Maybe the rush hour has moved.
So it seems there has been a change, and my immediate impression was that it had been achieved my a massive overdose of buses - there were hundreds of them on the roads.
Now the bad news. The tube station at Heathrow resembles some kind of obstacle course with big complicated barriers all over the place. I don't know if these are to foil terrorists or over-enthusiastic travellers with baggage trolleys. In truth they aren't a big problem but they were the first sign of what I soon realised was a very "nanny state" attitude towards the public.
The tube station was full of London Underground staff, none of whom seemed enagaged in performing anything related to helping travellers. I tried the system out by approaching one such gaggle and asking a simple stupid tourist question about platforms. I got a very dismissive reply, I was obviously distracting them from their real business, although what that was still eluded me. Then I tried to get rid of some litter (my sandwich wrappings). Couldn't find a litter bin. I asked another group. Apparently litter bins are just the sort of thing terrorists like to park the odd bomb in.
London seems to have an infatuation with announcement services and I found this irritating to a high degree. The bus to Richmond announced at every stop that it was "the H73 to Richmond" despite there being an LED display with the same info. I expect that it is useful for blind people, but all it is going to do is tell a blind person they have got on the wrong bus, and blind people never do this. Most of the blind people I have met have more awareness of which bus they are on than I do. Political correctness rearing it's ugly head. Same on the trains. The tube always had the "Mind the Gap" announcements which were tolerable because they were an anomaly. Now you are bombarded by announcements at any time the PA system has fallen silent for a few seconds. "mind the gap between the train and the platform", "be careful of the big step to the platform", "remember that there is no smoking on any trains"," do notleave your luggage unattended". Add to this the profusion of notices saying things like "Our staff have the right not to be abused or attacked", and adverts with gory tales of what happend to someone who verbally abused someone. It had never occured to me that I might want to assault or abuse a member of staff, but I was coming round to the idea. Signs telling you not to put heavy items in the luggage rack. Are all Londoners stupid with attention spans of 10 seconds? They must be starting to wonder.
I liked the sign on the Picadilly line that said something like this:
"Going to Covent Garden at the Weekend? Well I shouldn't bother if I was you. Not by tube at any rate. Gets very busy. Best to get off at one of these other stations and WALK"
OH, I should add that the train from Richmond to Waterloo in the morning was actually on time and in fact rather clean. However as someone said about somnething else - these things are a duty, NOT a virtue.
More later
Sorry no posts for a few days, but that Zurich art heist took some planning.....
They are building many new tramlines to facilitate the explosion of development in Zurich Nord area. I liked the rectangular framing in this photo, but the diagonal shadow spoils it a bit
Here's an obvious crop - seems more dramatic, but loses the snaky tramline effect
Want another?
Or this even?
Answers on a postcard please...
Canon EOS 5D 70-200mm F2.8 L
Falling back on some Venice archive photos today. Before James Bond destroyed everything, the local boats perform a delicate ballet in the early morning on the Grand Canal
I stopped off in Köln en route back to Zürich from Düsseldorf. I didn't have time to see much, and anyway you are much better visiting April at Cologne Daily Photo. The station is a nice old fashioned affair though, the ironwork goes nicely with the giant arches of the Hohenzollern Brücke that leads into it across the Rhine
I'd been admiring a nice atmospheric shot of a bus shelter over at Cergipontin and realised I had a shot of a similar subject, but different treatment. Not very seasonal, apart from the shopping reference...
Although like most people my photos are hypnotised by gondolas and the like, the waterways of Venice are bustling with working craft of all sorts shapes and sizes. Everything gets done by water - post, refuse, fire brigade. This is out in the open waters of the lagoon, to add more of a splash. The skyline of San Marco is a mere backdrop to daily life
This is a picture of one of the old, vintage trams that are trotted out regularly in the town. This is the number 21, complete with authentic conductor
Leica M8 35mm Summicron
A few days ago Fabrizio posted a photo with a Torino tram in it, and I commented that it looked the same vintage as some of the Zurich trams. The old Zurich models are gradually being replaced by new sleeker, boring, modern versions. The Number 2 has some of the older models in regular service.
This one dates from November 1966. Now that was a long time ago if you consider it was while England were still basking in World Cup success. Almost beyond living memory in fact. I like the way they display the service history, and it makes me think when I relate these dates to events in my life, and imagine this old tram faithfully ploughing it's way back and forward every day. At first glance the old trams look a bit shabby, but when you inspect them you realise there is not a screw out of place, or anything damaged or soiled. By the way, does anyone else wonder why a tram has a steering wheel?
There are older, historical trams that are regularly brought into service for special occasions - I'll try and post some photos at a later date.
Leica M8 35mm Summicron
Stadelhofen station is a popular commuter station. Many people use bicycles at one or both ends of the journey. It's not unusual to have two bikes. One for the journey from home to station, and another from station to work, and just to leave them tethered there, rather than carting them on a busy train
In Luzern, so a sneaky off-location image. The paddle steamer "D.S. Uri" leaving the quai alongside the Konzerthalle Luzern. Named after one of the 4 forest cantons that formed the original Swiss Federation.
...dont get in the way of a tram
The photo illustrates one of the rare occasion when somebody actually impedes the progress of a tram. In this case with sloppy parking. (Yes it's an SUV, it's on the wrong side of the road, and it has a stupid tyre on the rear door in case it gets stuck in a rainforest swamp on the way back from school). No, there isn't anyone underneath the tram, the interest is purely generated by the nastiness of the crime and the shame and humiliation awaiting the culprit - a true spectator sport - bit like a public hanging
In Zurich there is a very strict pecking order when it comes to transport
Trams - don't stop for anyone or anything. They have a timetable to adhere to and they can't jump down side streets in the event of a hold up. Don't mess with these guys
Buses - they stop at the pedestrian crossings, just don't take it for granted
People - well that's us
Bicycles - well unfortunately they don't obey any rules. Everyone is a dispatch rider it seems
Cars and other automotive rubbish - bottom of the heap. They have to stop and give way to everything that moves. Nevertheless the Swiss still love bringing them into Zurich.
After 10 months of building work the new tram stop at Zurich, Limmatplatz is finished. Didn't know about it? Well a few people have questioned the expense for a tram stop that isn't even really a major junction, but I like it. The original had mature trees, and so a key factor of the new one is how the concrete canopy has holes cut in it (swiss cheese) to allow the original arborea to remain. The other interesting thing is the supporting infrastructure, consisting of round pillar like objects with their own illumination. Can't figure out how this works, but the lights go on and off at intervals - here you see one with a loo, so maybe they go on when you flush...
No apologies for a rather ordinary photograph. Walking in town this morning I heard a distinctive noise. Only aircraft buffs will know what I mean and will recognise the wee blurry profile as a Junkers JU 52/3. This was the 747 of the 1930's along with the later DC3. "Tante Ju" or "Iron Annie", it appeared to be made of corrugated iron and driftwood. Three rotary radial engines (correction courtesy of narwhal) give it the distinctive note.
Followers of this blog will know I'm sentimental about old things, particularly those that last and stand the test of time. This and a couple of other Junkers are still flown by a company out of Dubendorf, near Zurich. More info here
Another photo of the old paddle steamer Stadt Zürich as it comes into the berth at Burkliplatz. This taken a few days ago - now the rains have set in for Pfingsten holiday (Whitsun)
Zurich's public transport system is such an integral part of life, it's easy to take it for granted. They say you are never more than 50 meters from a tram or bus, although that might be an exaggeration.
What is true, is that the system takes a battering, especially the tramlines, and they are constantly being relaid. However they don't stop the trams while they do the relaying. Normally a whole section of track is ripped up, either during the night, or occasionally on a Sunday. By the time commuters are back on the streets, the new tracks have been laid, propped up by an combination of stretchers, blocks of wood etc etc, and the trams can run while all the final adjustements and preparations are made.
Here you can see them at work in the middle of the morning rush hour, measuring, adjusting and whatever. At the left you can see a guy with a hose. It's his job to spray the rails and keep them cool. With no concrete to absorb the heat they would soon run into trouble.
Eventually, when all the tracks and infrastructure, cables, sensors points etc are in place, they come along in the night and lay the concrete, and then the tarmac
Apart from a little inconvenience, the network suffers virtually no disruption
UPDATE. It might also interest/amaze people to know that during the rush hour the trams run every 6-7 mins. On this stretch there are two trams, numbers 11 and 14, so that is one tram every 3 mins in each direction. Can't be an easy job!
