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The Tube

The tube, the subway, the underground… London wouldn’t be London without it, no matter how you call it.

I usually have a love/hate relationship with subways: while they are often the most efficient way to get around in large cities, they also receive their fair share of bad press. Dangerous, crowded, dirty, expensive, claustrophobic… not all subways are nice to ride. I love Rio de Janeiro’s subway, as well as Mexico City’s, Beijing’s and Buenos Aires’, but I hate Paris’ subway because it has most of the inconveniences mentioned above.

I had heard people complaining of London’s “Victorian” subway system and its price. Not sure whether we are just lucky or easy to please, but I found myself enjoying the tube. Instead of paying £4 per trip (!), we went for an unlimited zones 1 and 2 subway pass—at £25.80 it’s quite a good deal.

The tube is aptly named: the train really looks like a long colourful tube, and the ceiling is quite low. Seats are comfortable though and overall, quite clean. I absolutely love the fun use of U.K.’s colours, blue, red and white—it makes subways look less creepy, in my opinion. The logo is also a classic gem of British culture, and I couldn’t get enough of funny stations names, such as “Swiss Cottage” and “West Ham” (obsessed with food, anyone?).

Piccadilly Circus
Westminster
In Motion
Last Kiss?
English Colors
Going Underground
In the Tube
Swiss Cottage
No Logo
Er… I’ll Take the Lift
Train Arriving
Waiting
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Zhu

French woman in English Canada.

Exploring the world with my camera since 1999, translating sentences for a living, writing stories that may or may not get attention.

Firm believer that nobody is normal... and it’s better this way.

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