London Warning or Danger Tips by irisbe

Look at the "right" side of the

road!

Who would think that they all drive on the wrong side of the road `-)
The first hours walking and crossing the street is really hazardous when you are used that every one is driving at the right side, not the wrong mmm sorry not the left side !
So be really very careful when you cross the streets that you look at the right directions to see the traffic coming.
For "dumb foreigners" they have been so kind to paint the cross-the-street-instructions on the road.
I must say I feel great gratitude because I am convinced it must have saved my life a couple of times!

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Warnings Or Dangers: If you are in a hurry

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Written by irisbe

on Jul 10, 2004

tube goes fast!

If you are in a hurry, avoid getting stuck in the heavy traffic in the centre of the city. Not every where busses have their own lanes and with a cab you get as stuck in traffic as with your own car.
I think easiest way still is the tube, although that can be very crowded too!

I once took the tube during rush hour and when I closed my eyes I swear I felt like a canned sardine!

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Warnings Or Dangers: Let me out of here!

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Written by irisbe

on Jul 11, 2004

Sucked up by an automatic staircase

Trocadero building houses different stuff, I remember two of them:

The first floor with the shops and the friendly supervisors who came up to me telling it was not allowed to take any pictures in the store, unless I bought anything? ok? here goes my old saying again: ?no pictures, no business? and off I went.
Shops! I must be an exceptional female as I really hate shopping and if I had the choice I would have whisked myself somewhere else in the greenery, but it was chilly, windy, dark clouded and raining, in one sentence: no weather for a walk in the park. In here it was dry at least.

A psychedelic automatic stairs: neon lights and glass gave it a tunnel vision; sucked me up completely and before I realised I was up the 2nd floor. All around me in the darkened room: the beeping, ringing and other undefined sounds; flickering lights of game machines, car simulators, soccer games, all hitting my iris without any mercy: money-eating machines, and money losing people, people grown one with the handle of the game machinery, body snatched and mind blown. All that came poured over me and I had only one thought and that was to find the way out!

Can you imagine four of these floors of video games, each the size of a city block? That's exactly what you get when you visit Trocadero, London's modern nightmare game hall!

The way out was perfectly hidden. I realised I was not at second floor; the automatic staircase must have covered more floors! I walked around the whole level, searching for the one that ought to go down, but it just didn?t exist! I finally had to ask one of the dangerous looking ?men in black? and he pointed out that if I go around that corner and around that corner? ok? let?s try those 2 corners first?
Indeed, there were hidden metallic stairs covering half floors, so I had to search many around various corners, but after number two I got the hunch tracing them.

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Warnings Or Dangers: Days of Marry Poppins are over!

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Updated by irisbe

on Dec 22, 2005

no need to feed!

Who has never seen the movie of Marry Poppins and the old lady feeding the birds?
..............
Early each day to the steps of Saint Paul's
The little old bird woman comes.
In her own special way to the people she calls,
"Come, buy my bags full of crumbs.
Come feed the little birds, show them you care
And you'll be glad if you do.
Their young ones are hungry,
Their nests are so bare;
All it takes is tuppence from you."
Feed the birds, tuppence a bag,
Tuppence, tuppence, tuppence a bag.
.................

But all that is over now!

If you don't get it yet! Here it is in many languages and in a pictogram!
No feeding the pigeons! What you eat must come out again and that goes exactly the same for these birds. In big masses they can produce quite some piles of bird poop and this ***ty mass of poop is so strong that it will damage the surrounding buildings, the statues and maybe smut your new outfit. So one good advice: don't!

I caught this sign at Trafalgar Square, a pigeon paradise!

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Warnings Or Dangers: Not only for tourists!

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Written by irisbe

on Jul 18, 2004

traffic warning posters