You couldn't script it

1

…The Quest that was my journey home, that is… ‘Or there… and there… and there… aaaaaand there… and back again’ as I like to call it…

For some reason, the London decided it was gonna unleash mayhem upon it’s inhabitants by having a major black out (mostly affecting just the transport system). For those of you that don’t know london very well: it’s big.

I went to work in the morning… flawless journey… really excellent - the trains and underground running perfectly smoothly and on time - the first time I’ve actually been in on time this week…

In the interests of quantifying this journey: on a good day, the total travel time takes approxiamtely 1 hour and 15 minutes.

So I have my fun fun day at work with kit (and beat her at pool etc ;)) and then, it comes to 6pm! Ah! time to go I think… So I leave, get on the train in Bromley South (very very south of london). I get to London Victoria, one of the busiest stations in London during rush hour. Just going down the escalators… oo! the lights have gone out. Through the dim remaining light from above ground, we’re asked to leave the station due to “an emergency” - scary… :-\

So Victoria Station is now closed and now overground trains aren’t running either. Right. So I walk to one of the nearest stations, Westminster, to see if that’s open… nope… closed… So I walk back towards Victoria via St. James Park Station. Also closed. It’s at St. James Park that we’re told that there’s been a major power outage. So I walk back to Victoria in the hope of catching a bus… of course… there are thousands of londoners with the same idea…

honestly, it was astounding… the entire inhabitants of the underground were suddenly walking the the streets of london. it’s been estimated that around 250,000 people were displaced onto the streets of london… that’s on top of the thousands that are there normally… you’d never see that many people walking around on a weekday, let alone whilst it’s raining. Oh yes! I also forgot to mention - not only were the tubes not working, but it was f*ckin pouring with rain. Major problems now.

I think ‘bugger this’ and grab some food whilst I’m at Victoria, then, I establish that no buses from Victoria would take me where I wanted to go (not to mention the fact that it was nigh on impossible to get on a bus - there were hundreds of people). So I walk. And I walk. I walked from Victoria, to Hyde Park Corner, to Marble Arch, by which time the tubes were… well… sort of running. I managed to get a train from there to Bank and then from Bank to Moorgate. At Moorgate (which is still a reaaally long way from my house) my lovely parents drove to come pick me up.

It might be a little difficult for the non-british among you to understand… but that’s one hell of a journey… I can show you the tube map, but it’s not really to scale, nor is it drawn that realistically, but it might give you an idea: http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/images/zone_big.jpg

To quantify it further, I walked about 4 miles (6.436km) in the pouring rain. Finally, 4 hours and 21 minutes after leaving the office… on a journey that should have taken me a little over 1 hour… I stagger through the door of my house.

And I am thoroughly tired and p!ssed off :wink:

I need love and cuddles :flower:

2

Ouch Asphalt…sounds like one hell of a day. You need the warm loving (and possibly cuddling) people at Kirupa to ease your pain. That and a masseuse. Both are good.

3

:love:

I know the scale of london… Thank god you made it home.

4

there are people still out there! :frowning:

It was one major hassle… If it hadn’t been for my dad driving out to Moorgate, it’d probably have taken me another hour to get home. in the car on the way back it was all over the radio - apparently there had even been scuffles between passengers and staff for places on buses :-\

5

**** that tube map!!

I ain’t NEVER moving to london! :stuck_out_tongue:

here, our station has ONE train, total number of stops on it’s entire route is less than 20, 90% of my towns inhabitant’s probably has the route plan memorized :slight_smile:

I’d never find my way in london :slight_smile:

6

*Originally posted by eilsoe *
****** that tube map!!

I ain’t NEVER moving to london! :stuck_out_tongue:

here, our station has ONE train, total number of stops on it’s entire route is less than 20, 90% of my towns inhabitant’s probably has the route plan memorized :slight_smile:

I’d never find my way in london :slight_smile: **
lol eilsoe :slight_smile:

luckily my dad has memorised most of the tube map/london… rings dad in the event of a crisis “ok, i’m here… where d I go now?” - although, he normally ends up shouting at me…! :wink:

right, I might die if I stay awake any longer… going sleepies… send me love :thumb:!

7

Poor asphalt:*(

Here’s your love and cuddles :love: and :bu:

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You don’t have to walk as far as soul does just to go to the bathroom, so it can’t be that bad asphalt :).

Could you not just take a taxi and charge the fare as a “business expense” to kit’s company?

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Wow asphalt. That was some journey. Glad to hear you got back safely :beam:

10

wow asphalt! i have been ont eh tube and its hectic as it is, i can imagine how it must have been. heck going through piccidelly circus or w/e it was like not moving ont he streets, imagine with this what i must have been like! well. glad you made it home!

11

*Originally posted by kirupa *
**Wow asphalt. That was some journey. Glad to hear you got back safely :beam: **
cheers m8y! :love:
*Originally posted by NaliWarCow *
**You don’t have to walk as far as soul does just to go to the bathroom, so it can’t be that bad asphalt :).

Could you not just take a taxi and charge the fare as a “business expense” to kit’s company? **
lol… actually… that’s not a bad idea… lol :wink: not sure i’d get away with it though

asphalt gets fired :thumb:

12

I think you could have swung it, you know. :slight_smile:

I also got caught in this power cut. My train left Bromley a few minutes after his, and got all of 5 minutes out of the station before grinding to a complete halt and the lights going out.

An hour later, the driver comes round to tell us that there’s been a problem (no **** Sherlock) and that the power was cut but is now back up and we would be moving again soon.

Another hour later, we’re still sitting there. No lights, no heating, in the middle of nowhere not even near a station. They can’t open the doors. There’s supposed to be a buffet service on the train but none of us can find it.

Eventually, 2 1/2 hours after we stopped, the train gets going again. Not before about ten other trains have zoomed past us, I might add, while mine is just sitting there doing **** all.

I got in at just gone 9pm, having left at 6. Not quite as bad as Asphalt’s trip, but considering it normally takes me 50 minutes to get home, I too was a little hacked off. :sure:

Pity us for we work in London…