I am so exhausted by 10 o'clock every night that I cannot keep my eyes open. My knees ache, my back aches. I don't find myself awake at 3 a.m. like I often do at home. I walk all day, or sit in a bus for a while and then walk.
Today I bought the all-day bus ticket again, which costs about five quid. This makes getting around very economical. With the Lothian bus app, like the London transport app, you can work out how to get exactly where you need to go, how long it will take and track your journey on the bus, so that you know exactly where to get off. The bus stops all have names and letters identifying them, and there is a recording announcing them as the bus approaches. They're also announced on a screen at the front of the bus. I think they've got the signage and announcements sorted much better than we have. I can never understand the announcements on the trains: the sound system is crap, and they rely on the drivers to make the announcements in Sydney--and many of the drivers don't speak English as well as my students--whereas here they have a recording made by a professional speaking a standard dialect. It's so easy to understand.
The Lothian bus app generally works very well, except when there's construction--and there is so much construction--when they trickily move the bus stop without changing the app information.
I don't know what to say. It's sounds very miserable. But the photos you took are wonderful. And the bus service is too good.
ReplyDeleteYes, Sophie, I'm very impressed with the app. With so many buses, it must be impossible to work out where to go unless you were born taking buses. The weather is pretty pleasant here in Aberdeen, although I'm always wondering whether I need to take something off or put something on. The local shops will accept my bank card for a purchase as I've just discovered, in Aberdeen, but they need my signature! For a $20 purchase. That's a bit weird, no?
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I was able to get the cash I needed to check in early. What's that about? A tip for Nela, the guy who checked me in before 4 pm? That seems a really late time to allow guests to access their rooms. However, I'm going with it because I had to book an extra day and the Nela and the boss gave me a 5 quid discount on what the extra night would have cost through Booking. com. I guess it's a cash-in-hand kind of thing because Nela wants me to pay in cash, and I know that the big booking agencies are making a motza out of the small accommodations that have to use their services.
I'm happy with the room. Love the view of the chimney pots and the humungous gulls with the weird laughing calls. Will try to record something and put it on the blog.