Waterloo - Couldn't Escape if I Wanted to

My first post on London is about one of my favorite things, public transportation! My friends all know that I am a subway connoisseur, and I couldn't wait to get to know the Underground. London's Ungerground, or most often called 'The Tube', is huuuuge. I love how many lines there are because it always means you're roughly a 10 minute walk from a stop at most. I live next to Kings Cross, and it's so convenient how may lines run through it. There's the Piccadilly, Victoria, Northern, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitain, District, and Circle lines that all run through it (that was all by memory, including spelling!). I have taken at least all of these a few times, but most often Victoria and Piccadilly. Those two lines and the Northern line all have different car set ups than the Hammersmith and Co. lines. The latter are more open and all the cars connect to each other while the Victoria, Piccadilly, and Northern are much smaller compartments and it's hard to move between the cars. In addition to these line there are the Bakerloo, Jubilee, Central, and Waterloo & City. 

To use the Tube, you have to have an oyster card. According to Wiki, the name 'oyster' was chosen because "the world is your oyster". I like that because honestly the Tube and buses are the easiest, cheapest, and most convenient way to get around London! Now suprisingly, London has turned me on to the bus system. I'm not a fan of buses because I find them confusing, but here in London they are so easy! London traffic is a bit rough though, so I always break it down like this: walk if you can, take the bus if it's close, take the Tube if it's far.

For example, to get to school it takes me about 20-25 minutes walking. It takes about 20-25 minutes on the bus, and 20-25 minutes on the Tube. That's because it is the right distance away that it's only one tube stop but it takes a while from start to finish and between where I live and school it's a very busy road and therefore lots of traffic!

But I digress from the Underground. Each Tube station has its own history, its own art, its own culture. When I first arrived to London, my friend reminded me that often Tube stations were used during WWII to hide in and that was incredibly surreal for me. You can tell which stations are really old by the tile work or the fact they don't have escalators. That's why I chose to designate a whole blog post on them, because it's so interesting. I barely scratched the surface with the unique Tube signs, tiling, entrances, etc. But I did collect a few of the ones I did enjoy. I also took pictures of some of the advertisments because it is an important part of my commute! I find out when shows are playing, new exhibits are in town, and other odd tidbits about London culture. 

All in all, the Underground is an experience and I love it. 

P.S. hover over the pictures for a description!