Public Transport
Aug 27, 2017 20:25:28 GMT
Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2017 20:25:28 GMT
Interesting day today. I don't mind using public transport (despite my recent trip to Alloa via Edinburgh) if it works.
Today I used several modes. First some background....
I am in Netanya, a town on the Mediterranean coast 25km north of Tel Aviv. I wanted to visit Jerusalem, which I usually do by road as it's only 90km, but traffic both on the way and in the city can dreadful and in the extreme heat, I get tired driving home after a long day walking about, despite air con and lots of water. So, we took the train. The train is the remnant of the British Mandate service from the coast winding its way up the hills like a Snowdonian slate route. A new fast line is being readied for 2018.
It was lovely, seeing the hills towering over, being able to have good look around rather than concentrate on the stupid drivers than make the Italians seem slow and sensible. Arriving in the city, the height made the climate much more pleasant, a little cooler and much less humid. A local bus ride took us to the Old City, a tram then took us into the heart of the downtown area and finally (as the railway is single track so trains are infrequent) a modern coach back down the hill. The Mercedes coach had done over 600,000km and seemed pretty smooth. More remarkable were the Skoda Octavia taxis.... The taxi to the train station was a new car, less than 30,000km. It was very nice. The taxi coming home had done over 180,000km. Internally, it seemed just like the newer one. DSG gearbox, but no clunking, unmarked interior, and I was impressed. Based upon the model, it could only have been about 12 months old.
We could have driven each way which may have been quicker and perhaps a little cheaper, but I was glad that today I let someone else do the work. Those who know the M6 north of Preston and the M74 will never experience that level of relaxation whilst driving anywhere in Israel.
Today I used several modes. First some background....
I am in Netanya, a town on the Mediterranean coast 25km north of Tel Aviv. I wanted to visit Jerusalem, which I usually do by road as it's only 90km, but traffic both on the way and in the city can dreadful and in the extreme heat, I get tired driving home after a long day walking about, despite air con and lots of water. So, we took the train. The train is the remnant of the British Mandate service from the coast winding its way up the hills like a Snowdonian slate route. A new fast line is being readied for 2018.
It was lovely, seeing the hills towering over, being able to have good look around rather than concentrate on the stupid drivers than make the Italians seem slow and sensible. Arriving in the city, the height made the climate much more pleasant, a little cooler and much less humid. A local bus ride took us to the Old City, a tram then took us into the heart of the downtown area and finally (as the railway is single track so trains are infrequent) a modern coach back down the hill. The Mercedes coach had done over 600,000km and seemed pretty smooth. More remarkable were the Skoda Octavia taxis.... The taxi to the train station was a new car, less than 30,000km. It was very nice. The taxi coming home had done over 180,000km. Internally, it seemed just like the newer one. DSG gearbox, but no clunking, unmarked interior, and I was impressed. Based upon the model, it could only have been about 12 months old.
We could have driven each way which may have been quicker and perhaps a little cheaper, but I was glad that today I let someone else do the work. Those who know the M6 north of Preston and the M74 will never experience that level of relaxation whilst driving anywhere in Israel.
