But thanks God I still have a piece of the Kyrgyz mentality, and, unlike Russians who mostly like everything and everyone in west-European countries, I hate the London Underground, hate it with all my heart, while Russians like the whole Underground just because of the modern trains. I agree, British trains are much better than Russian ones; they're fast, convenient, tidy and so on.
The main thing that I can't stand about the London Underground (and Overground, and DLR) is the system of payment. There are 9 Zones in London, starting with the 1st, the central one, and further relevantly. Having a ride just in the 1st Zone, for instance, costs you 1.9 pounds, which is pretty okay. To get to the 1st Zone from the 2nd will take a bit more. From the 3rd to the 1st - about 3.5. The price increases as your distance does; moreover, as you're going to the Zone which is closer to the centre from the further one. So, for example, if you want to get from the 8th to the 1st, I guess you have to pay approximately 7 pounds. It's crazy, isn't it. But that's not all.
There was created the whole payment system to make your life simpler (English think so), which seemed extremely complicated to me, and it took like 2 weeks to understand it appropriately. So you can pay 20 pounds weekly for unlimited travels within the 2nd and the 3rd Zones. But what if you want to go the 1st one, you'll ask. You have to pay additional 1.9. The weekly price also depends on the distance and the Zones you choose. For instance, I pay 40 pounds per week as I live in the 4th Zone, and my school is in the centre. I find a consolation in this, comparing this price with the price I would pay if I pay daily "pay as you go", which is about 60 pounds in overall per week. And I know it's weird.
But even that is not all! The real point that strikes me is that you have to pay for the 1st zone if you want to get from 2 to 2, with 1 between! The things is that the Zones are like circles, which are inside of the bigger ones (the 1st zone in the 2nd, the 2nd in the 3rd, etc). So, if I want go to the station which is also the 2nd Zone, but I have to cross the 1st one, I must pay extra 1.9.I don't expect from you to understand how it all works but I want to make a confusing impression by my complicated descriptions, and I think I got that.
A guy who created this must've run away from the mental hospital, I guess; cause I've no other explanation of that.
And it's not counting the facts that the Tube is stinky, the trains are often late, stations or even the whole lines can be closed, people's ears go mad under the air's pressure, etc.
In contrast, I love the Moscow Underground, I've always loved. It smells nice, the most of the stations are beautifully decorated, the trains are cosy, ancient though. But the main advantage is that you just pay 22 roubles for a one-way ticket, doesn't matter what the distance is or where you are travelling. That's really good! My respect for the guys who've created this system without extra-headaches!The rest quirks of the London Overground will be in the next post