Traffic and Sights of London

As in most capital cities, the quickest way in London is often by Underground. There are more than 250 Underground stations in London and its suburbs. In the centre of London, you are never likely to be more than a few minutes walk from one of them. Stations are indicated by an illuminated London Transport symbol.

Trains run frequently until about 00.15. The passengers get their tickets either from a ticket machine or from the ticket office. The ticket takes you right to your destination, and you do not need to rebook it at interchanges. Fares vary with the distance travelled: within one zone, the fare is fifty pence, whereas the fare from the centre to the suburbs may be as high as one pound fifty pence.

The passengers follow the signs for the line they want, and at all stations, there are maps to help them. It is necessary to keep the ticket to the end of the journey and then give it up to the ticket collector.

Most of London's buses are the world-famous red double-deckers. The number and destination of the bus is shown on the front. Many bus stops show which bus numbers stop there, give details of these routs. If you are still not sure which bus to catch, other people in the queue will probably be able to help you. (People in London queue up_ when waiting for the bus). When you g et on the bus, the conductor will tell you when to get off if you ask him. For safety's sake, standing is never allowed on the platform or on the upper deck of double-deck buses.

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The industrial heart of England

Nearly all the chief towns of the industrial Midlands are close together. They lie in the district, which contains the great industrial area of the "Black Country". Here we find numerous factories and coal mines. Birmingham, Britain's "second city", is the most important town of this district. Because of the great variety of its industries, people call it "The City of 1500 Trades ".

All the pins and needles in English households are probably of Birmingham make. The pens that people write with, the spoons and forks they use for dinner, and the glasses, which they drink out of, are mostly products of Birmingham industry. It is quite possible that motorcars, the bicycles, the railway carriages and the rails they run on in England, the radio and television sets, etc., have come from Birmingham.

The chief reason for its prosperity is the fact that it lies on the borders of the "Black Country", which is a very big armaments centre too. The neighbouring city of Coventry, one third of which the Germans destroyed by bombs during the war, is the birthplace of the motor manufacturing industry.

Another great industrial district is around Wolverhampton. North of Wolverhampton is "the Potteries". On knives and scissors, one usually finds the name of Sheffield. To the north of Birmingham, you come to Manchester, the cotton centre.

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The climate of England

The Gulf Stream, a warm current flowing from the Gulf of Mexico round the North of Europe affects the climate of the West coast of Europe, the British Isles and Iceland.

In these western countries, summers are not so warm and winters are not as cold as in the rest of Europe.

Spring is the season when nature returns to life. Vegetation grows rapidly for there are periods of sunshine broken by occasional showers. Clouds are continually floating across the sky and after the rain we see a magnificent rainbow.

It seldom gets very hot in summer, as there is generally a cooling breeze from the South-West, but the temperature may rise to 32 degrees in the shade. The weather becomes sultry, the heat grows oppressive, and the air gets stifling. The sky is suddenly overcast with low, black clouds and distant peals of thunder indicate the approach of a thunderstorm. Later, dazzling flashes of lightning are followed almost immediately by a clap of thunder directly overhead, and it pours with rain. Anyone caught in the rain takes shelter, otherwise he may get wet to the skin.

In autumn, the leaves turn yellow and reddish, and fall to the ground. Then most birds migrate to warm countries. Autumn is the season of mist, of windy days, of biting winds, of beautiful sunsets, and chilly days when it drizzles. A spell of sunny weather in October is called an Indian Summer.

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