Ian Jelf ) gurgled happily, sounding much like
they were saying :

And - quite seriously - I try always to behave with groups in as
unlike-a-tour-guide manner as possible. I try to tell people things
that *I* would find interesting about a place.

Ummm, Ian... Bearing in mind your fascination with bus routes and other
such anoraky things...

In message , Adrian
writes
Ian Jelf ) gurgled happily, sounding much like
they were saying :

And - quite seriously - I try always to behave with groups in as
unlike-a-tour-guide manner as possible. I try to tell people things
that *I* would find interesting about a place.

Ummm, Ian... Bearing in mind your fascination with bus routes and other
such anoraky things...

Er, yeah? ;-)

You'd be amazed how many people *are* fascinated about RMs in London,
trams in Amsterdam or the few surviving open platform buses in Paris [1]
(all of which I've talked about to groups over the years). Well either
that or they bluff very well!


[1] I'm not sure if there are any left now. I've not done a Paris
for many months and the modern versions have always been very much in
the minority.

--
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK

Registered Blue Badge Tourist Guide for London and the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk

"Mrs Redboots" wrote in message
...
It's surely the only way to get to know a city.

I don't know about that, however I reckon a better way is to cycle round. In
my case I have a notoriously detailed knowledge of most of London,
doubtlessly gleaned from many (mainly night-time) outings by bicycle.

Ian Jelf wrote:
You'd be amazed how many people *are* fascinated about ...
the few surviving open platform buses in Paris [1]

I thought the last of them went in the early '70s! What have I missed?

Colin McKenzie

In message , Colin
McKenzie writes
Ian Jelf wrote:
You'd be amazed how many people *are* fascinated about ...
the few surviving open platform buses in Paris [1]

I thought the last of them went in the early '70s! What have I missed?

Some of the modern Standards (dating *from* the 1970s) were built with
open platforms.

They used to be on the 86 but seemed to "wander" in their later years.

--
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK

Registered Blue Badge Tourist Guide for London and the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk

In message , David Splett
writes
"Mrs Redboots" wrote in message
...
It's surely the only way to get to know a city.

I don't know about that, however I reckon a better way is to cycle round. In
my case I have a notoriously detailed knowledge of most of London,
doubtlessly gleaned from many (mainly night-time) outings by bicycle.
Yes I've used my bicycle (a Brompton folder) to "do" a lot of Central
London in depth, too.

Everyone thinks I'm mad about *that* as well. In fact, people seem to
tell me I'm mad a lot. I think I might be getting a complex......

--
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK

Registered Blue Badge Tourist Guide for London and the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk

In article , (David
Splett) wrote:

"Mrs Redboots" wrote in message
...
It's surely the only way to get to know a city.

I don't know about that, however I reckon a better way is to cycle
round. In
my case I have a notoriously detailed knowledge of most of London,
doubtlessly gleaned from many (mainly night-time) outings by bicycle.

Agreed (from Putney, reached by bike from Westminster tonight).

--
Colin Rosenstiel

David Splett wrote to uk.transport.london on Wed, 2 Feb 2005:

"Mrs Redboots" wrote in message
...
It's surely the only way to get to know a city.

I don't know about that, however I reckon a better way is to cycle round. In
my case I have a notoriously detailed knowledge of most of London,
doubtlessly gleaned from many (mainly night-time) outings by bicycle.

Yes, you have a point - but for a non-cyclist, like me....
--
"Mrs Redboots"
http://www.amsmyth.demon.co.uk/
Website updated 23 January 2005 with new photos

On Wed, 2 Feb 2005 20:34:29 +0000, Ian Jelf
wrote:
You'd be amazed how many people *are* fascinated about RMs in London,
trams in Amsterdam or the few surviving open platform buses in Paris [1]

They've all gone, I'm afraid. They were an unusual version of the
absolute classic French - and particularly Paris - bus, the SC10.
More at
http://busparisiens.free.fr/sections...ticle&artid=12 and
http://www.navily.net/matroulantbus.php#sc10 for any Francophones out
there.

I think Boulogne (sur Mer) had a newer bus with a rear platform but
Google doesn't know about it.

Richard.

In message , Richard
writes
On Wed, 2 Feb 2005 20:34:29 +0000, Ian Jelf
wrote:
You'd be amazed how many people *are* fascinated about RMs in London,
trams in Amsterdam or the few surviving open platform buses in Paris [1]

They've all gone, I'm afraid. They were an unusual version of the
absolute classic French - and particularly Paris - bus, the SC10.
More at
http://busparisiens.free.fr/sections...ticle&artid=12 and
http://www.navily.net/matroulantbus.php#sc10 for any Francophones out
there.

Thanks for the update, Richard.

Speaking of the "original" Parisian open platformed buses, Robert Jowett
in his book "Paris is Worth a Bus" said that, when they were withdrawn,
Paris would have "lost its soul".

That phrase keeps coming into my mind when I think of the demise of
London's Routemasters.

I think Boulogne (sur Mer) had a newer bus with a rear platform but
Google doesn't know about it.
I saw an elderly Saviem "Standard" in Boulogne in 2003 but it was one of
the ordinary (closed rear) ones.
--
Ian Jelf, MITG
Birmingham, UK

Registered Blue Badge Tourist Guide for London and the Heart of England
http://www.bluebadge.demon.co.uk