Okay… I have to admit it… I don’t always know everything…
A couple of weeks back, I had to head into London for the first of a two day training course for work. It was a pretty straightforward journey, though the walk from the station to the venue was fun, with my phone map taking me on a merry ride!
I do like having the day out to learn new things with other like-minded professionals, and was excited at the prospect of the second day out, which was yesterday.
Then I got an email to say the venue had changed.
It was still London, but East London, and that meant I had to find a different way of getting there.
All the route planner apps gave me long winded ways to arrive, insisting that I had to leave at the crack of dawn and take 6,000 different tube trains, to get there for 8.30am (yes, 6,000 is a bit of an exaggeration, but what’s a little retelling without a bit of embellishment?) ready for registration.
I sat and chatted with my Bro in Law (BIL) and Hubby Dearest about the best way to get there, as nothing was making sense to me.
Even my BIL was confusing me, with routes that would need 2-3 changes.
Hubby Dearest calmly said, “It’s fine, you just need the fast speed train then one tube…”
But was I listening?
No.
I sat studying a map for ages, my BIL getting more and more excited about how I could get there, and if I wanted to take a train at half past very early, I could join him, as that is when he usually goes.
But I was trying to avoid the overly early start…
I thought the train station would be the best place to go. They would give me the best route and train times in the kiosk.
Hubby tried to stop me going, but it was pointless, after all, I know best.
So Lil Princess and I went and spoke to the first ticket lady, who didn’t know where either Shadwell station, or Whitechapel were! She then pulled up the train app on her phone (which I had already looked at) and gave me a great route that included about 5 changes!
Lots of help.
Oh, and the advice I get a train to a specific station and take a 5 min walk to Bank tube station… when the actual station that is near where I would disembark was EmBANKment! That would have been fun if I’d listened to her!
I decided to try the actual ticket office, and the guy there was very helpful and friendly, but the same as the first woman I had spoken to. No clue as to how to properly advise me.
So, I turned back home, disappointed that I was in no better a position.
Hubby sat there, with his foot up (still being partially hoppalong at this moment) and said “So, have you found a good route?”
I admitted that I was nowhere nearer to knowing where I was going than when I left.
Then he calmly pulled out his phone and showed me a tube map. “Here. You get the fast speed train, like I said, then the pink line there, do you see, the Hammersmith & City line, and it takes you straight to Whitechapel. One change, and you’re done. And it’s fast speed so you don’t have to be up too early.”
He had been right all along… But I just wouldn’t listen, would I?
The journey was great, in the end. I caught a train at 7.21am and was at the venue dead on 8.30am! And home by 5pm.
Perfect.
I may just listen to him a little more, once in a while…
Can you admit when you are wrong?
But I Smile Anyway... 