Two polar opposites, you’d think. But there is a lot to compare, if you’ve experienced the crazy traffic collapses in the high season in Dubrovnik, it’s almost the same as every Monday morning peak time travelling in London. Mondays are the worst.
Entering the tube station feels like entering the Old Town, except you’re probably shivering on the cold or getting wet from the rain, instead of being mashed with hundreds of people and smelling sun protection cream in the air while its 30+ degrees.
If you live in London, you’d know that Tfl (Transport for London) will control your life, and be a pretty often topic with other commutes. Especially considering the strikes and delays (walking to work on a rainy day-yes.), which are happening all the time. Winter travelling in Dubrovnik is easy, the buses are always on time and it’s not as hard to find a parking spot. While in the summer- you just might be better off walking to your destination then rely on parking close to the Old Town.
When getting to work in London, you can experience a lot of things, but mostly silence and people staring at their devices. In fact I am right now sitting in a tube getting to work and typing this on my phone, while there are people around me on their phones, kindles, tablets or reading books. Many have coffee cups or protein shakes, and quite a few are probably late to work so they do their full-face makeup routine in the tube. I don’t think I could ever master that.
But if you’re on a bus in Dubrovnik getting to your destination, there is a big possibility that you’ll hear a few ladies talking loudly to each other from one end of the bus to another, about how one found really great fish at the market that morning, and you could experience the scents of that same market goods in a bag. Passengers talk about many interesting things typical for Dubrovnik locals, such as two random people talking about this and that just to realise they’re related, perhaps you’d hear some gossip as well, but sadly you won’t understand it if you don’t speak Croatian. It will certainly be a lot less quiet, and possibly a bit more of a bumpy ride.
Even though London is a fantastic and never boring city, and the red double deck busses are so charming, I think I made up my mind on not living and working in London unless I live 30 minutes walking distance from work. Short drives in my beautiful Dubrovnik feel like a blessing. Nevertheless I believe that we’re all so thankful for our public transportation, and that it can sometimes get quite interesting.
