Word on the street: Transport and Travel
Transcript
"Stephen's friend comes to London and Ashlie and Stephen show him around."
Stephen: There she is!
Ashlie: Hi!
Stephen: Great to see you Ash – this is Jazz.
Ashlie: Hi, nice to meet you, Jazz.
Jazz: Nice to meet you Ashlie. I have never been here before. I have always wanted to visit London.
Ashlie: Wow, this is your first visit to London – you’ve never been here before? Well, I’m glad you could come – we’re really looking forward to showing you around.
Stephen: Come on. Let’s get going.
Ashlie: Here, let me help you with this bag. What have you got in here? It weighs a ton.
Stephen: Oh - come on. We need to get a move on.
Ashlie: Stephen’s brought his friend Jazz over to London for a few days. So we’re going to give him a tour of the city and show him the sights.
Stephen: Come on Ash - we need to get to central London for your surprise.
Ashlie: Surprise? What for me? I’ve got a surprise!
.....
Stephen: Hi there.
Cab Driver: Hi.
Stephen: We need to get to the River Thames. Can you take us to Embankment – near the tube station?
Cab Driver: Embankment Station, OK.
Ashlie: Oh no! My bag! Where’s my bag? I can’t believe it… I’ve lost it. Damn it! I’m going to have to go back there and get it.
Stephen: Did you have it with you on the train? Are you sure you had it with you on the train?
Jazz: You had your bag on the train, definitely – you put it on the... err... How do you say that in English?
Stephen: The luggage rack – yeah. Did you put it on the luggage rack, Ash?
Ashlie: You’re right - I’m sure I had it with me on the train. Oh my gosh! My phone! My phone is in my bag. Oh, I’m going to have to go back.
Stephen: But Ashlie, you’ll miss the surprise.
Ashlie: Oh, how annoying! You guys go on ahead and I’ll catch you up later.
Stephen: Are you sure?
Ashlie: Yes, don’t worry. I’ll give you a call later.
.....
Jazz: Oh gosh! This is an amazing city. What is that building over there?
Stephen: Oh, that’s the Royal Albert Hall... I hope we’re going to get there on time.
Jazz: The traffic in London is terrible. Is the traffic always this bad?
Stephen: Ah - you should see it in rush hour. Sometimes it’s quicker to walk. In fact, maybe we should… are you OK with walking?
Jazz: Is it a long way?
Stephen: It’s about ten minutes' walk to the flat from here.
Jazz: OK, that’s fine. I think we can manage with these bags.
Stephen: Can you pull over here, please?
......
Stephen: It’s only half an hour to the surprise – we’ll have to hurry.
Jazz: Wait a minute. Wait a minute, wait, I want to take a photo. Wow, I have never seen anything like this before. Where are we? What is this place called?
Stephen: This is Piccadilly Circus. There’s always loads of tourists round here.
Jazz: Wow, I must take a photograph, just one minute.
Stephen: When we get to Trafalgar Square, we can stop for a quick rest. Come on. Jazz…
Stephen: What’s that? It’s a phone. Is that your phone?
Jazz: No.
Jazz: Hey, I don’t believe it. Look what I’ve found! Isn’t this Ashlie’s bag? It’s her phone!
Stephen: What? Oh no! We had it all along. Poor Ashlie. I’m going to answer it. Hello?
Ashlie: Stephen?
Stephen: Hello. This isn’t Ashlie – I’m Stephen, I’m Ashlie’s brother.
Ashlie: Stephen!
Stephen: But this is Ashlie’s phone.
Ashlie: What are you doing with my phone?
Stephen: Who’s that?
Ashlie: Stephen it’s me – Ashlie – Where are you?
Stephen: Ash, we’ve found your stuff. We had it with us all the time.
Ashlie: Oh - I can’t believe I came all the way back here for nothing.
Stephen: Yes, don’t worry, we’ve got your bag. Everything‘s safe.
Ashlie: Thank goodness it’s all turned up. I’m so relieved.
Stephen: Right, well get here as quick as you can. We’re going to drop the bags off at the flat.
Ashlie: Great. And thank you!
Stephen: Meet you at the Embankment. Don’t be late. Remember, I’ve got a surprise for you!
Ashlie: OK, I’ll see you later. Bye!
"Ashlie, Stephen and Jazz take a trip on the London Eye to enjoy the views of London."
Jazz: Do you know how many different types of transport we have been on today?
Stephen: Well, we arrived on a plane, and then took a train, then a taxi – and now we’re on a boat on the River Thames!
Jazz: Wow - amazing. I didn’t realise people in London travelled around on boats.
Stephen: Well, there’s a lot less traffic on the river and it’s a great way to see the sights.
......
Stephen: Ah - there’s Ashlie.
Ashlie: Hi guys. Ah, I’m glad to have these back.
Stephen: Well, here we are!
Jazz: Brilliant. Are we going to the London Eye?
Stephen: We are and I’ve got our tickets!
Ashlie: Oh, what a great surprise, Stephen. I’ve always wanted to go on the London Eye!
Stephen: And the view of London from up there is amazing.
Ashlie: Oh, and the weather’s so good, we’ll be able to see loads.
Jazz: Oh, I can’t wait.
Stephen: There you go mate, the Houses of Parliament. There’s Big Ben. Over there is St Paul’s Cathedral.
Jazz: What a view.
Ashlie: Wow this is amazing. The City looks great from up here.
Jazz: That’s a strange building. What is that?
Stephen: Oh, that’s what we call the Gherkin – is one of London’s famous office blocks.
Jazz: Cool. This is fantastic.
Stephen: And there’s one thing we haven’t done today? Here’s something to remind you of your trip to London.
Jazz: Oh, the London Underground. We haven’t been on the London Underground today. Thank you so much, Stephen. I’m never going to forget this day!
......
Ashlie: Let’s get some food, you guys must be hungry. What do you want to do? Shall we get a takeaway or eat in?
Jazz: Sorry? A take-away or eat in? What do you mean?
Ashlie: Eat in, when we eat in the restaurant or take-away, when we take the food home with us.
Jazz: OK. Let’s get take-away, shall we?
Ashlie: So what do you fancy then, Pizza?
Jazz: Pizza’s good.
Stephen: Yes, pizza sounds good. And I know a great place right near the flat.
Ashlie: Oh no! You guys are never going to believe this… I’ve left my purse on the London eye!
"Nick talks about the history of The Thames and then is shown around a houseboat on the river. Later, he meets some artists who create incredible images of London in the future."
This is the River Thames. It is almost 346 kilometres long, and is the second longest river in Great Britain. It flows through London, and it’s this part of the river that most tourists see.
But there’s more to the Thames than a trip down the river.
The Romans built a settlement on the River Thames, and over the centuries it grew into the City of London, with a huge port. Ships from around the world brought food, goods and people to the capital.
But by the 1980’s, most of the docks had closed and the area became run-down.
A lot of money has been invested in this huge riverside area. And today it’s know as ‘Docklands’.
The old warehouses are now attractive apartments. There are new office buildings, shopping centres and leisure facilities, too. People enjoy living and working by the river.
People also enjoy living on the water! This is a houseboat on the Thames.
......
Nick: Hi Alistair.
Alistair: Hey Nick, welcome aboard.
Nick: Thank you. So why do you live on a houseboat?
Alistair: I love being close to the water. And it’s a brilliant place to invite friends over.
Nick: What’s it like to live on a boat?
Alistair: In the summer, it’s beautiful. And in the winter, it’s a bit cold.
Nick: Could you give me a tour?
Alistair: Please. Follow me. So this is the kitchen. The bedroom.
Nick: I like it. What’s the best thing about living on the river?
Alistair: For me, it’s being so close to nature. And it’s really cheap.
Nick: Is there anything you miss about living on dry land?
Alistair: I miss not being able to grow my own food and not having a garden.
Nick: Do you think you will ever move?
Alistair: Only if I have to leave London. It’s a really brilliant place to live in the city.
......
The Thames has seen a lot of changes over the years. But perhaps the biggest change is still to come.
This image is of the River Thames frozen over. It’s not a real photograph. It’s been created digitally. It shows the effect climate change may have on the river if temperatures drop significantly.
They were created by two illustrators: Didier Madoc-Jones and Robert Graves.
......
Nick: Didier, Tell us about this exhibition.
Didier: We wanted to create postcards from the future – well-known views of London – to show people how it might look with the effects of climate change.
Nick: Why does this one show the Thames frozen over?
Gareth: Well, some scientists think we might experience a new mini ice age with very cold winters and in the summer we’d experience flooding due to melting ice sheets.
Nick: Do you think that could really happen?
Didier: Nobody really knows. The point of the exhibition was to get people thinking about climate change and the future of London.
......
The River Thames has changed over the centuries, and will continue to do so. But hopefully it will always be here for both local people and tourists to enjoy and explore.