14. Travelling, Tourism
Cars and motorbikes are expensive to purchase and in addition one also has to pay for petrol, which if the vehicle has a big consumption, cost a lot of money as well. For short and middle distances a car is fast enough so as not to get too tired by travelling, unless we get to traffic jam. The best thing about cars is that they you almost anywhere at any time. Modern cars with soft seats and a lot of space for the legs are sometimes even more comfortable then the interior of plane. To get a driver’s licence one must know how to drive and know the traffic rules well. One of the rules says that cars are to be driven on the right side of the road. This isn’t true a Great Britain and the USA, there people drive on the left. The most frequent public means of transport are busses and trains. The network of bus and train stops covers most inhabited places. Public transport is cheaper, but also less comfortable. The bus and train stops in major cities are called stations. An ordinary railway station looks like this: a big hall with a ticket office where one can buy single or return ticket and a seat reservation, telephones, waiting halls and so on. From the platform we get on the train and look for a free seat. If all seats are occupied we must move into another carriage and try again there. When we are seated and the train starts, we can spend the time talking with fellow passenger, eat some food or play cards. When the conductor come we hand him a ticket and he checks them.
