Giving up seats to older people.

I will excuse him then!

In many Asian countries people age very quickly and can be considered elderly in their fifties.

Their children support them in whatever way they can - so to see the late sixties me jumping in a taxi at 8.am to do a day's babysitting for a grandchild with a cold is a surprise to them.

I think I shall be highly annoyed in 4 years time if anyone is impressed that can still get about and babysit! I still hope to be doing my morning runs, skiing and walking long distance footpaths.
I am surprised that people find drivers abroad more courteous then the UK- it is not my experience. They certainly don't understand queuing in many countries.

I often sit in the front seats for the elderly disabled as I am 68 and feel entitled

If someone older than me or a disabled person gets on I will always move and let them have the seat.

I agree about other cultures being very kind to older people. I like it when a taxi driver is Asian because they are extremely helpful and courteous and impressed that I am still baby sitting, getting about etc.,

On zebra crossings, I think our drivers are the best in Europe. It was explained to us in Italy that the zebra is only a suggestion as to where you might cross more safely - if you're quick. No cars seemed to stop there. And as for Sicily, we were told to cross next to a nun, as all drivers screech to a halt for them!

They get fined 135 euros if they get you.

look I'm right You only have to stick one foot out and they have to stop. It's amazing.

ruby

No granjura. They re definitely better on the continent! They slow down, and expect you to go in front of them. It's quite hairy really. There has to be a lot of trust involved.

I'd say it is totally the other way round- drivers in the UK are much much better at stopping for pedestrians than in say, France or Italy!

Round our way jings you get that all the time. It's just the drivers are waiting to take a bit of a run up at you.

The drivers abroad seem very good about stopping for pedestrians. They seem to expect you to cross while they wait. How often do you get that in the UK?!

Singleton DD and I have got our own little travel club going. Girls away trips.

Forgot to say that here we have excellent public transport- and kids are taught and reminded on a regular basis about giving up seats if necessary- and the bus driver will just instruct them to do so if they forget! And also to always thank any driver who stops at zebra crossings with a smile and a wave. And they do- wonderful.

Good on him- I'd do the same if someone behaved like that repeatedly! ;)

Rome- oh my you do travel a lot Jings- a real jet setter, you!

There is a lady who gets the local bus every Saturday to the Supermarket & back again and when she is coming back she sits on the front seat outside seat with her trolley so no one can get to the window seat unless they clinb over the bl---in trolley,she will never move in any way and ignores all requests until a couple of weeks ago a man lifted her trolley to one side and slipped into the seat,if looks could kill so not only youngsters I'm afraid to say.
jings they are so so polite in Rome you will be amazed at the difference to UK.

Oh good anno! Going there the week after Easter.

I spent four days in Rome last month, using mainly public transport. On busy buses and metro trains, I was invariably offered a seat.

Unfortunately there's no public transport where we live - I do miss the buses. But last time I used the London Tube a young black man stood for me to sit down. As Jings said, some other cultures have a different attitude to the elderly.

Slightly different, but when one of my sons visits with his wife and 2 boys, now aged just 18 and nearly 15, for several years now son and his wife have stood up whilst the boys have sat down (we don`t have a lot of spare seating). I`ve regularly said to them "a gentleman would get up and let a lady sit down", to no avail, and their mum always says it`s OK, she doesn`t mind standing.

Bags yes I did. A very nice looking young Asian looking bloke stood up and gave me his seat. I reckon Asian people have got a very different attitude to older people. I often find that. Perhaps it's their culture.

I have a slightly different experience. I have to travel a lot by train to different destinations for work. I have a poor sense of direction and when I come out of the station it takes me a while to get my bearings. Just recently I have been approached by people asking if I am OK and being very solicitous for my well-being. It has just struck me that with all this dementia awareness they are concerned that I might be confused Oh dear !

Yes. You're right absent.

granjura

Lucky lady granjura!

granjura certainly has been with you all the way jingl, possibly even there and back.