MAN: Another reason why I like living in the city is because there's so much going on, you have access to so much, and particularly culturally you have access to, most particularly in London, a huge range of, of, of concerts, of different types of music - pop, classical, jazz, whatever you're looking for, rock - erm, there's a lot of theatre, a lot of cinemas, erm there art galleries, there are museums, there are libraries, erm there, there's a very wide range of things to do culturally here.

WOMAN: Erm, rents are incredibly expensive. It's ridiculous what you can pay just for a room in London. Erm, transport's also very expensive - the underground again is a ridiculous price compared with other European countries. Erm, I don't think the food is necessarily so expensive, I wouldn't say it's more expensive than other countries, other cities in England. Erm, hmm, I, I think mainly it's the transport and the accommodation that really makes life very difficult.

INTERVIEWER: Why is it that, just when the summer holidays start, all these roadworks appear round the city? Surely they can be done at a time that is more convenient to travellers?
MAN: Yah, I agree no one likes to sit in traffic jams when they are off on their holidays. In my Department we make every effort to see that the public is held up as little as possible: roadworks are kept to a minimum and, wherever we can, we try to avoid working on busy routes at holiday time. Sometimes though, in the public interest, it's unavoidable.

MAN: So, here we are, more or less half-way between the two banks. What do you think of the views on each side?
WOMAN: Beautiful!
MAN: Aren't they! Now, that there to the left, on the north bank - over there - you see?
WOMAN: Mmm. Yah.
MAN: ... is the back of the Uffizi Gallery.
WOMAN: - where we were this morning.
MAN: Uh-huh. And to our right, on the south bank - just down there - is the other major place for paintings, the, the Pitti Palace.
WOMAN: Mmm. We're going there now?
MAN: If you like ... But just look down here! Look how low the water is!
WOMAN: Mmm! Does it often get like that in summer?

WOMAN: I, I think I quite like the idea of erm, the fresh air, the green fields, the animals, the cows, the birds, you know, having a healthy life as opposed to a rather unhealthy existence in the city, erm but I think I'd probably miss the stimulus of city life, erm I'd probably get very bored if I lived in the country all the time or if I lived in a place that was a long way from a city. If I lived somewhere that was within easy reach of the city then probably I, I'd be quite happy living in the country, I think.